Business Reporter - Quad City Times

Lee Enterprises•Davenport, IA

17h

About The Position

The Quad-City Times seeks a tenacious business reporter who will uncover the deals, decisions and power players shaping the local economy and chase down stories no other outlet has. The reporter will build sources, follow the money, and dig into the decisions shaping the Quad-Cities economy. This role requires a competitive drive to get stories first and persistence to uncover information that businesses and public officials aren’t volunteering. The job requires someone who takes ownership of the beat and drives coverage without waiting for assignments. The beat spans major employers, small businesses, manufacturing, development, commercial real estate, retail, and the workforce on both sides of the Mississippi River. Reporting will explain what business decisions mean for people’s jobs, neighborhoods, and daily lives.

Requirements

Strong reporting, interviewing and writing skills, with work samples that demonstrate initiative and original reporting.
A record of finding stories beyond press releases and scheduled meetings, whether in professional, student or other journalism.
The confidence to ask difficult questions and the persistence to follow up when answers are incomplete.
An ability to understand financial information, evaluate data and explain complex subjects in plain language.
Strong news judgment and the ability to balance breaking news with longer-term reporting.
A commitment to building sources across industries, neighborhoods and levels of economic power.
Comfort with digital publishing and a willingness to develop visual and multimedia storytelling skills.
The ability to report throughout the Quad-Cities and adjust your schedule when news requires it.

Nice To Haves

Experience covering business, development, labor or local government is helpful.
Knowledge of the Quad-Cities is a plus.
Curiosity, initiative and a drive to own the beat are essential.

Responsibilities

Consistently pitch and pursue exclusive stories.
Cultivate sources who bring you tips, spot developments early and chase promising leads with urgency and persistence.
Break news about employers, development projects, openings and closings, expansions, layoffs and changes in the local economy.
Go beyond announcements and ribbon-cuttings to examine how businesses operate, who benefits from investment and whether promises become reality.
Develop sources throughout the community, including workers, entrepreneurs, executives, developers, labor leaders, customers and neighborhood residents.
Use public records, financial filings, court documents and data to uncover stories and independently verify claims.
Scrutinize public incentives and economic development deals, tracking spending, commitments and results.
Connect regional and national economic trends to specific local consequences, making complex business issues clear and relevant.
Deliver a mix of quick-turn news, useful explainers, compelling profiles and deeper enterprise reporting.
Collaborate with editors and visual journalists to produce strong digital coverage, using audience questions and readership insights to sharpen the beat.
Uphold high standards for accuracy, fairness and independence, including when covering powerful local interests and advertisers.