General Assignment Reporter-Council Bluffs, IA

Lee Enterprises • Council Bluffs, IA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Daily Nonpareil is seeking a general assignment reporter to cover Council Bluffs and surrounding communities in Southwest Iowa. The role will include a mix of public affairs reporting, including city and county government, and feature writing, as well as some multimedia journalism. We are looking for someone who can go beyond simply listing what happens at a meeting to focus on how stories impact our readers and our community. You should be digitally savvy and ready to shoot your own photos and video to accompany stories. You should be comfortable juggling a variety of assignments as well as meeting daily deadlines while prioritizing time for larger enterprise projects. We want someone who will take initiative to robustly cover our community. Every day is different. This is true local journalism where one can make an impact on a community that benefits from local news. You should expect to file 2-3 stories each day on different topics. The Nonpareil’s coverage regularly wins awards from the Iowa Newspaper Association, which named us the statewide runner-up in the general excellence category for our circulation class in 2026. Council Bluffs is part of the Omaha metropolitan area, so you would have the benefits of a larger community while covering a community of a little more than 62,000 people. We are part of Lee Enterprise’s network of newspapers across Iowa, expanding the reach of our work.

Requirements

• Experience covering government and reporting for a general audience
• Familiarity with AP style
• Ability to write stories for a print-oriented audience
• Solid news judgment
• Ability to follow leads, find stories and develop features and enterprise stories based on the facts and narratives uncovered during reporting
• Understanding of how to adjust coverage based on digital metrics and feedback
• Skill to write stories, provide social media coverage, take photos, shoot video and keep an editor updated while covering an assignment and quickly turn around their coverage
• Curiosity about the world around them and whatever topic they are currently exploring
• Valid driver’s license
• Current vehicle insurance
• Self-motivated
• Critical thinkers

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism (relevant experience will also be considered)
• Recent college graduates are welcome to apply

Responsibilities

• Cover city and county government
• Write features
• Engage in multimedia journalism
• Shoot photos and video
• Juggle a variety of assignments
• Meet daily deadlines
• Prioritize time for larger enterprise projects
• File 2-3 stories each day on different topics
• Provide social media coverage
• Keep an editor updated while covering an assignment
• Quickly turn around coverage

Benefits

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Short-term disability
• Long-term disability
• Company-provided life insurance
• Supplemental life insurance
• 401K retirement plan with company match
• Generous paid time off
• Paid parental leave for new parents

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level