Public Safety Reporter - Cedar Rapids IA

Adams Communications Co • Cedar Rapids, IA

3d • $45,000 - $50,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is seeking a public safety and breaking news reporter. This role focuses on keeping the audience safe by covering local, state, and federal criminal justice systems, police, fire, and EMS services, and social service agencies. The position is not for writing daily police briefs but for a candidate interested in being the go-to for reporting on crises, crimes, and emergency services. The ideal candidate has a mindset for accountability and watchdog journalism, striving to fairly report the complexity and split-second decisions involved in public safety. A tenacious reporter who finds layers to stories and works to share them with the audience is desired. The role requires high ethical standards, strong relationship-building skills, persistence, and a strong ethical compass when seeking information. The reporter must be accurate, maintain impartiality, be deadline-oriented, and a concise writer, cutting through jargon. An investigative mindset is crucial, always working to help the audience understand the bigger picture. The role involves quick online updates and in-depth enterprise reporting, requiring self-drive, strong news judgment, critical thinking skills, and adeptness at obtaining and scouring reports or public records. The ideal candidate will have strong news judgment, accuracy, a passion for digital news, a focus on the bigger picture and trends, basic data skills, the ability to convey key points, and solid writing and interviewing skills. Close coordination with the legal reporter is expected. This is a full-time position, generally working Monday-Friday during daytime hours, and is one of the early-risers in the newsroom to ensure an updated website.

Requirements

• Ability to juggle a variety of deadlines and to work quickly and accurately while meeting deadlines.
• Ability to find the unexpected in data and routine documents.
• Ability to take and edit photos and video on as needed basis.
• Strong news judgment.
• Accuracy.
• Passion for digital news.
• Thinking of the bigger picture and trends.
• Basic data skills.
• Ability to convey key points.
• Solid writing and interviewing skills.
• High ethical standards.
• Strong relationship building skills.
• Persistence.
• Strong ethical compass.
• Investigative mindset.
• Critical thinking skills.
• Adept at obtaining and scouring reports or public records.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communication, English or a related field and three or more years of related experience is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Respond with urgency to breaking news, producing information with a digital audience in mind.
• Drive audience and digital growth while producing engaging and timely content.
• Ability and comfort in an array of topics outside of public safety.
• Strong understanding of ethics and desire to explore news events speaking to officials as well as those impacted by events.

What This Job Offers

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