Reporter, Political and Investigative, NBC 5 Chicago

NBCUniversal•Chicago, IL

1d•$110,000 - $200,000•Onsite

About The Position

NBC 5 Chicago (WMAQ) is seeking a dynamic, deeply sourced, and enterprising political and investigative journalist. This person should be a news breaker that our viewers trust to get them answers on issues that affect their lives. They should focus on audience impact and providing context for stories of multiple lengths and formats across linear television, streaming, social media, and digital publishing. Why This Role Matters Trust is at an all-time low in many facets of everyday life. Our communities need journalists who fight for them and remind them why they should care what’s happening at city hall, in the state house, and our nation’s capital. They should expose waste and mismanagement, explain complicated topics and provide easily digestible takeaways, and do so in an empathetic and relatable way. It’s someone who looks and talks like them. A person who they know has their back and that they want to watch to better understand the world they’re living through.

Requirements

A minimum of 10 years reporting on-camera delivering unique, engaging, and concise reports in multiple formats across platforms
A minimum of 5 years producing investigative or political pieces that made an impact on the lives of the people you covered
A hunger to pitch enterprising stories every day to keep yourself, the unit, and station relevant and a trusted first-to-check source in the market
A deep bench of sources that allow you and the station to be ahead on a story to ensure our reporting is driving the conversation
A thirst to score exclusives, break news, elevate new storylines and win every day
A skilled storyteller who knows how to frame a story — no matter how dry — to make a viewer understand its importance and why the report matters
A sharp editorial eye focused on accuracy, ethics, fairness, and diverse community representation
A fail-fast mentality with a willingness to take risks, try new things, and learn from wins and failures for future use
A curious, creative spirit and an instinct for what will “stop the scroll” and attract loyal viewers to one or more of our products
An owner mentality to ensure that the entire organization always performs at its best
Live in the Chicago metro area
Adhere to NBC News Group standards, policies and ethics
Must have unrestricted work authorization to work in the United States
Must be at least 18 years of age
Must be available to weekends, evenings and holidays as required
Must be able to work in the field and be licensed to operate a vehicle
Must join SAG-AFTRA union if not currently a member

Nice To Haves

Proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking Spanish
Understanding of story-centricity and related workflows
Background shooting and editing on a variety of equipment and tools
History of producing written, video and graphical content for digital news outlets
Familiarity with linear and digital analytics and platform performance insights

Responsibilities

Break news on issues that affect viewers in the Chicago market
Research, develop, write, and produce short, medium, and long-term investigative news stories and projects
Deliver reports regularly on all platforms in multiple formats
Tell stories through the lens of viewer impact on their life, neighborhood, family, happiness, and physical, mental, and financial wellness
Craft compelling stories that viewers can connect with and want to watch
Contribute to breaking and developing news stories by contributing to both the overall newsgathering process and by producing reporting for airing/publishing
Host special programming across platforms
Nurture relationships with a variety of sources that allow you to contribute to any relevant storyline we’re covering
Recruit new viewers to your reporting and our brand across multiple platforms including social media
Iterate on new storytelling methods with photojournalists and leadership
Be a great teammate that contributes to the mission and vision of the unit
Work in concert with newsroom leadership and the NBC News Group Legal and Standards team to conduct and present legal, accurate, and ethical reports