Sports Reporter/ (UNION)

USA Today • Worcester, MA

8d

About The Position

The sports reporter will provide digitally focused coverage of local sports, with a focus on high school sports in Worcester County. The ideal candidate will be a self-starting, resourceful reporter who is able to transcend traditional beat reporting by finding stories with strong human interest. The candidate will measure success by comparing and evaluating key audience metrics to determine which stories resonate with readers and use that data to identify key takeaways and strategize on future story opportunities. The reporter will be adept with social media platforms as a newsgathering tool and to inspire alternative story forms.

Requirements

• Bachelor's or higher in communications, journalism or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Outstanding core journalism skills, including writing, spelling, grammar, and Sound news judgment and a flair for effective headline writing.
• Strong planning and organizational skills, and ability to coordinate with staff members across all departments.
• Ability to multitask and excel under deadline pressure.
• Understanding and adherence to journalism ethics.
• This role will include night, weekend and occasional holiday work as needed by the news cycle.
• Candidates should have facility with AI and automation and experience in using it to enhance their journalism.
• This role requires a valid driver’s license, reliable transportation, and the minimum liability insurance required by state law.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with Parse.ly and analytics products a plus.
• Work collaboratively as part of a team with other reporters and editors.

Responsibilities

• Primary focus will be on local high school sports, but flexibility is a must.
• Be a curious, assertive, and self-starting journalist who jumps to report on breaking news and trending topics with urgency.
• Capitalize on live, breaking, and trending moments by creating quick-turn-around content for social media and other digital platforms.
• Proficient on the latest social media tools and trends to generate interest in and promote content.
• Use metrics to monitor real-time story/content performance, determine digital readership/traffic patterns and make changes in content tied to the data.
• Contribute and assist in creating newsletters to send to our audience and encourage them to sign up through innovative promotional plans.

What This Job Offers

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