Higher Education Reporter
$23.08 Hour
We’re launching an ambitious and impactful journalism project in the Central Valley that is focused on improving educational outcomes for local students. We’re searching for a reporter to join the project and cover higher education.
Education is a key driver of economic mobility everywhere, and especially in the Central Valley, where the gap between rich and poor families continues to grow at a rate faster than elsewhere in the state. How do we change this trajectory and quicken the pace of advancement in educational outcomes? Answering these and related questions are at the center of the Education Project and its mission to provide revealing, solutions-oriented journalism.
As an Education Project reporter, you will be one of two beat reporters on a four-person team. The other reporter will cover early education. Both reporters will work closely with an engagement reporter, who will help build new communications channels and facilitate deep outreach through crowd-sourcing and in-person gatherings.
The Education Project’s content will go deep; it is not a breaking news assignment (though we will write stories that should be told immediately). The successful candidate will have the skills to build audience loyalty, engagement and growth via a thorough understanding of the metrics that drive them.
The team will tell its stories through text and multimedia. Video and audio will accompany most stories, and reporters should show the ability to switch between formats as needed. Familiarity with data journalism skills are essential.
The education reporter/higher education will report to the Education Project Editor. It is a two-year position, with potential to discuss future opportunities in Fresno and/or McClatchy. Spanish language skills are a significant plus, please denote in your application.
Requirements:
- At least one year of full-time reporting experience, with demonstrated success in accountability or watchdog work
- Strong writing and reporting skills and excellent news judgment
- Commitment to accurate, ethical journalism
- Ability to network and quickly establish sources
- Ability to use social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to reach audiences
- Fluency in the science of readership and engagement, including an understanding of how to use analytics such as pageviews, time on site and referral sources to determine which stories resonate
- Ability to tell stories using a variety of tools and platforms, including video
- Experience in learning new skills and technologies, including content management systems, social media platforms, video editing software, Omniture, Parse.ly, Crowdtangle and other analytics tools and emerging storytelling platforms
- Strong interpersonal skills, including empathy and the ability to take and give constructive criticism
- Demonstrated ability to work comfortably in a job that will be fast-paced, data-driven, shaped by feedback and experimentation and always evolving