California Politics Reporter
The Sacramento Bee is seeking an aggressive journalist who can deliver exclusive reporting on California politics and policy that informs and engages readers.
This is not a traditional beat reporting job focused on coverage of meetings and routine events. This journalist will be responsible for reporting stories on the unique political climate in California and how it connects with the national political landscape.
This is also an opportunity to deliver coverage that interprets actions at the Capitol and holds elected officials accountable for their political promises and actions affecting the world’s fifth-largest economy.
During this consequential election year, this reporter will also be expected to break news from the campaign trail, keeping The Bee ahead of the competition with insightful coverage of pivotal California races.
The successful candidate will have a demonstrated commitment to fairness and accuracy, in fact and in tone, and a strong grounding in journalism ethics. Like all McClatchy journalists, the reporter must have demonstrated the desire and skills to build audience loyalty, engagement and growth around compelling public service journalism.
At the Sacramento Bee, the reader comes first, last and always. Serving readers in a crowded media marketplace means becoming the best and most relevant source of journalism that matters to them — and ensuring that our work reaches them, wherever they are. This will require a keen understanding of what’s important to local readers, developed through reporting on and familiarity with the region; through the use of audience analytics such as social media referrals and time spent on a story; and through a constant awareness of what people are sharing and talking about on social media.
This job requires not just the ability to build sources and ferret out facts, but also a talent for framing, writing, producing and promoting a story via search and social media to ensure that it reaches and resonates with our readers. It will require a demonstrated commitment to change — to constantly adapting to the ever-evolving ways in which readers seek out and interact with our journalism. And it will require enthusiastic participation in ongoing conversations about what’s working and what’s not — and an equally enthusiastic commitment to adapting accordingly.
Minimum requirements:
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At least 2 years of reporting experience
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Strong writing and reporting skills and excellent news judgment
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The ability to break news in a competitive media market
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Unwavering commitment to accurate, ethical journalism
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Demonstrated ability to use social media platforms to reach and engage with audiences
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Fluency in the science of readership and engagement, including an understanding of how to use analytics such as page views, time on site, referral sources and “shares and likes” to help determine which stories resonate with which audiences
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A demonstrated ability to tell stories using a variety of tools and platforms, including capturing and editing video
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A demonstrated ability to learn new skills and technologies, including content management systems; social media platforms; video editing software; and analytics and storytelling tools
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Strong interpersonal skills, including empathy and the ability to take and give constructive criticism. The new workflows require constant conversations between reporters and editors and between reporters and their audience as a story evolves
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Demonstrated ability to work comfortably in a job that will be fast-paced, data-driven, shaped constantly by feedback and experimentation