Senior Reporter
The Las Cruces Sun-News/lcsun-news.com, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, is searching for a senior reporter who can serve as a player/coach - leading by example, pursuing high-interest and impactful journalism while serving as a mentor and assigning editor to fellow journalists.
As a player/coach you will divide your time to maintain a consistent flow of quality journalism, some of which you will pursue and some of which you'll provide guidance for, from idea to publication, to deliver stories that engage on key issues and interests within the community. This will mean working with reporters to hone ideas into focused stories driven by readers' interests and needs. You will help to cultivate a high-performing team and intentionally create a culture of collaboration and belonging.
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As a hands-on digital leader, you will make effective use of social media, SEO and trends garnered from metrics. You'll watch analytics throughout the day, adapting to the audience in real time; and you'll be a voracious consumer of content strategy reports that show trends in our coverage and readers' interest. The successful leader in this role is adept at translating raw data into the language of journalism and motivating front-line journalists. Dedication to transparency and accountability is key, as well as an eye for meaningful enterprise and quick-turn watchdog stories with a focus on solutions.
Life in Las Cruces
Las Cruces is the county seat of Doña Ana County in southern New Mexico, less than an hour away from the U.S.-Mexico border. The area, with its spectacular sunset views, has become increasingly popular for film and television production. It is home to New Mexico State University and is known for its cultural events and many festivals, such as the Las Cruces International Film Festival.
Responsibilities:
- Coaching and directly supervising front-line journalists.
- Ensuring steady productivity around high value topics and adjusting as needed.
- Prioritizing DEIB values in story selection, sourcing, hiring and coaching.
- Being the local face of the news organization for the community and ensuring local engagement by frontline journalists. Must live in the area or be able to relocate.
- Helping the staff hone skills in a wide range of storytelling: from real-time digital updates to narrative storytelling, employing alternative story forms and multimedia.
- Using metrics and analytics to determine how to best reach and grow the audience.
- Increasing digital audience and engagement and growing digital subscriptions.
- Assuring daily work is completed on time and efficiently, setting priorities and coordinating with colleagues.
- Receiving assignments in the form of objectives to meet goals; administering company policies that directly affect team members.
- Assigning and editing articles for context, completeness, fairness, accuracy, balance, and adherence to news values. Demonstrating strong news judgment in the selection, prioritization and editing of content.
- Writing effective digital headlines, social media posts, briefs and breaking news alerts that help attract audiences.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in communications, journalism, marketing, or related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- 3-5 years of relevant work experience. Management/supervisory experience a plus.
- Commitment to values of fairness, diversity, inclusion, and professionalism.
- Live and work in the coverage area - this position is not remote.
- Strong writing skills and a command of grammar and style.
- Strong story and word editing skills.
- Knowledge of data-based reporting and use of spreadsheets such as Excel.
- Ability to work collaboratively with others locally and regionally to meet common goals.
- Demonstrated commitment to reader interest and reader questions in helping reporters frame stories, utilizing tools such as Google Trends and Parse.ly.
- Top-notch planning, organizational and time management skills.
- Understanding of metrics, social media, and SEO and how they relate to the audience funnel.
- Self-motivation and self-direction.
- Ability to work as a member of a team.
- Ability to multi-task and excel under deadline pressure in a rapidly changing environment.
- Solid news judgment and mastery of ethical and legal principles in day-to-day journalism.
- This role requires a valid driver's license, reliable transportation, and the minimum liability insurance required by state law.
Application Instructions
We are eager to learn more about you and how you fit this role. When you apply, don't limit your upload to a resume; show us what you've done. To do so, put together a single document file that includes the following, in this order:
- Your resume - one to two pages.
- A cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job.
- Links to no more than three published stories, writing samples and/or audio samples.
It is important that these items be assembled into a single document and uploaded in PDF format. Completing these steps will ensure that your application receives the highest consideration.
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