Development and Transportation Reporter Wanted

 

We are currently in need of a skilled and experienced Journalist who is interested in covering issues surrounding development and transportation – and the connection between the two – in Lancaster County. This role is essential in covering everything from farm preservation and urban sprawl to zoning and transportation planning issues, affordable housing and the county’s changing landscape. The ideal reporter breaks down complex issues and develops enterprise stories for digital and print audiences that are presented in ways that are easily understood by lay readers. This reporter anticipates reader questions and develops stories -- from quick digital posts to in-depth projects -- to answer them. In any given week, the Development Reporter could be writing on topics such as why a city panel’s decision on a historic property matters; rents in new retirement communities; a new development’s impact on traffic; controversial changes to historic landmarks; and implementation of the county’s Places2040 plan.

Reporting

• · Exercise solid news judgment, a sense of urgency and the highest journalistic standards.
• · Produce daily as well as mid- and longer-range enterprise stories.

 · Organizes materials, determines focus and writes stories according to prescribed editorial style and format standards, both for the newspaper and online.

• · Makes use of all available tools to generate accurate, timely and compelling content and may be required to do so with a digital-first mentality; with attention to both detail and deadlines.

 · Builds expertise in a particular beat through research, experience and growing a network of relevant contacts in the community.

• · Regularly curates and aggregates content from other sources and presents them to our audience with additional commentary or explanation.

Digital & social media

• · Tracks metrics and conversations on the materials they’ve created to optimize results and shape future work toward that audience.
• · Strives to keep our organization at the leading edge of online, mobile and social-network use and innovation.
• · Actively builds a social media presence, which includes not just posting content, but also engaging with our audience.
• · Thinks visually as well as verbally: Takes photos and shoots/edits video to accompany stories as needed.
• · Takes responsibility for his or her own content, in terms of posting it online and subsequently being an aggressive marketer of that content across all relevant platforms.

Click here to apply