Job Description
Reporter, Trending Team
United States Virtual Req #40407
Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is a subscription-led and digitally-focused media and marketing solutions company committed to empowering communities to thrive. With an unmatched reach at the national and local level, Gannett touches the lives of millions with our Pulitzer Prize-winning content, consumer experiences and benefits, and advertiser products and services.
Our current portfolio of media assets includes The USA TODAY NETWORK, which includes USA TODAY, and local media organizations in 43 states in the United States, and Newsquest, a wholly-owned subsidiary operating in the United Kingdom. We also own digital marketing services companies under the brand LocaliQ, which provide a cloud-based platform of products to enable small and medium-sized businesses to accomplish their marketing goals. In addition, our portfolio includes one of the largest media-owned events businesses in the U.S., USA TODAY NETWORK Ventures.
Gannett open roles are featured on various external job boards. When applying to a position at Gannett, you should be completing an application on Gannett Careers via Dayforce. Job postings directing you to complete an application on other external sites may not be valid.
To connect with us, visit www.gannett.com
Gannett is seeking an ambitious, creative, fast-moving and self-starting reporter to work on a team of journalists who write the stories that start the conversation across the country each day.
The Trending Team creates urgent, smart and innovative stories that reach readers on multiple platforms, illuminating and elevating the most important stories across the nation.
Our team responds to the biggest breaking news moments, surging to support USA TODAY and more than 200 local news organizations as we bring reporting and writing resources to bear for communities nationwide. Our approach is driven by a depth of knowledge about readers — metrics and analytics help us anticipate coverage opportunities that can reach millions of people.
We want journalists who have a track record of doggedly executing their own story ideas and who relish the opportunity to brainstorm with others.
Our reporters have strong news judgment, file accurate, concise and clean copy on tight deadlines and they enjoy building on breaking news with smart enterprise ideas.
This position is remote and can be based anywhere in the US, except for Alaska and Hawaii.
Responsibilities:
- Report and write news of the day across the U.S., not only on topics that are trending but by developing coverage that anticipates our audiences’ interests on any given day, delivering that content on their preferred platforms.
- Nationalize coverage of issues around the country by focusing on the universal themes that appeal to our current and future readers.
- Jump on urgent stories of regional importance, including natural disasters, mass shootings, etc.
- Lead the conversation about trending opportunities and creative ways to pursue them.
- Work with editors to evaluate what is working and what is not and develop ongoing plans to better satisfy audience needs.
What you’ll need to thrive in this role:
- A nose for finding interesting stories that take readers beyond what’s trending to highlight intriguing subjects with sophisticated and succinct storytelling.
- Ideas about innovative and creative ways to bring the biggest national stories to readers in fresh and relevant ways, no matter where they find our coverage.
- Comfort serving as a mentor, guiding and advising colleagues in their pursuit of stories.
- The ability to work collaboratively with a nationwide team of reporters, editors, photographers and producers to tell meaningful stories that target specific audiences.
- A clear and concise writing style that avoids cliches and explains jargon.
Requirements:
- At least five years of experience working in a news organization.
- Experience generating quick-turn news stories, thoughtful enterprise, and in-depth projects.
- Excellent news judgment.
- Familiarity with SEO best practices.
- Top-notch writing and reporting skills.
- Excellent communication skills.
- Ability to work not only independently but also as a key contributor to team/network projects.
- Strong understanding of audience analytics and how to use them to drive content decisions.
- Employment is contingent on passing a post-offer, pre-employment background check.