The Greenville News/greenvilleonline.com, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, is looking for an energetic, enterprise-oriented sports reporter to be the anchor of a three-person staff covering mostly high school sports in Upstate South Carolina.
This reporter will focus primarily on high school sports in Greenville, and will be part of a team that covers preps in Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson. The three also will collaborate on stories of regional interest.
We’re not talking about writing game stories. Our readers already know what the score was. They want something more meaningful – they want to know who the players are, what impacts their performance on the field and what our local schools are doing to help them off the field.
Friday nights in the fall are the focus for this reporter. But enterprise stories are the heart of the beat. Producing interesting, well-read stories that take place off the field is essential to success. The best way to get there is putting in the hard work of meeting sources, talking with parents and getting to know the student athletes.
In the off-season, you’ll dig into issues and look for unique stories on other fields of play. Summer baseball, rec sports and a vibrant Upstate recreational season from the mountains to the lakes are just a few places where interesting stories might be found.
Greenville is fast-growing and increasingly diverse community in the Upstate of South Carolina. It anchors a metropolitan area of more than 1 million people, and is a vibrant city with one of the best downtowns in the Southeast. We have minor league baseball and hockey, we’re a 2-hour drive from the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL and MLS in Atlanta and Charlotte, and we’re less than an hour away from Clemson University. If the mountains or the beach are your thing, both are a short drive away.
Responsibilities:
- Creates storytelling that accurately informs, entertains and engages specific audiences and platforms through the use of metrics.
- Works toward becoming the community’s leading voice in area of expertise.
- Connects with the community through storytelling and outreach (social media, on camera, forums, community leadership, etc.) Provides thoughtful analysis of complex issues.
- Works with content strategist to evaluate what’s working and what’s not and develops ongoing plans to better satisfy audience needs.
- Collaborates with content team to provide all appropriate elements for stories (i.e. photos, videos and graphics). Captures basic photos and video as needed.
- Promotes personal brand, the brands of colleagues and the institutional brand.
- Provides great customer service, helping readers find answers and solutions.
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in communications, journalism or related field preferred or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Two-three years sports reporting experience preferred, experience building an enterprise-focused beat would be a plus.
- Comfort building a beat and communicating with athletes and coaches.
- Proficiency on social media platforms; including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Reddit.
- An understanding of digital analytics and how to use them to determine which content resonates with our readers.
- Experience shooting and editing photos and video on an iPhone.
- Strong communication skills, news judgement and headline-writing ability.
- Ability to multitask and excel under intense deadline pressure.
- Ability to work collaboratively and efficiently.
- Strong writing, spelling and grammar skills; familiarity with AP style.
- Ability to work some nights and weekends.
- This role requires a valid driver’s license, reliable transportation, and the minimum liability insurance required by state law.
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:
1. Your resume – one to two pages.
2. A cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job.
3. Links to 3-6 online samples of your work. Show us what you’ve produced or had a hand in that best reflects what you can do in your desired role.
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.
