Job description:
The staff writer/reporter position is available at The Brunswick Beacon, a weekly newspaper based in Shallotte, North Carolina, just miles from some of the state's most pristine beaches.
The ideal candidate for this role will have a knack for finding and telling compelling, unique stories focused on the southern Brunswick County area, its governments and citizens. The reporter should be willing to immerse themselves into the community.
Our coverage area includes, but is not limited to: Brunswick County Government, Shallotte, Bolivia, Supply, Ocean Isle Beach, Holden Beach, Sunset Beach, Calabash, Carolina Shores, Ash and other small communities and towns across the county.
With the designation of the fastest growing county in North Carolina and one of the fastest growing counties in the nation, there is no shortage of stories to cover across many beats and topics. We have a strong reader base in Brunswick County and the surrounding area. This role gives a lot of opportunity to provide necessary coverage on communities and topics other others in the area do not cover.
The reporter will work closely with the editor, who also reports stories and covers meetings and events, to put together a weekly paper that keeps our communities informed on vital issues.
Responsibilities:
- Pitch and write at least five original and unique stories per week.
- Take quality photos.
- Connect and engage with the community.
- Build a strong source base.
- Stay plugged into the community to ensure you are on top of breaking and developing news.
- Attend and report on county and town government meetings.
- Attend, photograph and report on various big events, festivals and happenings.
- Report on stories for the paper's special sections.
- Analyze important issues facing Brunswick County and its town in order to produce compelling stories that seek to answer questions about local issues.
Qualifications:
- Experience working in journalism; strong candidates will have experience in the newspaper industry.
- College degree in journalism, communications or English/comparative literature preferred.
- Excellent copy editing and writing skills.
- Experience reporting news stories, features and investigative pieces.
- Experience covering government meetings.
- Experience writing in news style and AP Style.
- Ability to work alone or collaboratively.
- Ability to meet hard deadlines.
- Willingness to work some nights and weekends.
- Valid driver's license and dependable transportation.
Benefits:
- Editorial freedom – we make our editorial decisions within the newsroom. There are no corporate mandates requiring us to report a certain number of stories per week on certain topics. The reporter, in collaboration with the editor, decides what to write and report on.
- Health and dental insurance.
- Mileage and expense reimbursement.
- 401(k), with company match.
- Paid vacation and sick time.
- Several paid holidays.