What are the responsibilities and job description for the Government Journalist position at The Baltimore Sun?
- Cover breaking news related to local government including new laws, legislative sessions, public policy, and government accountability.
- Attend and cover government meetings, hearings, press conferences, and other public events.
- Conduct interviews with government officials, policymakers, experts, and stakeholders to gather information and insights.
- Analyze and interpret complex government data, documents, and reports to produce clear, understandable news stories.
- Investigate government activities, corruption, and transparency issues, including local and national government departments, agencies, and programs.
- Strive to provide readers with what we know, when we know it. Be transparent about sources of information.
- Develop stories, produce or secure visuals, get sources to cooperate, corroborate facts, and present information to readers in the most relevant, interesting way.
- Maximizing audience engagement through the use of various storytelling formats, including photo galleries, video, aggregation, and a variety of layouts.
- Taking the initiative to fact-check, run background checks, and confirm information before publication.
- Delivering on time with minimal to moderate supervision and editing.
- Uncovering and proposing exclusive stories on newsworthy events and trends.
- Contributing story ideas several times a week, including identifying and following trends outside assigned beat or topic areas, and informing supervisors of possible story ideas arising from trends.
- Measuring the performance of one’s own digital content through audience engagement metrics and working with the audience team to develop tactics and strategies to build an audience.
- Working with data and visuals teams, as appropriate, to deepen reporting and produce data-visualization content items.
- Participating in production videos and live streaming with the visuals department, as appropriate
- Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience required
- A minimum of 3 years of professional reporting experience (news publication and/or daily or weekly journalism experience strongly preferred)
- Must be able and willing to work irregular hours and holidays as necessary
- Valid driver's license and reliable transportation required
- Must be familiar with computers and software, including Internet software
- Excellent command of verbal and written English
Salary Range: $50,000 - $80,000
Individual compensation may vary from the target range based on several factors such as experience, internal pay equity, and other relevant business considerations.
Application Submission
Please include a cover letter and résumé. In your cover letter, please highlight three different types of stories you have worked on along with a brief description of your roles.
Please upload samples of your previous reporting/editing work, such as news articles, feature stories, or investigative reports, that demonstrate your ability to cover/edit stories clearly, accurately, and with compelling detail.
The Baltimore Sun is committed to building a diverse newsroom that reflects the people it covers and the audience it serves. Candidates are encouraged to highlight new perspectives they can bring to our team.
Salary : $50,000 - $80,000
