Breaking news & General Assignment Reporter

The News Tribune seeks a fast-acting breaking news and general assignment reporter to join its award-winning newsroom in Tacoma. 

At The News Tribune, we put a premium on breaking stories first, investing in hard-nosed, accountability journalism and telling unique stories that our audience can’t get anywhere else. 

We are looking for a smart and energetic reporter who can move quickly when news breaks, dig for details and follow the biggest stories with coverage that sets us apart.

This position covers our afternoon breaking news shifts.

Our journalism focuses on our local communities, and in that role we have the ability to spotlight problems, highlight solutions and truly make a difference -- all the reasons you got into journalism. We are part of McClatchy, a digitally driven company focused on innovation, with newsrooms in 30 communities in the United States.

Over the past two years, our team has been recognized with regional SPJ awards for reporting on poverty and homelessness, LGBTQ+ and equity issues, criminal justice matters, government accountability and high school sports. 

We are headquartered in Tacoma, Washington, a lively region for news and an interesting place to live. Our community is growing, with up-and-coming restaurants, breweries, thriving museum and theater districts and myriad opportunities for outdoor recreation, from water sports to mountaineering. We’re uniquely located near three national parks — Mount Rainier being our favorite — and the Sound. The big-city lights of Seattle are only 30 miles away.

As a news reporter, you will be responsible for covering breaking news during the afternoon and early evening, producing quick stories on crime, traffic, weather and other topics making news in the moment.

We’re looking for a self-paced reporter with 2-3 years of reporting experience who can spot and report breaking stories and occasional features without waiting for an assignment and who can cultivate reliable sources. We also are looking for a collaborative journalist who wants to contribute to a team.

The expected schedule is Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. with a one-hour lunch break, then 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. 

In this role, you will need to:

• Find great stories that are highly readable and contribute to our mission 
• Use social media platforms to help distribute and highlight work
• Use SEO intelligently and strategically; understand other audience-growth processes
• Understand and use audience metrics to help increase readership
• Shoot photos and video when needed
• Skillfully use content management systems
• Live in Pierce County

McClatchy Media’s journalists are expected to take advantage of opportunities to ethically harness and leverage artificial intelligence and other automation to enhance and elevate their work and to find efficiencies that free them to focus on source-building and high-quality, deeply reported journalism.

The anticipated base pay range for this position is between $21.64 and $26.44 per hour. Individual base pay may vary within that range depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, department equity and relevant education.

What you’ll bring: 

The successful candidate should meet many, though not necessarily all, of the following requirements:

• College degree or similar experience
• 2-3 years of reporting experience
• Solid news judgment and excellent journalism ethics
• An intuitive sense of what’s important and interesting to audiences on all platforms
• A deep curiosity and high energy
• A commitment to diverse coverage through community engagement and source building
• A collaborative work ethic and the ability to communicate easily with people on our team and across the company
• Proficient knowledge of technology, including content management systems and storytelling tools
• Ability to quickly and accurately research and verify the authenticity of information, sources, photos and video. 
• Must have reliable transportation. 
• Must have valid driver’s license and vehicle insurance required (at least minimum insurance required for the state in which the employee works).

What we’ll bring: 

As a journalist at McClatchy, you will join a supportive, flexible, collaborative team. McClatchy strives to be an employer of choice, and our benefits package is made with this goal in mind. With a focus on health, well-being, wealth and daily life, our package options include healthcare coverage for employees and their families, financial protection from expected and unexpected expenses, multiple no-cost wellness resources and even coverage for four-legged friends. 

Our overall benefits package also includes a 401(k) with employer match, competitive paid time off and corporate holidays, and a variety of mental health benefits. With an excellent support team and with focus on your well-being as a top corporate strategy, McClatchy provides benefits to support you and your family in achieving your health and wellness goals. For more information on McClatchy's benefit plan, please visit McClatchyLivewell.com.

To apply, include a persuasive cover letter, your resume and four to six examples of your best work.

About McClatchy Media

The McClatchy Media Company features a portfolio of vibrant and trusted news, lifestyle, entertainment brands and a robust retail distribution network. Our iconic local news brands such as the Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star and The Sacramento Bee, have collectively earned a total of 57 Pulitzer prizes and are complemented by popular lifestyle and entertainment brands such as Us Weekly and Woman’s World. Together, our brands reach more than 100 million unique visitors a month,The McClatchy Retail Network, our distribution and logistics arm, offers delivery to more than 56,000 retail locations weekly.

 

#LI-RB1