The USA TODAY Network is seeking a sports reporter to cover high school athletics in Adrian, Michigan, and Lenawee County.
This job focuses almost exclusively on small-town high school athletics with a Division III college in town as well. Game coverage is important, but it’s only part of the job. Breaking news, good feature writing and enterprise on the history and future of sports in this community are critical to success. This position is about words, but also visuals in the social media sphere; a comfort with short video and photo skills with a mobile device will be helpful.
While the focus of this position is on local journalism, the paper is one of the USA TODAY Network’s 13 newsrooms across the state. These newsrooms and reporters work together frequently on high school state tournament coverage, letting us emphasize collaboration, mentorship and growth.
Adrian is in southeast Michigan, less than an hour from both Ann Arbor and Detroit and near Michigan International Speedway. Adrian College has been around for more than 100 years and anchors the town, which includes the oldest opera house in the state. The city boasts many outdoor activities, including several parks, wine tasting, and historical museums.
Responsibilities:
- Create storytelling that accurately informs, entertains and engages specific audiences and platforms through the use of metrics.
- Work toward becoming the community’s leading voice of expertise in high school sports.
- Connect with the community through storytelling and outreach (social media, on camera, forums, community leadership, etc.). Provide thoughtful analysis of complex issues.
- Work with editor and content strategist to evaluate what's working and what's not and develop ongoing plans to satisfy audience needs.
- Collaborate to provide appropriate elements for stories (i.e. photos, videos and graphics). Capture basic photos and videos as needed.
- Promote personal brand, the brands of colleagues and the institutional brand.
- Provide great customer service, helping readers find answers and solutions.
Requirements:
- A valid driver’s license, reliable transportation and the minimum liability insurance required by state law.
- Bachelor's or master’s degree in communications, journalism or related field preferred or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Previous reporting experience preferred; even better if you've covered sports.
- Proficiency on social media platforms; including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Reddit.
- Experience shooting and editing photos and video on a mobile device.
- 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.
- AI and automation literacy and a willingness or experience in using it to enhance their journalism.
- Ability to work some nights and weekends.
- Comfort building a beat and communicating with athletes and coaches.
Application Instructions:
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:
- Your resume – one to two pages.
- A cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job.
- 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.
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