East Pierce County Reporter Job at McClatchy in Tacoma

The News Tribune in Tacoma, Washington, is looking for a smart, energetic journalist to discover and cover the greater Puyallup area.

Our team prioritizes coaching and mentoring. The News Tribune values early-career journalists as the future of our industry.

You will work with the communities editor to report in Puyallup, Sumner, Bonney Lake and elsewhere in East Pierce County.

As a news reporter, you will cover daily stories that are relevant to East Pierce County readers, including breaking and trending news, government and accountability.

At The News Tribune, we put a premium on in-depth coverage of our local communities. We invest in timely local journalism that our audience can't get anywhere else.

We have the ability to spotlight problems, highlight solutions and truly make a difference - all the reasons you got into journalism.

We're looking for a self-paced reporter with a passion for local news who can spot and report stories without waiting for the assignment. We need someone who can cultivate reliable sources. We are also looking for a collaborative journalist who wants to contribute to a team.

The expected salary range for this position is $21.63 to 24.04 an hour for approximately 40 hours a week. Individual base pay may vary within that range depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, department equity and relevant education.

What are the responsibilities of the job?

• Find great stories that are highly readable and contribute to our mission
• Use social media platforms to help distribute and highlight work
• Use SEO smartly 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
• Use data and research to inform reporting

What are the job requirements?

• College degree or equivalent 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 should you know about our company?

We are part of McClatchy, a digitally driven company focused on innovation, with newsrooms in 30 communities in the United States.

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.

We primarily serve Pierce County, covering breaking news, weather, sports and entertainment news. We are an award-winning organization with a reputation for accuracy, fairness, credibility and civic purpose. Our investigations bring about change. Our community involvement touches readers. We deliver information to them quickly and truthfully.

To apply: Submit a persuasive cover letter, your resume and four to six examples of your best work to the application link.

Questions about applying?

Are you on the fence about applying? Please do. We're excited to hear from you. Please include a cover letter, resume and examples of your work as part of your application. You may also include links to personal websites or your portfolio, if available. Send questions to Alexis Krell at akrell@thenewstribune.com.