Gannett Co., Inc. is hiring: Breaking & Trending News Reporter II in Montgomery

Current Gannett Employees- Please ensure you are using our abbreviated process on the internal Careers site by logging into Dayforce through OKTA

Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is a diversified media company with expansive reach at the national and local level dedicated to empowering and enriching communities. We seek to inspire, inform, and connect audiences as a scalable, growth focused media and digital marketing solutions company. We endeavor to deliver essential content, marketing solutions, and experiences for curated audiences, advertisers, consumers, and stakeholders by leveraging our diverse teams and suite of products to enrich the local communities and businesses we serve. Our current portfolio of trusted media brands includes the USA TODAY NETWORK, comprised of the national publication, USA TODAY, and local media organizations in the United States, and Newsquest, a wholly-owned subsidiary operating in the United Kingdom. Our digital marketing solutions brand, LocaliQ, uses innovation and software to enable small and medium-sized businesses to grow, and USA TODAY NETWORK Ventures, our events division, creates impactful consumer engagements, promotions, and races.

The Deep South Connect team, part of the USA TODAY Network, is looking for a reporter to join our breaking news and trending team, focusing primarily on Alabama and the southeastern United States. We are looking for a reporter who is quick and flexible — able to identify story ideas, write them in different formats and aggressively pursue them. This reporter should be comfortable working with reporters and editors across the region and able to seamlessly move between topics, playing a role in some of the biggest developing stories, but also able to develop their own story ideas to pursue.

The reporter will work closely with our Alabama newsrooms to cover the biggest stories in the state, help swarm breaking news and plan for major events, ranging from sports to news. Their stories could be related to public safety, weather, events and more.

The goal of this position is to reach new readers with creative story formats, including video, listicles, explainers and more.

This reporter will use social listening tools to offer insight and value to readers on topics they care about. They will use data and analytics to inform their decisions. This reporter must have a passion for telling stories quickly when needed, in-depth when called for, and always with accuracy.

The typical shift will be early mornings (starting at 8 a.m. EST), but night and/or weekend shifts may also be required. The position is fully remote but familiarity with Alabama and the South is highly preferred.

Responsibilities:

• Monitor emails, social media, community groups and other sources to find stories.
• Monitor breaking news in Alabama and across the region.
• Efficiently and accurately write stories, often several per day.
• Find, pitch and swiftly produce stories on topics of emerging interest, with a focus on what readers want and need to know.
• Ensure content is properly optimized with conversational headlines, SEO, links, video and photo galleries.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in journalism or related field.
• Expert at using social media platforms; including but not limited to Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok and Reddit.
• Command of concise writing, spelling, grammar, and AP style.
• Good fact-checking and reporting skills.
• Well-organized, detail-oriented and flexible.
• Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to communicate effectively inside and outside the organization.

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:

1. Your resume – one to two pages.
2. A cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job.
3. Links to no more than three published stories, writing samples and/or audio samples.

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.

Gannett Co., Inc. is a proud equal opportunity employer committed to building and maintaining a diverse workforce. As such, we will consider all qualified applicants for employment and do not discriminate in connection with employment decisions on the basis of an applicant or employee’s race, color, national origin, ethnicity, ancestry, citizenship status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, marital status, personal appearance (including height and weight), sexual orientation, family responsibilities, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy status (including childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), education, genetic characteristics or information, political affiliation, military or veteran status or other classifications protected by applicable federal, state and local laws in the jurisdictions where Gannett employs employees. In addition, Gannett Co., Inc. will provide applicants who require a reasonable accommodation, as a result of an applicant’s disability or religion, to complete this employment application and/or any other process in connection with an individuals’ application for employment with Gannett Co., Inc. Applicants who require such accommodation should contact Gannett Co., Inc.’s Recruitment Department at Recruit@gannett.com.