Reporter

The Rocket Miner Newspaper is looking for a dynamic, career-oriented Local Government/General News Reporter to join our award-winning news team.

Job Functions

Located in the heart of Western Wyoming, the Rocket Miner and its website, RocketMiner.com, provide daily news coverage of the largest county of the state in Sweetwater County. This beat includes coverage of the Rock Springs City Council, Rawlins City Council, as well as local business and economic development news.

The ideal candidate will have a background or strong interest in covering local politics and/or business news, and a willingness to pitch in and cover stories from other beats as they cross over. The ideal candidate will also have a hunger to tell large-scale stories that include visual and digital components, as well as personal stories.

Requirements

Job Functions

The successful candidate must be flexible, a self-starter, attentive to details, diplomatic, able to perform under the pressure of a deadline, and able to multitask. This position will require a minimum of five articles per week for two bi-weekly publications, and occasional regional articles that encompass a larger county area to be published.

Candidates for this position should have strong writing, interviewing and interpersonal skills as well as organizational skills, and exhibit tenacity for reporting community news.

Requirements

Essential skills and requirements:

· Perform job duties and conduct self in accordance with company core values.

· Take effective notes and be able to draft an organized news article from them.

· Initiate and nurture effective, professional relationships with sources in the community.

· Experience with local government or business reporting.

· Experience with community journalism.

· Comfortable writing quickly and consistently in AP style.

· Strong eye for details.

Desired skills and experience:

· Experience writing enterprise and long-form content, as well as telling personal stories.

· Experience covering news on social media platforms.

· Some experience with photography, video and/or design preferred, but not required.

Technology Skills:

Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Word is required. Familiarity with AP Style is strongly preferred. Photography, social media and content management system experience is a plus.

Education:

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience preferred.

About the area:

Rock Springs is located in the heart of Western Wyoming in High Red Desert. With the Ashley National Forest and Flaming Gorge Recreation Area and vast wide-open spaces, residents can enjoy outdoor activities all year long. With the big city of Salt Lake City just 150 miles away and the scenic views of Grand Teton National Park is just 170 miles away, Sweetwater County is a central hub for any adventure. Other recreation activities like skiing, hiking, mountain biking, fishing and much more can be had within a short drive.

For immediate consideration, please send resume, cover letter, and 3-4 examples of your writing to: Managing Editor Tyler Johnson at tjohnson@rocketminer.com.