Reporter, Venture Capital, Private Equity, Atlanta Business Chronicle

This position will be Hybrid in the office/market 3 days per week, and those days can be flexible in consultation with your manager.

Atlanta Business Chronicle seeks a reporter at the center of the city’s fertile ecosystem for private equity and venture capital. This reporter will also cover how investment flowing from deals within this ecosystem fuels Atlanta’s growing startup community.

A reporter on this beat must possess strong traditional journalism skills: source building, sharp interviewing techniques, strong analytical and investigative reporting experience, clear writing, and document use – with online and social media know-how.

Scoops are vital to owning this beat. Scoops establish the reporter’s credibility with this audience, which includes influential newsmakers and firms in the world of private equity, VC and startups.

Atlanta Business Chronicle is one of the largest publications in the American City Business Journal network. A Business Journal reporter is the beating heart of the organization and the business, with the vital task of pumping information and life into our content.

First and foremost, reporters on this beat must establish themselves as the go-to source of news, data, and perspective for the growth of private equity, VC and startups in Atlanta. The top mission: Own the audience, by every measure.

Atlanta Business Chronicle reporters on the venture capital and private equity beat are expected to contribute from five to seven short-form (daily online posts) and long-form (print) stories for our news products every week. They are expected to break important hard news online and use print and video to tell the story behind the headlines, providing deeper analysis of newsworthy events.

Whatever the platform, we strive to produce content – original and curated – that is accompanied by perspective and context. A Business Journal reporter is widely recognized as the community’s foremost authority on their assigned beat. The Business Journal brand provides the kind of access to business and community leaders that other journalists can only hope for, and it is the responsibility of our reporters to use networking events, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other community-building outlets to expand and fortify their source pool and audience.

Reporters will be responsible for identifying sources and outside writers to target as contributors to the Business Journal on their beats. With online and other metrics, business journals can determine how engaged readers are with our online content, and reporters and editors will be responsible for driving online engagement among loyal (repeat) readers. Constant audience growth is a key metric of success.

Duties and Responsibilities, work schedules and/or location may change based on evolving business needs

Own the beat audience.
Own the beat conversation.
Build source network relentlessly.
Attend both Business Journal and industry related events. When relevant to their beats, reporters must work in partnership with the publisher, editor in chief and event director to select speakers and topics that will grow event attendance and audience. Reporters will be expected to facilitate/moderate at Business Journal events and must be comfortable in taking a leading role in the community.
Work collaboratively with editors, photographers, designers, and others to maximize the impact and accessibility of stories reported.
Contribute four to six online posts – curated and original – per day.
Contribute 1 people and one enterprise story to the weekly print paper, including a candidate for the paper’s weekly “centerpiece” story.
Develop and curate a reporter page/section spread in the print paper each week; this spread is comprised of information, highlights and data gathered and reported on throughout the week, then packaged and freshened for the print product.
Meet or exceed goals relating to audience-engagement such as page views, unique users, repeat visits, direct traffic, social media followings and growth, paid print subscribership, email newsletter circulation growth, event attendance, and other such measures.
Take on any other assignment made by manager(s).
Work cooperatively and collaboratively with all colleagues and professionally with sources.

Skills & Experience

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
Minimum of 5years of journalism experience with a proven ability in reporting and writing
Ability to work independently and remotely
Ability to break news and to identify newsworthy events and sources
Strong writing, analytical and investigative interviewing skills
Ability to relate comfortably to a wide range of people, in person and online and to develop sources and an audience
Versatile
Comfortable with constant change
Competitive, collaborative, curious
Knowledge of business, and/or business community, a plus
Fast learner
Proven experience building, maintaining, and engaging an active audience
Ability to work independently under deadline pressure and prioritize tasks appropriately
Solid understanding of news writing, journalistic ethics, and story structure
Experience with using social media to source and promote content a plus

Understanding imperatives of multiple platforms – print, mobile, Internet, etc.
Mastery of social media and digital interaction
Proven ability to utilize a broad set of tools to tell stories and engage the audience
Ability to leverage relationships with sources to deliver content that differentiates the organization from competitors