Transportation Reporter
The Bay Area News Group -- publisher of the Mercury News and East Bay Times in the San Francisco Bay Area -- has an opening for a transportation reporter to help our readers cope with and conquer a cursed daily ritual: the insane and ever-evolving Bay Area commute. Our preferred candidate will cherish exploring the far corners of the region’s multi-layered transit system — plumbing inconveniences and inefficiencies and braving some of the country’s most notorious traffic — whether it’s to document a super-commuter’s trek from Pittsburg to Palo Alto or explain how the region's slow-to-recover transit systems are confronting the post-COVID doomsday fiscal cliff. We want natural storytellers with a track record of developing sources, digging into data and translating wonk into work that connects with a digital audience. Show us you are as comfortable battling bureaucrats for public records as you are forecasting the future of transportation in the backyard of the innovators who are redefining it. Be ready to prove you know the difference between the Nimitz Freeway and the MacArthur Maze, Muni and VTA.
What you will do:
Excellent news judgment and demonstrated knowledge of transportation issues
Strong writing under deadline pressure, for online and print audiences
Craft headlines and nut graphs that distill why a story needs to be read and shared online
Experience juggling multiple stories of varying complexity, from quick news posts and daily news stories to longer-term enterprise and features
Report directly from the field
Versatility is critical — every reporter in our organization, at some point, will find themselves in the middle of some of the country’s biggest news stories, from bomb cyclones to raging wildfires
What you will bring:
3+ years of reporting experience
Transportation reporting experience preferred
Excellent news judgment, strong writing skills under deadline pressure and a drive to compete
Proficiency at using the web and social media to report stories and to share them
Strong grammatical skills and a working knowledge of the Associated Press stylebook
A fascination and facility with data coupled with the skill and experience to analyze it and seek out new sources of information
In our diverse region, facility with multiple languages is a plus
4-year college degree (journalism or related fields)
This position reports to our San Jose office, with requirements to work regularly in the Santa Clara, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties
This is a hybrid position with weekly onsite expectations in San Jose, CA.
Along with your resume please submit a cover letter, proposal for a transportation story that we’ve likely never read before, and three recent examples of your work.
The hourly wage is $30.76 - $35.89 ($60,177 - $69,985). Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, time in role, certifications, etc. In addition to your salary, MediaNews Group offers a comprehensive benefits package, and 401K plan (all benefits are based on eligibility).