General Assignment Reporter

The Montclair Local seeks a curious and versatile general assignment reporter to seek out stories of importance to the Montclair community related to education and municipal government.

Responsibilities

Produce between three to five news stories per week.
Communicate about technical topics, or those steeped in the procedure, process and bureaucracy attached to government and education.
Serve as a watchdog for the Montclair community, making government more transparent and holding power to account — questioning assumptions and seeking out answers that aren’t freely or easily given.
Conceive, source and pitch stories that will engage readers, answering pressing questions.
Develop and cultivate sources and engage in investigative reporting.
Commit to principles of diversity, equity and inclusion, with practical application to day-in, day-out community journalism.
Take ownership of the presentation of material online — writing strong headlines, seeking out or creating accompanying art and multimedia and positioning it on social platforms.
Play a role in some community-facing events and engagement efforts on behalf of Montclair Local.
Participate as a member of the reporting team by contributing to brainstorming sessions, coverage plans and meetings.
Coordinate with editors and journalists for maximum reach across our platforms.

Requirements

The ideal candidate will have:

A minimum of two years journalism reporting experience.
Experience covering local government and/or education issues.
A sound understanding of news writing, journalistic ethics and story structure.
An ability to cultivate sources to break news and drive coverage that differentiates our organization from competitors.
Experience covering breaking news, public safety and court reporting.
An understanding of accountability and solutions journalism, with specific ideas about how to pursue both in Montclair.
An understanding of principles of community organizing, and their application to community partnership, engagement and story development.
An ability to work independently under deadline pressure and prioritize tasks appropriately
Demonstrated commitment to an equity lens in every aspect of reporting
Self-starter with proven ability to meet deadlines and pay close attention to detail and fact-checking
Experience with content management systems and social media channels.
Good time management and organizational skills

To apply, email your details and digital clips to: publisher@montclairlocal.news