Reporter, Consumer & Social Trends

As Newsweek celebrates its 90 year anniversary, we’re looking for a reporter who can uncover compelling figures in a sea of data around social and consumer trends and turn them into compelling stories for Newsweek’s readers. This new 2-person team relies on polls, rankings, and independent research data to form the seeds of stories that they’ll then stitch together to illustrate broader impact. The ways in which Americans live their lives are shifting. From economic patterns, demographic trends and views on social issues to places people vacation or retire, there’s a story to be told behind every data point. The ideal candidate will be a self-starter who knows where to go for great stat-driven story ideas. They’ll be able to successfully balance the need to write short, rapid stories with more detailed pieces that show the human tale within the data.

Responsibilities:

Building up sources, alerts and agency lists to spot trends and deliver quick hits in a competitive environment. This position will publish stories every day.

Understanding audience, selecting stories on issues with broad reach and impact.
Balancing the need for fast turns with unique features. Speed is important, but we understand that unique quality takes time. Being able to balance the two and shift between modes is key to success in this role.
Finding real people behind the data. A national survey on shifting viewpoints can make for an interesting read — but being able to find human voices impacted by the trends will make the story stand out.

Requirements:

Previous experience in a fast-paced digital news environment.
Multitasking reporting and writing speed. While we measure impact and readership more than activity, this beat will deliver multiple stories a day while chipping away at broader enterprise work.
The ability to be a self starter, coming up with unique story angles to boost audience and build Newsweek’s credibility and authority.
Clean, accurate writing. Editors will be there to backstop your work, but ensuring accuracy starts with you.
Basic understanding of digital news media tools like Microsoft Office, Wordpress and similar tools of the trade. Fluency in Excel or other ways to rapidly crunch data when needed preferred.
Familiarity with real-time readership resources like Chartbeat, Parse.lyGoogle Trends or Google Analytics is a plus.
A bachelor’s degree or higher in journalism, communications or a related field.

Salary Range : $65,000 + , with bonus potential, commensurate with experience