Government Reporter

The Daily News-Record is seeking a focused and experienced Rockingham County Beat Reporter to join its award-winning team in Harrisonburg, Va.

The candidate will push through walls for news and answers to questions, empower sources to speak “on the record,” dig through news archives, government plans and legal documents for background. The candidate will juggle important coverage of hard-hitting stories in business and technology, housing, local government and healthcare; across different story lengths and formats.

Duties include keeping a constant eye on the meeting agendas of Rockingham County’s seven incorporated towns and covering the news in each of these towns. The county reporter will follow elected officials of Virginia’s Sixth Congressional District and will write about local impacts of the state and national legislation shaping agriculture.

The Rockingham County beat reporter works closely with the education and public safety beats. The reporter will produce 3 - 4 news stories daily for print and online publication from short briefs to in-depth pieces.

The right candidate will be a passionate journalist looking to launch and build a career in local reporting based on global issues through our newsroom in historic downtown Harrisonburg and the Shenandoah Valley.

Responsibilities

Produce three to four bylines per workday.
Provide night-of coverage of county board of supervisors' meetings and selected town meetings and elections.
Prioritize assigned stories, generate interesting leads. Promptly cover breaking news events while working on long-form projects.
Provide other written copy including calendar events, briefs of press releases and special section content as assigned.
Prepare story pitches for meetings, keep assignments organized, turn in stories on deadlines.
Schedule interviews. Communicate schedules with editors and coworkers.
Maintain a social media presence.
Work a rotating Saturday shift. (1x monthly)
Coordinate photography and make photography assignments for stories. The ability to take compelling photos and create multimedia content is a plus.
Make assigned revisions to stories, write corrections, accept feedback from an editor.

Qualifications / Skills

Must have strong command of AP Style and be willing to reference AP style guidelines.
Must have copy editing skills and experience.
Must have government reporting experience.
A degree in journalism or a related field is required.
Must possess a valid Virginia driver’s license.
Must be authorized to work in the U.S.

Salary and Hours

This is a full-time position. Expected work hours are set at 40 hours with overtime only if approved. Wage based on qualifications. Candidate is required to work evenings when needed and will work one Saturday shift each month. This position will report to News Editor Victoria Young.

Inclusion in Virginia Press Awards contest and competitive benefits.

How to Apply

If the thought of tackling multiple, complex issues with an investigative eye sounds like a dream job, apply by emailing a resume, cover letter addressed to Managing Editor Jillian Lynch and three news clips, or writing samples, to jobs@dnronline.com. Applications without samples will not be considered.

The Daily News-Record is located at 231 S. Liberty Street, Harrisonburg, Va. The Daily News-Record is a 11,000 print circulation newspaper currently printed in Frederick, Md. It has a 100-plus year history and was home to its own printing operation until summer 2022. The publication has been owned by Ogden Newspapers since 2018.

Under the News-Record flag, the paper has continued to be a window of the Valley, the state, the nation and the world for 100 years. Combined daily print and online readership is more than 50,000. Shari Keyes currently serves as the publisher of the Daily News-Record.