Education Reporter
The Orlando Sentinel is seeking an experienced reporter to cover our education beat. K-12 coverage is a critical area for the Sentinel as the Central Florida region is home to one of the nation's largest school districts in the state. Public schools here grapple with issues that are at the forefront of national education debates, with the needs of a progressive-leaning parent population straining against the priorities of a conservative Republican governor and a GOP-dominated state legislature. That leads to controversy over efforts to remove books from school libraries, ban cell phones from campuses, limit how African American history is taught and expand school voucher programs, among other hot-button topics. The Sentinel has the ambition to cover these topics at a high level, using investigative and data-journalism techniques, and the community connections to populate these stories with real teachers, real parents and real kids. An enterprising reporter will also find opportunities to expand into some higher-education coverage, interacting with the UF system at the University of Central Florida
What you will do:
Provide readers with what we know, when we know it; be transparent about sources of information
Be quick-thinking and versatile, have strong news judgment and relish chasing down a story as it develops
Be nimble – getting a story online in minutes, while sifting through the noise of a chaotic situation to identify reliable information – but also showing the ability to dig deeper, utilizing public records, databases and sources to write compelling follow-up and enterprise stories
Employ creativity every day to conceive of stories, produce or secure visuals, get sources to cooperate, corroborate facts and present information to readers in the most relevant, interesting way
Maximize audience engagement with the site through use of various storytelling formats, including photo galleries, aggregation and a variety of design approaches
Creatine news and features content that is strong on grammar, spelling, punctuation, clarity and accuracy
Work with data and visuals teams, as appropriate, to deepen reporting and produce data-visualizations
What you will bring:
Bachelor’s degree
At least 2 years' experience in a metro newsroom or equivalent, with some experience covering education strongly preferred
Willingness to learn libel laws and adhere to Tribune’s codes of ethics
Social media skills – both for reporting and research – are required
Basic knowledge of SEO best practices and ability to research SEO and appropriately populate fields and headlines
Valid driver's license and reliable transportation required
Who we are:
The Orlando Sentinel, founded in 1876, is the primary daily newspaper in Orlando, Florida. Our mission is to deliver the truth every day. We bring you the stories that matter most, written without bias, so you can make informed decisions. The Sentinel's Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism works to protect your interests, help navigate your daily life and tell the stories that connect you with the communities where you live and work. We are headquartered in Orlando, Florida, and are part of the Tribune Publishing Company portfolio.
We are an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.