Government Watchdog Reporter (Growing Communities & Environment)

The Fort Collins Coloradoan /Coloradoan.com, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, seeks a watchdog reporter to cover the urbanization of Larimer County, with a keen eye on how decisions by county and municipal governments impact the county’s residents and Colorado’s environment.

In this role, the right reporter will cover tensions surrounding multimillion-dollar water storage projects, examine the air quality and municipal planning impacts of housing price escalation pushing workers to former agrarian towns, and serve as a watchdog for the emerging governments of some of the nation’s fastest-growing communities.

This job is well suited for a reporter who can think critically and creatively and write with clarity and impact on complex issues. We will expect you to break important news and develop stories that engage our audiences on multiple platforms.

You must build trust with sources and have an eye for important details buried in local government agendas, budgets and public records. You should have work samples that demonstrate an aptitude for data-driven stories and familiarity with FOIA requests, and a track record of producing compelling, timely, well-sourced stories.

In addition, we will ask you to connect with the community not just via social media, but in person and during community events.

Fort Collins is consistently rated as one of the best places to live in the United States. At the foot of the Rockies, we’re an hour north of Denver and home to some of the best outdoors, biking and dining experiences in the region. Oh yeah, and our craft beer scene is pretty great, too.

The Coloradoan is a digitally oriented newsroom that demands excellence in multi-platform storytelling. Want to wow us? Go beyond the byline. Show us how you can bring your work to readers in real time and via the many multimedia tools at your disposal. Show us excellent communication skills mixed with an inquisitive mind and a bold use of diverse sources. If you can show us those traits, we’d love to win with you.