Investigative Reporter & Columnist

WE’RE SEEKING AN INVESTIGATIVE COLUMNIST FOCUSED ON READERS WHILE ALSO DELIVERING A “REALITY CHECK” TO THE VOTES, SPENDING DECISIONS AND ACTIONS OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND GOVERNMENTS
The Herald-Leader, judged as Kentucky’s best large-market newsroom for two straight years, is seeking a sophisticated, insightful, intellectually curious and ambitious reporter to engage with readers and be their watchdog. The “Reader’s Watchdog” role is an investigative columnist who interacts with taxpayers, voters, property owners, residents and readers to field their questions – and then find answers. From tangles with City Hall to failed luck with legislators, the Reader’s Watchdog focuses on relevant questions, issues and even frustrations from the public and investigating. This role also will generate “reality checks” to go beyond press releases and political bluster to tell the real story about the decisions, votes and actions of elected officials and public government. This is a new beat that reflects our commitment to broaden our public service reporting, evocative storytelling and serving the needs of under-represented / vulnerable communities across our commonwealth (especially in Appalachia) with important and potentially life-saving news.
WHAT WE’RE ABOUT AT THE HERALD-LEADER AND LEXINGTON
Judges in the most recent Kentucky Press Association contest lauded the Herald-Leader’s commitment to investigative reporting, powerful storytelling and our diligence to better connect readers with the world around them – from their neighborhood, to our state capital in Frankfort, to the halls of power in Washington. We are committed to giving readers the most comprehensive, revelatory and essential daily local report. This beat – a new one in our Newsroom – speaks to our commitment to digging deep on important topics, asking tough questions about purpose and the spending of public dollars. It is unique in that its success relies on reader interaction and solving their questions, problems and frustrations with public agencies and elected officials. This job brings an especially sharp focus to the importance of impact: We break stories, go beyond what public officials say and immediately talk about how readers will be affected. What are potential consequences for readers, voters, taxpayers and residents? Answering that, “What does it mean to readers?” question is essential to our efforts.
We also believe a cornerstone of our efforts is fair and fearless watchdog journalism, and this reporter will build on the Herald-Leader’s considerable reputation in this critical area. We’ll hold the powerful to account and offer hard-nosed, must-read accountability journalism that readers won’t find anywhere else. We also promise a hands-on, instructive coaching and editing environment. You’ll work directly with the executive editor to discuss the best potential ways to report and tell the story before it’s launched and then work collaboratively with you during the editing process.
Our journalism focuses on our local communities, and in that role we have the ability to spotlight problems, highlight solutions and truly make a difference -- all the reasons you got into journalism. And we are part of McClatchy, a digitally driven company focused on innovation, with newsrooms in 30 communities in the United States,
We are in Lexington, the second-largest city in Kentucky and the center of our commonwealth’s bourbon and horse industry. It’s a beautiful corner of the country, sitting in an affordable, accessible region that offers an outstanding quality of life outside the Newsroom. Lexington is enjoying a regional renaissance with an up-and-coming arts scene, a wide array of locally owned restaurants and many opportunities for outdoor recreation, including the nearby Red River Gorge. We’re also home to dozens of historic horse farms and idyllic Keeneland, which offers world-class horse racing several months of the year. And if you love the fun, educational and quality-of-life offered in a college town, we’ll introduce you to the University of Kentucky, with its plethora of sports, teams, culture, classes and an energetic campus.
WHAT YOU SHOULD BRING TO THE TABLE
The ideal candidate will be intellectually curious, hungry to learn new skills, and have a proven track record for breaking stories, digging into public documents and building a broad and informative network of sources. You must be comfortable interacting with readers from across Kentucky and finding the best public watchdogs and consumer complaint departments that may yield public-facing stories.
You also must know conversations about “audience,” “engagement,” “analytics” and “creative ways to tell a story” are part of our daily vernacular, right after: “What’s the story and what does it mean to readers?”
We’re a digital news operation that still produces a daily print edition, but our entire focus is on two things: 1) Let’s find, break and distribute consequential stories. 2) How do we share those stories digitally and engage subscribers and new readers on every imaginable platform? Our focus is on the digital space and not ink-on-paper. But everything begins with great content.
This is an investigative role, so you need to be comfortable with public records and bring a dogged determination to find answers and root out wrongdoing. You’ll need to bring a track record for multimedia reporting and a great comfort interacting with the public on social media channels – but doing so respectfully and thoughtfully and without healthy doses of snark that can impair our credibility. That’s happening far too often in this industry we all love.
In this role, you will need to:

Be “the voice” for frustrated and frazzled Kentuckians desperate to have their biggest frustrations solved. You must be comfortable interacting with and engaging readers across our commonwealth.
Focus on stories that build readership, with a special focus on local subscribers and moving the needle in digital conversion.
Be a passionate learner, a team-first collaborator and a tremendous communicator with editors, peers, sources and even readers.
Work well in a group setting with other journalists in a fast-paced, hard-charging environment. You must thrive in a team environment, especially when working with our politics and public affairs reporters and other public agency reporters. Focus on stories that build readership and digital conversions. That means you must think about audience first with an unflinching commitment to tactics that grow readership and conversions.
Excel at engaging multimedia storytelling

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

Proficiency in utilizing AI tools and technologies is highly desired.
Must have reliable transportation. Must have valid driver’s license and vehicle insurance required (at least minimum insurance required for the state in which the employee works).

Strong editing and writing skills, excellent news judgment and a demonstrated ability to “see the story” that is going to matter to readers.
Unwavering commitment to accurate, ethical journalism.
Help your reporters build source networks and generate a constant flow of story ideas.
Ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of editors and journalists on other Newsroom teams.
Comfort with a job that will be demanding, fast-paced and constantly evolving.
Facility with data, public records and business reports.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
The successful candidate should meet many, though not necessarily all, of the following requirements:

College degree or equivalent work experience
A minimum of 3-5 years of reporting experience with a hunger to excel at beat reporting, breaking stories, quick-turn enterprise and generating essential, can’t-be-ignored coverage.