General Assignment/Growth & Development Reporter

The Journal Gazette, the largest news-gathering organization in northeast Indiana, has an opening for an energetic reporter with a keen eye for identifying and developing local news stories. This Fort Wayne-based reporter would:

Cover local zoning and plan commission meetings, especially watching for proposals that could be controversial, along with growth and development trends.
Handle general assignment stories, based on taking initiative with story pitches to editors and accepting assignments from metro desk editors

The successful candidate will be an individual with:

A bachelor’s degree in journalism or a related field
Daily newspaper reporting experience
An ability to develop rapport with a variety of sources, including elected and appointed officials and those representing various organizations.
A track record of exercising good news judgment, breaking stories outside of news releases and easily identifying follow-up stories – both second day and long range
Ability to report accurately and write accurate, clear and compelling daily and enterprise stories that inform and engage readers.
Demonstrated productivity
Ability to work well with other reporters, editors, and other staff
An interest in helping grow our readership through use of social media
An interest in professional growth and career development
Maturity to understand the evolving media landscape and the flexibility that requires in newsrooms

Experience with Excel, spreadsheets and databases is a plus.

If interested, send a resume, cover letter, the names and contact information for three job references, and six clips published in the past 12 months to Managing Editor Lisa Green at lisagreen@jg.net. The deadline is 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8.