Breaking News Reporter
The News Tribune seeks a smart, energetic breaking news reporter to join its award-winning newsroom in Tacoma, one of America’s most diverse and fast-growing communities. Our next breaking news reporter will focus on what is happening right now in Tacoma and greater Pierce County, from crime to traffic to what-is-that questions from readers. At The News Tribune, we put a premium on breaking stories first as well as investing in hard-nosed, accountability journalism that our audience can’t get anywhere else.
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. We are part of McClatchy, a digitally driven company focused on innovation, with newsrooms in 30 communities in the United States.
In 2021, our team exposed how an engineering decision made five decades ago during the design of an Interstate 5 bridge has resulted in climate-driven flood risks that threaten to sever the West Coast’s main north-south freeway. That work resulted in the state Legislature earmarking $75 million for design of a new bridge and won The News Tribune a McClatchy President’s Award.
We are headquartered in Tacoma, Washington, a lively region for news and an interesting place to live. Our community is growing, with up-and-coming restaurants, breweries, thriving museum and theater districts and myriad opportunities for outdoor recreation, from water sports to mountaineering. We’re uniquely located near three national parks — Mount Rainier being our favorite — and the Sound. The big-city lights of Seattle are only 30 miles away.
We’re looking for a self-paced reporter who can spot and report stories without waiting for an assignment and who can cultivate reliable sources.
A typical day might include covering an overnight homicide, pivoting to a wreck on Interstate 5 that is causing a massive traffic jam, then using records and interviews to write about an arraignment in Superior Court. Familiarity with police and court records is a must, as is the ability to conduct quick interviews and mine social media and other nontraditional sources for story ideas and material. The ability to write quickly and concisely is imperative.
The expected schedule is Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. with an hour-long lunch break.
The anticipated base pay range for this position is between $21.63 and $24.04 per hour. Individual base pay may vary within that range depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, relevant education, department equity, training, geography and local wage and hours laws.