Sports Reporter

Are you a sports reporter looking for your first big break or next career opportunity in a newsroom filled with ambition, hands-on coaching, seasoned editors, talented co-workers and the opportunity to immediately contribute in a significant way? If so, The Press Democrat, the flagship newsroom of Sonoma Media Investments, may be a perfect fit for you. We have an immediate opening for a sports reporter to cover the vibrant high school sports scene in Napa County, the heart of California’s Wine Country. This is a critical piece of a planned expansion by The Press Democrat, based in Santa Rosa, to cover key stories, high schools and the general sports community in Napa County. It’s an important new role on our staff, so it’s essential you know how to break stories, develop sources and be a superhero in social media with a commitment to digital urgency. The ideal candidate also will have stellar multimedia skills, especially as it relates to video – shooting games and starring in front of the camera as you offer pre- and post-game commentary.

The Press Democrat focuses on attracting (and retaining) new readers and doing consequential work that informs our readers, defends the First Amendment and protects the most vulnerable in Northern California. High school sports coverage is an important part of our strategy to expand into community journalism – showcasing teams, athletes, issues and the deep relationship between communities and high school sports. We are a Northern California-based media company that is the largest between San Francisco and Portland. We are privately owned by local investors, which means no debt, no Wall Street obligations and no obstacles to high-powered journalism.

We believe your career is too valuable to get mired in corporate politics or at newsrooms stuck in traditional approaches. We have a proud tradition of award-winning journalism locally focused in a beautiful (and incredibly newsy) area in the heart of California's Wine Country of Sonoma and Napa counties. And here's the great thing: Unlike other organizations that are cutting staff, we're expanding ours.

We aren't in it for the awards, but we are traditionally viewed as one of California's strongest news organizations. In fact, earlier this summer we were honored as the best newsroom of our size in the Golden State and the winner of the prestigious "General Excellence" award. A judge at the California News Publishers-Association described us as, "The class of California's daily journalism". Here's the story: https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/press-democrat-named-best-newspaper-of-its-size-in-california-journalism-co/

Our goal is simple: To be the best news organization of its size in the country.
What’s the vision for our organization? Our executive editor shared his commitment to fair and fearless journalism. Here’s his view on where we’re headed as an organization: https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/opinion/green-heres-what-you-can-expect-from-me/

Candidates must be naturally curious and motivated, with a proven ability to report compelling stories that resonate with readers. Data acquisition, analysis and fluency in Spanish are a plus.

We're seeking someone who must:

Be skilled at reporting, writing and growing your digital audience through social media.

Be comfortable writing on a wide range of issues related to community/high school sports.

Have a proven track record of generating story ideas and delivering high-impact enterprise work and exclusive stories.

Be able to shoot production-quality photographs and videos.

Have strong knowledge of AP style and be able to write and edit stories for grammar, spelling, content and libel.

Excel in social media proficiency.

Respond to emails, texts and voicemails in a timely manner.

This position is based in Santa Rosa, and you’ll be working from our just-opened newsroom.

Sonoma Media Investments offers a competitive compensation plan, including medical, dental, vision and life insurance benefits, accident insurance and paid time off. Any job offer is conditional upon satisfactorily completing a pre-employment background investigation. This reporting position requires a valid California driver’s license, proof of insurance and reliable transportation.

The pay scale is $25.86 - 32.26 per hour, depending on years of experience, as outlined in the Pacific Media Workers Guild Contract.

Are you the ideal candidate? To be considered, apply on our career page at www.sonomamediainvestments.com/jobs and email Editor Richard Green - rick.green@pressdemocrat.com - the following:

Your updated resume and a link to your LinkedIn profile.

A cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job.

Links to 6-8 digital samples of your work. Show us what you’ve written, produced, or had a hand in that best reflects your writing skills and your best examples of watchdog/enterprise work.