California Political Reporter

The Sacramento Bee is seeking an aggressive journalist who can deliver exclusive reporting on California politics, policy and campaigns that informs and engages our readers.

This is not a traditional beat reporting job focused on coverage of meetings and routine events. This reporter will be responsible for reporting stories on some of the most consequential 2024 campaigns, as well as the unique political climate in California and how it connects with the national political landscape. This is also an opportunity to deliver coverage that interprets actions at the Capitol and holds elected officials accountable for their political promises and actions.

This reporter will be part of The Sacramento Bee’s Capitol Bureau, a group of hard-charging reporters who cover the policies and politics of the largest state in the nation and the fourth-largest economy in the world. Every challenge confronting California today comes through the Capitol: inequality, housing, climate change, criminal justice, racism, COVID and more. We’re seeking an enterprising reporter who can deliver both quick-turn daily coverage and more in-depth accountability journalism.

This journalist will be based in Sacramento, one of the most compelling political cities in the country, and will play a key role in The Bee’s coverage of 2024 elections in California.

The successful candidate will have a demonstrated commitment to fairness and accuracy, in fact and in tone, and a strong grounding in journalism ethics. Like all McClatchy journalists, the reporter must have demonstrated the desire and skills to build audience loyalty, engagement and growth around compelling public service journalism.

At The Sacramento Bee, the reader comes first, last and always. Serving readers in a crowded media marketplace means becoming the best and most relevant source of journalism that matters to them — and ensuring that our work reaches them, wherever they are. This will require a keen understanding of what’s important to local readers, developed through reporting on the region; through the extensive use of audience analytics such as social media referrals and time spent on a story; and through a constant awareness of what people are sharing and talking about on social media.

It will require not just the ability to build sources and ferret out facts, but also a talent for framing, writing and promoting a story via search and social media to ensure that it reaches and resonates with our readers. It will require a demonstrated commitment to change — to constantly adapting to the ever-evolving ways in which readers seek out and interact with our journalism. And it will require enthusiastic participation in ongoing conversations about what’s working and what’s not — and a commitment to adapting accordingly.

What you'll bring:

At least two years of reporting experience

Strong writing and reporting skills and excellent news judgment

Unwavering commitment to accurate, ethical journalism

Demonstrated ability to use social media platforms to reach and engage with audiences

Fluency in the science of readership and engagement, including an understanding of how to use analytics such as subscriber page views, time on site, referral sources and “shares and likes” to help determine which stories resonate with which audiences

A demonstrated ability to tell stories using a variety of tools and platforms

A demonstrated ability to learn new skills and technologies, including content management systems; social media platforms; and analytics and storytelling tools

Strong interpersonal skills, including empathy and the ability to take and give constructive criticism. The new workflows require constant conversations between reporters and editors and between reporters and their audience as a story evolves

Demonstrated ability to work comfortably in a job that will be fast-paced, data-driven, shaped constantly by feedback and experimentation

Willingness to live in the Sacramento region

The anticipated base pay range for this position is between $33.33 and $43.59 per hour, up to 37.5 hours per week. Individual base pay may vary within that range depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and relevant education.