Lexington County Reporter

The State seeks an aggressive, community-driven reporter to cover one of the fastest growing parts of the Columbia, S.C., metropolitan area.

Columbia is a thriving yet inexpensive area, the state’s capital and home to the University of South Carolina and a vast downtown entertainment district. Our reporter will be based in neighboring Lexington County, known for its high quality of life, especially if you like the outdoors, and some of the state’s best school districts.

At The State, we will provide you a place to grow and an environment in which you can do work that will have impact in our community and make you proud to be a journalist.
The State is part of McClatchy, a digitally driven company focused on innovation, with newsrooms in 30 communities in the United States. In our Lexington County reporter, we’re seeking a versatile and resourceful journalist with a love of accountability and who is as skilled in public records as she/he/they are in knocking on doors to track down sources.
What you’ll bring
In this role, you will need to:

Focus on stories that build readership
Think about audience first and always, with a commitment to tactics that grow readership.
Master engaging multimedia storytelling
Demonstrate speed, competitiveness and SEO savvy through aggregating and storytelling tools
Work well in a team environment.

Minimum Requirements:
The successful candidate should have a college degree or equivalent work experience and be able to show a history of producing accountability journalism.
Also:

Strong 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.
Ability to build source networks and bring a constant flow of story ideas.
Ability to work collaboratively to aggressively tackle stories.
Comfort with a job that will be demanding, fast-paced and constantly evolving.
Facility with data, public records and business reports.

What we'll bring:

As a journalist at McClatchy, you will join a supportive, flexible, collaborative team. McClatchy strives to be an employer of choice, and our benefits package is made with this goal in mind. With a focus on health, well-being, wealth and daily life, our package options include healthcare coverage for employees and their families, financial protection from expected and unexpected expenses, multiple no-cost wellness resources and even coverage for four-legged friends.

Our overall benefits package also includes a 401(k) with employer match, competitive paid time off and corporate holidays, and a variety of mental health benefits. With an excellent support team and with focus on your well-being as a top corporate strategy, McClatchy provides benefits to support you and your family in achieving your health and wellness goals. For more information on McClatchy's benefit plan, please visit McClatchyLivewell.com.

To apply, include a persuasive cover letter, your resume and four to six examples of your work.