USC Football Reporter

The State is seeking an energetic, experienced reporter to cover college sports in a fast-paced, competitive environment.

This is a Columbia, SC-based position that will cover the South Carolina football team and contribute to all of our USC Gamecocks sports coverage.

A strong source network is vital, and this reporter must be able to find and break news, cover breaking news with urgency and develop compelling enterprise and analysis.

Games only make up a small percentage of what college athletics are about, and we want someone who is just as comfortable breaking down film as they are filing an open records request or reading through court documents. We also want someone who can bring new ideas to the table and isn’t afraid to try new things with our coverage. This reporter will use social media as a news-gathering tool, an engagement opportunity and a means to put our news and enterprise in front of a topic-specific audience across Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and other platforms.

Duties and responsibilities:

Report breaking news as it happens – be fast and first, without sacrificing accuracy and clarity.

Build a wide range of sources — from players and coaches locally to agents, conference officials and experts.

Write analytically for the sports fans who have watched the game but are looking for a deeper understanding of what they saw.

Proactively look for opportunities to tap into trending topics as they relate to college athletics in South Carolina.

Work collaboratively as part of a team with other reporters and editors.

Bring your own story ideas to the table, and be ready to take assignments as well.

Be a master of social media – both as a news-gathering tool, and as a way to push the news out quickly and build our audience and engagement, as well as your own brand.

Understand your audience metrics – which of your stories are resonating with readers, and which are not? Working with your editor, regularly mine this data for takeaways about how we can build and engage our audience.

Regularly enhance your stories with your video, third-party video, embedded tweets and links to related stories.

Find enterprise stories that make for a deeper read and use storytelling techniques to engage readers.

Minimum requirements:

Strong writing and reporting skills and excellent news judgment
Unwavering commitment to accurate, ethical journalism
Demonstrated ability to use social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to reach audiences
Fluency in the science of readership and engagement, including an understanding of how to use analytics such as 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, including video
A demonstrated ability to learn new skills and technologies, including content management systems; social media platforms; video editing software; analytics tools; and any emerging storytelling tools and platforms
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 and always evolving

Education & experience:

College degree preferred.
At least 2 years of local news experience preferred