Description

Our investigative team of North Carolina journalists and watchdog reporters is dedicated to exposing corruption, wrongdoing and injustice. The Charlotte Observer is looking for an ambitious and creative reporter who shares those values to join our hard-charging team.

The investigative reporter focuses on accountability journalism, serving as a fearless watchdog to powerful institutions, from business to government and nonprofits. This reporter brings smart context to big news stories and can produce quicker-turnaround enterprise stories as well as deeper dives. This reporter is skilled in obtaining public records and is comfortable collecting and analyzing data sets while reporting. This reporter is a creative storyteller, a self-starter and a collaborator eager to work with other reporters and visual journalists.

• Our investigative team understands how to hold powerful people, including government leaders, accountable for response and resolution. Reporters on the team must regularly use the North Carolina Public Records Law to report deeply and with authority. Reporters must also have a demonstrated commitment to fairness and accuracy, in fact and in tone, and a strong grounding in journalism ethics.

• They must have, or arrive ready to develop, the ability to help build reader loyalty, engagement and growth around compelling public service journalism. This job requires a reporter to be insatiably curious about what is important to readers in Charlotte and North Carolina, and to use that knowledge, as well as digital metrics and social media, to break and report exclusive journalism.

This Reporter Will

• Conceive fresh, compelling story ideas, with a clear focus on topics and issues of keen interest and relevance to local readers.
• Find and use data from a wide range of sources to develop and inform stories on the investigative team and around the newsroom.
• Develop broad ranges of sources representing the wide political, racial, ethnic, economic (and more) diversity in North Carolina.
• 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, as well as your own brand.
• Understand audience metrics – which 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 audiences.
• Write stories that are complete, fair and provide context for readers, even on tight deadlines.
• Use judgment in determining best digital tools and platforms for conveying news to readers in varying circumstances.
• Regularly enhance stories with third-party video, embedded tweets, documents and links.
• Engage the public: Present events, news coverage and enterprise/public service reporting so readers understand the need for action/involvement.
• Help formulate departmental goals and actively seek to meet them.
• Participate in training sessions and seek out learning opportunities to keep skills updated in a continuously evolving industry.

Education and knowledge:

• College degree required. At least two years of digital journalism experience is preferred. Background in accountability journalism, video and online media preferred.

This Reporter Must Have

• Creativity and independence in identifying concepts and ideas for news stories that are relevant to readers.
• Ability to tell stories using data, as well as a variety of other tools and platforms.
• Command of grammar, spelling, AP style; expert-level skills in story organization, storytelling in a variety of formats, and clear writing.
• Fluency in SEO, and the art and science of readership and engagement.
• Enthusiasm for learning new skills and technologies.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including empathy and the ability to take and give constructive criticism.
• Comfort with a job that will be demanding, fast-paced and constantly evolving.
• Expert-level skills at developing and maintaining source networks on a beat.
• Expert-level skills in using digital research tools and social networks to find information.
• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues in developing and executing long- and short-term projects