The Argus Leader, part of the USA TODAY Network, is seeking a dynamic Watchdog - Education reporter to cover K-12 education in and around Sioux Falls, SD. The ideal candidate believes that the best journalism starts at the grass roots, has passion for dogged pursuit of the truth and has developed skills for a digital first approach to coverage.
This roles focus includes:
Ensuring readers understand the impact of growth on schools, whether it is on school overcrowding or the changing demographics of the student population.
Coverage from inside the schools, giving readers a vivid sense for whats happening inside classrooms, with color and detail from students and educators.
Accountability/watchdog coverage of academic trends, test scores and how schools spend money to educate children.
Process coverage of school board meetings and administrators should be avoided except in those cases where a meeting itself is the focus of controversy or high interest among your audience.
The reporter must be able to break news quickly as well as produce enterprise, including issue, trend and watchdog stories, by parsing public records and documents, using data and cultivating sources.
The ideal candidate is a storyteller, skilled in data analysis and document acquisition, who pursues accountability journalism from the ground up and looks beyond text to enhance their stories for mobile audiences.
Turn out enterprising stories and projects that transcend the every day.
Need to be a self-starter who is proficient at managing their time, as well as their teams.
Be proficient with social media and video storytelling.
Required Experience:
Bachelors degree in Journalism or Communication
2+ years of professional journalism. Strong reporting and writing skills
Social media skills
The ability to shoot and tell video stories
Good time management and organizational skills
Ability to work independently and with a team
Curiosity and a desire to try new things
Application Instructions:
Interested and qualified candidates, please apply here and upload your materials combined into one single document with as much of the following as possible: your updated resume, a brief cover letter explaining your interest and fit for the position, and your portfolio/clips/links to a few samples of your work. **It's important that these items be combined into a single document attachment/upload (preferably in PDF format). The application will only allow one document upload. Completing these steps will ensure that you receive the highest consideration.
