Local Reporter

Summary:
The Orange County Register, a subsidiary of MediaNews Group, is seeking an experienced reporter to join our fantastic local news team as a full time reporter. Orange County is a diverse, innovative community with 3.2 million residents, and we are looking for a strong reporter who sees past outdated perceptions of the county.
What you will do:
The ideal candidate should be aggressive and resourceful while being a watchdog, keeping an eye on public officials and county/city developments. We're looking for journalists with the ability to produce strong enterprise and breaking news for digital and print platforms. Our ideal candidate can cultivate sources in person and via social media, write compelling narratives as well as tweets, and are comfortable mining public records for deep investigative pieces.

• Versatility is a must, as stories will cover a variety of topics.
• Write on deadline in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to take own photos is a plus.
• Along with producing stories that are assigned, the reporter should also be able to pitch story ideas on a regular basis.
• The candidate must be able to research and develop stories to the utmost accuracy.
• Cultivate sources both in person and via social media.
• Understand and use company-provided hardware, software and cloud-based equipment and systems for company business and tasks.
• Discuss stories throughout the process with the assignment editor, including (but not limited to): idea development, overcoming hurdles, editing, strategy for presentation and analysis of analytics.
• Work with the photo and graphics teams to ensure exploration of all the visual ways stories can be told or enhanced
• Collaborate with other Register local reporters in a positive culture of teamwork.
• Out-of-town travel is unlikely, but there will be a need to drive around Orange County.

What you will bring:

• Strong news judgment and a drive to compete.
• Ability to write clean concise copy that draws readers in, including nut graphs and online headlines for SEO.
• The skill to mine human sources, documents and data, including a facility for mining public records.
• The ability to juggle multiple stories of varying complexity, from quick news posts under intense deadline pressure to daily news stories and longer-term enterprise.
• Proficiency at using the web and social media to report stories and to share them.
• Facility with multiple languages is a plus. (Spanish, Vietnamese and Mandarin top the list but are not the only ones that would be helpful.)
• Prior local government reporting experience.
• At least two years of professional journalism experience.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.

The hourly wage is $17.50 - $25.00. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, time in role, certifications, etc. In addition to your salary, MediaNews Group offers a comprehensive benefits package, incentive and recognition program, and 401K plan (all benefits are based on eligibility).
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