Transportation Reporter

Summary:
The Bay Area News Group -- publisher of the Mercury News and East Bay Times in the San Francisco Bay Area -- has an opening for a transportation reporter to help our readers cope with and conquer a cursed daily ritual: the insane and ever-evolving Bay Area commute. Our preferred candidate will cherish exploring the far corners of the region's multi-layered transit system - plumbing inconveniences and inefficiencies and braving some of the country's most notorious traffic - whether it's to document a super-commuter's trek from Pittsburg to Palo Alto or explain how the region's slow-to-recover transit systems are confronting the post-COVID doomsday fiscal cliff. We want natural storytellers with a track record of developing sources, digging into data and translating wonk into work that connects with a digital audience. Show us you are as comfortable battling bureaucrats for public records as you are forecasting the future of transportation in the backyard of the innovators who are redefining it. Be ready to prove you know the difference between the Nimitz Freeway and the MacArthur Maze, Muni and VTA.
What you will do:

• Excellent news judgment and demonstrated knowledge of transportation issues
• Strong writing under deadline pressure, for online and print audiences
• Craft headlines and nut graphs that distill why a story needs to be read and shared online
• Experience juggling multiple stories of varying complexity, from quick news posts and daily news stories to longer-term enterprise and features
• Report directly from the field
• Versatility is critical - every reporter in our organization, at some point, will find themselves in the middle of some of the country's biggest news stories, from bomb cyclones to raging wildfires

What you will bring:

• 3+ years of reporting experience
• Transportation reporting experience preferred
• Excellent news judgment, strong writing skills under deadline pressure and a drive to compete
• Proficiency at using the web and social media to report stories and to share them
• Strong grammatical skills and a working knowledge of the Associated Press stylebook
• A fascination and facility with data coupled with the skill and experience to analyze it and seek out new sources of information
• In our diverse region, facility with multiple languages is a plus
• 4-year college degree (journalism or related fields)
• This position reports to our San Jose office, with requirements to work regularly in the Santa Clara, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties

This is a hybrid position with weekly onsite expectations in San Jose, CA.
Along with your resume please submit a cover letter, proposal for a transportation story that we've likely never read before, and three recent examples of your work.
The hourly wage is $30.76 - $35.89. 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, and 401K plan (all benefits are based on eligibility).
Who we are:
Bay Area News Group, a subsidiary of MediaNews Group, offers news reporting and third party advertising and marketing opportunities through its multi-platform products which include: web, mobile, tablet, and print. We are one of the largest media groups in the U.S., serving high-value audiences and connecting advertisers to them. MNG publishes award-winning content (49 Pulitzers) that amasses and engages a nationwide audience via 800 multi-media platforms including web, mobile, social, and print. We are transforming the news industry.
We are an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.
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