Job Description
The Wichita Eagle seeks a breaking news reporter to join its award-winning newsroom.
We’re looking for a reporter who can move quickly when news breaks, dig for details and follow the biggest stories with reader-focused coverage that Wichitans can’t get anywhere else. You’ll be expected to leave the office as you report on crime, accidents and weather, among other breaking news events.
When breaking news isn’t happening, you’ll have time to dig into deeper stories, including reporting that holds police, fire and other first responders accountable. You’ll also seek out and write obituaries tied to the news.
This position covers our Tuesday through Saturday breaking news shifts, with hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
We are looking for a resourceful digger who understands that building a loyal audience around a topic requires publishing consistently and often. You are right for this role if you understand that frequent, consistent publishing builds habits in readers, who come to trust that they can depend on you to deliver each day, giving them a reason to come back and engage. Story ideas will come not only from listening to the scanner but also from digging into records and talking to people in the community.
In this role, you will need to:
- Focus on stories that build readership.
- Build engaging multimedia storytelling skills.
- Use social media platforms to help distribute and highlight work.
- Demonstrate speed and competitiveness.
- Work well in a team environment, including with another breaking news reporter.
- Shoot photos and video when needed.
- Skillfully use content-management systems.
- Live in Wichita or its suburbs.
McClatchy Media’s journalists are expected to take advantage of opportunities to ethically harness and leverage artificial intelligence and other automation to enhance and elevate their work and to find efficiencies that free them to focus on source-building and high-quality, deeply reported journalism.
What you’ll bring: The successful candidate should meet many, though not necessarily all, of the following requirements:
- Strong writing and reporting skills, excellent news judgment and a demonstrated ability to see the story that is going to matter to readers.
- A commitment to accuracy and fairness.
- Ability to work quickly and meet deadlines while taking care to be accurate.
- An interest in telling stories using a variety of media and engagement tools, and an enthusiasm for learning new skills and technologies, such as AI.
- Ability to understand audience lenses and identify audiences for selected stories.
- Ability to build source networks and bring a constant flow of ideas for stories that will reach a broad audience.
- An understanding of public records laws and ability to file requests pertinent to beat work.
- An intuitive sense of what’s important and interesting to audiences on all platforms.
- A deep curiosity and high energy.
- Familiarity/experience with accountability journalism preferred.
- A commitment to diverse coverage through community engagement and source building.
- Ability to quickly and accurately research and verify the authenticity of information, sources, photos and video.
- Must have reliable transportation. Must have valid driver’s license and vehicle insurance.
- Proficient knowledge of technology, including content management systems and storytelling tools.
- Bachelor’s degree in journalism or related field.
- 1-3 years of reporting experience in a digital-first environment preferred.
- Comfort with a job that will be demanding, fast-paced and constantly evolving.
What we’ll bring: The Wichita Eagle, in print and online as Kansas.com , is the leading and essential source for news, information and commentary in south-central Kansas. In the past several years the work of Eagle journalists has won numerous national and regional awards, including the George Polk Award for Political Reporting, the Carmage Walls Commentary Prize, the Frank A. Blethen Award for Local Accountability Reporting, the Edward R. Murrow Award and an Emmy for Documentary Program: Topical.
Our journalism focuses on our community, and in that role we have the ability to spotlight problems, highlight solutions and truly make a difference -- all the reasons you got into journalism.
We are part of McClatchy, a digitally driven company focused on innovation. Here, you will join a team that is fun, collaborative and always looking for new ways to reach readers and tell unique stories.
As a journalist at McClatchy, you will join a supportive, flexible, collaborative team. McClatchy strives to be an employer of choice, and our benefits package is made with this goal in mind. With a focus on health, well-being, wealth and daily life, our package options include healthcare coverage for employees and their families, financial protection from expected and unexpected expenses, multiple no-cost wellness resources and even coverage for four-legged friends.
Our overall benefits package also includes a 401(k) with employer match, competitive paid time off and corporate holidays, and a variety of mental health benefits. With an excellent support team and with focus on your well-being as a top corporate strategy, McClatchy provides benefits to support you and your family in achieving your health and wellness goals. For more information on McClatchy's benefit plan, please visit McClatchyLivewell.com .
To apply, include a persuasive cover letter, your resume and four to six examples of your best work.
About McClatchy Media The McClatchy Media Company features a portfolio of vibrant and trusted news, lifestyle, entertainment brands and a robust retail distribution network. Our iconic local news brands such as the Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star and The Sacramento Bee, have collectively earned a total of 57 Pulitzer prizes and are complemented by popular lifestyle and entertainment brands such as Us Weekly and Woman’s World. Together, our brands reach more than 100 million unique visitors a month. The McClatchy Retail Network, our distribution and logistics arm, offers delivery to more than 56,000 retail locations weekly.
Job Tags
Full time, Live in, Work at office, Local area, Flexible hours, Shift work