Climate Reporter at Gannett in Austin, Texas

Job Description:

The Austin American-Statesman /statesman.com is looking for a climate reporter to be a part of a new team covering extreme climate change and weather patterns in Austin and Central Texas. We are in search of someone who lives and breathes weather coverage in relation to our changing climate.

Someone who can write with urgency when storms approach, during and after and who can explain complicated topics like heat domes, extreme droughts that lead to year-round wildfires and water scarcity. Someone who can report on our recent unprecedented ice storms in connection with our city and state government's inability to prepare infrastructure to support climate extremes. In addition to severe weather coverage, we're also looking for a reporter who can find compelling ways to engage with our audience on days when it's sunny and mild.

Austin and Texas offer up a weather reporter's full buffet of meteorological events. The old saying is true: Don't like the weather in Texas? Wait 5 minutes.

Our weather reporter will deliver across all our platforms, writing breaking news, filming videos for Instagram and TikTok and being comfortable on camera, answering readers' questions about whatever weather is happening, and will help tell our audiences what to expect later today, tomorrow and into the next week. Weather is not only a water-cooler and social media staple, it helps fuel discussions about climate, development, and how you prepare your kids for school. Our weather reporter will become the hyperlocal expert for readers.

Responsibilities:

• Write daily dispatches for the morning report and throughout the day if needed.
• Look at temperature trends, rainfall amounts, long- and short-range forecasts and find compelling ways to tell readers what they need to know.
• Be ready to cover breaking weather events across the metro region and, sometimes, in farther-flung reaches of the state.
• Deliver needed information on social media, in written and video form.
• Help compile maps, charts and other graphic elements that will help our readers plan their day, their week or their special event.
• Develop engaging enterprise stories that dig deeper into weather trends and records, going beyond numbers to make the weather matter.
• Collaborate with reporters across the newsroom.
• Collaborate with photographers and video editors to capture and create compelling visual components.
• Connect with the community through storytelling, social media interactions and other ways to build your personal brand and the company's brand.
• Be available to pivot to help cover breaking news; occasional weekend and holiday work.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's or master's in communications, journalism or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• At least two years of reporting experience in a daily newsroom. Previous weather reporting experience is a plus.
• Energetic self-starter and a fast thinker who can spot stories that matter.
• Ability to multitask and excel in a fast-paced environment under intense deadline pressure.
• Ability to work collaboratively and efficiently with a team of journalists.
• Strong communication skills, news judgment and headline-writing ability.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including empathy and compassion.
• Proficiency on social media platforms; including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Threads, Instagram, TikTok and Reddit, and experience engaging readers in this public space.
• Experience shooting and editing photos and video on an iPhone.
• Strong writing, spelling and grammar skills and knowledge of AP style.
• Understanding of media law and principles of ethical conduct.
• This role requires a valid driver's license, reliable transportation, and the minimum liability insurance required by state law.
• Employment is contingent on passing a pre-employment, post-offer background check, drug screen & motor vehicle record check.

Application Instructions

We are eager to learn more about you and how you fit this role. When you apply, don't limit your upload to a resume; show us what you've done. To do so, put together a single document file that includes the following, in this order:

Your resume - one to two pages.

A cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job.

Links to 3-6 online samples of your work. Show us what you've produced or had a hand in that best reflects what you can do in your desired role.

It is important that these items be assembled into a single document and uploaded in PDF format. Completing these steps will ensure that your application receives the highest consideration.
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