Sports Reporter at Lee Enterprises Inc in Opelika, Alabama

Job Description:

The Opelika-Auburn News, a Lee Enterprises company, has an immediate opening for a sports reporter to serve as our lead basketball writer as we cover the area's sports-loving high schools and the always interesting Auburn University.

This is a prime opportunity for a reporter to cover high school teams in a region where sports has incredible importance and to write stories on a major college sports beat for fans as passionate about their school as any in the country. Our lead basketball writer will be tasked with covering all sports at both levels around the calendar, but working alongside our sports editor and lead football writer, we are seeking a candidate who will take ownership of our basketball coverage and be our point person covering basketball.

The high schools in East Alabama are competitive on the hardcourt and Auburn University men's basketball has risen to national prominence in recent seasons.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Writing compelling and well-sourced feature stories on area athletes and coaches.

• Producing a combination of daily stories and in-depth projects.

• Keeping track of local results and what athletes are doing at this level and the next.

• Traveling to games and to meet sources when assigned.

• Ensuring that photo, video and graphics are in the planning aspect of each story.

• Writing breaking news stories for websites and social media platforms.

• Understanding the importance of online presentation and using social media to reach a growing digital audience.

• Working well with teammates on a three-person sports desk.

• Adhering to all company policies.

Qualified candidates must possess the following:

• Be self-motivated, have good energy and a good work ethic.

• Must be willing to work a flexible schedule.

• Two-to-five years of sports reporting experience preferred; coverage of a college beat is preferred, but not required.

• Four-year degree from an accredited institution in Journalism or comparable professional experience preferred.

• Prepared to present five writing clips; also include examples of multimedia/audio/video work.

• Experience in investigative reporting on a sports beat, strong profiles and alternative story forms.

• Adept at growing audience through great content.

• Savvy with social media and multimedia.

• Able to meet tight deadlines and travel when needed.

• Valid Driver License with satisfactory Motor Vehicle Report.

Why Join Us?

Lee Enterprises offers competitive wages in a dynamic, interesting work environment with career growth opportunities. We offer an extensive benefit program that can be personalized to your needs. Our benefit program includes medical, dental, vision, short and long-term disability, company provided life insurance and supplemental life insurance. In addition, we offer a 401K retirement plan with company match. We also offer generous paid time off to allow the flexibility to balance personal life and work. This includes paid parental leave for new parents.

Lee Enterprises is a major subscription and advertising platform and a leading provider of local news and information, with daily newspapers, rapidly growing digital products and nearly 350 weekly and specialty publications serving 73 markets in 26 states. Our core commitment is to provide valuable, intensely local news and information to the communities we serve.

Lee Enterprises is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to attracting and retaining a workforce whose diversity reflects the communities we serve. Lee embraces change, and we recognize that we must create and maintain a culture of fervent inclusion. For more information about Lee, check us out at www.lee.net.

We are focused on building a diverse and inclusive workforce. If you are excited about this role but do not meet 100% of the qualifications above, we encourage you to apply.
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