Employment
Position Profile
POSITION: Reporter
REPORTS TO: Editor
NAME: Vernon Oickle
Position Summary:
The major function of the job is to cover news and events by conducting interviews, collecting facts, taking photos and writing articles relating to the news item. This includes hard news, sports, features, arts and entertainment, as well as promotional articles for upcoming events and fundraisers.
Position Responsibilities:
1. Collects news from various news sources, including interviews with officials and members of the general public and community and writes accurate, interesting, objective and readable stories on various topics.
2. Photographs news events and everyday occurrences to supplement stories and inform and entertain readers.
3. Tracks ongoing developments within assigned "beats" and writes stories to keep readers informed about those developments.
4. Develops and maintains relationships with officials and members of the general public to enhance the ability to gather information.
5. Receives phone calls from people requesting stories and photos, assesses their value to the papers to determine whether or not to process the requests.
6. Acts in a public relations role by dealing with the public and tracking down sources and collecting information as required.
Position Requirements:
• Degree or Diploma in journalism from a recognized university or community college
• A minimum of 2 - 4 years of related experience
Decision Making:
• Evaluates events, meetings and suggestions from outside sources for newsworthiness of individual stories.
• Assesses information gathered for stories, consider the competency of sources and the accuracy of information gathered to determine what will be included.
• Determines story structure
• Determines which sources to contact to gather information for stories and which questions to ask during interviews
• Selects photos to be processed for the papers from among those taken.
Responsibility for Work of Others:
There are no positions that report to this position
Communications:
Internal:
• Editor regarding work assignments and supervision
• Circulation Manager regarding technical support
• Reporter/photographers to discuss assignments, stories, equipment
• Graphic designers to discuss page design decisions
• Proofreader to discuss copy changes
• Production/photos to discuss photo selection and cropping
• Multi Media Manager regarding website postings
• Front office staff regarding messages and various information
External:
• Politicians and local government regarding stories and research
• Schools regarding stories and photo opportunities
• Community and Local Businesses regarding stories and photo opportunities
Effort:
• Minimal - sitting at a desk, walking around the building or occasional lifting of a small box up to 25 pounds
• Use of digital camera and tape recorder
Working Conditions:
• Unpredictable environment with news and stories
• Emotionally charged situations due to the constant deadlines in a newspaper and sensitive interviews |
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