Western Wake County reporter

The Raleigh metro area’s fastest-growing communities demand a new kind of local reporter — someone resourceful and quick-moving, as comfortable breaking urgent news as illuminating the deeper stories behind community change. The News & Observer is seeking a dynamic, high-energy journalist to lead must-read coverage of Cary and other Western Wake County suburban communities. You’ll be tasked with holding leaders accountable and helping residents make the most of life in these opportunity-rich suburbs.

Residents of Western Wake put quality of life first, taking pride in excellent schools, abundant new housing and neighborhood amenities that attract families, professionals and newcomers. Traffic, development and the ever-changing dining and shopping scene are constant subjects of conversation. People are attentive to the actions of their elected officials and passionate about how public decisions touch daily life, even when opinions diverge on solutions.

This is fertile ground for a high-metabolism reporter eager to build a following — who understands that earning a loyal audience around a topic requires publishing consistently and often. Success relies on your ability to break news, juggle quick-turn enterprise, build sourcing and navigate public records.

Western Wake and the Triangle region offer a rich cultural backdrop — with outstanding food, thriving music and art scenes, and abundant greenways and outdoor escapes. The area is home to leading universities, state government, corporate headquarters, fast-rising startups, and is just a short drive from both the coast and the mountains.

To apply, send a persuasive cover letter, your resume and four to six examples of your best work.

What you’ll bring:  

• A college degree or equivalent experience. 
• At least one year of professional reporting experience, preferably in breaking news. 
• The ability to write quickly, accurately and engagingly on a wide variety of topics.
• Experience building diverse source networks and providing a constant flow of story ideas.
• The ability to quickly and accurately research and verify the authenticity of information, sources, photos and video.
• An understanding of audience metrics, SEO best practices, and social and search trends.
• Experience with, or a willingness to learn, producing engaging vertical video.
• The ability to find and analyze data to inform reporting.
• Excellent news judgment and commitment to ethical journalism.
• Fluency in digital storytelling and social media.
• A commitment to diverse coverage through community engagement and source building.

All Mc Clatchy Media 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 we’ll bring:

As a journalist at Mc Clatchy, you will join a supportive, flexible, collaborative team. Mc Clatchy 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, Mc Clatchy provides benefits to support you and your family in achieving your health and wellness goals. For more information on Mc Clatchy's benefit plan, please visit Mc Clatchy Livewell.com.

About the Mc Clatchy Media Company

The Mc Clatchy 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 Mc Clatchy Retail Network, our distribution and logistics arm, offers delivery to more than 56,000 retail locations weekly.

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