AI- Assisted Reporter - Maternity Cover - 12 Months

Newsquest Media Group; Colchester; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday

Birthday off

Holiday buy scheme

Structured career progression

Pension plan

Employee Helpline counselling and advi

Gym membership

Cycle to Work scheme

Eye care

Retail discounts

Team building days

Volunteer charity day

Job summary

Newsquest Ltd's Colchester Gazette is seeking an AI-assisted Reporter for a 12-month maternity cover role based in Colchester. You will combine traditional reporting skills with AI tools to deliver local and hyper-local digital content, driving audience growth while maintaining high journalistic standards.

We value a strong news sense, accuracy, and compliance with media law. The role offers training in AI tooling, opportunities to expand coverage, and a supportive newsroom environment at the

Qualifications

• NCTJ diploma or equivalent.
• Excellent writing and editing skills with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to recognise stories that resonate with readers.
• Strong understanding of journalistic principles and practices.
• Excellent knowledge of media law and adherence to the Editors’ Code of Conduct.
• Creativity and innovation with willingness to experiment with new approaches.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment and manage multiple priorities.
• Ability to analyse data and generate insights to inform content decisions.

Responsibilities

• Work with an AI system to help write news articles while maintaining quality and authenticity.
• Ensure content meets legal and ethical standards including media law, plagiarism, privacy and accuracy.
• Source stories from diverse online sources and build a high-quality news list.
• Identify areas to expand coverage and topics that resonate with readers.
• Upload and manage stories using AI tools without compromising quality.
• Contribute to AI technology by monitoring output and suggesting improvements.
• Stay current with industry trends in AI and journalism.
• Meet page view targets.

Skills

NCTJ diploma

Writing & editing

News sense

Media law

Job description

AI- Assisted Reporter - Maternity Cover - 12 Months

Application Deadline: 2 December 2026

Department: Editorial

Employment Type: Contract

Location: Colchester

Reporting To: Nick Francis

Description

The Colchester Gazette is seeking a Reporter to join our team and help us expand our coverage of mid and north Essex by delivering more first-class digital news and driving audience growth.

The successful candidate will be at the forefront of a new era in journalism, utilising AI technology to help create local and hyper-local content for the newspaper and website while also applying their traditional journalism skills, news sense and working as part of the team at the Colchester office.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone passionate about journalism and the potential for AI to shape how we produce and consume news, without losing sight of the importance of quality reporting and writing. This is a proactive role that requires a keen news sense and an innate understanding of what makes a strong story and what audiences want to read across a whole range of platforms.

As a Reporter, you will have the opportunity to develop your news and technical skills, including learning how to manage and utilise AI technology effectively while employing your core journalistic skills to the sourcing, selection, angle and presentation of your digital content. A whole host of audience and content analytics will aid you in refining and perfecting your content to meet the needs of audiences and drive growth.

You’ll play a key role in ensuring that our articles meet the highest standards of accuracy, information, and compliance with media law, plagiarism, and privacy, utilising your journalistic expertise alongside AI tools.

Key Responsibilities

• Work with an AI system to help write news articles, while also utilising your journalism skills to maintain the quality and authenticity of the content
• Ensure that all content produced meets legal and ethical standards, including those related to media law, plagiarism, privacy, and accuracy
• Source stories and ideas from a range of online sources, proactively building and refining a news list of high-quality, engaging digital content
• Identify and deliver areas to expand our coverage into, as well as the topics and story types that will resonate
• Efficiently upload and manage stories, using time-saving AI tools and techniques to ensure a seamless process without compromising the quality of the content
• Contribute to the development of AI technology by monitoring the output of AI-generated content and identifying areas for improvement
• Stay up to date with industry trends and best practices related to AI and journalism
• Meet page view targets

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• NCTJ diploma or equivalent
• Excellent writing and editing skills, with strong attention to detail
• The ability to recognise the stories that resonate with our readers is crucial to this role
• A strong understanding of journalistic principles and practices
• Excellent working knowledge of relevant media law and adherence to the Editors’ Code of Conduct are vital to fulfilling the functions of the role
• Creativity and innovation, with a willingness to experiment with new approaches and techniques
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment and manage multiple priorities simultaneously
• Ability to analyse data and generate insights to inform content decisions

Benefits

• 25 days holiday + bank holidays + your birthday off
• Holiday buy scheme for extra flexibility
• Structured career progression & ongoing training
• Pension plan
• Employee Helpline counselling and advice
• Perks & discounts including:
  • Gym membership
  • Cycle to Work scheme
  • Eye care
  • Retail discounts
• Team building days & annual volunteer charity day