Boone County Reporter

LINK Media; Covington; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

A local news organization in Covington, Kentucky is seeking a Boone County Reporter to deliver daily news and deep coverage of community issues. The ideal candidate will manage a beat, develop sources, and produce multimedia stories. Strong writing skills and a commitment to accurate journalism are essential. Benefits include a full package encompassing medical, dental, vision, and PTO. Reporting will involve public meetings and breaking news, reflecting our mission to serve the Northern Kentucky community.

Benefits

Full benefits package - medical, dental, vision and life

PTO and paid holidays

All necessary equipment

Training and support

Qualifications

• Experience in hard-news reporting on local government or education.
• Strong commitment to accuracy in journalism.
• Ability to turn complex issues into clear stories.

Responsibilities

• Report on Boone County government and community issues.
• Cover public meetings, breaking news, and cultivate sources.
• Contribute to multimedia storytelling through various formats.

Skills

Hard-news reporting

Writing skills

Interviewing skills

Organization skills

Digital newsroom experience

Familiarity with Boone County

Job description

LINK Media is looking for a Boone County Reporter to help us deliver daily news and in-depth, solutions-focused coverage of the issues that matter most to the Northern Kentucky community. We need someone who can manage a beat, develop relationships, write quickly and well, and who knows their way around digital media. We're a startup, so everyone we hire is a critical member of the team, and must be willing to work quickly, accept that we don't have everything figured out, remain flexible, and above all else, understand that what we are creating is bigger than any one person, or personality.

Salary: $40,000-$45,000 per year, plus benefits

What We Expect from You

• Report and write clear, accurate, timely stories on Boone County government, elections, education, business, growth/development, and community issues. Two briefs and one byline are expected daily, along with longer-form print stories as assigned.
• Attend and cover public meetings (Fiscal Court, city councils, school board, planning & zoning, etc.), including evenings as required.
• Break news on policy changes, major votes, emerging issues, and key developments impacting residents.
• Cultivate sources and build relationships with public officials, educators, business leaders, law enforcement, civic groups, and community stakeholders.
• Identify enterprise and accountability stories that deepen understanding of county growth, budget decisions, education trends, and infrastructure needs.
• Cover community features—profiles, events, neighborhood stories, human-interest pieces, and unique local happenings.
• Contribute to multimedia storytelling through video, audio/podcasts, social content, and strong visuals in partnership with the digital team.
• Use audience analytics to inform coverage, understand reader interests, and drive engagement.
• Collaborate with editors and other reporters to ensure comprehensive NKY coverage and shared regional context.

Skills We Need You to Have

• Experience in hard-news reporting, ideally on local government, education, or community beats (professional, freelance, or collegiate).
• Strong writing, reporting, and interviewing skills with a commitment to accuracy, fairness, and public-service journalism.
• Ability to translate complex government or policy issues into clear, accessible stories.
• Strong organization skills and the ability to juggle multiple meetings, deadlines, and story types.
• Familiarity with Boone County or a willingness to quickly learn its communities, leadership, and dynamics.
• Comfort working in a fast-paced digital newsroom and collaborating with a cross-functional team.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends based on meeting schedules or breaking news.

What You Can Expect from Us

• Full benefits package - medical, dental, vision and life
• PTO and paid holidays
• All the equipment you need to do your job
• Training and support on LINK's internal style and our culture
• A tiny newsroom full of IKEA desks in beautiful downtown Covington, KY

You’ll Need to Share Our Mission and Uphold Our Guiding Principles

Mission: With a focus on the public interest, LINK nky advances the Northern Kentucky Metro in the region, the commonwealth and the nation by providing transformative coverage of the news of the day with focus on the deeper issues that matter most to our community.

Guiding Principles

• Solutions-Focused: We don't just report the news of the day. We dig deeper, informing our audience about how our community might solve its biggest issues.
• Unapologetic NKY Fans: We believe in this community—in what it is today, and what it has the potential to become. We want to see this community advance, and we understand the part that we play in that advancement.
• Inclusive: We explore the issues that affect all of Northern Kentucky, and give a voice to all segments of our diverse community.
• Good Stewards: It is our responsibility to make good use of our resources and to maintain a sustainable business model, so that we may serve the community long into the future.
• Independent: The publication does not make endorsements, and has a commitment to fact-based reporting about the issues that are facing Northern Kentucky. In addition to our reporting, outside opinions from multiple viewpoints will be sought, and clearly marked as such, in order to provide the robust debate that our community needs to make critical decisions about our collective future.