Reporter - Watford Observer

Newsquest; Watford; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday

Holiday buy scheme

Structured career progression

Pension plan

Employee Helpline counselling

Gym membership

Cycle to Work scheme

Eye care

Retail discounts

Team building days

Annual volunteer charity day

Job summary

Newsquest’s Watford Observer is seeking an AI-enabled Reporter to blend traditional journalism with AI-powered tools. The role involves live blogging, rapid news coverage, and turning live moments into engaging content for multiple platforms.

You will source stories from varied outlets, ensure accuracy and compliance, and work in a rota covering early, late, and weekend shifts. A passion for journalism and audience growth is essential.

Qualifications

• NCTJ diploma in journalism or equivalent.
• Excellent writing and editing skills with attention to detail.
• Strong understanding of journalistic principles and practice.
• Excellent knowledge of media law and Editors' Code of Conduct.
• Creativity and 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 applying traditional journalism skills.
• Cover breaking news with live blogs and timely updates.
• Ensure content meets legal and ethical standards including media law, privacy and accuracy.
• Source stories from diverse sources and build a high-quality digital content list.
• Identify opportunities to expand coverage and resonate with audiences.
• Upload and manage stories efficiently using AI tools without compromising quality.
• Contribute to AI tool development by monitoring performance and suggesting improvements.
• Collaborate with existing editorial teams to integrate AI content into newsrooms.
• Train other reporters in using AI technology.
• Stay updated on AI and journalism best practices.

Skills

NCTJ diploma

Excellent writing

Editing skills

Media law knowledge

Creativity & innovation

Fast-paced work

Data analytics for content decisions

Education

NCTJ diploma or equivalent

Job description

Reporter - Watford Observer

Application Deadline: 10 September 2026

Department: Editorial

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: Watford - London

Reporting To: Simon Murfitt

Description

The Watford Observer is seeking a Reporter to join our team and help us expand our use of AI to deliver first class news. The successful candidate will be at the forefront of a new era in journalism, utilising AI technology to create local, and hyper-local content for the Observer while also applying their traditional journalism skills and news sense and working as part of the team in Watford.

This role will blend some traditional, on-the-ground reporting with the growing capability of AI-powered journalism tools, designed to help you work faster, smarter and at higher impact. You'll use AI to speed up rewrites, find background information, find stories and organise content - while applying strong journalistic judgement, original reporting, and an ability to turn live moments into stories that drive audience growth.

The successful candidate will be part of a rota of reporters covering early and late shifts, as well as weekends.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone passionate about journalism and the potential for AI to contribute to the way 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 innate understanding of what makes a strong story and what audiences want to read across a whole range of platforms.

As an AI-assisted 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
• Cover breaking news as it happens by running live blogs and publishing updates ahead of our rivals
• 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 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 performance of AI-generated content and identifying areas for improvement
• Work closely with our existing editorial teams to help integrate selected AI-generated content into a variety of newsrooms
• Train other reporters in the use of AI technology
• 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
• 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