Business and Development Correspondent (Eugene)

Lookout Local; Eugene (OR); On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Performance-based incentives

Medical, dental & optical benefits

401(k) with matching

Generous PTO

Stock options

Job summary

Lookout Local seeks a Business and Development Correspondent for Lookout Eugene-Springfield. The role covers local and statewide business trends, taxes, jobs, and the cost of doing business in Lane County and beyond. The ideal candidate voices real people and uses data-driven storytelling to inform a regional audience.

We value fair, accurate reporting, collaboration, and a strong ability to build sources. The role is in-person, with passion for reviving local journalism and engaging communities

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a journalist with a track record of timely reporting.
• Strong narrative storytelling and fair, non-partisan journalism.
• Proficiency with digital publishing tools and emerging technologies.
• Deep beat reporting skills and wide network of sources.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide timely reporting on assigned beats with a connective approach.
• Craft narratives that are fair, accurate, and non-partisan for readers.
• Collaborate with editors on breaking news and in-depth pieces.
• Conduct thorough research, verify facts, and cross-check information.
• Write clear, concise stories in various styles, from breaking news to features.
• Engage readers and communities to reflect their interests.

Skills

Reporting

Storytelling

Digital publishing

Social media

Investigations

Job description

About Lookout Local

Lookout Eugene-Springfield’s mission is to provide fair, accurate, and non-partisan news, focusing on the role of business in shaping a community through taxes and jobs. We are committed to reviving local journalism and engaging with the community to reflect their needs and interests. Lookout Eugene-Springfield now approaches its first anniversary, having already achieved great traction – audience, membership, advertising, and community trust – It is part of Lookout Local, a now fast-growing, next-generation West Coast-based local news network. Lookout Santa Cruz won the 2024 Pulitzer for Breaking News, and Lookout’s fiercely mission-driven, business-driven model is winning wide national notice. Check out our network page: https://lookout.co/network.

Our workplaces are in-person, in-community, collaborative and collegial. We are building a diverse, highly skilled and mission-driven group of journalists, community builders and business people intent on maintaining our culture of learning, growth and community service.

About the role

Lookout Eugene-Springfield’s Business and Development Correspondent will approach the beat with a broad lens, focusing on issues and trends as much as what is opening and closing. The ideal candidate understands the role of business in shaping a community through taxes and jobs as well as the cost of doing business in Lane County and greater Oregon.

An interest in how the business culture in the state impacts the local economy and the desire to tell these larger stories is important. While this is an inherently local beat, we understand that statewide factors impact the local economy and telling this story is important. This correspondent has the potential to impact the local and statewide business culture with their coverage.

Finally, the heart of all stories are people, those who are impacted by decisions being made and this correspondent will seek out voices of real people as the foundation for our coverage.

The ideal candidates will provide fair, accurate, and non-partisan news, work at the cadence of digital publishing, and be enthusiastic about the responsible use of newer technologies. We’re looking for journalists who see the power of revived local journalism and have the skills and enthusiasm to be part of a new team doing it.

Responsibilities

• Reporting and Storytelling:
  • Provide timely, useful, and connect-the-dots reporting on assigned beats.
  • Create narrative stories that give readers a fair, accurate, and non-partisan sense of the news that matters most to them.
  • Collaborate with colleagues on breaking news and in-depth pieces.
  • Conduct thorough research and investigations, verify facts and cross-check information to ensure reliability.
  • Write clear, concise, and compelling stories in various styles, from breaking news to in-depth features.
  • Look for ways to help readers participate in their communities and to be of service to them.
• Digital Proficiency:
  • Work at the cadence of digital publishing, ensuring timely updates and responsiveness to breaking news.
  • Comfortable with social media platforms and integrating them into how we tell stories. This includes on-camera video work.
• Collaboration and Teamwork:
  • Collaborate with fellow journalists and editors to share insights, story ideas, resources, and expertise.
• Community Engagement:
  • Engage with the community to understand their needs and interests, reflecting this in reporting.
  • Build and maintain a network of sources and contacts. Develop relationships with key community members, officials, and experts.
  • Enthusiastically represent Lookout Eugene-Springfield at community events and forums.

Qualifications

• Proven, relevant experience as a journalist with a track record of timely and impactful reporting.
• Strong narrative storytelling skills with a commitment to fair, accurate, and non-partisan journalism.
• Proficiency with digital publishing tools and a keen interest in emerging technologies.
• Deep understanding of beat reporting and the ability to develop and maintain a network of sources.
• Demonstrated ability to serve readers’ news and information needs.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Passion for Lookout Eugene-Springfield’s mission and a deep understanding of the local community.

About Lookout Eugene-Springfield

In one year, Lookout Eugene-Springfield has become the largest local newsroom in Lane County and is the destination for local news and information for this community. Known for journalism that goes beyond the superficial, Lookout staff always put the community at the center of our coverage.

Lookout is a full-time, in-person newsroom with an office located in downtown Eugene.

If you believe local journalism is built through relationships and visibility in the community, if you are curious, approachable, creative and eager to experiment with new storytelling formats while maintaining strong journalism standards, you could be the right fit for Lookout.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary and performance-based incentives.
• Full-time benefits include highly competitive medical, dental, and optical benefits, and 401(k) with matching.
• Good PTO allowances
• Stock options in our growing company
• An opportunity to make a significant impact on and contribute to the revival of local journalism.
• A collaborative and mission-driven work environment.