Education Reporter

USA-Today-Co.; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

USA TODAY Co., Inc. is seeking an experienced reporter to advance higher education coverage for the Milwaukee area. The role blends daily reporting with enterprise and explanatory work, aimed at a broad audience including students, families and academics.

You will report across text, audio and video, adapt formats for impact, and collaborate with colleagues to deliver timely, accurate journalism in a digital-first newsroom.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or master’s in communications, journalism or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of three years of reporting experience.
• Strong command of newswriting grammar and style.
• Strong copy-editing skills and the ability to produce content that is clean, accurate and publication ready.
• Is passionate and enthusiastic about news and content that will work well with audiences on social platforms.
• Is comfortable using social media platforms to enhance reporting and deliver stories.
• Understands reporting ethics and sourcing.
• Excels in a fast-paced news environment and understands the digital first mission.
• Collaborates well with others and can work with a team on the biggest stories.
• Must be willing to travel on short notice to cover breaking news events.
• This role requires a valid driver’s license, reliable transportation, and the minimum liability insurance required by state law.

Responsibilities

• Cover higher education stories for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel with depth and breadth across enterprise, daily and explanatory reporting.
• Tell stories in text, audio and video and select the best format for each story.
• Explain budgets, funding and policy concerns to diverse audiences.
• Build a rich source network and provide context at state and national levels.
• Partner with other reporters to expand coverage across beats and investigations.
• Travel on short notice to cover breaking news events when required.

Education

Bachelor's or master's in communications/journalism

Strong newswriting and editing ability

Social media proficiency

Ethical reporting

Digital-first mindset

Team collaboration

Willingness to travel

Driver's license

Tools

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Job description

Posted Monday, August 17, 2026 at 7:00 AM

|Current USA TODAY Co. Employees- Please ensure you are using our abbreviated process on the internal Careers site by logging into Dayforce through MyApps| USA TODAY Co., Inc. is a diversified media company with expansive reach at the national and local level dedicated to empowering and enriching communities. We seek to inspire, inform, and connect audiences as a sustainable, growth focused media and digital marketing solutions company. Through our trusted brands, including the USA TODAY NETWORK, comprised of the national publication, USA TODAY , and local media organizations, including our network of local properties, in the United States, and Newsquest , a wholly-owned subsidiary operating in the United Kingdom, we provide essential journalism, local content, and digital experiences to audiences and businesses. We deliver high-quality, trusted content with a commitment to balanced, unbiased journalism, where and when consumers want to engage. Our digital marketing solutions brand, LocaliQ , supports small and medium-sized businesses with innovative digital marketing products and solutions. USA TODAY Co. open roles are featured on various external job boards. When applying to a position at USA TODAY Co., you should be completing an application on USA TODAY Co. Careers viaDayforce . Job postings directing you to complete an application on other external sites may not be valid. If you are a California resident, you acknowledge that by applying for a job with us, this California Job Applicant Privacy Notice will apply to our collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information. To connect with us, visit www.usatodayco.com

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, is seeking an experienced reporter with multimedia skills to advance our daily, enterprise and explanatory higher education coverage. Our aim is to deepen and grow our connection with our audience, fully tapping into stories that resonate with students, parents, employers, taxpayers, faculty and administrators.

Coverage includes public and private four-year colleges and universities as well as technical colleges — a broad range of stories requiring a mix of interests and skills. In Wisconsin, the state’s university system is at a pivotal point, as it copes with turnover in three key roles: the system president, chancellor of the state’s flagship university in Madison and athletic director.

The ideal candidate will be able to understand budgets and funding, explain policy concerns and navigate the political and demographic changes that are creating a period of upheaval in higher education .

This reporter must demonstrate curiosity and be able to shift easily between different topics, such as the burden of student debt, interesting research, campus trends and education institutions’ efforts to reimagine their mission.

Success in the job will require:

Effort in reaching new audiences. We need someone who can mix creative stories aimed at drawing new readers and in-depth enterprise that will satisfy longtime subscribers.

Flexibility in how to approach stories. We need someone comfortable telling stories via text, audio and video, and able to identify the right format for each story. The reporter should be able to tell stories quickly when needed, in-depth when called for and always with accuracy.

Familiarity with the demands of a digital world. We need someone who can ensure content is optimized with strong headlines, links, video and photo galleries, aware of the contribution strong SEO can play in reaching our readers.

Commitment to diversity in topics and sources. We need someone who sees all facets of higher education and how it intersects with people of different backgrounds.

We're looking for someone who can smoothly partner with other reporters when stories touch multiple beats, bringing greater context to our readers.

Patience and drive in creating a rich source network. We need someone who is able to put issues in state and national context.

Ability to step back and see larger stories, and put issues in state and national context. We need someone who can maintain the rhythm of a daily beat while recognizing topics that are ripe for broader exploration or investigation.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's or master’s in communications, journalism or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of three years of reporting experience.
• Strong command of newswriting grammar and style.
• Strong copy-editing skills and the ability to produce content that is clean, accurate and publication ready.
• Is passionate and enthusiastic about news and content that will work well with audiences on social platforms.
• Is comfortable using social media platforms to enhance reporting and deliver stories.
• Understands reporting ethics and sourcing.
• Excels in a fast-paced news environment and understands the digital first mission.
• Collaborates well with others and can work with a team on the biggest stories.
• Must be willing to travel on short notice to cover breaking news events.
• This role requires a valid driver’s license, reliable transportation, and the minimum liability insurance required by state law.

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USA TODAY Co., Inc. is a proud equal opportunity employer committed to building and maintaining a diverse workforce. As such, we will consider all qualified applicants for employment and do not discriminate in connection with employment decisions on the basis of an applicant or employee’s race, color, national origin, ethnicity, ancestry, citizenship status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, marital status, personal appearance (including height and weight), sexual orientation, family responsibilities, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy status (including childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), education, genetic characteristics or information, political affiliation, military or veteran status or other classifications protected by applicable federal, state and local laws in the jurisdictions where USA TODAY Co. employs employees. In addition, USA TODAY Co., Inc. will provide applicants who require a reasonable accommodation, as a result of an applicant’s disability or religion, to complete this employment application and/or any other process in connection with an individuals’ application for employment with USA TODAY Co., Inc. Applicants who require such accommodation should contact USA TODAY Co., Inc.’s Recruitment Department at [e-mail] . Applicants must be authorized to work in the applicable location. Applications from outside these regions will be removed from our system after submission.