Food & Dining Reporter/Editor

AgUpdate; Georgia; On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Savannah Morning News, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, is seeking an ambitious, digitally savvy Food & Dining Reporter/Editor to lead coverage of Savannah's dynamic culinary scene. You'll produce breaking news, features, reviews, and enterprise stories about restaurants, chefs, and local food culture, while creating service content and video storytelling to engage readers and boost subscriptions.

Familiarity with Savannah and Southern food traditions is preferred, and you will collaborate

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or master's in communications, journalism or equivalent.
• Minimum of three or more years of newsroom experience.
• Facility with AI and automation to enhance journalism.
• Strong command of AP grammar and style.
• Strong copy-editing and publication-ready content.
• Experience using social media to promote stories.
• Experience creating digital-first content, including video and social storytelling.
• Understanding of audience analytics, SEO, and engagement strategies.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple deadlines.
• Willing to work weekends and nights during major breaking news.
• Requires a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation.

Responsibilities

• Lead Savannah Morning News' food and dining coverage across digital, video, social, and newsletters.
• Serve as a content editor in the newsroom.
• Report and write breaking news, features, profiles, trend stories, reviews, and enterprise pieces focused on restaurants, chefs, food culture, and the local hospitality industry.
• Create high-performing service journalism, including restaurant guides, rankings, dining recommendations, best-of lists, and seasonal coverage.
• Develop video content showcasing restaurants, chefs, local food traditions, and dining experiences.
• Build and maintain relationships with chefs, restaurant owners, industry leaders, and community stakeholders.
• Identify emerging food and dining trends and translate them into engaging audience-focused content.
• Edit and package stories for maximum digital engagement, search visibility, and social distribution.
• Collaborate with visual journalists, audience teams, and newsroom leaders to grow readership and subscriptions.

Skills

Reporting & Writing

Editing

Storytelling

SEO & Analytics

Video storytelling

Social media proficiency

AI & automation in journalism

Source development

Deadline management

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Communications/Journalism

Tools

AP Style

Job description

The Savannah Morning News/savannahnow.com , part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, is seeking an ambitious, digitally savvy Food & Dining Reporter/Editor to lead coverage of one of the South's most dynamic culinary scenes.

Food is central to Savannah's identity. As a historic port city, Savannah helped shape American taste by serving as a cultural crossroads between African and American food traditions, Lowcountry cuisine, and modern Southern dining. Today, Savannah is a nationally recognized culinary destination, home to celebrated restaurants, award-winning chefs, and a thriving hospitality industry.

This position will tell that story through compelling journalism, audience-focused service content, video storytelling, and enterprise reporting that helps readers discover where to eat, what's new, and why Savannah's food culture matters.

Savannah's emergence as a nationally recognized dining destination-highlighted by James Beard Award-winning or nominated establishments-has created a significant opportunity for impactful journalism. Food and dining stories consistently rank among the newsroom's strongest audience performers, offering readers practical value while showcasing one of the region's defining cultural assets.

This position directly supports audience growth, engagement, and subscription goals while helping tell the story of Savannah through the people, traditions, flavors, and experiences that make the city a premier culinary destination.

The successful candidate will help establish the Savannah Morning News as the leading source for food and dining coverage in Coastal Georgia by producing journalism that consistently drives audience growth and engagement. The candidate will generate content that serves readers long after publication through evergreen utility and search value by creating a strong portfolio of video storytelling that expands reach across platforms.

Familiarity with Savannah, Coastal Georgia, Southern culture, or restaurant coverage is preferred.

Key responsibilities:

• Lead Savannah Morning News' food and dining coverage across digital, video, social, and newsletter platforms.
• Serve as a content editor in the newsroom.
• Report and write breaking news, features, profiles, trend stories, reviews, and enterprise pieces focused on restaurants, chefs, food culture, and the local hospitality industry.
• Create high-performing service journalism, including restaurant guides, rankings, dining recommendations, best-of lists, and seasonal coverage.
• Develop video content showcasing restaurants, chefs, local food traditions, and dining experiences.
• Build and maintain relationships with chefs, restaurant owners, industry leaders, and community stakeholders.
• Identify emerging food and dining trends and translate them into engaging audience-focused content.
• Edit and package stories for maximum digital engagement, search visibility, and social distribution.
• Collaborate with visual journalists, audience teams, and newsroom leaders to grow readership and subscriptions.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's or master's in communications, journalism or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of three or more years of newsroom experience.
• Candidates should have facility with AI and automation and experience in using it to enhance their journalism.
• Strong command of AP grammar and style.
• Strong copy-editing skills and the ability to produce content that is clean, accurate and "publication ready.".
• Is comfortable using social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat to enhance reporting and promote stories.
• Strong reporting, writing, editing, and storytelling skills.
• Experience creating digital-first content, including video and social media storytelling.
• Understanding of audience analytics, SEO, and engagement strategies.
• Ability to work independently, develop sources, and manage multiple deadlines.
• Work weekends and nights when there is major breaking news.
• This role requires a valid driver's license, reliable transportation, and the minimum liability insurance required by state law.

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