High School Sports Reporter

Lee Enterprises Inc; Buffalo (NY); On-site; USD 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive wages

Benefits package

401(k) matching

Paid time off

Parental leave

Job summary

The Buffalo News, part of Lee Enterprises, is seeking an industrious, curious and digitally focused High School Sports Reporter to cover local athletics for an APSE Triple Crown‑winning sports department.

Qualified candidates will juggle daily assignments, features and enterprise stories, build sources across roughly 85 area schools, and adapt to breaking news, data, social platforms and on‑camera segments, including vertical video. Nights and weekends are required.

Qualifications

• Experience in breaking news, data and open records preferred.
• Strong social media presence across platforms (Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, Reddit).
• Comfort with vertical video and being on camera.
• Ability to juggle daily assignments, features and enterprise stories.
• Willingness to work nights and weekends.

Responsibilities

• Cover high school athletics for The Buffalo News and Lee Enterprises.
• Develop relationships with sources across area schools.
• Produce daily game coverage, features and enterprise reporting.
• Leverage social media for newsgathering and storytelling.

Job description

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS REPORTER

The Buffalo News seeks an industrious, curious and digitally focused reporter to cover high school athletics for an APSE Triple Crown‑winning sports department.

Qualified candidates will be able to juggle daily assignments, features, trend stories and bigger‑picture enterprise—all while developing relationships with sources in the area. Experience in breaking news, working with data and open records, and a robust social media presence are preferred. The ideal candidate will also be comfortable with vertical video and working in front of the camera. Nights and weekends, of course, come with the job.

The position emphasizes quality and quantity with approximately 85 schools in our area, but we want more than just daily game coverage. The reporter should work with urgency to find stories that transcend particular teams and strike a chord with the community at large.

The reporter should also be fluent in social media and other platforms, including Instagram, Hudl, TikTok, X, Facebook and/or Reddit, and be able to use them as a newsgathering tool.

The Buffalo News is an award‑winning news organization with the largest staff of journalists in upstate New York. We have a history of breaking the area’s big stories and investing in the stories that matter.

We strive to hire talented and dedicated people who reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. People of all backgrounds and experiences are encouraged to apply.

Why Buffalo?

The region is a lot more than chicken wings and snow. The city has seen a resurgence that makes it an exciting time to work and live here. Aside from professional sports teams, the city has a philharmonic, a growing waterfront, a burgeoning medical campus and plenty of attitude. Not to mention Niagara Falls, beautiful hikes and ski slopes all within a short drive.

Applicants should submit a resume, cover letter and five clips that show their range of reporting and expertise.

Benefits

Lee Enterprises offers competitive wages in a dynamic, interesting work environment with career growth opportunities. We offer an extensive benefit program that can be personalized to your needs. Our benefit program includes medical, dental, vision, short- and long-term disability, company‑provided life insurance and supplemental life insurance. In addition, we offer a 401(k) retirement plan with company match. We also offer generous paid time off to allow flexibility to balance personal life and work, including paid parental leave for new parents.

Lee Enterprises is a leading provider of local news and information and a major subscription and advertising platform, with daily and weekly newspapers and rapidly expanding digital products serving 114 markets across 25 states. Our core commitment is to provide valuable, intensely local news and information to the communities we serve.

Lee Enterprises is proud to be an equal‑opportunity employer. We respect and celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

For more information about Lee, check us out at www.lee.net.