Kentucky Connect Trending Reporter

USA-Today-Co.; Louisville (KY); On-site; USD 42,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

USA TODAY Co., Inc. is seeking a Kentucky Connect Trending Reporter to cover metro Louisville and surrounding areas for the Courier Journal.

You will work with local editors and the USA TODAY Network to deliver timely, audience-focused stories across formats with a fast, accurate approach. The ideal candidate is curious, incredibly fast, and comfortable using data, Google Trends, and social platforms to inform story choices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communication or equivalent work experience.
• Able to work some evenings, weekends and holidays, as needed.
• Expert at using social media platforms (Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Reddit, Bluesky).
• Strong writing skills with clarity and AP style.
• Excellent fact-checking and reporting abilities.
• Well-organized, detail-oriented and flexible in a fast-paced newsroom.

Responsibilities

• Monitor emails, social media, and community groups to find stories.
• Cover topics important to Kentucky residents with rapid, audience-focused reporting.
• Write multiple stories daily across formats.
• Pitch and produce stories on emerging topics for readers’ needs.
• Ensure content is optimized for SEO and user experience.
• Create video content for trending and breaking news across platforms.

Skills

Social media proficiency

Strong writing & AP style

Fact-checking

Multitasking

Attention to detail

Newsroom experience

Video creation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communication or equivalent

Tools

Video editing tools

Job description

Posted Thursday, July 30, 2026 at 4:00 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 Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, is looking for a Kentucky Connect Trending Reporter to join our service journalism and trending team. This reporter will provide timely and audience-focused coverage in metro Louisville and Kentucky, including its many neighborhoods and surrounding counties.

We are looking for a reporter who is quick and flexible — full of topic-focused story ideas, who can urgently pursue them and write them at volume in varied formats. This reporter should be deeply curious, highly competitive, and possess a desire to inform digital audiences. The reporter should be comfortable working with local and national editors and reporters across the USA TODAY Network,and be able to seamlessly move between topics important to the city and state.

We start with the headline, so great digitalheadline-writingskills area must.

The reporter will work alongside our Courier Journal reporters, editors and content strategists to cover high-interest stories, help swarm breaking news and plan for major events.

This reporter should be comfortable interacting with and listening to social media and other digital communities, and being comfortable on camera is a must. They will use data and analytics, Google Trends and other SEO tools to inform their story choices and presentation on and off our platforms. This reporter must love telling stories quickly when needed, in-depth when called for, and always with accuracy. Living in metro Louisville or the area and having great familiarity with the city, Kentucky as a whole, its culture, major events and top interests, are required.

The typical shift will start early, but business needs, meaning nights and/or weekends, may also be required.

The Courier Journal is one of the largest newsrooms in the USA TODAY Network and is an 11-time Pulitzer Prize-winning news organization in a metro area known for its nationally recognized chefs and restaurants; vibrant music scene, including the Forecastle music festival; world-class bourbon distilleries; and Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. The quality of life is sky-high and the cost of living is impressively low.

Responsibilities:

• Monitor emails, social media, community groups,and other sources to find stories.


• Monitor developing stories across news, social and other media platforms for key topics important to Kentucky residents and people who work there.


• Efficiently and accurately write stories, several per day.


• Find, pitch and swiftly produce stories on topics of emerging interest, with a focus on what readers want and need to know.


• Ensure content is properly optimized for competitive search ranking and best practices for user experience.


• Create video using an array of tools to deliver trending and breaking news across platforms in real time.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communication or equivalent work experience and education.


• Able to work some evenings, weekends and holidays, as needed.


• Expert at using social media platforms , including but not limited to Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Reddit and Bluesky.


• Command of concise writing, spelling, grammar and AP style.


• Good fact-checking and reporting skills.


• Well-organized, detail-oriented and flexible.


• Ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment.

#Newsgnt
#LI-CB1

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.