Montgomery Growth & Development Beat Reporter

The Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism; Silver Spring (MD); On-site; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible PTO

401K match

Student loan repayment

Health benefits

Sick leave rollover

Commuter benefits

Holidays

Employee assistance

Parental leave

Wellness program

Job summary

The Banner in Montgomery County, Maryland is seeking an ambitious journalist to cover growth and development with a focus on residential and commercial projects and their intersection with local government and politics. You will produce bold, accountability-focused journalism that informs readers about challenges and long-term solutions for the region’s affordability crisis.

You will build a trusted source network among builders, planners, housing experts, and lawmakers, collaborating with the

Qualifications

• Strong writing skills and the ability to present complex topics in a conversational manner.
• Excellent news judgment and fact-checking skills.
• Comfort with working in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment while maintaining accuracy.
• Comfort with reading budgets and presentations.
• Passion for news and journalism that resonates with readers, particularly Montgomery County residents.
• Strong teamwork and collaboration skills.
• Ability to communicate clearly and work well with others.
• Willingness to work evenings and weekends as news demands.
• Excellent planning, organizational and time management abilities.
• Familiarity with audience metrics, social media and SEO to drive audience growth and digital subscriptions.
• Familiarity with public records requests and project planning.
• Commitment to upholding journalistic values and ethics.
• Familiarity with Montgomery County or Maryland are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Produce a steady stream of compelling enterprise stories that highlight residential and commercial development opportunities and challenges.
• Break news stories on the growth and development beat.
• Tell stories in creative and nontraditional formats, making use of visuals, social media and data.
• Collaborate with The Banner's audience and data teams to engage the audience and distribute your stories across all platforms.
• Work in coordination with other Banner editors, reporters and staff to cover growth, development, housing, politics and related topics.

Skills

Writing skills

News judgment

Fact-checking

Deadline-driven

Budget reading

Teamwork

Communication

Evenings & weekends

Time management

Audience analytics

Public records requests

Journalistic ethics

Job description

The Banner in Montgomery County, Maryland is seeking an ambitious journalist to cover growth and development with a focus on residential and commercial projects and their intersection with local government and politics. You will produce bold, accountability-focused journalism that informs readers about challenges and long-term solutions for the region’s affordability crisis.

You will build a trusted source network among builders, planners, housing experts, and lawmakers, collaborating with the