Philanthropy and Culturals Reporter

Colonial Group; Buffalo (NY); On-site; USD 52,000 - 78,000; Full time

Job summary

The Buffalo News, a Lee Enterprises property in Buffalo, NY, seeks a Philanthropy and Culturals Reporter to chronicle gifts, philanthropy, and cultural institutions in Western New York, with emphasis on data-driven storytelling and enterprise reporting.

The successful candidate will build sources, mine public records, and produce timely, authoritative stories across text, video and audio for a digital audience.

Qualifications

• At least three years of reporting experience.
• Experience in digital storytelling.
• Proficiency in mining data and public records.
• Video experience.
• Social media skills.

Responsibilities

• Chronicle the intersection of philanthropy and cultural preservation in Western New York.
• Develop a deep network of sources and comb through public records.
• Break news with quick-turn stories and craft longer-range enterprise on tight deadlines for a digital audience.
• Tell stories in narrative, video and audio formats.

Skills

Reporting experience

Digital storytelling

Data & public records

Video experience

Social media skills

Job description

PHILANTHROPY AND CULTURALS REPORTER

In 2016, financier and prominent art collector Jeffrey Gundlach, a native of the Buffalo area, donated $42.5 million to update and modernize the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Gundlach later added an additional $10 million to the museum now known as the AKG to honor his gift.

It was far from the only time in the recent past that two trends emerged in Western New York: Philanthropy and the importance of our cultural institutions.

The Buffalo News, an award-winning news organization in New York’s second-largest city, needs a reporter to chronicle the intersection of gift-giving and cultural preservation.

It's a major story. It is changing Buffalo in ways not seen since the completion of the Erie Canal and it's coming from figures whose lives helped shape the region. Gundlach has company. After his death in 2011, Buffalo Bills founder Ralph C. Wilson’s estate bequeathed $1.2 billion for charitable causes, with half to go to chis adopted home of Western New York. In 2025, Paychex founder and onetime Buffalo Sabres owner Thomas Golisano donated $50 million to Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo as part of his commitment to sustain and grow medical facilities across the United States.

The announcement of the gifts fades from memory. The impact will linger and will require a journalist who can document it and explain it.

The successful candidate should be as comfortable developing a deep network of sources as combing through public records. The candidate must have a proven ability to break news, turn around quick-hit stories and longer-range enterprise on tight deadlines while juggling the demands of reaching digital audiences. Candidates should also be comfortable using data to find stories and bolster reporting. Storytelling on this beat may be in narrative, video and audio form.

Requirements

• At least three years of reporting experience
• Experience in digital storytelling
• Proficiency in mining data and public records
• Video experience
• Social media skills

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.

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.

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.