Reporter

The Daily Catch; Town of Rhinebeck (NY); Remote; USD 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

12 paid holidays

15 PTO days per year

Relocation cost reimbursement

Health insurance stipend

Job summary

The Daily Catch is seeking a Local Reporter to cover Tivoli, Red Hook, Rhinebeck and Bard College beats. You will interview participants, write news stories, and develop features with input from the editor and managing editor.

You will report, take photos, and create visuals while balancing remote work with regular in-person check-ins. A strong portfolio and self-motivation are essential for growth in hyperlocal journalism.

Qualifications

• Strong, accurate reporting and note-taking skills.
• Excellent writing skills (with accurate grammar).
• Strong organizational skills.
• Intense curiosity.
• Ability to work efficiently, independently, and remotely.
• Excellent time management.
• BA/BS in any field.
• 1–2 years of journalistic work experience with clips.
• Valid driver's license.
• A laptop and a mobile phone.

Responsibilities

• Report and write evening meetings for the Village of Tivoli and boards of education in Red Hook and Rhinebeck, interviewing participants and writing news stories.
• Report and write feature, enterprise, and trend stories related to Bard College, local business and health care, with guidance from editors.
• Take on periodic general assignment stories as assigned by editor and managing editor.
• Use social media tools and official government/local websites to find stories.
• Produce weekly beat notes detailing story plans for the week ahead.
• Take photographs with a company-supplied camera for all stories you report.
• Develop visuals to support stories: graphs and charts, maps, etc.

Skills

Strong reporting

Excellent writing

Organizational skills

Curiosity

Time management

Independent/remote work

Journalistic experience

Driver's license

Laptop and phone

Education

BA/BS in any field

Tools

Car

Job description

Job description: Local Reporter

Duties:

• Report and write evening meetings for the Village of Tivoli and the boards of education in Red Hook and Rhinebeck, interviewing participants and writing news stories.
• Report and write feature, enterprise, and trend stories, related to Bard College, local business and health care - as assigned or on your own initiative, with editor-in-chief and managing editor guidance and approval.
• Take on periodic general assignment stories as assigned by editor and managing editor.
• Use social media tools, as well as official government and local commercial websites, to find stories.
• Produce weekly "beat notes" detailing story plans and ideas for the week ahead.
• Take photographs with a company-supplied camera for all stories you report.
• Develop ideas for visuals to support your stories: graphs and charts, maps, etc.

Requirements:

• Strong, accurate reporting and note-taking skills.
• Excellent writing skills (with accurate grammar).
• Strong organizational skills.
• Intense curiosity.
• Personality to work efficiently, independently, and remotely.
• Excellent time management skills.
• B.A. or B.S. in any field.
• 1-2 solid years of journalistic work experience and clips to show it (may include internships, freelancing or news reporting work on a college newspaper).
• A car and a driver's license.
• A laptop computer and a mobile phone.

Who Will Succeed in This Job:

This is a terrific opportunity for the journalist who is a true self-starter, eager for growth, and excited by hyperlocal news. While we meet weekly as a team, successful reporters at The Daily Catch must be independent enough to work remotely on many days while having regular in-person check-ins with the editor and managing editor. You should want to work hard, engage with a wide array of reporting assignments, and feel eager to avail yourself of the expertise and attention of two award-winning editors. A stint with The Daily Catch will give young reporters with 1-3 years' experience the bedrock training for a lifetime as a journalist and the tools, clips, and confidence to build a satisfying career.

About The Daily Catch:

We are an award-winning non-profit, non-partisan news source with a fabulous reputation for incisive and exciting journalism devoted to town government coverage, features, and enterprise. Run by award-winning journalists with decades of experience, we have taken our communities by storm in the five-plus years we've been publishing. We won a prestigious Press Forward grant for 2025 and 2026, and we have also announced additional major gifts.

About Our Area:

Red Hook, Rhinebeck, and Clinton are rural communities of rolling farms, two hours north of New York City, that are very popular NYC weekend home locales. Red Hook is home to Bard College and a lively food and music scene. Rhinebeck, to our south, is a historic Hudson Valley village with an Amtrak station serving the Northeast corridor, including New York City and Boston. The area has a growing immigrant population and overlooks the magnificent Hudson River. We are home to great hiking, cycling, kayaking, rock climbing, and nature.

Salary and Benefits:

• $50,000-65,000, commensurate with experience and skills.
• 12 paid holidays + 15 PTO days per annum, to be used at the employer's and employee's mutual discretion.
• Many opportunities to earn additional PTO.
• Some relocation cost reimbursement may be available.
• A stipend towards health insurance is available for those who do not have other means of coverage.

Hours:

40-hour week, including coverage of evening meetings, typically 3-5 hours per week, and some weekend events.