Sports Reporter

The 19th; United States; On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full benefits

Job summary

The 19th is seeking an Editorial Reporter to cultivate a sports beat rooted in women’s sports, power, and policy. You will pitch, report and field assignments for articles across dailies, features, newsletters and video, collaborating with editors, fellows and audience teams to broaden reach and impact.

You will produce stories that center women and LGBTQ+ people and explore gender, race, class and disability within professional leagues, with a focus on reporting ethics and audience engagement.

Qualifications

• 4+ years reporting experience on a designated beat or related area.
• Ability to file clean, accurate and engaging copy on deadline.
• Experience maintaining a workload that supports varied story lengths and types.
• Familiarity with Google Workspace, WordPress, Parsely and reporting tools.

Responsibilities

• Establish a beat with editors, cultivate sources, and map coverage to standards and audience needs.
• Collaborate with editors, reporters and fellows to plan weekly/monthly coverage.
• Research, report, pitch, develop and field assignments with editors and partner newsrooms.
• Write a mix of stories: breaking news, updates, trend pieces, explainers and features.
• Serve on breaking news rotation as point person when needed.
• Report stories in multiple formats: site stories, newsletters, social posts and videos.
• Field edits from editors to meet standards, audience needs and ethics.
• Partner with production, audience and visuals teams to connect stories with audiences via headlines and visuals.
• Work with audience and impact teams to reach audiences through events, AMAs or calls.
• Incorporate audience questions to guide reporting decisions.
• Travel to report from different communities for on-the-ground coverage.
• May require early mornings, evenings or weekends during major events.

Skills

Reporting experience

Deadline copywriting

Story planning

Collaborative journalism

Tools

Google Workspace

WordPress

Parsely

Social media platforms

Public databases

Job description

• Employment type: Full-time W-4 employment with full benefits
• Department:Editorial
• Reports to: Editorial director
• Travel requirements: Travel at least five times per year for reporting trips and in-person team activities

The reporter will cultivate a sports beat with timely, high-quality and distinctive journalism that contextualizes women’s sports within the systems of power that shape professional leagues and governing bodies, and the societal impacts of the rising popularity of women’s sports. The person in this role is responsible for pitching, reporting and fielding assignments for stories that examine these leagues not just as sports and entertainment, but as businesses, fan spaces and starting points for conversations that offer reframed perspectives on how we look at women athletes, with a particular focus on the roles of gender identity, race, ethnicity, class and/or disability. The reporter will produce journalism in a variety of formats, including articles ranging from dailies to deeply reported features, newsletters, social media posts and video, to meet our audiences where they consume news. They will collaborate with reporters, fellows and editors across beats to produce intersectional stories, and with audience, planning and visuals teams to engage audiences.

The reporter reports to an editorial director in the newsroom.

During a typical week, the reporter may conduct interviews, research, develop and pitch story ideas with support from editors. They will report stories they have pitched or been assigned, which may take the form of articles, social posts or news videos. They will work with producers to write headlines and social posts; may join team meetings to help editors develop coverage plans, discuss visuals ideas, participate in newsroom-wide workshops and trainings; and may mentor reporting fellows on developing a story idea. The ultimate goal is for the reporter to publish stories that center women and LGBTQ+ people, and help them navigate, understand and relate to complex policy and power dynamics within the world of women’s sports. This role will primarily work with tools like Google Workspace, WordPress, Parsely, social media platforms, public databases and other reporting and video tools.

Responsibilities

• Establish a beat with support from editors by cultivating expertise in key focus areas, developing relationships with a diverse range of sources, and staying current on and maintaining a beat map that shows how coverage aligns with The 19th’s editorial story standards and audience needs model
• Work within their team of editors, reporters and fellows to create and fulfill strategic plans for the week, month and quarter to support The 19th’s editorial vision and strengthen reach and engagement with women and LGBTQ+ people
• Research, report, pitch, develop and field assignments for stories, collaborating with reporters, fellows, editors and partner newsrooms with complementary areas of expertise
• Write a mix of story types, such as breaking news, daily updates, trend pieces, explainers and features, with the aim of publishing about one to two pieces of journalism per week except when on rotation and writing more, or working on a longer-term project (with clearance from editors) and writing less
• Serve on a week-long breaking news rotation four to five times per year as the point person for breaking, developing or trending news coverage; attending relevant news meetings and reporting to a designated editor
• Report stories in a mix of formats, such as site stories, newsletters, social media posts and short-form video
• Field at least two rounds of edits on each story from different editors in the newsroom, ensuring stories meet story standards, audience needs, style guidelines, and any legal or ethical considerations
• Partner with the production, audience and visuals teams and their editor on tactics to connect stories with audiences, such as writing headlines and social captions or suggesting visual ideas
• Partner with the audience and impact teams to build and execute beat-specific plans to reach audiences with your journalism — for example, through press appearances, Reddit AMAs, partner events or callouts
• Incorporate audience questions and insights into the reporting process, helping to ensure audience needs are centered throughout decisions about our journalism
• Travel to report from various communities and locations, and leverage the place where they are based for on-the-ground reporting opportunities
• Early morning, evening and weekend shifts may be needed, in accordance with significant news events

Responsibilities of all 19th staff

• Contribute to a collaborative and equitable workplace culture, including participating thoughtfully in shared decision-making, hiring, onboarding and other organization-wide efforts
• Take ownership of your performance and professional growth by seeking and applying feedback, participating in structured development opportunities, identifying areas for growth and building the skills needed to succeed in your role
• Engage constructively across teams and working relationships, communicating directly, navigating disagreement with curiosity and accountability, and contributing to shared learning and problem-solving
• Participate in organizational planning, relationship building and learning opportunities throughout the year, and contribute ideas that help The 19th improve how we work
• Take on other responsibilities as needed in support of team and organizational priorities

Relevant skills and experience

• 4+ years reporting experience, preferably on a designated sports beat or an adjacent one
• Demonstrated ability to file clean, accurate and engaging copy on deadline, including relatable headlines and social captions to accompany a story
• Experience maintaining a workload that allows for a variety of story lengths and types — from quick-turn stories to longer-term projects done in collaboration with other editors and writers in the newsroom
• Familiarity with Google Workspace, WordPress, Parsely, social media platforms and reporting tools like public databases

We know there are great candidates who might not check all these boxes or who possess important skills we haven’t thought of. We also encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including people of color, LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities.