USA TODAY Sports Trending Reporter

This just went up, and we hope to move fast. Let me know if you have any questions.

Preferred location is USA TODAY HQ in McLean, Va.

Full listing can be found here:

USA TODAY Sports seeks a digital reporter to work in a fast-paced, 24/7 news environment. The position will be part of USA TODAY Sports’ NOW desk, working primarily on reporting trending and breaking news and the digital production and publication of such content. The candidate must demonstrate strong news judgment and have prior digital publishing experience with a keen eye for optimizing digital content focused on mobile audiences. He or she will specialize in identifying content -- including stories, videos and graphics -- that will resonate with a wide audience. He or she will also work on mobile and desktop programming as well as social media platforms. Candidates should demonstrate a strong understanding of audience metrics and engagement tactics. This role will include early morning, night and weekend work. USA TODAY recognizes and appreciates the benefits of diversity in the workplace. EOE.

The ideal candidate should have:

Experience working with social media for a daily news organization
Aggressive mobile and desktop programming skills
Excellent news judgment
Top-notch writing and headline writing skills
Excellent communication skills
Ability to work not only independently but also as a key contributor to team/network projects
Strong understanding of audience analytics and how to use them to drive content decisions
Photoshop and design skills
Video production and editing skills
We are eager to learn more about you and how you fit this role. When you apply, don’t limit your upload to a resume; show us what you’ve done. To do so, put together a single document file that includes the following, in this order:

Your resume – one to two pages
A cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job
Links to 3-6 online samples of your work. Show us what you’ve written, produced, or had a hand in that best reflects what you can do in your desired role.

 

Is relocation to HQ a necessity or is remote work a possibility?

 

Because of the video production portion of the job listing, I'd say relocation is a must.

 

It says "Preferred location" so I would guess it's not an ironclad requirement for the job, but it would certainly help.

 

It's Gannett, and this looks like an aggregator position, which means those "video production skills" are probably just gonna be putting together 30-second vids on Wibbitz to jam into a million articles to collect the pre-roll cheese from advertisers. A blind puppy could figure out Wibbitz in about 10 minutes.

 

Even without thumbs?

 

Not for nothing, but at our local Gannett shop, the "Trending" news position was the first to go away in the last round of buyouts/layoffs/shifting.

A young reporter was hired for that position and was on social media, all enthusiastic about being able to write about restaurant openings, craft beer festivals and whatever happens that people are talking about in the community. About 3 weeks later, she's hanging out at the barricades where police have a fugitive holed up in a house and taking videos at house fires at 2 a.m. in the cold.

 

...other duties as assigned.