Alabama beat reporter | AL.com

AL.com seeks a University of Alabama beat reporter with the skills, energy and insight to cover one the most prominent college athletic programs in the nation. We seek an experienced digital journalist with a strong work ethic, an ability to engage with and learn from the audience, and the ability to find and deliver enterprising content while juggling the demands of daily coverage. It will be essential that you take ownership of a competitive beat that is routinely the focus of national attention. The reporter will be a part of a three-person team based in Tuscaloosa, expected to collaborate with their fellow team members and all of AL.com's statewide staff.


Requirements:

* The skills to break news and provide coverage year-round on the SEC’s preeminent football program

* An innovative and creative approach to telling the story of Alabama athletics to a digitally-focused audience.

* An ability to work well as a member of a team.

* A willingness to engage with our active, passionate statewide audience.

* Multimedia skills, and an ability to appear on camera.

* Social media skills with a proven ability to develop a following, and to interact with audience.

If you are interested in applying for this role, email your cover letter (with “Alabama Beat Writer" in the subject line), your resume and links to your best examples of content -- written and digitally focused -- to:

Izzy Gould, Director of Content: igould@al.com

John Talty, Managing Producer for Sports: jtalty@al.com

Alabama Media Group is a digitally-focused news and information company that combines quality journalism from The Birmingham News, The Huntsville Times, Mobile's Press-Register with up-to-the-minute access of AL.com.

Alabama Media Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, physical or mental impairment, sexual orientation or any other category protected under federal, state or local law.

 

Funny how all these gigs covering Nick Saban keep popping up.

You couldn't pay me in gold dollar bills to cover that program. No thanks. I want to live to be old, and I don't want my hair turning gray before it's time! But good luck, I'm sure some young pup will gobble this up.

 

Covering Alabama for a paper that does the full-on, day-to-day, 365 days a year coverage would not be awesome at this point in my life. But I'd do it for $200K a year. I could probably be talked down to $150K. Maybe.

 

It's great opportunity for the right candidate. It will challenge you because of the lack of access the local reporters get vs. the unique access national outlets get. But anyone who truly wants to be great in this business should relish the challenge to find ways to tell stories no one else is telling, and different ways of telling them. For those interested, the biggest thing missing from most resumes are examples of enterprising content and true social media savvy. Most people know how to write about a game. They know how to write a feature. But what about the deeper dive? And what about examples of growing and engaging your social media audience? What type of video experience do you have, particularly on camera? What about your sourcing? What experience do you bring to the table that will help convince us you are prepared to report on Alabama football 365 days a year, and to do it a high level that makes you the go-to source? That's what we're looking for from candidates. Thanks to all who have applied. We're still going through the process.