AP sports writer -- Salt Lake City

Want one of the best jobs in sports? The Associated Press is seeking a Newsperson/Sports Writer in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The reporter must be able to develop beats and build sources in a busy sports environment, while providing game coverage for pro and college sports throughout the state and also assisting the news staff. The reporter needs to be able to cover the NBA’s Utah Jazz, Division I college basketball and football and occasional MLS games. The reporter needs to be able to develop sources among Olympic and world champions in key winter sports. The ideal candidate would be able to juggle spot coverage with enterprise based on a global or national sports beat. He/she will work with news managers in Salt Lake City and sports managers in Phoenix and New York to set the beat’s agenda and develop aggressive spot and hard-edged enterprise reporting for the AP’s global audience in all formats, including text, images and video.

Responsibilities:

The successful candidate will work with the news editor in Salt Lake City, the regional sports editor and the West regional desk based in Phoenix, as well as the national sports department in New York to ensure AP is aggressively pursuing breaking news, comprehensive game coverage and high-impact enterprise. He/she will identify and develop stories that break news and have impact, and investigate leads and work with a management team to help cultivate those leads. He/she will write and report compelling enterprise for state, national and global audiences, and will report and write on deadline in competitive situations across several platforms. He/she will take ownership of the NBA, BYU and Utah beats. In news emergencies, should be able to step in and assist in coverage of a non-sports story, lending either reporting or editing skills as needed.

Qualifications:

The successful candidate should have demonstrated superior news judgment, with experience reporting and writing news for global audiences on multiple platforms. Exceptional skills as a writer and as a beat reporter are essential, especially in the areas of the NBA and college athletics. The candidate must have an understanding of the growing importance of multimedia news. He/she must be able to coordinate with AP staffers from other formats, and be a creative problem-solver who can work as a member of a team. The candidate must be able to work all shifts, including nights and weekends. Additional qualifications for the successful candidate include:

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
Proficiency in reporting for multiple platforms.
A strong background in covering the NBA and college athletics.
A proven ability to recognize and develop newsworthy stories of global interest and work accurately under deadline pressure.
Strong organizational skills with the ability to juggle multiple projects across formats and meet fluid and changing deadlines.
An eye for identifying, training and utilizing stringers on campus to ensure AP-quality coverage of Utah sports.
At least two years of full-time reporting experience at a daily newspaper, broadcast station or AP bureau.

Advanced-level professional competency in written and spoken English language is required. Authorization to work in the United States for any employer is mandatory.

The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, AP today is the most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world's population sees news from AP.

AP seeks to build an inclusive organization grounded in respect for differences. We support all aspects of diversity and provide equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, marital status, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability or status as a veteran in accordance with applicable nondiscrimination laws.

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