News Journal in Delaware seeks Phillies beat writer

The News Journal in Wilmington, Del., is seeking a beat writer to cover the 2009 National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies. We're among a select few newspapers outside the city that still travel with the team. Our previous three beat writers have moved on to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Sacramento Bee and Boston Herald, respectively. This is a high-visibility position. Our coverage is carried by our fellow Gannett newspapers in southern New Jersey and our blog has fans across the country.

The ideal candidate will excel with not only game coverage, but with enterprise stories, blogging, online chats, tweeting and breaking news in and out of season. Major League beat experience is preferred but not required. More important is the desire and ability to raise the already high standard set for our coverage.

Interested candidates should send resume and clips (or links to clips) to jlevine@delawareonline.com or to Jason Levine, Sports Editor, The News Journal, 950 W. Basin Road, New Castle, DE, 19720.

 

I'm guessing this opening has a lot to do with this.

http://www.bostonsportsmedia.com/

 

My old home town paper. It must be doing fabulously if a writer fled for the security offered by the Herald.

 

Expanding media market, big paper that is probably looking to take some market share away from The Globe given the financial difficulty over there. Maybe he just wanted to move back to his college town or wants to cover the AL East.

Obviously I don't have any insight into how well the NJ is doing, but there's plenty of reasons Lauber might jump ship that have nothing to do with the shop he's leaving.

 

Sure, he may have very good personal reasons for going to the Herald. But the Herald's future is unsettled even by newspaper standards. If it weren't for the recession, the publisher would have sold the building out from under the paper by now.

 

We've had staff cuts but Scott is the first writer to leave our department for another job since 2005. Scott's been on the Phils beat for us since then and the situation in our shop has been a lot worse than it is now, yet he stayed through that. tdonegan hit the nail on the head when it comes to good reasons for Scott to take the Herald job.

 

I've lived and worked in Boston for 35 years. I can understand and approve of someone wanting to do the same, especially in sports.

 

I would love to give this one a shot. Too bad I just started a new gig in January.

 

Thinking about applying for this one. Would be an outside shot, but still. Could someone explain or be more specific on the dynamics of the News Journal? I know it's Gannett, but some details would be nice. Heck, I could deal with a lot of B.S. if I can travel and cover the Phillies.

 

Scott has busted his behind over the years to get this gig. I met him when he was at BU, and I was really impressed with his work and effort back then, 10 or 12 years ago. He'll do great back at the Herald.

 

What do you want to know?

 

Any word on the hiring process yet?