Sports Reporter- Southeastern, US

From JJobs.com
http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?JobID=1512822

Uhhh..this is like the Sports Editor one in Texas, but at least it's longer in description, only problem is there's no email to send anything to.

Position:
Sports reporter
Location:
Southeastern US, United States
Job Status: Full-time
Salary: Negotiable
Ad Expires:
August 23, 2013
Job ID: 1512822

Description:

Coastal southeastern newspaper seeks sportswriter to join one of the best staffs of its size in the country. The ability to write well and on deadline is a must. So are time-management skills and an affinity for enterprise. The job entails occasional design and copy-desk work, so familiarity with InDesign is an advantage, though not mandatory.


Candidates should have a college degree, knowledge of AP style, and the ability to meet the demands of online news-gathering and social media. Two or more years of daily newspaper experience is preferred. In return, you will get guidance from experienced newsroom leaders, a work environment that encourages creativity and innovation, and a salary and benefits package above the industry standard.

Our sports department has consistently been recognized by APSE in both section and writing competitions. Our print product has strong market penetration, and our website has a growing audience with traffic that exceeds our market competitors.

Professional and amateur golf figure prominently in local coverage, as does tennis. Prep sports are the staple of our coverage, though, and provide the basis of our beat structure. There are six public high schools and four private high schools in our primary coverage area.

To apply, please send:

• A one-page cover letter.

• A one-page resume.

• Electronic versions of five to 10 published articles. Please include the name of the editor for each article. PDFs of printed pages are greatly preferred to website links. The ideal sample package demonstrates polished writing, as well as an ability to report on hard-news topics, write on deadline and produce enterprise.

• Contact information for three to five references. These can be included on the resume or on a separate enclosure. References will not be contacted until the applicant has been notified of our intent to do so.

We will send a reply email acknowledging your application materials have been received. No phone inquiries, please.

 

It's sad when a blind ad for a rag will get plenty of replies. How the hell do you post attachments, anyway, through JournalismJobs?

 

Whenever I see ads like this, I can't help but think the paper in question is seeking a replacement for someone currently on staff, but trying to do it on the sneak. Makes it difficult to trust the people involved.

 

It could be anything. I am in the Southeast and I would apply. I think I did see this in jj.com and I don't recall a return address.

 

Are we allowed to speculate as to what paper this might be? I have no doubts they'll still get a heap of applicants, but I'm certainly not going to apply to a shop that insists on anonymity in its listings.

 

Yeah, there might be some positives there, but it's just hard to guess with the limited information provided. But, hey, I suppose it rarely hurts to throw your hat in the ring if you think you MIGHT possibly be interested.

 

These types of ads have popped up before, with limited information and people speculating about whether the outlet is trying to find a replacement to someone already on staff.

I wonder if the person about to be sent packing ever applied for his/her own job, thinking it was a different paper in the region and using the same mentality as Mark said (let's just see what it is about).

 

I wonder how many papers that run anonymous ads get really good candidates? You figure that the majority of responses are going to be from people a) willing to take a shot into the unknown because why not? and b) desperate enough to apply because any job is a job. You can't even use geography as a draw because the definition of Southeastern is variable. Is Mississippi Southeastern or Deep South? Is Missouri Southeastern or Midwest? Oklahoma: Southeastern, Midwest, Southwest, Great Plains? And so on and so forth.

You don't get "I want to work for your paper" responses. You get "I want to work for a paper" responses. I think I know which ones will create the better pool.

 

MM, just a guess, but I think Coastal Southeastern might be Atlantic coast.

Still, doing this is a problem. If you don't want your current staffer, take action and then post the opening. Doing this could/should create serious trust issues before you ever set foot in the door.

 

Maybe they wanted to see if the applicants were smart enough to figure out which paper it is. It sure seems like too many clues in the ad if they really didn't want people to know.

 

They want the name of the editor of each clip?

Think that's the first time I've ever seen that request/requirement. What about if your articles are part of an editing queue? Who's name do you put -- first editor, or last?

And why would they ask for that? Do they want to see if you can name-drop? Or, if it's some editor they know, and like/admire, and the article is good, they'll decide, "Oh, so-and-so must have done most of the work on this, not the writer."?

Or vice versa?

 

Blind ads are a cowardly way to do business.