Sports writer, Greenwood (S.C.) Index-Journal

http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?JobID=1244244

Ready to launch your sports writing career? Looking for a daily newspaper that places a premium on good work, strong work ethic and talent?
We have the job for you.
The Greenwood (S.C.) Index-Journal, a 15,000-circulation daily newspaper, is looking for a talented, energetic and aggressive sports writer to join its award-winning team.
We’re no second-rate publication. In fact, we firmly believe we’re the best small daily newspaper in South Carolina.
Here’s why:
Two years ago, the Index-Journal won seven South Carolina Press Association awards. Big deal. One year ago, the Index-Journal won 14 South Carolina Press Association awards. Bigger deal.
But in March, the Index-Journal won a newspaper-record 34 South Carolina Press Association awards. We won second place in General Excellence. We won the President’s Cup, a points-based honor given to the best newspaper in each circulation category. We also won our first national award with our football preview section, placing in the top 10 in the Associated Press Sports Editors annual contest. And we’re not done yet.
We’re a family-owned newspaper, which means we don’t have the layers of corporate executives to wade through. We have never had a furlough day. We haven’t had layoffs. While the rest of newspapers are struggling to stay in business — and reducing the quality of the product — we’ve thrived.
We want to think big. We want to challenge the regular parameters attached to small papers and eschew the new way of thinking — smaller staff, less local copy, lower quality. We firmly believe the best way for a newspaper to succeed in this economic climate is to put out the best product possible. Period.
Of course, the stereotype associated with a small daily newspaper often includes the idea we’re not aggressive, we don’t pursue big stories and we don’t, for lack of a better phrase, “shake the bushes.”
Incorrect. In the last nine months, the Index-Journal has uncovered fiscal malfeasance and illegal votes from local governments. We broke stories on a top lawman resigning and then being rehired while investigated for an assault allegation, and a local community college’s lack of public disclosure of a Secret Service investigation into an alleged Pell Grant scandal was thwarted by an aggressive reporting staff that learned of and reported about the scandal.
Hell, last year we won a lawsuit against the South Carolina Department of Public Safety for withholding information about a crime. The year-plus suit ended law enforcement’s excuse of “ongoing investigation” and opened the floodgates for more information to be made public.
Our sports staff generates breaking news stories – college athletes’ arrests, coaching hires and other assorted stories. Plus, you’d be hard-pressed to find another publication that got its United States congressman to pose on its football section preview donning a football jersey.
The ideal candidate must understand local sports matter and can convey that through stories and photos (when our Randolph Hearst Collegiate Photography contest finalist photographer isn’t available). The ideal candidate must be aggressive, creative and thorough. The ideal candidate must put pride in his/her work and have a passion for journalism.
But more important than all of that, the ideal candidate must desire to be the best. We’re not interested in half-assed efforts.
We’ve hired journalists from California to Florida. Our hires have had degrees from Missouri, Florida, Wisconsin, Colorado, Ohio, Northwestern (master’s degree) and Georgia (master’s degree). We hire the best, regardless of location.
And we’re a launching pad for journalists. We’ve had reporters, writers and designers move on to bigger newspapers in just a couple of short years of work here. Our current vacancy was created when our sports writer accepted a Division I college football beat.
If you think this job sounds like a good fit for you, and you have the desire to help us continue our award-winning, public-serving publication, let’s hear from you.
If interested, send a cover letter, résumé, at least five clips (writing and page design, preferred) and references (via regular mail or e-mail) to:
Scott J. Bryan
Associate Editor
P.O. Box 1018
Greenwood, SC 29648
sbryan@indexjournal.com.
No phone calls, please.

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The position is open because Ben Breiner, an outstanding writer, reporter and person, was hired in Muncie, Ind., to serve as the Ball State football beat writer. We will miss Ben.

Pay is between $24-26K. Nights and weekends, of course.

Greenwood is a nice, small town. It's not podunk -- we've got a movie theater, a growing mall, decent restaurants, a handful of good bars, plenty of churches and golf courses. I've been here five-plus years (started as sports editor and now lead the entire newsroom), and I've enjoyed my time here.

If you've got any questions, feel free to PM or email me. Please, do not call.

Scott

 

It's not the Moddy seal of approval, but I do give this the full writingump seal of approval. You can definitely do a lot worse than working for Scott. If I were 26 instead of 46, I'd be all over this.

 

Thanks for the kind words Ump. Hope you're doing well!

 

I got turned down by Scott and the I-J for a separate position earlier this year, and came away feeling like a better journalist just for visiting that paper, meeting some of the staff and seeing how they do things. If you're serious about getting better and working in a good environment, apply.

 

I left the Index-Journal about a year-and-a-half ago after four years as a sports writer there, and I can't possibly say enough good things about the paper and the people there.

There's a lot of work involved in a good way. You get the chance to do quality, interesting, in-depth stories. It's a sports section that emphasizes the local high schools and Division II colleges, so there's space for the stories you want to write.

There are some good high school football programs in the area, a few regional- and national-level Division II programs, and other sports can be good here and there. When I was there, the area coaches were all great to cover, pretty much across the board.

Scott Chancey, the sports editor, works incredibly hard, and everything he's willing to take on helps lighten his reporters' workloads. And from Scott Chancey and Scott Bryan on up through the rest of management, they have high journalistic ambitions and are an incredibly supportive group of people.

As Ben and a number of other people in the recent past have done, it's a place where you can go, do good work and move up.

 

Thanks for the kind words, DTSEPS and Mattie Ice.

 

Wait, the guy got hired to do the Ball State football beat in Muncie? Can't be. Doug Zaleski has done that for years and still is. Maybe he is the sidebar guy? Then again the Sports Editor did that and I doubt he'd give it up.

 

My understanding is Doug Zaleski has been bumped up to sports editor, and Ben will be working the Ball State football beat with Doug.

 

Many, many thanks, Moddy.

 

As of early August:
http://www.thestarpress.com/article/20120812/SPORTS/308120037/Doug-Zaleski-The-Star-Press-sports-editor

 

Scott, this made me giggle like a school girl: "Greenwood is a nice, small town. It's not podunk -- we've got a movie theater, ..."

Good luck in your job hunt!