Sports Reporter- Union, SC

[Zads07]

From jjobs.com
http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?JobID=1528587

Company: Civitas Media LLC
Position:
Sports reporter needed
Location:
Union, South Carolina
Job Status: Full-time
Salary: Not Specified
Ad Expires:
October 19, 2013
Job ID: 1528587
Website: http://www.uniondailytimes.com

Description:

The Union Daily Times in Union, S.C. – a Tuesday through Saturday daily community newspaper owned by Civitas Media LLC – needs a full-time sports writer who can bolster its sports coverage for print, the web, Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms and maintain the standards of journalism expected by Civitas Media.

We need a hard worker, a multi-tasker, someone with a knack for sports reporting, a flair for writing and a commitment to making our publication the best it can be in print and online. We need someone who can help produce a 24/7/365 sports report that is second to none in content and quality in print and online.

What we require:

Knowledge of all types of sports
Uncompromising accuracy and clarity in writing
Ability to work independently and as part of a team
Ability to meet deadlines and effectively manage time
Ability to think outside the box
Ability to make contacts in the community we cover and in the communities in which our teams play
Ability to effectively generate reader contributions
Must own a high-end digital SLR camera and have the skills to use it
We have no room for egos or attitudes. If you have either, this job and this company are not for you.

To apply, send your resume with at least five references who can speak directly to your ability to do the job, 15 non-returnable writing samples that show your sports writing and photography skills and a letter detailing why you are the person we should hire to Patricia M. Edwards, Regional Editor, P.O. Box 558, Newberry, S.C. 29108. Resumes and work samples can also be emailed to [email protected]. Resumes and attachments should be in either Word or PDF format. No telephone calls please.

 

[deskslave]

Must own a high-end digital SLR camera and have the skills to use it

****. Off.

 

[DK]

15 work samples and five references? Why not throw in a security clearance as well? Sounds like the ego and the attitude are sitting in the regional editor's cubicle.

 

[YankeeFan]

Must own a high-end digital SLR camera and have the skills to use it

****. Off.

Is this really unreasonable?

If you're a craftsman, shouldn't you possess the tools necessary to practice your craft?

It's standard in other industries.

 

[YankeeFan]

Imagine if every company required employees to buy their own desks, computers, and phones.

Is a desk a tool?

But, I could see expecting someone to have their own laptop and/or cellphone.

And, the thing is, you're usually going to want, and maybe already have, better technology than your company is going to provide you with.

 

[deskslave]

If the job title were photographer, then maybe you'd have a point. Even then, I'd argue it.

Because somehow I doubt the newspaper will be compensating whoever takes this job for the wear and tear on their camera, paying for repairs if it's damaged in the course of the job, etc. This is just someone being cheap. You want quality photos, buy a damn camera.

 

[YankeeFan]

If the job title were photographer, then maybe you'd have a point. Even then, I'd argue it.

If this was 1995, maybe you'd have a point. But, the definition of a reporter, and what's expected of him/her has changed, right?

You have to be able to shoot to do your job.

Because somehow I doubt the newspaper will be compensating whoever takes this job for the wear and tear on their camera, paying for repairs if it's damaged in the course of the job, etc.

So what?

If an auto mechanic can be expected to have his own tools, and is expected to maintain them, why can't a reporter be asked the same?

 

[YankeeFan]

Imagine if every company required employees to buy their own desks, computers, and phones.

This is the requirement that would disqualify you:

We have no room for egos or attitudes. If you have either, this job and this company are not for you.

 

[gravehunter]

15 work samples and five references? Why not throw in a security clearance as well? Sounds like the ego and the attitude are sitting in the regional editor's cubicle.

I thought the number of samples, references and the camera requirement were a bit much for five-day community paper.

 

[RonClements]

Some newspaper publishers have no idea how difficult it is to take game notes, get a feel of the game, record stats, etc. with the added task of taking pictures. Reporters are reporters; photographers are photographers. It's nice if a reporter can get a photo or two in a pinch, but it's a sad time for journalism when reporters are asked to do both. And, in this case, insulting and cheap, for paper to require the new hire to own his or her own high-end camera. That frugality is a huge red flag for anybody who might think about applying. That list of people does not and will not include me.

 

[RonClements]

15 work samples and five references? Why not throw in a security clearance as well? Sounds like the ego and the attitude are sitting in the regional editor's cubicle.

I thought the number of samples, references and the camera requirement were a bit much for five-day community paper.

Truths

 

[HanSenSE]

Must own a high-end digital SLR camera and have the skills to use it

****. Off.

Potential post of the year nominee here.

 

[lesboulez]

If the job title were photographer, then maybe you'd have a point. Even then, I'd argue it.

If this was 1995, maybe you'd have a point. But, the definition of a reporter, and what's expected of him/her has changed, right?

You have to be able to shoot to do your job.

Because somehow I doubt the newspaper will be compensating whoever takes this job for the wear and tear on their camera, paying for repairs if it's damaged in the course of the job, etc.

So what?

If an auto mechanic can be expected to have his own tools, and is expected to maintain them, why can't a reporter be asked the same?

an auto mechanic also makes a pretty penny compared to a community weekly reporter/desker/photographer/blogger/socialmediaczar/janitor

 

[Riptide]

Are they paying $8 an hour, or is it $9?

 

[PirateSports]

Here's a little background on the Union Daily Times.

The UDT is a five-day-a-week daily owned by the nasty beast that is Civitas Media (Heartland Publications). Union, Newberry and Winnsboro are all under the regional umbrella, maybe a few of the other SC shops, but I'm not really sure.

It's been a revolving door of people since all but one member of the editorial staff quit and started their own weekly newspaper in town several years ago. The Union County News has hometown folks working at and owning the newspaper, including a really nice, well-respected sports editor.

To say that there's tension between both newspapers is an understatement.

Union is probably best known for a notorious resident — Susan Smith.

 

[Riptide]

Some newspaper publishers have no idea how difficult it is to take game notes, get a feel of the game, record stats, etc. with the added task of taking pictures. Reporters are reporters; photographers are photographers. It's nice if a reporter can get a photo or two in a pinch, but it's a sad time for journalism when reporters are asked to do both. And, in this case, insulting and cheap, for paper to require the new hire to own his or her own high-end camera. That frugality is a huge red flag for anybody who might think about applying. That list of people does not and will not include me.

Outing alert: YankeeFan is a publisher trainee somewhere.

 

[dirtybird]

If the job title were photographer, then maybe you'd have a point. Even then, I'd argue it.

If this was 1995, maybe you'd have a point. But, the definition of a reporter, and what's expected of him/her has changed, right?

You have to be able to shoot to do your job.

Because somehow I doubt the newspaper will be compensating whoever takes this job for the wear and tear on their camera, paying for repairs if it's damaged in the course of the job, etc.

So what?

If an auto mechanic can be expected to have his own tools, and is expected to maintain them, why can't a reporter be asked the same?

If having and maintaining a $500-$1,000 camera is a requirement for a $23,000 a year job, well good luck with that. And mechanics furnish their own hand tools, but much of the pricier stuff is provided by the shop. More importantly, mechanics always need the tools, whereas if you advance in this business, the need for the camera vanishes quickly.

I also enjoy that the ad saying tools are required also asks for FBI and child abuse clearance. I'm guessing that's not industry standard.

 

[Captain Obvious]

It was a job with a school district, so I get the need for an FBI clearance. But a school district that buys Mercedes can also afford tools.

 

[RonClements]

Some newspaper publishers have no idea how difficult it is to take game notes, get a feel of the game, record stats, etc. with the added task of taking pictures. Reporters are reporters; photographers are photographers. It's nice if a reporter can get a photo or two in a pinch, but it's a sad time for journalism when reporters are asked to do both. And, in this case, insulting and cheap, for paper to require the new hire to own his or her own high-end camera. That frugality is a huge red flag for anybody who might think about applying. That list of people does not and will not include me.

Outing alert: YankeeFan is a publisher trainee somewhere.

No idea what this means. I will say that I am one of the very few people here who post under my own name.

 

[deskslave]

Imagine if every company required employees to buy their own desks, computers, and phones.

This is the requirement that would disqualify you:

We have no room for egos or attitudes. If you have either, this job and this company are not for you.

Thankfully, I don't need to work for a company such as this, nor do I need to spend hours of my day being a condescending, intentionally contrarian troll on a website devoted to a field that I don't and have never worked in.