Food and Dining Reporter
The News Tribune
Tacoma, WA
Full-time
Writing / Editing
Posted on October 21, 2019
The successful Tacoma News Tribune Food and Dining Reporter is part dining guru, business reporter and part features reporter. Readers will be served by a reporter who understands how to interview small business owners and tell their stories and who also is a food lover that’s knowledgeable about Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, Japanese, Mexican, European, South American and American food. The best candidates will have what it takes to be the voice of both The News Tribune and the reader community on the regional food scene.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
- Ability to conduct interviews and gather information from a variety of sources, including interviewing people who speak little English. A reporter should be able to reach diverse populations through consistent and professional outreach.
- Willingness to follow the ethical guidelines of the Association of Food Journalists.
- A deep knowledge of public records. The Food and Dining Reporter should be able to check liquor permits, city permits, county permits, state business licensing, corporation formation documents and property records.
- Shoot photos and video to illustrate stories. A reporter in this position should be comfortable and confident in their abilities to shoot video and photos. They should know how to write video text and captioning. They should know how to take food photos and understand the basics of mixed restaurant lighting, the quandary of dim restaurant lighting and how to get around it and they should know the basics of food styling.
- Develop an awareness of what people are sharing and talking about on social media and be comfortable with the rules of engagement on social media. A reporter should understand intuitively how each social media platform works in terms of organic reach. They should be familiar with social media best practices.
- Have a willingness and ability to interact with social media users and other contacts to answer questions that may be outside the scope of daily reporting functions.
- Make every effort to maintain The News Tribune’s brand as the go-to source for food and dining information in Pierce County.
- Build audience loyalty, engagement and growth around compelling public service journalism.
- Use reader analytics to grow audiences and increase engagement.
- Take responsibility for fully covering a beat.
- Some night and weekend work required.
KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES:
- Organize work to meet schedules and timelines.
- Strong writing skills and excellent news judgment
- Unwavering commitment to accurate, ethical journalism
- Ability to tell stories using a variety of tools and platforms, including video
- Social media savvy
- Ability to establish and maintain cooperative and effective working
relationships. - Proficient with standard suite of Microsoft Office and Google Suite software and database applications.
- Communicate efficiently and effectively both orally and in writing using tact, patience and courtesy.
- Maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with others.
- Analyze situations quickly and adopt an effective course of action.
- Follow safety rules and regulations.
- Fluency in the science of readership and engagement
- Commitment to News Tribune mission of covering local news.
- Commitment to working in a team environment.
- A valid Washington State driver’s license and a safe driving record which includes no more than two accidents and/or traffic violations in the past three years.
REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
- College degree.
- At least three (3) years of daily newspaper experience preferred.