Reporter

Summary/Objective

The politics reporter for the Orange County Register will cover politicians, governmental action and how the 3.2 million people in the county are affected by what elected officials do. Our focus is far less on the horse race of elections and much more on accountability and real-world implications of politics. We want coverage that rises above the name-calling and partisan battles to provide readers with stories, graphics, data and more that matter to how they live their lives.

Essential Functions

• Report on political issues that affect Orange County residents' representation in Washington and Sacramento.

• Develop a variety of sources from different fields and areas of government whose knowledge is important to our readers.

• Write stories that capture differing points of view and don't take a partisan perspective.

• Develop an understanding of government policies that are in place and proposed but don't become so immersed in them that readers can't follow. Stories about how people are affected by policies always will be more relatable than the ones that are overloaded with data or jargon.

• Discuss stories throughout the process with the assignment editor, including (but not limited to): idea development, overcoming hurdles, editing, strategy for presentation and analysis of analytics.

• Work with the photo and graphics teams to ensure exploration of all the visual ways stories can be told or enhanced

• Discuss stories from the beginning of the process with the Audience Engagement Editor and Digital Producers to provide the best possible opportunity for these stories to reach readers.

• Collaborate with Register local reporters on stories that might be more important to a particular city than others.

Competencies & Skills

• Ability to multitask, meet deadlines and accurately fact-check information

• Ability to write copy in a clear fashion, free of errors and using AP style

• Experience with social media for the purposes of reader engagement

• Excellent communication and networking skills

• Ability to work in a high-stress, deadline-driven environment

• Comfortable in use of general computer systems and programs

Travel

• Out-of-town travel is unlikely, but there will be a need to drive around Orange County.

Required Education

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required

Required Experience

• At least three years of professional journalism experience

Preferred Experience

• Prior political reporting experience

• Ability to speak a language other than English that would be beneficial to coverage of the communities in Southern California. Spanish, Vietnamese and Mandarin top the list but are not the only ones that would be helpful.

• Five (5) years of professional journalism experience

Work Environment

• Remote work environment

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to be able to communicate with interview subjects and editors.

Other Duties

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job and may change at any time with or without notice.