Washington Correspondent - McClatchy Florida newsrooms

The Miami Herald and McClatchy are looking for an aggressive, news-breaking journalist to be the Washington Correspondent for our Florida newsrooms.

The Washington Correspondent will be the eyes and ears in the nation’s capital for our readers, delivering original reporting that is not only competitive but dominant on the stories that matter most. The reporter will cover lawmakers who represent Florida in Congress and also help with the White House coverage.

This is not a traditional beat reporting job focused on meetings and routine events. It is about telling our readers how what happens in Washington affects their lives without producing stories heavy on process.

With the midterm elections just months away, the Washington Correspondent will be expected to move fast on breaking news while also producing exclusives and deep dives that make a difference in the lives of our readers. The reporter will identify trends, hold officials accountable and unearth the motivations and consequences of lawmakers’ actions.

And like all journalists at McClatchy, the Washington Correspondent must have the desire to compete with both local and national outlets and the skill to build audience loyalty, engagement and growth through compelling public service journalism.

The ideal candidate must proactively pursue their own stories as well as collaborate on stories with reporters in our Florida newsrooms.

She or he must be an idea generator and have knowledge of the congressional delegation and issues important to our local audiences in Florida, Miami in particular. An understanding of Florida politics and policy issues is desirable. The ability to produce content in multiple media is a plus.

The successful candidate will be able to work with traditional sources as well as use social media and analytics to identify the stories people are talking about or will be talking about.

This role will require a commitment to change — to constantly adapting to the ever-evolving ways in which readers seek out and interact with journalism.

And it will require enthusiastic participation in ongoing conversations about what’s working and what’s not, and an equally enthusiastic commitment to adapting accordingly.

Job Requirements

Education: College degree preferred.

Experience: Three years of reporting experience in a news organization preferred, including experience as a state capitol or DC reporter.

Skills Needed:

• A track record of breaking news and delivering exclusives.

• Adept at building source networks and having a constant flow of story ideas.

• An understanding of audience metrics and social and search trends.

• An eye for identifying trends and analyzing behavior and events

• Fresh writing style, with an engaging, sharp and conversational voice.

• Fast writing and pre-planning for stories on deadline.

• Ability to find and analyze data to inform reporting.

• Ability to work collaboratively to aggressively tackle stories and make McClatchy first and best.

Personal Attributes:

• Energy, flexibility, persistence and motivation to crush the competition.

• The ability to monitor a vast amount of information for a wide audience, matched with discerning judgment about what to pursue.

• Excellent communication and problem-solving skills are required, as well as the ability to execute both quickly and well, with creativity.

• A collaborative style that works comfortably across teams is a necessity.