North Carolina Apprentice Reporter (Midterm Election Focus)

An apprentice reporter for The Center Square is a journalist near the beginning of their professional career who spends six months under the guidance of experienced editors who will train them on the The Center Square Way of news gathering, reporting and writing process. This means we hold government accountable by showing people what their government is doing, what it costs them, and what it means for the businesses and communities where they live. Our reporters do not write opinion. Our editors do not tolerate it. We compete on accuracy, velocity and frequency – filing more stories, faster, with fewer errors than anyone else covering this beat. The Center Square is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit national newswire service headquartered in Chicago with staff deployed across the country. We produce original, taxpayer-focused government accountability journalism for more than 1,360 local, state, and national media partners, reaching 141 million Americans daily. Focus on the size, scope, cost, and effectiveness of government is our distinct lane, and has been the key to The Center Square's unprecedented growth as a U.S. news brand. This is a paid position, and successful completion of the apprenticeship program could lead to a full-time reporting job at The Center Square. The apprentice will participate in daily planning, execute against short- and long-term coverage strategies, and be part of pushing our content across multiple platforms. The apprentice reporter for this particular position must be based near Raleigh, North Carolina, and be able to get to the state capitol as needed. This position will help supplement our coverage of North Carolina, with a particular focus on the midterm elections, helping voters understand where candidates for Congress, the state Senate and House of Representatives, and four statewide judicial elections stand on issues impacting taxpayers. Duties and responsibilities will include:

• Report on legislative and policy issues and their impact on taxpayers in North Carolina.
• Contribute to The Center Square's coverage of key races in advance of the November election.
• Participate in daily planning meetings with other The Center Square journalists on the East Coast.
• Report to The Center Squares East Coast managing editor, who will mentor the apprentice reporter on good daily journalism practices and on navigating public records and databases to ferret out waste, fraud and abuse.
• Publish up to 10 news stories each week.
• Generate relevant story ideas with frequency, and discuss with managing editor.
• Cultivate trusted sources to provide leads on potential stories, including those inside and outside government, think tanks, academia, unions and the business community.
• Monitor the media landscape to identify popular topics and potential media partners.

Qualifications:

• Passionate about The Center Square’s taxpayer-focused mission
• Bachelor’s degree or higher
• Background in journalism, and future in journalism sought
• Familiarity with government policy issues
• Ability to uncover original stories and break them
• Entrepreneurial approach and ability to work independently
• Excellent, proactive communicator
• Demonstrated understanding of planning and budgeting processes
• Ability to travel on an as-needed basis, including throughout the state when called upon
• Strong commitment to the principles of personal responsibility and free enterprise

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