Reporter Job at American City Business Journals in Honolulu

As a Reporter at American City Business Journals, your main responsibilities will include defining the vision for our digital news operation and printed weekly edition, reporting and writing compelling stories, and owning your beat for day-to-day coverage. Additionally, you'll work on developing sources and building relationships with community leaders to ensure you have the insights needed for exclusive reporting. Your goal will be to provide not just the facts but the context that helps our audience understand the big picture.

To become a Reporter at American City Business Journals, you should ideally have a Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience in journalism or a related field. A strong desire to break news, excellent analytical skills, and the ability to conduct investigative interviews are essential. You'll also need to be comfortable using digital platforms and have a solid understanding of news writing and journalistic ethics, including familiarity with AP Style.

Successful Reporters at American City Business Journals possess strong analytical and investigative skills along with the ability to relate comfortably to a wide range of people. Multimedia skills, including video and photo proficiency, are also beneficial. Proficiency in web-based communication platforms, such as Teams and Zoom, will help you collaborate effectively with your team and engage with sources and the audience.

As a Reporter at American City Business Journals, you will write a mix of short-form and long-form stories that dig deeper into business news and trends in the community. You'll focus on identifying newsworthy events and sources relevant to our audience, ensuring each story not only informs but also adds context and insight that sets us apart from competitors.

American City Business Journals encourages its Reporters to relentlessly develop sources and manage relationships with community leaders and executives. You will have guidance and support from experienced colleagues to enhance your networking skills and confidence in engaging with various stakeholders, which is crucial for delivering exclusive and insightful content.

When answering this question, provide a specific example of a story you broke, explaining the steps you took to gather information, develop sources, and how you presented it to your audience. Highlight your journalistic instincts and the impact it had on your readership.

Discuss your criteria for assessing newsworthiness, such as significance, timeliness, proximity, and human interest. Include examples of how you have evaluated potential stories in the past, which will demonstrate your analytical mindset.

Outline your approach to building and maintaining relationships with sources. Mention specific tactics such as attending industry events, networking, and leveraging social media to connect with potential sources who can provide valuable insights.

Share the methods you employ to keep up-to-date with trends, such as following relevant news sources, using social media, subscribing to industry newsletters, and engaging in continuous learning opportunities. This shows your proactive nature and commitment to journalism.

Walk the interviewer through your writing process, starting with research and interviews, outlining key points, drafting, and the revision stages. Emphasize the importance of clarity and engaging storytelling while adhering to journalistic standards.

Talk about techniques you use to manage your time effectively under pressure, such as prioritizing tasks, breaking stories into manageable parts, and staying organized. Share specific instances when you successfully met tight deadlines.

Explain how you incorporate multimedia elements in your reporting to enhance storytelling. Discuss any experience you have with video or photography and how utilizing these formats can reach a wider audience and improve engagement.

Detail your approach to investigative interviews, including preparing beforehand, asking open-ended questions, and building rapport with subjects. Highlight the importance of ethical considerations and sensitivity when addressing challenging topics.

Be honest about a few ethical challenges you’ve encountered and describe how you navigated them while adhering to journalistic ethics. This demonstrates your integrity and commitment to responsible reporting.

Reflect on your passion for journalism and your understanding of the local business landscape in Honolulu. Emphasize how your values align with American City Business Journals' mission and how you see yourself contributing to its success.