Capitol Reporter
JOB SUMMARY
Wisconsin Public Radio is seeking a reporter to cover state government and politics in one of the nation's premier swing states, bringing the news of a busy state Capitol beat to a statewide audience. This person will make complicated topics easy to understand for WPR's on-air and online services, which each reach more than 400,000 people every month.
This high-profile position will produce stories on the Wisconsin State Legislature, the governor's office and political campaigns that will be featured prominently in WPR's newscasts and on its website. This reporter will also appear regularly on the network's talk shows. This position reports to the Capitol Bureau Chief.
EDUCATION
Bachelor's Degree in journalism, communications, or related field preferred.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
-Bachelor's degree in journalism, communications, or related field preferred. At least five years of related professional experience if no degree.
-Minimum of two years full-time experience in journalism as a reporter working in a daily news operation. Five years if no degree.
-Excellent writing skills.
-Proven ability to work in both independent and collaborative settings.
-Demonstrated organizational skills, ability to work within tight deadlines and manage competing responsibilities.
-Demonstrated history of enterprising reporting.
-Demonstrated knowledge of journalism ethics, news-gathering, and reporting techniques.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
-Experience covering state government.
-Experience working in public media.
-Experience with radio writing and production and on-air appearances.
-Knowledge and understanding of Wisconsin news, politics, issues, and personalities.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Researches, prepares, and reports stories that are balanced, issue-oriented, and analytical for use in news and/or public affairs programs. Employs editorial judgement to select sources, conducts and records interviews, writes scripts, and may edit audio and/or video during the production of reporting assignments.
- 60% Contributes content including interviewing sources, writing stories/reports, and completing other necessary production tasks to create news/public affairs reports
- 10% Applies editorial judgment and maintains industry standards of journalistic ethics and excellence
- 20% Stays abreast of developments in assigned areas, maintains contacts on continued stories to ensure follow-up, and researches topic areas to provide in-depth reports
- 10% Collaborates with digital content teams on both long-term and short-term multimedia projects
SALARY
Minimum $55,000 ANNUAL (12 months)
Salary will be dependent on experience and qualifications.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Expected salary range for this position is mid $50s to mid $60s for highly experienced candidates who exceed the qualifications. Actual pay will depend on experience and qualifications.
The person in this position will be required to comply with the Ethical Guidelines for Editorial Staff of Wisconsin Public Radio and Television located here: https://www.wpr.org/wpr-ethical-guidelines, in addition to the UW-Madison code of ethics.
The University of Wisconsin is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. We promote excellence through diversity and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.
Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment.
HOW TO APPLY
Apply online at https://jobs.hr.wisc.edu by 08/15/2022. The job number is 262972.
The following must be received for your application to be complete:
- Resume;
- A cover letter describing how your experience relates to the listed required and preferred job qualifications;
- 3 samples of broadcast and/or web news stories;
- A list of at least three professional references with titles, emails, and phone numbers (include at least one supervisory reference).
Note that references will not be contacted until the final stages of the interview process, and not without your prior knowledge.
CONTACT
Questions? Contact: Kate O'Connor, Wisconsin Public Radio, 821 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706; 608-263-0477.