The Carolina Panthers beat reporter breaks news and delivers exclusive enterprise and smart analysis in a fast-paced, competitive environment. The Panthers beat reporter should have a deep knowledge of the NFL and be adept at building league sources. A strong source network is vital to being out front of competitors, and this reporter must be able to find and break news, cover breaking news with urgency and develop compelling enterprise and analysis. In covering one of the most important beats at the newspaper, the Panthers reporter will use social media as a news-gathering tool, an engagement opportunity and a means to put our news and enterprise in front of a topic-specific audience across Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and other platforms.
Duties and responsibilities:
- Find and break Carolina Panthers news on a competitive beat.
- Report breaking news as it happens – be fast and first, without sacrificing accuracy and clarity.
- Build a wide range of NFL and Carolina Panthers sources — from players and coaches locally to agents, league officials and experts — to keep the Observer competitive against local and national outlets for breaking news and enterprise.
- Write analytically for the sports fans who have watched the game but are looking for a deeper understanding of what they saw.
- Proactively look for opportunities to tap into trending NFL topics as they relate to the Carolina Panthers.
- Work collaboratively as part of a team with other reporters and editors.
- Bring your own story ideas to the table, and be ready to take assignments as well.
- Be a master of social media – both as a news-gathering tool, and as a way to push the news out quickly and build our audience and engagement, as well as your own brand.
- Understand your audience metrics – which of your stories are resonating with readers, and which are not? Working with your editor, regularly mine this data for takeaways about how we can build and engage our audience.
- Regularly enhance your stories with your video, third-party video, embedded tweets and links to related Observer stories.
- Find enterprise stories that make for a deeper read and use storytelling techniques to engage readers.
