Business and Education Reporter

About the role

The Telegraph is seeking a Business and Education Reporter to cover the schools, employers, institutions, and economic forces shaping life in and around Alton, Illinois, and across the Metro East region. This position is based in Alton, Illinois, on the Illinois side of the St. Louis metropolitan area. From our newsroom overlooking the Mississippi River, our journalists produce meaningful local reporting that informs readers, holds institutions accountable, and helps residents understand changes affecting their lives.

The role involves a roughly even split between covering K-12 education and local business, producing a mix of timely daily stories, explanatory journalism, enterprise reporting, and accountability work. This is an excellent opportunity for an entry-level or early-career journalist to develop strong reporting fundamentals, build expertise, and take ownership of important local beats.

Responsibilities

• Own the Education and Business Beats: Develop authoritative coverage of K-12 schools, school districts, school boards, educators, students, and families, as well as local businesses, major employers, economic development, and workforce issues.
• Generate Original Reporting: Build relationships with parents, students, teachers, school employees, business owners, workers, public officials, and community members. Regularly pitch stories based on source development, public records, data, and firsthand reporting.
• Cover Education: Report on school budgets, enrollment, academic performance, staffing, curriculum, policy decisions, construction projects, consolidation proposals, potential closures, and other issues affecting local schools. Follow state education policies when they impact local districts. Periodically cover local higher-education institutions, including community colleges and nearby private colleges.
• Cover Local Business and the Economy: Report on business openings, closures, expansions, major employers, workforce and labor issues, downtown development, public incentives, commercial development, and the local effects of broader economic changes.
• Produce Daily and Enterprise Journalism: Balance quick-turn stories with deeper reporting that provides context, identifies patterns, and explains why issues matter to readers.
• Pursue Accountability Reporting: Use public records, budgets, contracts, regulatory documents, and data to examine decisions involving public institutions, taxpayer money, economic incentives, and community impact.
• Cover Relevant Public Meetings: Periodically cover evening meetings, including school board sessions and government meetings involving economic development or major business decisions. File accurate, clean stories on deadline.
• Provide Useful, Audience-Focused Coverage: Produce service journalism that helps families, employees, consumers, and business owners understand important changes and make informed decisions.
• Tell Stories Digitally: Use photography, video, social media, and other digital tools to strengthen reporting and reach audiences across platforms.
• Collaborate: Work closely with editors, reporters, and other colleagues to produce timely and impactful journalism.
• Assist With Major News Coverage: Occasionally contribute to breaking news or general assignment coverage when needed.

Requirements

• Strong Writing and Reporting: Ability to write clearly, accurately, and with authority across breaking news, daily, and enterprise formats.
• News Judgment: A strong sense of what makes a compelling local story and an ability to recognize how institutional decisions affect readers.
• Beat Development: Ability to establish sources, maintain a forward-looking story calendar, and develop expertise across two substantial coverage areas.
• Initiative: A self-starter who regularly pitches ideas, follows leads, and pursues stories independently.
• Records and Data Skills: Comfort reading agendas, budgets, contracts, government documents, and basic datasets. Experience with public records requests is preferred.
• Organization: Ability to manage competing deadlines while balancing daily coverage with longer-term reporting.
• Collaboration: Willingness to work closely with editors and colleagues in a fast-moving, evolving newsroom.
• Published Work: A portfolio of published reporting from professional outlets, student publications, or other credible news organizations.
• Education and Experience: A bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, or a related field is preferred, but equivalent professional experience and a strong body of published work will also be considered.
• Digital Skills: Familiarity with digital publishing, social media, photography, video, or audience analytics is a plus. Willingness to learn new tools is essential.
• Location: The reporter must be based in the region or willing to relocate.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Competitive retirement plan with matching program in most markets.
• Generous paid time off, including holidays and vacation.
• Paid parental leave for new parents.
• Monthly child and dependent care reimbursement.
• Mental wellness benefits.
• LGBTQ+ and inclusive health services.
• Fertility coverage and menopause support.
• Pet wellness reimbursement and Rover credits.

Pay

The reasonable estimate for this role, if hired in Illinois, is $35,360. For candidates outside of Illinois, the salary range will be aligned to the specific location. The final starting salary will be based on skills, experience, training, certifications, and education.

About The Telegraph

The Telegraph is passionate and committed to its role as the watchdog and trusted source of news, entertainment, and advertising for the Alton community and the River Bend region of Madison, Jersey, Calhoun, Macoupin, and Greene counties in Illinois. Since its founding in 1836, The Telegraph has been the main news outlet for the region through its daily publication and online presence at thetelegraph.com. The Telegraph strives to maintain a high standard of accuracy and integrity in its reporting and has received nearly 300 awards since 1997.

About Hearst Newspapers: With 2,500 employees across the nation, Hearst Newspapers represents a network of 24 daily and 52 weekly publications, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, and Albany Times Union. Hearst is investing in new and innovative ways to tell stories, grow newsrooms, and diversify tools to support millions of readers each month.