Education Lab Reporter

About the job

The Post and Courier, a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper with newsrooms throughout South Carolina, is seeking an experienced education reporter to join our team. The position will be based in Charleston, our flagship newsroom, and will focus on coverage of area school districts, as well as broad education policies and issues.

Responsibilities

• Work with two other reporters and an editor assigned to our Education Lab, a grant- and donor-funded initiative that is part of The Post and Courier's nonprofit Public Service and Investigative Fund.
• Apply a watchdog and explanatory approach to coverage, spotlighting both problems and solutions and holding leaders accountable.
• Keep readers well informed about various developments and trends, from the growth of charter schools to concerns about academic freedom, to budgetary and spending issues, learning outcomes and educational disparities.
• Consult with each other regularly and often work closely together.
• Help produce storytelling in video and on social platforms.
• Become familiar with FOIA procedures.
• Write compelling, accurate, clean copy, adhering to AP Style.
• Break news and own subsequent coverage.

Requirements, minimum education level, and experience

• Bachelor's degree in Journalism or another field if you have journalism experience.
• At least 2 years of full-time newsroom experience (although we will consider candidates with significant fellowship/internship experience who demonstrate very high skills and potential).
• A track record of producing exemplary journalism.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills associated with developing effective working relationships.
• Strong prioritization skills with excellent follow-through.
• High-level reporting and writing skills.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Digital skills: Must work effectively in a digital-focused news operation, with a clear grasp of best SEO practices and an eagerness to promote work in social platforms and off platform.
• Accuracy and ethics: Produce work that is accurate and fair. Understand libel and privacy issues.
• Communication: Work well with editors and reporters across disciplines. Discuss original and assigned story ideas. Participate in brainstorming sessions to develop detailed and realistic story ideas.
• Organizational skills: Develop a systematic approach to managing a beat and meeting deadlines.
• Creative approach: Develop smart, engaging story ideas and varied approaches to telling stories, including formats outside of narrative or explanatory storytelling.
• Flexibility: React to change productively and handle duties as assigned.