Food Reporter

About the role

The Banner is seeking a Food Reporter to join our Arts & Culture team and cover one of the most important ways people experience the Baltimore region, through food.

Responsibilities

• Covering restaurant openings, closings, trends, and developments across Baltimore and surrounding counties.
• Finding and reporting on hidden gems, neighborhood favorites, long-standing institutions, and new dining experiences.
• Writing service journalism that helps readers decide where to eat, what to try, and what is changing in the local food scene.
• Reporting on the business, culture, labor, development, politics, and community issues connected to food.
• Building recurring guides, rankings, seasonal dining coverage, and reader-focused features that drive engagement and loyalty.
• Developing enterprise and narrative stories that show how food connects to identity, place, history, and community life.
• Pitch, report, and write a mix of breaking news, enterprise stories, profiles, service journalism, and long-form features about food, restaurants, and dining culture across the Baltimore region.
• Represent The Banner in the community through events, public appearances, television and radio interviews, and other audience engagement opportunities.
• Use audience data and analytics to identify opportunities for growth and better serve readers.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of journalism experience, preferably covering food, restaurants, dining, culture, business, or a related beat.
• Exceptional reporting, interviewing, and writing skills.
• A demonstrated ability to generate original story ideas and develop exclusive reporting.
• Strong news judgment and the ability to balance daily coverage with longer-term enterprise work.
• A strong interest in food, dining culture, restaurants, and the hospitality industry, paired with a commitment to rigorous journalism.
• The ability to explain complex issues clearly, accurately, and engagingly.
• Strong source-building skills and the ability to develop trust with people across different communities and industries.
• Experience using social media and other digital tools to report stories, identify trends, and connect with audiences.
• Comfort working in a fast-paced, deadline-driven newsroom environment.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills.
• Willingness to work evenings and weekends as news and events require.

Qualifications

• Commitment to journalistic ethics, accuracy, fairness, and serving the public interest.
• Note: Please provide clips that supports your work.

Benefits

• Flexible Paid Time Off
• Retirement savings - 401K plan offered through Human Interest, with a company match
• Student Loan Debt Repayment Assistance for qualified employees
• Full health benefits - medical, dental, vision, prescription, FSA/HSA., and coverage for family/dependents
• Sick Leave eligible for rollover
• Commuter Benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Generous Parental Leave
• Company paid access to a wellness platform to support mental, financial and physical wellbeing