Texas Longhorns Insider

About the role

The American-Statesman’s Texas Longhorns Insider innovates on the beat, covering the team with news-breaking and narrative-setting FOIA requests, game coverage, and an eye for unique angles. The ideal candidate will help cover Texas athletics with a focus on football, basketball, and baseball, while also assisting in other areas.

Responsibilities

• Take the lead on enterprise topics and public-records reporting related to the Texas Longhorns, with a goal of producing novel reporting monthly
• Monitor and cover the junior season and Heisman chase of Arch Manning, including sourcing his family and tracking his movements and national media coverage
• Mesh on-court success with off-court developments, such as NIL, eligibility rules, and coaches' compensation
• Build sources within Texas athletics and the SEC to break news and provide context for story ideas
• File FOIA requests with other universities as needed
• Write high-interest trending briefs and appear on camera for videos and other off-platform content
• Help record video for social media accounts and build alternative story formats using "C2P" options
• Track metrics to ensure engagement with the audience

Requirements

• 3 or more years of professional experience covering athletics
• Experience and comfortability pursuing public records and building sources within athletic departments
• Time management, multitasking, and prioritization skills under tight deadlines
• Strong communication skills
• Experience working with different CMSes, video, and SEO
• Experience working with data sets and data visualization
• Ability to use social media and KPIs to guide decision-making on story ideas and beat coverage
• Familiarity with a range of sports and the ability to pinch-hit on certain beats with little notice

About The Austin American-Statesman

The Austin American-Statesman is the largest newspaper in Central Texas and one of the largest in the state, with a history dating back to 1871. As part of Hearst Newspapers, the Statesman is part of a network of 24 daily and 52 weekly publications, and is investing in new and innovative ways to tell stories and support its readers.