Johnson County Reporter

The Kansas City Star Kansas City, MO Full-time Writing / Editing

Posted on September 5, 2022

We're looking for an aggressive, thoughtful state government reporter who can take readers through a fast-moving legislative session but who also has an eye for the big, impactful accountability pieces. Should understand how policy is made and be able to show how it touches the lives of our readers.

The Kansas City Star is seeking a passionate, enterprising, and thoughtful reporter who can dig deeper and uncover the most impactful stories in the day's breaking news. This reporter would join a team at The Star dedicated to covering day-to-day breaking news within the community, with this position focused on Johnson County, Kansas, the most populous suburban area in our city.

The goal of this reporter will be to uncover and expand on news in the areas of city/county government, law enforcement and overall Johnson County life. The successful candidate will bring a watchdog eye to coverage of the county as well as a desire to tell as many stories as possible that illuminate the county's communities, its people and its relationship with the larger Kansas City metropolitan area.

Requirements:

Prior professional work experience as a reporter
The ability to write quickly, accurately and well
A commitment to providing accurate information, both in fact and in
context
Solid news judgment and excellent journalism ethics
An understanding of how to verify the authenticity of information,
sources, photos and video found through social media
A strong entrepreneurial spirit, deep curiosity and a strong sense of
urgency
A collaborative style that works comfortably as part of a team
operating both virtually and in person.
The ability to quickly master technology, including content management systems and storytelling tools

Preferred:

Bachelor's degree in journalism or related field preferred
Two years of professional reporting experience preferred