Trainee reporter – Newsquest (Taunton)
The Vacancy
Newsquest South West is looking for a new trainee reporter to join our team working across our titles in Somerset and Devon. This role is suited to a trainee who has completed their NCTJ diploma and is ready to make an immediate impact reporting on an area with big ambitions and bags of potential.
You will be part of a team that take ownership of growing our online audience in the Somerset and East Devon areas.
This is an exciting and varied job. You could be doing a Facebook Live report from a town centre during a food festival, running a live blog from a breaking news incident, and writing a heart-warming community story all on the same shift.
The role will involve occasional weekend work as part of a rota, once you’ve established yourself in the team.
We’ll give you the on-the-job training and support needed to help you become a first-class senior reporter in a lively patch, working for one of the UK’s biggest news publishers.
About you
This role suits a trainee who can make an impact, with big ideas and ambitions, an eye for a story and a flair for social media.
You’ll be expected to make contacts on your patch and find great stories. As a reporter you must be there at the best and worst times in people’s lives, and you need to handle both appropriately. You could be talking to business owners about how they are tackling the cost-of-living crisis, talking to people who have suffered bereavement or injustice, or interviewing a local political figure.
Our reporters are expected to meet audience and subscription benchmarks, which means learning how to find a good story, how to tell it across different platforms and how to get it in front of more people through social media and SEO.
The ideal candidate will already have the gold standard NCTJ diploma including shorthand and a driving licence, but the right attitude is more important.
We are an inclusive workplace and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.
We don’t expect you to know it all on day one, but we do expect a can-do attitude and keenness to learn. If you do, you’ll get lots of support and be part of a great team.
The Company
Newsquest is a media company with a difference.
We are committed to bringing a voice to your region by investing in a passionate team of journalists who proudly serve their communities by sharing authoritative news that readers trust.
As well as dedicated sales teams which provide local businesses with highly responsive digital advertising and marketing solutions.
Newsquest Media Group is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all community sections regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. Our recruitment process will consist of various stages and activities, as part of our commitment to fairness to all applicants, we will consider any adjustments that could help you.
Benefits:
- Contributory pension
- Cycle to work
- 25 days holiday
- Discounted gym membership
- Discounts on short breaks & hotels
- Discounted eyecare
- Employee assistance program
- Up to 40% cinema ticket savings
- Family friendly
