Company

Cox Enterprises

Job Family Group

Editorial & Newsroom

Job Profile

AJC Reporter III

Management Level

Individual Contributor

Flexible Work Option

Hybrid - Ability to work remotely part of the week

Travel %

Yes, 5% of the time

Work Shift

Day

Compensation

Compensation includes a base salary of $70,700.00 - $106,100.00. The base salary may vary within the anticipated base pay range based on factors such as the ultimate location of the position and the selected candidate’s knowledge, skills, and abilities. Position may be eligible for additional compensation that may include an incentive program.

Job Description

HIGHER EDUCATION REPORTER

The AJC’s mission is to be the most essential and engaging source of news and information for the people of Atlanta, of Georgia and of the South.  To achieve that mission, we will transform ourselves from a storied daily newspaper into a modern media company. 

The education team is seeking an energetic reporter to cover Georgia’s robust higher education system, its trends, issues, personalities and policies with urgency and insights. The AJC’s higher education reporter is responsible for covering the University System of Georgia, the Technical College System of Georgia, the Georgia Board of Regents, and private colleges and universities around Georgia. There’s a particular emphasis on metro Atlanta colleges and universities, including HBCUs. (The University System alone includes 26 colleges and universities around the state that enroll more than 340,000 students and employ about 48,000 people.)

This marks an inflection point for higher education, as schools suffer enrollment declines and the nation’s confidence in higher education diminishes. College costs are rising, and students are concerned about their job prospects and the threat of artificial intelligence displacing jobs. Political battles have erupted on college campuses, making schools ground zero for high-profile clashes over free speech, academic freedom and global conflicts.

A successful candidate can juggle a mix of quick-turn breaking news stories, coverage of critical campus issues that give voice to young adults, enterprise stories about trends in higher education, and investigative stories. The reporter will be adept at developing sources, cutting through educational jargon and delivering stories that are significant to students, parents and employees.

Familiarity using social media platforms, including Instagram and TikTok, is helpful to find sources, including students and student groups, and to help your journalism reach wider audiences. The reporter should also be comfortable using different formats of storytelling and dissecting data to tell a story.

This is a fast-paced job that requires knowledge of federal regulations impacting higher education, including federal student loans and financial aid and Title IX issues.

The reporter should be prepared to write about college access and admissions, college affordability, campus safety, free speech issues, student success, workforce development and faculty research. The reporter also needs to monitor the Georgia General Assembly, which provides more than $3 billion in state funding for the University System of Georgia, and lawmakers who have weighed in on controversial topics such as diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education.

Paying attention to audience metrics is key to engaging with this audience.

Collaborating within the education team and other AJC teams is a essential.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Execute complex investigative/watchdog stories, using public records and databases and by burning shoe leather and building a superior source list.Produce a consistent stream of daily stories.With all stories, report and write with urgency, fairness, authority and tenacity.Quickly self-publish clear, concise and accurate short stories and use social media to promote distribution and readership.Understand and show mastery of using of digital tools and social media to enhance the display of stories and to find and grow digital readership.Produce smartphone photos and videos and collect data and other information and create ideas to use the data to use maps, charts and other supplemental content.Manage time and stories effectively, juggling long-term and short-term work.Build strong relationships with students, teachers, administrators, state politicians.Understand and use Georgia and federal sunshine laws to obtain cogent documents.Have a clear understanding of libel law and able to recognize and flag potential legal issues that could expose the AJC to litigation over libel, invasion of privacy, copyright or other issues.Demonstrate strong research skills and show how research led to results.Communicate and work effectively with the public and supervisors and collaborate effectively.Consistently meets deadlines set for print and digital needs.Use or learn the Arc content management system and other publishing and social media tools for the production and digital display of stories on multiple platforms.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in related field is preferred.  With a BA, at least 4 years of media/journalism experience. The right candidate could also have a different combination, such as a master’s degree and 2+ years of experience or 8 years of experience in a related field without a degree.Strong news judgment, strong writing skills and ability to collaborate with different teams throughout the newsroom.Passion and belief in local, regional and statewide journalism and its role as a societal change agentUnderstanding of journalism standards and media ethicsMust work with a sense of urgency and the ability to work off hours as dictated by news eventsReliable transportation and home internet access.Must live in or being to relocate to the Atlanta area. 

Benefits

The Company offers eligible employees the flexibility to take as much vacation with pay as they deem consistent with their duties, the company’s needs, and its obligations; seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year; and up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually for their own wellness or that of family members. Employees are also eligible for additional paid time off in the form of bereavement leave, time off to vote, jury duty leave, volunteer time off, military leave, parental leave, and COVID-19 vaccination leave.

About Us

As our primary divisions Cox Automotive and Cox Communications drive new waves of innovation, Cox Enterprises is entering spaces like cleantech, healthcare, esports and more. We're a family business guided by a legacy of bold innovation that’s driven by those who want to make their mark. Benefits of working at Cox may include health care insurance (medical, dental, vision), retirement planning (401(k)), and paid days off (sick leave, parental leave, flexible vacation/wellness days, and/or PTO). For more details on what benefits you may be offered, visit our benefits page. Cox is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer – All qualified applicants/employees will receive consideration for employment without regard to that individual’s age, race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, physical or mental disability, veteran status, genetic information, ethnicity, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by law. Cox provides reasonable accommodations when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with disability, unless such accommodations would cause an undue hardship.