Campus Community Reporter

The Lexington Herald-Leader in Lexington, Kentucky, is looking for a fast-moving and enterprising reporter to cover the University of Kentucky, encompassing all of its wide-ranging community footprint.

The journalist in this role will not just be a higher education reporter, but will seek to thoroughly cover UK to serve all readers with a vested interest in what happens at the university.

The reporter in this job will frequently write stories that keep faculty and staff of the university engaged, let students and parents know about all the important changes made by the university, and let the community that surrounds UK know how the institution is impacting them. This work will require accountability reporting on key higher education issues, business reporting surrounding UK’s various entities – including UK HealthCare, development reporting as the university’s footprint expands, and more.

The ideal candidate for this role is someone who can identify the many different ways UK impacts the lives of our readers, can balance speedy reporting with important accountability journalism, and wants to be the expert on their coverage area. The journalist in this role will seek to develop a loyal audience that knows they need to come to the Herald-Leader for the most important news on this topic.

You will write quick, impactful stories like “What is UK building right now? The latest projects, what they cost and who’s paying” while producing a video showing us renderings of builds, info on costs and more. Our readers have a big appetite for the most up-to-date information on what’s going on at UK and how it impacts them. The reporter in this role will create a new brand of community-focused coverage around the campus.

You are right for this role if you are a resourceful reporter who understands that frequent, consistent publishing builds habits in readers, who come to trust that they can depend on you to deliver each day, giving them a reason to come back and engage.

We’re seeking a reporter who also understands that reaching our readers in modern times means mastering SEO, writing engaging headlines, and finding audience through newer platforms such as TikTok and other social media services. Reaching these audiences will require strong knowledge on vertical video and other multimedia skills.

McClatchy Media’s journalists are expected to take advantage of opportunities to ethically harness and leverage artificial intelligence and other automation to enhance and elevate their work and to find efficiencies that free them to focus on source-building and high quality, deeply reported journalism.

Located in the heart of Kentucky, Lexington brings locals a great urban environment while also offering picturesque rural communities in all directions. The city boasts a great restaurant scene, and residents pay great attention to local sports, as the Wildcats hold a loyal following in major collegiate athletics.

As a journalist at McClatchy, you will join a supportive, flexible, collaborative team. McClatchy strives to be an employer of choice, and our benefits package is made with this goal in mind. With a focus on health, well-being, wealth and daily life, our package options include healthcare coverage for employees and their families, financial protection from expected and unexpected expenses, multiple no-cost wellness resources and even coverage for four-legged friends.

Our overall benefits package also includes a 401(k) with employer match, competitive paid time off and corporate holidays, and a variety of mental health benefits. With an excellent support team and with focus on your well-being as a top corporate strategy, McClatchy provides benefits to support you and your family in achieving your health and wellness goals. For more information on McClatchy's benefit plan, please visit McClatchyLivewell.com.

What you'll bring:

• A college degree in journalism or equivalent experience
• 1-3 years of reporting experience, but we will consider new graduates
• Strong writing skills, excellent news judgment and a demonstrated ability to “see the story” that is going to matter to readers
• Unwavering commitment to accurate, ethical journalism
• Vigorous and fearless reporting
• An eagerness to learn, absorb advice and apply it
• The ability to monitor and mine various sources
• An understanding of what drives interest on Facebook, X, TikTok and other social media platforms;
• A strong entrepreneurial spirit, good curiosity and high energy
• A collaborative style that allows you to work comfortably and collegially with newsroom colleagues
• A familiarity shooting photos and video
• Experience with AI and/or a willingness to experiment in that space
• Must have reliable transportation. Must have valid driver’s license and vehicle insurance required.
• Must live in Lexington-Fayette County

To apply, include a persuasive cover letter, your resume and four to six examples of your best work.

About the McClatchy Media Company

The McClatchy Media Company features a portfolio of vibrant and trusted news, lifestyle, entertainment brands and a robust retail distribution network. Our iconic local news brands such as the Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star and The Sacramento Bee have collectively earned a total of 57 Pulitzer prizes and are complemented by popular lifestyle and entertainment brands such as Us Weekly and Woman’s World. Together, our brands reach more than 100 million unique visitors a month. The McClatchy Retail Network, our distribution and logistics arm, offers delivery to more than 56,000 retail locations weekly.

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