This posting is open through July 8, 2022.
St. Louis Public Radio (STLPR), the region’s National Public Radio (NPR) member station, seeks a general assignment reporter to cover the Metro East region of St. Louis.
STLPR is a non-profit media organization, delivering accuracy and understanding and serving hundreds of thousands of users monthly on-air, online and on-demand. As a station, our intent is to practice and support mission-driven journalism with staff members who are engaged and committed to equitable and inclusive service, both to our community and to each other. That means we seek to recognize and address bias in ourselves, in our work and in the systems we uphold. We welcome a broad range of perspectives, experiences and identities to our teams and our news coverage. And it means that we are always working to expand the reach of our service to those who have not felt welcomed into public media, either as an employee or a listener.
We’re looking for someone who is passionate about journalism and endlessly curious. The Metro East reporter covers a large geographic area that includes the Illinois counties of St. Clair, Madison and Monroe (among others). The coverage area also includes Scott Air Force Base, the city of East St. Louis, numerous police departments, elected officials, cultural events… basically, as many topics as you can find.
Strong candidates for this position are adept at developing sources and covering government meetings. They are just as comfortable crafting enterprise stories as they are in taking substantive looks into big issues — always remembering that people are at the center of every story. Radio experience is a plus, but not necessary. The ability to be a self-starter and work independently is crucial because the position is based in Illinois, over the river from our main station building. You will be a successful candidate for this role if you have:
- Experience juggling daily stories with enterprise reporting while meeting deadlines;
- A respect for public broadcasting and the diverse constituencies we serve;
- Sound news judgment;
- Solid writing skills and familiarity with AP style;
- At least two years experience in a daily newsroom, or related experience;
- Experience thinking creatively about how to tell stories through various media – digital, audio, social;
- Ability to center people in their stories, especially people who aren’t always represented in news coverage.
Although not requirements, we are hoping to find candidates with any of the following:
- Experience creating audio stories;
- Familiarity with the Metro East;
- A record of finding people, events or trends that are anything but the usual fare;
- Ability to speak a language other than English;
- Comfort with digital photography and social media;
- Previous public radio experience.
We are a daily newsroom, which means the hours are not necessarily regular.
Salary Range: $49,000-$65,000/annual
Application Instructions:
A sample audio story and/or a published work are required for consideration. Please also include a resume and a cover letter outlining your qualifications and your ideas for how this job can best serve St. Louis area residents.
St. Louis Public Radio is a service of the University of Missouri - St. Louis. In order to be considered for this position or to view the posting in its entirety, please visit UMSL's employment site and complete an online application. Job ID: 42237.
We are committed to building a newsroom demographically representative of the St. Louis region. STLPR and UMSL are equal opportunity employers. We enthusiastically encourage members of groups underrepresented in public media to apply.