Digital reporter

We are looking for a top-class digital reporter for the Isle of Wight County Press.

Tens of thousands of people visit countypress.co.uk on a daily basis to read the latest Isle of Wight news.

Digital storytelling is at the heart of this role, and you will thrive on being the first to break news stories.

You will be as comfortable writing a highly engaging news feature as you are telling the community about the best new shops and restaurants across the patch.

Our online audience has a huge appetite and you will be confident in offering up ideas and stories that keep our readership coming back for more.

As part of this, you will immerse yourself in social media so you know what’s happening – and so the County Press tells stories that the community cares most about.

You will do this alongside the team at our offices in Newport.

Key responsibilities:

• Writing high-quality, accurate news stories, live blogs and features to deadlines as agreed by the news desk.
• Using a range of digital tools and platforms to tell stories, including video, audio, infographics and maps
• Crafting and posting social media posts to sell your stories and drive engagement
• Using social media to build contacts and sniff out the best stories from your community
• Being first to report accurate breaking news from your patch to keep readers bang up-to-date
• Thinking creatively to come up with new story ideas and ways to deliver them to our audience
• Staying on top of the latest Google search trends (and trending UK-wide topics) and exploiting those opportunities on a local level relevant to our readership
• Building our digital audience and social media following to bring our content to even more people in the community
• Spotting national/regional content that could resonate in your patch and making it relevant and interesting to our readers
• Using your SEO skills to reach the largest possible audience
• With guidance from your editor, use analytics to identify what our readers like and what they want next
• Building contacts in the community and getting out and about on your patch to see what’s going on
• Joining forces with your counterparts across the UK to share ideas, best practices, success stories and skills

The chosen candidate will have their NCTJ qualification and ideally have:

• 100wpm shorthand
• Excellent knowledge of relevant media law
• The ability to write – and think – quickly under pressure
• An adaptable style to produce everything from live blogs and listicles to long- reads and features
• Skills with shooting and editing video as well as online tools and apps for producing images and audio
• A keen news sense
• Bags of ideas for how stories can be presented in the best possible way for our audiences
• An understanding of what audiences want, and when
• Knowledge of SEO and its importance to digital journalism
• Excellent social media skills and the ability to spot stories and trending topics
• Great people skills and the ability to get on with a wide range of people in the community
• A high level of organisation and the ability to manage your diary
• Collaborative skills to pool ideas with the wider digital reporting team and take on board suggestions. 

A full, clean driving licence and access to a vehicle is also required. To be considered please send your CV and cover letter by 21 June. 

Newsquest Media Group is one of the UK's largest newspaper and website publishers. As well as a competitive salary, we also offer generous benefits including:  

• Contributory pension  
• Perks and discounts at various retail outlets  
• Opportunities for team building and training days  
• 25 days' paid holiday + statutory bank holidays + your birthday day off
• Structured career progression, ongoing training, and personal performance reviews  
• Discount vouchers  
• Discounted gym membership  
• Cycle to Work scheme  
• Mental health support via Lifeworks  
• Eye test vouchers plus £50 towards new glasses.  
• Annual Volunteer Charity Day  

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.