The Atlanta Journal-Constitution breaks major business news and brings readers stories about metro Atlanta and Georgia that they can get nowhere else. We're looking for a reporter who will chronicle Atlanta's growing African American and minority-owned business communities, which run the gamut from mom-and-pops to tech startups to media moguls to established players in Atlanta's corporate... stratosphere.

As metro Atlanta's Black population continues to grow, Black-owned businesses and businesses that cater to the Black community increase and impact our residents in many ways. The region also has emerged as a technology hub, with giants from Silicon Valley and elsewhere building campuses in Atlanta, in part, to tap into Atlanta's diverse talent. The AJC is looking for an enterprising reporter to develop and write stories that will connect the dots between major happenings in the Black business economy and the response to those trends.This reporter will manage one of the AJC's premiere business beats by breaking news about Black-owned businesses, African American consumers and the characters who are leading the charge in metro Atlanta and across Georgia.

We are seeking someone who is enthusiastic about writing about complex topics in a way that is accessible to our readership. The goal is to engage, inform, entertain, provoke thought and hold people and institutions accountable. Atlanta influences everything, and this beat will touch on small businesses, founders of upstart companies, entertainment, technology and everything in between. This reporter will focus on writing stories that speak to Atlanta's place as a hub for African American talent and investment. This beat also will delve into complicated topics in the workplace and broader economy, such as racial equity, income inequality, access to financial resources and what is being done within the public and private sectors to address these vital issues. A successful candidate must communicate clearly to readers how these businesses and leaders shape the Atlanta economy or change the economic landscape.

This beat is not purely a daily beat on businesses. A successful candidate must craft enterprise stories about major Black business trends and key players and be flexible in what is in many ways an interdisciplinary beat. Collaboration with other members of the economy and environment team, the local and state politics teams and the investigative team is a must.

We are seeking an aggressive candidate who will establish a large network of business and political sources and community contacts in the Black community and broader minority business communities to ensure awareness of those issues that resonate with our audience. It will be this reporter's responsibility to capture those conversations for our digital, social media, and print platforms.

This reporter must be able to produce clean, organized, publication-ready content with a minimum of supervision. He or she must be able to use a variety of storytelling tools including video, data, other narrative elements and emerging digital-only formats. At its most effective, this reporter's work will achieve tangible, positive results on behalf of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's readers.

As a beat reporter, he/she must demonstrate a highly developed capacity to use the Internet as a reporting tool. Additionally, he/she must be able to break news often for ajc.com while quickly turning well-reported dailies and substantial enterprise for Sunday and Page One.The position also requires that he/she use our metrics tools to understand and grow our digital and social media audiences.

Education:
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required

Experience:
• 3 years of professional journalism experience preferred; comparable experience through internships and other roles will be considered for outstanding candidates.
• Strong record of serving audiences in a fast-paced, productive environment that is shaped by research, audience metrics and audience needs in print and in digital.
• Ability to develop strong, reader-focused story ideas and write about complex concepts with clarity and authority. The beat requires news, enterprise and accountability coverage.
• Familiar with the use of government records and the state and federal open records acts.
• Organized and able to juggle multiple stories simultaneously.
• Excellent communication skills with a collaborative attitude.
• Capacity to shoot own photographs when needed.
• Reliable internet access required to work remotely.
• In-office work environment not available every day; some at-home officing or other remote work required
• Permanent residence in metro Atlanta required
• Local travel required. Therefore, a successful candidate will need a reliable vehicle to cover the news
• Priority/preference to be given to candidates recommended by Report for America program.

Preferred:
• Knowledge of spreadsheet and database programs a plus.
• Fluent in another language other than English a plus, but not required

Additional experience, skills and qualifications may qualify an applicant for a Reporter III role.

About Cox

Cox empowers employees to build a better future and has been doing so for over 120 years. With exciting investments and innovations across transportation, communications, cleantech and healthcare, our family of businesses - which includes Cox Automotive and Cox Communications - is forging a better future for us all. Ready to make your mark? Join us today!

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.

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