Elk Grove/Rancho Cordova Watchdog Reporter

The Sacramento Bee is building a team of reporters who will serve our existing subscribers and grow their ranks by keeping watch over taxpayer money in the communities we serve, attacking the news of the day with urgency, and working collaboratively with others in our newsroom to amass and analyze data on everything from government payrolls to educational outcomes to crime. This journalist will be someone who is eager to jump on the important stories that our communities are talking about right now – with an emphasis on consistently publishing quick-turn enterprise and investigative work.

Are a community’s water, sewer and garbage rates about to go up? Are culture wars flaring up at meetings of a school board? Is a specific neighborhood seeing a rise in crime? This reporter is on it – asking how, why and who is responsible, with a curiosity and drive to connect with readers.

You will be expected to mine these stories from a mix of public-records requests, government agendas, parent and neighborhood associations, social media and business groups and other sources. You will cover select council and school board meetings, with a focus on explaining how decisions made in those corridors of power impact readers’ everyday lives. Your daily work product will be the go-to source for news in Elk Grove (population 179,000), Rancho Cordova (population 80,000) and families in the Elk Grove Unified school system, our region’s largest district with 64,000 students.

Successful applicants joining our Local Accountability Team must understand the need for speed as well as context. The goal is to help us grow our audience reach and earn loyal readers by quickly and consistently publishing credible, timely and compelling stories about topics “in the news” in Elk Grove and beyond. To that end, this team – helmed by an editor who oversees this watchdog reporter and four others – will collaborate on stories of regional interest. And if a big story emerges in a particular community or region, members will work together to swarm it.

Mc Clatchy 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.

What you'll bring:

• Strong writing and reporting skills, excellent news judgment and rock-solid journalism ethics;
• Understanding of open records laws and the ability to file, manage and oversee requests pertinent to beat work;
• Ability to engage with readers and develop sources and story ideas on social media platforms including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Nextdoor and Reddit;
• The ability to shoot basic photos and videos;
• Understanding of SEO and other optimization opportunities and a demonstrated ability to learn new skills in social and digital;
• Ability to correctly identify audiences for selected stories;
• A strong entrepreneurial spirit, deep curiosity and high energy;
• A collaborative style that works comfortably across teams spread throughout the office and company;
• Ability to work comfortably in a job that will be fast-paced, data-driven, shaped constantly by feedback and experimentation and always evolving; 
• A track record for innovation, learning and using new skills and technologies, especially AI.

Requirements: A degree in journalism or related field and two years of experience as a full-time employee in a digitally oriented newsroom environment is required. Fluency in Spanish is preferred.

The ability to work flexible hours is essential. This position will require some evening shifts and will work either a Tuesday through Saturday or Sunday through Thursday schedule. Must have reliable transportation, a valid driver’s license and vehicle insurance.

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

The anticipated base pay range for this position is between$22.00 and $36.53 per hour based on 37.5 hours per week. Individual base pay may vary within that range depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience and relevant education.

What we’ll bring

Ninety miles northeast of San Francisco and 100 miles southwest of Lake Tahoe, Sacramento is a vibrant capital city with a Mediterranean climate, a world-class food and music scene and numerous recreational opportunities, including the 31-mile American River Trail and 2,000 acres of parkland in the city alone. Our Bee office in East Sacramento lies within two miles of the Capitol, Midtown, Downtown and Golden 1 Center, home of the Sacramento Kings.

As a journalist at Mc Clatchy, you will join a supportive, flexible, collaborative team. Mc Clatchy 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, Mc Clatchy provides benefits to support you and your family in achieving your health and wellness goals. For more information on Mc Clatchy's benefit plan, please visit Mc Clatchy Livewell.com.

About the Mc Clatchy Media Company

The Mc Clatchy 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 Mc Clatchy Retail Network, our distribution and logistics arm, offers delivery to more than 56,000 retail locations weekly.

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Salary/Compensation: $22.00 - $36.53 per hour

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