The Detroit Free Press / freep.com, the largest metro publication within the USA TODAY NETWORK, is seeking a champion journalist to lead the sports desk that covers the busiest sports scene in the country, with historic professional franchises in the NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB, along with two national brands in the Big Ten, other regional college programs in the MAC, Horizon League, GLIAC, MIAA and one of the most robust high school sports scenes in the country. Our college audience includes more than 50 million readers annually.
The ideal candidate will guide established beat writers and columnists with solid editing and headline writing and work with our award-winning photography staff. In all, the best person for the job will use their sharp journalistic edge to draw readers to freep.com and engage a national sports audience.
The editor will be the lead for the sports department on all platforms, including print, digital (website, app and social media) and audio (podcasts and voice stories), working in concert with all newsroom leaders both within the Free Press and USA Today Sports vertical.
The next Free Press Sports Editor will dig deep into trends and maintain freep.com’s voice on all things sports, from planning daily, weekly and tentpole event coverage, assigning and editing stories and engaging our audience when there are things to celebrate or lament. Additional responsibilities include leading our award-winning high school sports coverage, the Free Press marathon’s editorial coverage, being the liaison for book production for special moments, and editing Mitch Albom’s weekly column.
In this role, you will:
- Respond to a dynamic and demanding news environment.
- Assign and edit stories, projects and investigations for the Detroit-based reporters who cover professional, collegiate, high school and recreational sports.
- Coordinate and edit cross-network coverage of major sports events.
- Establish and maintain ongoing lines of communication among sports teams across the USA Today Network.
- Monitor metrics, utilize SEO best practices.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's or master's degree in journalism or related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- 7+ years of relevant management/supervisory experience
- Proven proficiency in applying analytics to content strategy.
- Strong communication and collaboration skills.
- Exposure to deadline-driven environment.
- Exceptional planning and organizational skills.
- SEO knowledge.
- Self-motivation and self-direction.
- Strong line-editing skills.
- Strong people-management skills.
- Strong problem-solving skills.
Industry knowledge:
- Understanding of the multi-faceted sports environment – from game coverage to fan experiences.
- Understanding of how to engage audiences on digital platforms.
- The ability to multi-task and excel under intense deadline pressure in a rapidly changing environment
- The ability to work collaboratively within a cross-functional environment
How To Apply:
We are eager to learn more about you and how you fit this role. When you apply, don’t limit your upload to a resume; show us what you’ve done. To do so, put together a single document file that includes the following, in this order:
- Your resume – one to two pages.
- A cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job.
- Links to 3-6 online samples of your work. Show us what you’ve produced or had a hand in that best reflects what you can do in your desired role.
It is important that these items be assembled into a single document and uploaded in PDF format. Completing these steps will ensure that your application receives the highest consideration.
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