Entertainment News & Legal Reporter, USA TODAY Entertainment

Gannett | USA TODAY NETWORK • Los Angeles, CA, USA • 3d ago

Entertainment News & Legal Reporter, USA TODAY Entertainment

Location: Los Angeles
Team: USA TODAY Entertainment
Role Type: Full-time, exempt

Overview:

USA TODAY is seeking an experienced Entertainment News & Legal Reporter with a strong track record of breaking news and covering legal and sensitive stories involving celebrities, influencers and the broader entertainment industry. You will drive fast-turn coverage, develop original enterprise stories, and translate complex legal documents into clear, fact-forward reporting that serves a national audience.

What you’ll do:

Break entertainment news with speed and accuracy, prioritizing legal and sensitive developments (lawsuits, criminal cases, countersuits, settlements, deaths, divorce, misconduct allegations, contract disputes, labor actions, etc.).
Source, read and interpret legal documents (complaints, indictments, motions, settlements, probate filings, police reports, bankruptcy petitions, consent decrees, filings on PACER/state court portals) and use them to advance our coverage with precise context and fair framing.
Develop and maintain sources across the legal community (lawyers, police sources, public officials, clerks, court spokespeople, agency PR) and inside entertainment ecosystems (labels, studios, streaming services, talent reps, unions).
Report beyond the day-of cycle by identifying under‑told stories and explaining complex or systemic issues that break from the news churn—using data, documents, and human voices to show impact.
Publish across platforms, including onsite, in print, newsletters, and social with vertical video explainers/updates, appearing on camera when needed.
Use AI tools responsibly for research, discovery and analytics—always maintaining transparency, human judgment, and editorial standards.
Collaborate with editors, visuals, audience, social/video, legal, standards & ethics teams to shape coverage plans, headlines, packaging, SEO and distribution.
File quickly and cleanly under deadline while maintaining meticulous sourcing.
Some nights/weekends/holiday work may be required, as driven by breaking news, entertainment events and court calendars and filings.

What you’ll bring:

5+ years covering entertainment journalism with a track record of breaking stories and handling legal/sensitive topics with compassion and care.
Document literacy: Comfort pulling, parsing and summarizing legal filings; familiarity with court systems (federal/state), PACER and public-records requests (FOIA/FOIL).
A robust contact list across the legal community; proven ability to cultivate new sources and earn trust.
Editorial judgment & ethics: Fluent in standards for fairness, accuracy, sensitivity, trauma‑informed reporting and cautious language around allegations/claims.
Storycraft: Ability to write crisp updates and craft deeper enterprise narratives; comfort structuring timelines, fact boxes, and explainer formats.
Familiarity with entertainment business reporting (contracts, box office/streaming economics, guild agreements).
Enterprise mindset: Regular delivery of deeper pieces that illuminate under‑covered issues and move conversations forward.

Application Instructions

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.

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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The annualized base salary for this role will range between $60,000 and $93,750. Base compensation is reflective of many factors, including, but not limited to, the market in which one lives/works, individual education level, skills, certifications and experience. Note: variable compensation is not reflected in these figures and based on the role, may be applicable.