Sports reporter, The Associated Press, Detroit

The Associated Press seeks a Sports Reporter for its Detroit, Mich., office.

The successful candidate will be part of a two-person team that covers the top sports in Michigan, with a focus on breaking news, strong game and event coverage, beat reporting, and source development. The reporter is part of a wider AP team responsible for regional and national sports coverage, and will work across multiple formats. He/she works with the regional sports editor to set priorities and develop aggressive spot and enterprise reporting for the AP’s global newspaper, online and broadcast audience. The reporter will be responsible for coverage of the Detroit Lions, Detroit Tigers, Detroit Pistons, Detroit Red Wings, the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and other professional and other sports in the area. The successful candidate, who will report to the assistant regional sports editor in Chicago, must be able to:

• Identify key sources and develop a beat that ensures AP is competitive on the most important sports stories in the territory.
• Identify and develop stories that break news and have impact.
• Report and write accurate, compelling stories on deadline in competitive situations.
• Work with his/her managers and colleagues to set priorities for a Michigan sports report with multiple teams and sources.
• Organize and coordinate freelancers for sports coverage as needed in Michigan.
• Work with staff photographers, videographers and other platform specialists to ensure complete and robust coverage of games and events.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Candidate should have demonstrated superior news judgment, with experience reporting and writing news for global audiences on multiple platforms. Superior writing ability, beat reporting skills and source development experience required. Candidate must understand the growing importance of multimedia news and be able to coordinate with AP staffers from other formats. Candidate must be a creative problem-solver who can work as a member of a team. Qualifications for the successful candidate include:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• Professional sports writing experience in a daily news setting.
• At least four years of full-time reporting experience at a daily newspaper, broadcast station or AP or similar bureau.
• Experience with computer-assisted reporting, FOI and investigative techniques is a plus.
• A proficiency in multiple platforms, especially video, is a plus.
• Proven ability to recognize and develop newsworthy stories of broad interest and work accurately under deadline pressure.
• Strong organizational skills with experience juggling multiple projects across formats and meeting deadlines.
• Well-developed communications skills to work constructively with staff, member editors and other AP departments.
• Be able to travel and work a variety of hours to meet the needs of a 24/7 news organi! zation. This person must be able to demonstrate a high level of fluency in written and spoken English.
• Authorization to work in the United States is mandatory.

The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, AP today is the largest and most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world's population sees news from AP.

AP seeks to build an inclusive organization grounded in respect for differences. We support all aspects of diversity and provide equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, marital status, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability or status as a veteran in accordance with applicable nondiscrimination laws.