City Government Reporter

The Post and Courier, South Carolina's premier news source, is seeking a driven and talented reporter to cover Charleston city government. This is a unique opportunity to be the primary reporter responsible for breaking news and tackling major projects related to South Carolina's oldest and largest city.

Your work will illuminate critical issues for the community – from the city's historic peninsula to other communities that compose the City of Charleston (West Ashley, James Island, Johns Island and Daniel Island, where a significant portion of the city's population resides). We seek a journalist who can deliver essential coverage that impacts readers across all these areas. You will collaborate with other reporters helping to cover some of these communities and issues.

Some of the major coverage areas include growth and development, affordable/workforce housing, impacts of sea-level rise and flood mitigation efforts, hiring essential workers in the current economy and balancing the needs of a top tourist destination with the demands of daily living.

The Role

The Charleston City Hall reporter needs to be a strong journalist and key collaborator with others in the newsroom (Rising Waters Lab, business team, county reporter, audience team, graphics and visuals teams, etc.) who is adept at spotting rich opportunities for community coverage. As with any government beat, there are a lot of meetings – but the challenge is in writing about the issues rather than the meetings. Your focus will to mold local issues into high-impact, relatable journalism, and be skilled at delivering complex, sensitive stories both as dailies and through enterprise.

You will join a Pulitzer Prize-winning newsroom dedicated to distinguished journalism and expanding quality coverage across South Carolina. We are committed to deeply reported enterprise stories and impactful local news. We're looking for a self-starter with a digital-first mindset, excellent news judgment, and a passion for uncovering stories that make a real difference.

Our Mission

The Post and Courier is privately held and values its relationship with readers, believing in the idea that investing in journalism will grow digital subscribers and help sustain our business well into the future. We are the South's oldest daily newspaper, founded in 1803, and began expanding across the state in 2020, seeking to fill a void in news deserts or areas where local news coverage had withered. Our flagship is in Charleston, but we now operate newsrooms in multiple cities throughout South Carolina. These include Columbia, Greenville, Beaufort, Myrtle Beach, Rock Hill, Spartanburg, Florence and Aiken.

Responsibilities

This is a job for a self-starter who has deep knowledge of local issues and who can steadily produce compelling stories that fulfill our mission of providing essential local reporting both urgently and in depth.

• Work comfortably under deadline pressure.
• Embrace a digital-first mindset and work with a collaborative spirit.
• Produce local coverage that distinguishes The Post and Courier and illuminates the big issues facing Charleston.

Requirements & Experience

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Journalism (or a related field with equivalent experience).
• Experience: At least 2 years of municipal government news reporting experience.
• Track Record: Proven success in producing exemplary journalism as a reporter.
• Communication: Strong interpersonal skills for developing trusting relationships and maintaining confidentiality.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Digital Skills: Ability to produce digital-focused articles with a grasp of SEO and social platform promotion as well as utilize video for news and information.
• Accuracy and Ethics: Produces fair, accurate work with a firm understanding of libel and privacy issues.
• Collaboration: Actively participates in brainstorming sessions and works well across disciplines.
• Organization: Develops systematic approaches to managing a beat and meeting performance goals.
• Flexibility: Reacts to change productively and handles other duties as assigned.

Physical Requirement: Close eye work, continuous sitting, walking, standing, light to moderate lifting 15-30 pounds.

Evening Post Publishing is an equal opportunity, drug-free employer. If you are a hungry and talented journalist eager to produce the best work of your career in a dynamic and beautiful city, we encourage you to apply.