Local News Staff Writer

About The Miami Times
As the South's largest and oldest Black newspaper, established in 1923, The Miami Times has a century-long legacy of serving our community. We are dedicated to delivering high-impact, enterprise, and watchdog journalism that addresses the everyday challenges, political landscape, and cultural achievements of our readers in a constantly evolving, multicultural environment.

The Role
We are seeking a disciplined, self-motivated Reporter to produce meaningful local journalism from a fully remote setup. In this 20-hour-per-week role, you will own your schedule, provided you consistently meet our strict Tuesday editorial deadlines for Wednesday publication. We offer the flexibility for this role to be structured as either a part-time staff position or an independent contractor role, with all compensation handled bi-weekly through our payroll processor.

Output Expectations
You will be expected to deliver a steady, reliable volume of copy each week, specifically:

• One Hard News Story (800+ words): A well-sourced, rigorously reported piece requiring original interviews and research. This should focus on local government, community affairs, or issues directly impacting South Florida's Black community.


• Two to Four Mid-Length Pieces (400–650 words): A mix of timely community news updates, local business profiles, event coverage, or shorter feature reporting.
  
  

Key Responsibilities

• Story Generation & Execution: Pitch, research, and write your weekly story quota, balancing heavy-lift hard news with timely, efficient community reporting.


• Remote Source Building: Aggressively build and maintain a network of reliable sources—including local elected officials, business owners, and community leaders—via phone, video calls, and email.


• Deadline Management: Manage your workload independently to ensure all copy is clean, fact-checked, and filed by Tuesday's strict publication deadline.


• Community Watchdog: Monitor municipal agendas, zoning changes, and community board decisions in Miami-Dade County and surrounding areas to uncover stories that matter to our readership.

Requirements

• Experience: 2+ years of professional reporting experience, with a proven ability to balance hard news reporting with quick-turnaround community features.


• Writing Mechanics: Strict adherence to AP Style and the highest journalistic ethics. Exceptional ability to turn complex local issues into accessible, engaging copy.


• Independence: Highly organized and capable of working fully remotely. Must be able to execute interviews and deliver accurate copy on deadline without extensive supervision.


• Local Knowledge: Deep familiarity with South Florida, specifically the political, historical, and cultural landscape of the local Black community.