Company Profile

Company Description:

At Courier Newsroom, we empower individuals and communities through local reporting that helps people understand and affect the issues impacting their lives. We believe that by investing in the work of local journalists across the country we can positively impact civic participation and build a healthier democracy from the ground up. Through original reporting and human-focused storytelling, we highlight the issues and forces that shape our lives while calling attention to the impacts of policy-making and political action at the local level.  

The ‘Gander Newsroom a community news and social network for Michigan, and part of the Courier Newsroom umbrella. Facts and first-hand sources are our north star, and we work to expose misinformation in all its forms. We believe the key to a strong democracy is an informed electorate and that the decline of local news around the country has negatively impacted civic engagement. Through original reporting and human-focused storytelling on the social media platforms where our audience is, we highlight the issues and forces that shape our lives while calling attention to the impacts of policy-making and political action at the local level. 

The Content Producer will produce thoughtful and engaging social media content for The ‘Gander. The person in this role should have the drive to report and tell stories in different formats that will help attract politically disengaged audiences around Michigan. They will be comfortable reporting in the field in everyday Michigan towns, capturing local stories and narratives in visual ways. This person will produce Facebook content, as well as some site content, using existing digital assets and original reporting. This person will also work in collaboration with an in-house visual and social team to create video packages, in-depth multimedia reports, simple graphics, and other engaging material for an online audience. 

This position is remote. However, candidates must live in Michigan. 

The Content Producer reports to the Managing Editor of The ‘Gander.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Pitching and producing an average of 3-5 original news graphics, galleries, videos, and other social-first content per day that is relevant and useful to our Michigan audience of rural women.
• Pitching and producing original content for other social media platforms as needed.
• Collaborating with the other teams in the Courier network to execute ideas. 
• Writing occasional site articles, using original reporting or information aggregated from social media, news releases, and articles from other news outlets.
• Sourcing video from state legislative sessions and other social media users, and processing the video in Canva and Rev for use on our social platforms
• Collaborating to script, record, and produce an average of 2 unique video stories each week.
• Filming stand ups and/or voice-overs for video stories.
• Creating simple graphics, such as quote cards, in Canva.
• Drafting Facebook captions, sells, and seeding content, under direction of Managing Editor. 

The ideal candidate will:

• Live in and celebrate Michigan for its unique culture and lifestyle. 
• Be a concise writer with a clear voice and a lot of ideas for new Facebook content.
• Have strong news judgment.
• Understand how the state and federal government function.
• Care about how political issues and decisions affect real people — specifically women and families in rural Michigan.
• Have an interest in working in a startup environment.
• Be willing to learn and try new things to reach our audience.
• Be comfortable working at the speed of daily digital publishing in the news cycle. 
• Be able to pivot/switch direction as priorities and projects change.
• Have at least 2-3 years of experience writing articles from aggregated content, recording and producing video, and/or creating social media content for a website, preferably a news site.
• Have at least 1 year of experience working in a newsroom in Michigan.
• Have a basic command of video, photo, and audio editing software.
• Be active on one or more of the following social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube. 
• Have knowledge of social media best practices for producing and distributing content.
• Be comfortable with AP style.
• Have strong project and time management skills.
• Demonstrate an eagerness to collaborate with team members who have complementary skills.
• Be an excellent communicator.

Please submit a cover letter and best work samples with a resume. This role is contract-to-hire with full-time staff opportunity for qualified candidates.

Courier Newsroom offers a competitive benefits package including a full suite of health benefits, paid time off, and flexible working arrangements.

Courier Newsroom is an equal opportunity employer. Women, people of color, those with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ community are strongly urged to apply. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, or medical conditions.