6.25.21 — The Buffalo News is hiring enterprise reporters to join its staff, all of which are Guild-represented positions. The full advertisement, with information on the opening and how to apply is below.
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The Buffalo News seeks enterprise reporters to join a team telling the region’s biggest story: Buffalo Niagara’s economic revival. The team will relentlessly cover the forces that are shaping the future of Buffalo – and, most important, explain why it all matters.
The positions include:
Business of Health Care: A reporter to cover how the health care industry is reshaping Western New York.Buffalo is a city experiencing an economic revival. At the center of the story is a burgeoning medical sector with big, competitive employers, startups seeking to capitalize on medical innovation and a growing medical campus. How the pandemic remakes the region’s health care business will impact its future. This is a competitive, enterprise beat that requires versatility and good sourcing. The ideal candidates should be as comfortable writing stories about how health and life sciences is changing the city’s economy to chronicling the way neighborhoods are changing because of medical campus development.
Technology and startups: A reporter to cover technology and startups in Western New York. Buffalo’s tech scene is growing fast – and could have an outsized impact on the region’s economy. The region has made strides to invest in startups with early-stage financing, more venture capital access and the start of a more entrepreneurial culture. But there is a long way to go – and questions about whether there is enough tech talent. This reporter will cover the startup and technology scene, from the growth of the city’s first “unicorn” to the impact of a downtown technology hub created by the region’s biggest bank.
Blue economy and green energy: A reporter to cover how climate change and green energy reshape the future of Buffalo Niagara. Climate change is one of the big economic stories of the next half century. With a state-funded Tesla plant, Buffalo has a big stake in solar energy. We are the country’s third largest generator of hydropower. The possibility of huge windmills in the Great Lakes is already causing conflict. And as rising sea levels and extreme weather threaten much of the country, can Buffalo position itself as a climate refuge? This reporter will cover the big questions tied to those changes: What impact will climate change have on the region’s economy and will its access to fresh water turn into new business?
Higher education: A reporter to cover the ways higher education impacts the region’s economy. Buffalo Niagara’s business future depends on brainpower. The region has a big research institution and 21 other colleges. Can they lure brilliant researchers and turn breakthroughs into new companies or industries? Can they graduate a large and talented workforce? Can the area’s colleges and universities adapt to big disruptions in higher education?
These are enterprise beats that rely on deep reporting, good sources and public documents to generate ideas. The ability to use open records laws to build compelling stories is a must. Data skills and experience are a plus. Must have a proven ability to break news, turn around in-depth and quick-hit stories on tight deadlines and juggle the demands of reaching a digital audience. Candidates should have clips that show significant enterprise and a knack for explaining why it all matters and providing the bigger context.
The Buffalo News is an award-winning news organization with the largest staff of journalists in the region. We have a history of breaking the area’s big stories and investing in the stories that matter.
Why Buffalo? The region is a lot more than chicken wings and the Buffalo Bills. The city has seen a resurgence that makes it an exciting time to work and live here. The city has professional sports teams, a philharmonic, a growing waterfront, a burgeoning medical campus and plenty of attitude. Not to mention Niagara Falls, beautiful hikes and ski slopes all within a short drive.
Send cover letter and resume to recruiter@buffnews.com.
Buffalo Newspaper Guild CWA Local 31026 