Consumer Issues and Business Reporter

The Palm Beach Postis looking for a consumer issues/business reporter who will identify trends and hot topics and consistently produce content that resonates with our current readers and helps us grow our audience and reach our goals.

Much of your responsibility will be to reach into consumer issues that affect the lives of Floridians. The state is reeling from an insurance crisis that shows no signs of going away, energy costs that will continue to rise, and inflation that is squeezing everyone’s budget. Your focus can start in Palm Beach County but the stories you write about often resonate throughout the state, so you’ll need to be the statewide expert on insurance and Florida Power & Light, the state’s biggest energy producer. You’ll also occasionally write about health care/insurance for consumers, an issue that affects everyone from the elderly to young workers.

Job Responsibilities

FP&L: You will report on Florida Power & Light's short- and long-term pricing changes; you’ll follow their solar power and electric vehicle charging strategies; you’ll track their use of natural gas production and how that fits into their current and future energy plans.

Insurance: You’ll report on why the insurance market is pricing residents out of living in Florida, through a combination of reporting of the state Legislature, energy groups and talking to everyday people.

Consumer: You’ll understand the economic situation of a diverse group of people in Palm Beach County and Florida and tell their stories of struggle and survival.

Jobs and the economy: You’ll be aware of the job situation in Palm Beach County; is unemployment in line with the national average? We will also ask you to dig deeper into employment, such as the shortage of workers and to probe whether national and state immigration policies are aggravating the shortage. You’ll talk to local businesses and employees for their perspective on employment challenges but also to illustrate how national economic trends and issues are affecting them personally.

Mix of reporting:

Some of your reporting will dig deep into these subjects, but you’ll also be asked to regularly provide shorter, easy-to-understand pieces on important issues. You’ll also come up with utility stories to help people save money and live their best lives financially, such as tips for saving money on your power bill, or whether you should buy or lease a car?

Statewide reach

Much of your work will serve our entire Florida network of 19 newspapers and some will be picked up by USA Today and other of Gannett’s national publications.

Social media

You will use social media to connect with people, find sources, tips or just let people know you are the expert in your area. You’ll work with our Digital team to promote your stories on different platforms to reach new audiences.

Story assets

You’ll work with the multimedia department in making sure your stories are rich with the kind of assets like video, photo galleries, charts, that keep readers engaged.

Analytics/metrics

You’ll work with your editor and the Digital Team on analytics, seeing which stories resonate and which don’t, and make necessary adjustments.

Special projects

Like every member of the newsroom, you could from time to time get pulled off on special projects, such as storm coverage, mass casualty events or climate change.

Reporting structure

You’ll report to one editor at The Palm Beach Post who you’ll work with closely. Although you will have a unique job unlike any other in the newsroom, you may collaborate with co-workers on some projects if fitting.

We are eager to learn more about you and how you fit this role. When you apply, don’t limit your upload to a resume; show us what you’ve done. To do so, put together a single document file that includes the following, in this order:

1. Your resume – one to two pages.
2. A cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job.

It is important that these items be assembled into a single document and uploaded in PDF format. Completing these steps will ensure that your application receives the highest consideration.

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