Reporter (AL.com)

We’re looking for a driven beat reporter to lead our daily coverage of growth and development and the economy in Huntsville, Alabama.

Huntsville is a thriving metropolitan area known for bioscience innovation, advanced manufacturing, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, The U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal, and an expanding presence on the arsenal of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Huntsville bills itself as the “Silicon Valley of the South.” 

This person will focus on a local report that covers with depth the areas Huntsville cares the most about: local economic development, real estate, growth, transportation and the aspirations and challenges inherent in the “new” Huntsville.

We want someone who can become the definitive source and voice of information around growth and changes in the area, and understand and translate the opportunities and challenges that brings for the area, its institutions and its people. We want you to own this coverage area, becoming the go-to source about the economic growth of Huntsville for the city, region and state.

We want someone who can follow the money in Huntsville, whether that is an understanding and regular presentation of economic indicators, a deep profile on a business rainmaker/leader, or an explainer on how another city has found success (or trouble) in its dealings with issues and opportunities similar to those emerging in Huntsville. We someone who can show us how other growing cities like Austin, Texas or Nashville, Tennessee have solved growing pains as they had them.

And we want someone who understands how to build and be responsive to an audience of readers who are digital subscribers to your work. Experience in understanding, building and engaging with digital subscribers and audiences across platforms is a plus. This person should be a competitive self-starter who wants to deliver coverage you can’t find anywhere else.

Alabama Media Group is launching a new daily, digital subscription product in Huntsville, Alabama and this person will be expected to produce a quantity and quality of coverage that meets those audience demands. This person’s work also will appear on AL.com and in other related brands.

Previous experience in beat reporting or with growth or economic coverage is a plus, but not a requirement. Please include with your resume a cover letter including anecdotal examples of your work ethic and how you would approach this role. Additionally, please provide links to the five pieces of content that demonstrate your best work. 

Advance Local Media offers competitive pay and a comprehensive benefits package including generous paid time off, flexible holidays and parental leave as well as options for your healthcare.

Alabama Media Group (AMG) is one of the country's most innovative local media companies. In 2021, it won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting and was a finalist for commentary, won six regional Emmys for documentary work, and earned a Webby Award for short-form comedy.

AMG includes AL.com, the state's largest news brand; a digital marketing operation serving clients in 13 states; Red Clay Media, a network of social media brands; Alabama's three most prominent newspapers: The Birmingham News, Huntsville Times and Mobile's Press-Register; the Mississippi Press Register; and Reckon, a news brand for diverse, younger Southerners.

Alabama Media Group is part of Advance Local, one of the largest media groups in the United States, which operates the leading news and information companies in more than 24 cities, reaching 50+ million people a month www.advancelocal.com.