Job Details

The Dallas Morning News seeks an industrious and digitally proven reporter to cover high school athletics for one of the country’s premier metro sports sections.

Multiple reporters on professional beats at The News began as high school reporters. 

Qualified candidates will have shown the ability to juggle daily assignments, weekly features, trend stories and bigger-picture enterprise — all while developing relationships with area sources and working as part of a team that emphasizes both quality and quantity. 

Candidates should have a digital-first mindset – using available metrics to inform coverage decisions – and experience working with data, public records and breaking news. Experience appearing on camera or in video editing and production is a plus.

SportsDayHS, home to The News’ high school coverage, emphasizes stories that highlight nationwide and statewide issues through the lens of North Texas.

Candidates should have at least two years of experience at a professional news organization and are expected to work nights and weekends, as the work dictates. Exceptional recent graduates with high-level internships will be considered.

Though the job is primarily focused on high school sports, the new hire is also expected to contribute to other beats during off times in the high school season, as well as coverage of marquee events that come to North Texas.

Applicants should submit a resume, cover letter and five clips that show their range of reporting and expertise. Your cover letter should not be a regurgitation of your resume, but rather highlight the qualities desired for this position.

Please contact assistant sports editor Jamie Hancock (jdhancock@dallasnews.com) with any questions.

Job duties

• Providing coverage of high school athletics.
• Reporting and producing content for all digital platforms related to their coverage areas, including breaking news, features and taking photos/video.
• Promoting content and reporting on social media platforms, including appearing on camera.
• Developing exclusive sources and storylines. 
• Building digital stories with clickable headlines that include links, tags, multimedia and SEO. 
• Analyzing traffic metrics and social media metrics to enhance decision-making on type of content to produce and when.
• Finding compelling stories that haven't been covered nationally or locally. 
• Serving as a backup reporter for other sports beats on an as-needed basis.

Here’s our list of preferred skills and experience: (Please note this is not a checklist of requirements, but should be considered as a pool of preferred qualifications. If you can already do some of these things, great. If you're excited about figuring out how to do all of them, great! We'd love to hear from you either way.".)

• Two years of journalism experience.
• Bachelor's degree in journalism or related field.
• Valid driver's license and registered vehicle to travel to assignments.
• The candidate should possess strong news judgment and excellent verbal and analytical skills; must have the ability to work all stories under pressure with assigned deadlines; must have ability to interact productively and enthusiastically with fellow employees and all levels of management. Experience appearing on camera and in video editing and production is a plus.

The Dallas Morning News is a storied newsroom with a reputation for fearless reporting and local accountability. We're investing in beats that help our readers make sense of the forces shaping life in North Texas. Few beats offer as much visibility and narrative potential as the business of sports.

We believe our community is best served by a diverse newsroom that fosters an inclusive work environment for people from all backgrounds, regardless of race, gender, age or sexual orientation.