The Fresno Bee is seeking an ambitious journalist who can develop enterprise reporting for and about the San Joaquin Valley’s Latino communities.

Fresno County, in the heart of California’s diverse San Joaquin Valley, is a community in transition. Latinos are the largest ethnic community in the county. They are now the majority on the Fresno City Council and set the tone for the community’s culture, economy and education needs. We are looking for a reporter who can capture the growing political power and cultural influence of the Valley’s Latino community, as well as the challenges they are confronting. The Valley is an agricultural region home to entrenched poverty and the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted Fresno County’s Latino communities, both physically and financially.

We are seeking a bilingual reporter who can balance quicker-turnaround stories with in-depth, longer-form journalism that’s written for and about the region’s Latino communities. The ideal candidate will develop trust with residents in Fresno’s urban core and its rural communities, including those from disadvantaged communities, and generate unique story ideas through deep sourcing, documents and data. The reporter should be compassionate, collaborative and creative about how to craft stories that serve the community’s needs.

This reporter will be an integral part of the Central Valley News Collaborative, an innovative, bilingual news collaboration funded by Microsoft Corp. that includes three local news organizations: The Bee and its bilingual newspaper Vida en el Valle, Valley Public Radio and Radio Bilingüe. Stories will be translated into Spanish and the reporter will have the opportunity to discuss their stories on the radio in English and Spanish, ensuring the reporting reaches the Valley’s diverse audiences. In its first year, the collaboration dug into how the Valley’s Latino communities were disproportionately burdened by COVID-19.

This reporter will also help anchor La Abeja, a weekly California Latino newsletter produced by reporters focusing on Latino communities at The Bee’s sister newsrooms in California.

The anticipated base pay range for this position is between $25.00 and $26.00 per hour. Individual base pay may vary within that range depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, relevant education, training, geography and local wage and hours laws.

Minimum requirements:

• At least 1 year of reporting experience
• Strong writing and reporting skills and excellent news judgment
• Unwavering commitment to accurate, ethical journalism
• Fluency in Spanish
• Demonstrated ability to use social media platforms to reach and engage with audiences
• Fluency in the science of readership and engagement, including an understanding of how to use analytics such as page views, time on site, referral sources and “shares and likes” to help determine which stories resonate with which audiences
• A demonstrated ability to tell stories using a variety of tools and platforms, including taking photos and capturing and editing video
• Strong interpersonal skills, including empathy and the ability to take and give constructive criticism. The new workflows require constant conversations between reporters and editors and between reporters and their audience as a story evolves
• Demonstrated ability to work comfortably in a job that will be fast-paced, data-driven, shaped constantly by feedback and experimentation

What we’ll bring:
As a journalist at McClatchy, you will join a supportive, flexible, collaborative team. McClatchy strives to be an employer of choice, and our benefits package is made with this goal in mind. With a focus on health, well-being, wealth and daily life, our package options include healthcare coverage for employees and their families, financial protection from expected and unexpected expenses, multiple no-cost wellness resources and even coverage for four-legged friends.

Our overall benefits package also includes a 401(k) with employer match, competitive paid time off and corporate holidays, and a variety of mental health benefits. With an excellent support team and with focus on your well-being as a top corporate strategy, McClatchy provides benefits to support you and your family in achieving your health and wellness goals. For more information on McClatchy's benefit plan, please visit McClatchyLivewell.com.

To apply, include a persuasive cover letter, your resume and four to six examples of your best work.

About McClatchy:
Our impact is growing every day. 30 growing markets. Over 65 million monthly readers. 56 Pulitzer Prizes. A strong portfolio of dynamic partnerships and smart investments. Our award-winning journalism, digital reach, and commitment to innovative growth have never been stronger.

As a member of the McClatchy family, you are part of a flexible, empowering, and exciting culture dedicated to creating a work/life balance and consistent opportunities for growth—a place where you have a voice and the ability to impact our future. It’s an exciting time to be here. Our company is experiencing the most transformative period in its history. We’re growing rapidly in the digital space and delivering award-winning journalism in innovative ways.