Summary of the Puerto Rican Communities Reporter II job at Connecticut Public Broadcasting Inc

Job Summary

Connecticut Public, Connecticut’s statewide NPR and PBS service, is seeking a multiplatform,

bilingual journalist who can report on the state’s deep and enduring ties with Puerto Rico.

The reporter, based in Connecticut, will explore the countless connections between the state and

the island and help to strengthen ties between Puerto Rican communities in both places – ties

that go back for generations.

Nearly 20% of Connecticut residents identify as Latino or Hispanic, and almost half of those

Latinos are of Puerto Rican descent. With the largest percentage of Puerto Ricans of any U.S.

state, Connecticut is uniquely positioned to tell the stories that bridge the diaspora and the island.

The reporter will focus on stories that cover critical news, as well as cultural and human-interest

topics such as food, music and shared traditions, to provide deeper context and connections for

audiences across Connecticut and Puerto Rico.

Essential Functions

• Be a key collaborator with Connecticut Public's Latino Initiative, called Somos Connecticut, an organization-wide effort to expand our reporting, programming and engagement with Latino communities.
•  Build sources, develop ideas, and work with editors and colleagues on daily broadcast and digital stories, as well as longer-term stories, ongoing projects and newsletters.
• Collaborate with Connecticut Public colleagues on initiatives to connect with and attract Latino audiences, such as community engagement events and listening sessions.
• Engage Latinos in our storytelling and report news in clear and accessible ways, including through short-form video and platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and TikTok in collaboration with our social media team.
• Focus on stories that cover daily news, as well as feature stories around food, music and arts & culture, to provide deeper context and connection for audiences across Connecticut and Puerto Rico.
• Interview sources, record audio and communicate fluently in both English and Spanish.
• Report on Connecticut’s growing Latino population and tell memorable stories that inspire deeper connection within Connecticut’s local Latino communities.
• Research, write, report, edit and voice a wide variety of stories and series for radio and online, as well as social media and newsletters.
• Tell stories in both English and Spanish to make our journalism accessible to a wider audience.
• Work regularly with news editors, our Latino Communities reporter and with the editor of our Latino Initiative.
• Work collaboratively with editors and fellow journalists at Connecticut Public, as well as with a reporter and editor at GFR Media -- a Puerto Rico-based media company -- as part of a groundbreaking collaboration between the two news organizations.

Responsibilities

• Additional duties may, at times, be assigned and required.
• Build a network of sources across all walks of life and deliver compelling, people-centered storytelling on digital, social and radio broadcast.
• Collaborate with visual journalists every step of the way – as an assignment emerges and at the scene of a story. 
• Edit audio, focusing on compelling soundbites and sound-rich scenes.
• Explore the countless connections between the state and the island and help to strengthen ties between Puerto Rican communities in both places.
• Record audio in person in the field and on assignment; record audio in virtual settings; record audio from livestreams.
• Serve as a resource for talk shows and appear occasionally on the air as a guest.
• Serve as fill-in host and on-air fundraiser as needed.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Knowledge of:

•  AP and NPR style.
• Editing and news tools that support reporting, including Word, Excel, Audition, and digital
• editing apps.
• Microsoft Office applications, including O365suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Microsoft
• Project, Smartsheets and Outlook).
• Mission and purpose of CT Public.
• News judgment and an understanding of how to write for radio and broadcast about Connecticut and Puerto Rico issues.

Skill in:

• Attention to detail, scheduling and strong organizational skills.
• Audio editing.
• Collaborating across the newsroom using strong interpersonal skills.
• Diverse storytelling in words, audio and video.
• Embracing and encouraging the use of new techniques and technologies.
• News judgment and outstanding writing and editing skills.
• Reporting and writing for a digital audience to expand and grow our digital presence.
• Spanish language fluency, both speaking and writing.
• Telling journalism with impact and possessing the courage to take on difficult subjects.

Ability to:

• Adjust on the fly during interviews.
• Be a self-starter who takes initiative and brings story ideas to editors on a regular basis.
• Maintain high journalistic standards under deadline pressure, including standards of objectivity, balance and fairness that meet CT Public, NPR and PBS standards in order to produce local and national-quality broadcasting.
•  Possess a visceral distaste for office politics and gossip.
• Possess initiative and self-motivation and work with minimal supervision.
• Take creative direction, feedback and constructive criticism with grace.
• Work with reporters, editors and producers in environments that include remote and geographically distanced offices, like Puerto Rico.
• Work in a fast-paced environment, making smart, fast and solid editorial decisions, under pressure and under strict deadlines.

Physical Requirements

The physical activities of this position include frequent in-person or virtual interactions.  IMust be able to remain at a desk/computer workstation for prolonged period.  Must have close visual acuity to perform an activity, such as preparing and analyzing data and figures, transcribing, viewing a computer terminal, or extensive reading.  The typical physical requirements are: medium work—exerting up to 25lbs of force occasionally and/or up to 25lbs of force frequently and may include climbing, pushing, standing, hearing, walking, reaching, grasping, kneeling, stooping, and repetitive motion.  Noise levels may vary depending on the event setting.  Must have the ability to travel independently throughout the state.   

Working Conditions

The reporter will often be in the field and conducting in-person interviews. This position may be exposed to adverse environmental conditions, specifically during field work. Other job functions are performed under conditions such as those found in general office work or work-from-home, as approved.  Travel within the state and to our geographically-separated offices (e.g. New Haven and Fairfield) is required. Duties are routinely performed Monday through Friday between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.  

Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree in Journalism or Communications from an accredited university or a similar field AND at least five to seven (5-7) years of direct and sustained professional journalism experience AND/OR a satisfactory equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.