Summary of the Life and Trends Reporter (Casual) job at Newsweek

Newsweek is seeking a casual Life and Trends Reporter to join our UK based digital newsroom, producing fast, accurate and original coverage for an American audience. The reporter will contribute engaging stories across the Life and Trends portfolio, applying strong editorial judgement, rigorous fact checking and a sound understanding of media law.

Reporting to the Senior Editor, the casual Life and Trends Reporter will source, pitch, research and develop original stories, exclusives, interviews, features and timely updates. The primary objective of the role is to obtain the elements needed to build a complete story package, for both Newsweek.com and off-platform.

The reporter will actively monitor a range of sources and platforms, including social media and Google Trends, to identify emerging conversations, human interest stories and topics with strong audience potential.

This is a remote casual worker position. Working days and hours are flexible and will be agreed on an ad hoc basis according to the needs of the department and mutual availability. Those based in London will also have the option of working from the London office.

Key Responsibilities

• Produce multiple Life and Trends articles each day to a high editorial standard.

• Pitch original ideas daily and identify opportunities to extend, advance or update existing coverage.

• Build complete story packages that include original voices, relevant data, context and strong visual elements.

• Secure original comment from key people connected to stories, including through interviews, events, podcasts, social media and other credible sources.

• Research and write original stories, exclusives, interviews and features that engage an American audience.

• Prioritise off-platform stories while producing additional content for Newsweek.com.

• Monitor news wires, social media, Google Trends and other relevant sources for emerging stories, trends and conversations.

• Identify and upload the strongest available visuals, including video, still images and other opportunities to enhance the presentation of a story.

• Use engaging writing, effective story structure and strong visual support to improve reader engagement.

• Apply sound editorial judgement and rigorous fact checking to ensure accuracy, fairness, clarity and journalistic integrity.

• Ensure all content meets Newsweek’s editorial, legal and ethical standards, regardless of speed or volume expectations.

• Collaborate with assigning editors, content editors, visuals teams and audience teams to develop, package and publish stories.

• Remain open to evolving workflows, formats and responsibilities as newsroom and business needs develop.

• Perform any other reasonable duties necessary to meet the needs of the business.

Person Specification

Required

• Experience working in a reputable, fast paced digital publication, preferably covering lifestyle, human interest, consumer, culture, entertainment or trends stories.

• Proven ability to source, pitch, report and produce several stories each day to a high standard.

• Demonstrable experience of developing complete story packages that combine original voices, data, context and visuals.

• Strong understanding of the Life and Trends news agenda and the types of stories that engage an American audience.

• Ability to identify original angles and secure comment from people directly connected to a story.

• Strong news judgement and an excellent command of clear, concise and engaging digital copy.

• Experience using social media, Google Trends and other digital sources to identify stories and emerging topics.

• Strong visual judgement and the ability to identify images, video and other assets that support and improve a story.

• Ability to work accurately and calmly to tight deadlines.

• A collaborative approach and the ability to work effectively with assigning editors, content editors, visuals teams and audience teams.

• Willingness to adapt to evolving newsroom priorities, workflows, formats and responsibilities.
• Solid understanding of media law, sourcing best practice and ethical journalism.

Desirable

• Experience producing off-platform content or other digital aggregation platforms.

• Proficiency with content management systems, digital publishing tools and basic analytics.

• A track record of original reporting, including exclusives, interviews or high impact human interest stories.

• Familiarity with data journalism basics, including spreadsheets, public datasets and simple charts.

• Competency with multimedia, including image editing, simple video trimming and social embeds.

• Knowledge of SEO techniques and audience development strategies.