High School Sports Reporter Job at Hearst Communications, Inc. in Austin

High School Sports Reporter, Austin American-Statesman
The Austin American-Statesman’s high school sports reporters are versatile and high-impact journalists. Intense intention is paid to football, softball, baseball and basketball, with an emphasis on storytelling, breaking news and responding to reader interests. This position is expected to cover games, break news, file FOIA requests and tell stories of the children and families that make Central Texas sports special.

What will you do?

Help cover Texas high school sports with a focus on football, basketball and baseball, but also help in other sports areas.

Take lead on enterprise topics and public records reporting related to the UIL, producing novel reporting (document dives or features) monthly.

Monitor UIL violations and recruiting news for the dozens of schools in Central Texas.

Mesh on‑court success/happenings with off‑court developments (NIL, eligibility rules, coaches’ compensation, etc.).

Provide rankings lists for the area’s top teams and players in different sports.

Write high-interest trending briefs when they arise.

Organize and send out weekly high school newsletter.

Shoot video and appear on camera for social media videos and other off‑platform content; build alternative story formats.

Track metrics to ensure efforts engage the audience.

What will it take to be successful?

Experience covering a range of sports from track to basketball to softball.

Understanding of UIL transfer rules and familiarity with high‑school‑college recruiting.

Ability to obtain public records and source‑build within the high school sports community.

Time‑management, multitasking, prioritization skills under tight deadlines and strong communication skills.

3+ years professional experience covering athletics.

Experience working with video and SEO, data sets and data visualization.

Strong ability to use social media and KPIs to guide decision‑making on story ideas and beat coverage.

Familiarity with a range of sports and ability to pinch‑hit on certain beats with little notice.

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