What are the responsibilities and job description for the Reporter - Ohio State position at Advance Local?
Cleveland.com's award-winning sports team has an opening for an ambitious, aggressive and tech-savvy reporter to become part of our three-person team covering the Ohio State football program.
This reporter will live in Columbus and excel in developing sources, delivering insightful opinion and analysis, and producing the kind of stories fans cannot find anywhere else.
The ideal candidate understands that the modern sports reporter must be equally comfortable filing breaking news, building sources, appearing on podcasts, engaging audiences on social media, producing video and creating distinctive journalism that drives conversation.
A primary focus of this position will be on recruiting and roster management, as well as daily coverage of OSU football at home and on the road. The role also will include some coverage of Ohio State basketball.
Crucially, this reporter will be a key voice on Buckeye Talk, one of college football's most popular podcasts, and will help shape coverage strategies across written, audio and video platforms. The successful candidate will understand how audiences consume content differently across platforms and will be skilled at adapting reporting into compelling stories, videos, podcasts and social content.
The reporter will join one of the strongest sports newsrooms in the country and will have the opportunity to help define how Ohio State coverage evolves in a rapidly changing college sports landscape.
Examples of content may include:
- Exclusive news and source-driven reporting
- Recruiting coverage and analysis
- Investigative and accountability reporting
- Transfer portal and roster management coverage
- Enterprise features and profiles
- Podcast appearances and audio storytelling
- Video explainers and social-first reporting
- Live coverage from games, practices and major events
EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS
- Demonstrated ability to break news and develop sources
- Demonstrated ability using AI tools to produce top-quality journalism
- Experience covering college athletics, recruiting or a comparable high-profile beat
- Strong reporting, interviewing and enterprise journalism skills
- Ability to produce insightful analysis and informed opinion backed by reporting
- Excellent news judgment and understanding of journalistic ethics
- Experience appearing on podcasts, video programs or other audience-facing platforms
- Experience shooting, editing and publishing video content for social media and YouTube
- Strong social media instincts and audience engagement skills
- Understanding of search engine optimization and digital publishing best practices
- Ability to work independently while managing multiple priorities and deadlines
- Ability to build relationships with athletes, coaches, recruits, administrators and fans
- Proven ability to reach and grow audiences across multiple platforms
- Experience using analytics and audience data to inform content decisions
- Willingness to work nights, weekends and travel as required by the beat
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Gather information and produce journalistically sound content across all platforms that is:
- Accurate and well-sourced
- Timely and competitive
- Distinctive and audience-focused
- Contextual and insightful
Coverage will include:
- Attending games, practices, press conferences, recruiting events and other Ohio State athletic events
- Breaking news and delivering exclusive reporting on Ohio State athletics
- Building and maintaining a broad network of sources
- Producing recruiting coverage with a primary focus on football
- Identifying trends, controversies and story opportunities before competitors
- Writing news stories, analysis, enterprise features and commentary
- Producing video content for social platforms, YouTube and cleveland.com
- Engaging audiences through social media, live coverage and community interaction
- Using audience, analytics and listening tools to identify content opportunities
- Publishing frequent updates throughout the day across digital platforms
- Collaborating with editors, producers and fellow reporters to maximize the reach and impact of coverage
- Monitoring and engaging with reader feedback and discussions when appropriate
- Using AI-assisted and emerging digital tools to strengthen reporting and storytelling
- Other duties as assigned