JOB DESCRIPTION
Local resident in the Kern County area in the role of writing articles for the Kern Sol News program. The person who fills this position will report directly to the Kern Sol News Executive Director (ED) and will work collaboratively with the program’s project coordinator and local program partners.
POSITION: Staff Reporter, Kern Sol News
LOCATION: Kern County, California (Bakersfield)
PAY: $17-$23 per hour
HOURS: 20-40 hours per week. Benefits are offered to those working 30 or more hours.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: The South Kern Sol youth media program was launched in 2011 to train young people living in South Kern County in media production skills and to provide a distribution outlet to share their stories with a wider audience. South Kern Sol has since expanded beyond covering South Kern to covering all of Kern County. South Kern Sol multimedia content producers, who generally range in age from 15-25, are provided an opportunity to report on and discuss the issues closest to them and their communities, while also developing communication and leadership skills. These components are essential to building a base of knowledge that can empower and grow the capacity of youth in Kern County to affect change in their community.
Specific Duties and Responsibilities: ● Media/Journalism Production:
- A self-starter who generates content for publications on Kern Sol News’ website on a weekly basis
- Posts to social media platforms that promote Kern Sol News coverage and content
- Covers community meetings that impact Kern County residents and are delivered in a timely manner
- Conducts interviews with community members for stories
- Be ready and available for field assignments directed by the Kern Sol News ED and Program Coordinator, with some assignments on very short notice — and become a “rapid responder” to other time-sensitive content needs, as directed
- Looks for own story ideas and takes initiative when pitching story and project ideas.
- Coordinates special projects as needed
- Other duties as required
Desired Qualifications:
- Excellent writing, editing, and interviewing skills are necessary.
- Journalism experience is highly desired.
- User knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud applications, and /or other digital editing tools, such as Canva, is highly desired.
- Some adeptness at the use of social media tools (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) is required.
- Being able to work on assignments independently and deliver quality work on time is required.
- Familiarity with and connection to communities in and around Kern County.
- Bilingual English/Spanish, Punjab, Tagalog, and other language fluencies are a plus.
- Possession of a valid driver’s license and the ability to drive within Kern County and California as needed is required.
HOW TO APPLY: Send resumes and cover letters to victoria@southkernsol.org.
