The Sacramento Bee is seeking a food reporter to cover one of the most popular topics in the region and one that offers boundless opportunities for storytelling. Food is woven into the fabric of life here. Food shapes our lives, from dining, and all the ways it touches on the rich demographics in the region, to agriculture, a long-standing lifeblood of what makes the valley distinctive.

The food beat combines all those interests into a vibrant mix of people, trends and useful information. Restaurants, cooking, local farms, agriculture, award-winning chefs, wine and beer all play a role in how we prepare and consume food.

We’re looking for a journalist who can be a guide in this world, delivering breaking news about restaurant openings and closings while developing more ambitious stories about food trends and Sacramento’s vibrant dining landscape. The food reporter is a key focal point for our audience, someone who can advise them as well as delight them. We will do this through stories, a weekly newsletter and community events.

This reporter should be the go-to source for insights into local restaurants, breweries and wineries, producing food coverage that is first and best in the Sacramento area. The Bee’s food reporter also has an important role to play in our newsroom’s community engagement efforts. Connecting with readers through events and soliciting their input about local restaurants are important aspects of this role. The community of readers who are passionate about food is vast, and this reporter should be committed to understanding and serving this audience.

We are looking for someone who will embrace food culture as a way of life. In California, the world’s fifth-largest economy, it is very much so.

The reporter on this beat should have an affinity for food, of course, but also the ability to capture news about it in a compelling way, through reporting daily stories on what’s new in dining and businesses, as well as in enterprise stories that provide context for our enthusiastic food audience.

What You'll Bring

Deliver a mix of daily and enterprise stories that resonate with a wide range of readers — from foodies to casual diners
Consistently break news on this competitive beat
Write The Bee’s weekly food and drink newsletter and grow its readership
Collaborate with journalists across the newsroom, including the visuals and audience teams, to develop new approaches to storytelling and community engagement
Think about audience first and always, with a commitment to tactics that grow readership
Work well in a team environment

What You'll Need

The successful candidate should meet many, though not necessarily all, of the following requirements:

Minimum of three years of reporting experience, with a background in food coverage or related work
Understanding of food and drink trends, restaurants, chefs and agriculture
Excellent reporting, writing and sourcing skills
A track record of developing sources and breaking exclusive stories
Meticulous news judgment and a commitment to ethical reporting
Fluency in digital storytelling and social media
Understanding of readership metrics and SEO best practices
A collaborative spirit and strong interpersonal skills
An innovative approach to reaching and growing our audience
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving news environment
College degree or equivalent work experience

The anticipated base pay range for this position is between $33.33 and $43.59 per hour based on 37.5 hours per week. Individual base pay may vary within that range depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience and relevant education.

To apply, please include a cover letter, your resume and four to six examples of your best work.

What We’ll Bring

As a journalist at McClatchy, you will join a supportive, flexible, collaborative team. McClatchy strives to be an employer of choice, and our benefits package is made with this goal in mind. With a focus on well-being and daily life, our package options include healthcare coverage for employees and their families, financial protection from expected and unexpected expenses, multiple no-cost wellness resources and even coverage for four-legged friends.

Our overall benefits package also includes a 401(k) with employer match, competitive paid time off and corporate holidays, and a variety of mental health benefits. For more information on McClatchy's benefit plan, please visit McClatchyLivewell.com.

About The McClatchy Media Company

The McClatchy Media Company features a portfolio of vibrant and trusted news, lifestyle, entertainment brands and a robust retail distribution network. Our iconic local news brands such as the Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star and The Sacramento Bee, have collectively earned a total of 57 Pulitzer prizes and are complemented by popular lifestyle and entertainment brands such as Us Weekly and Woman’s World. Together, our brands reach more than 100 million unique visitors a month,The McClatchy Retail Network, our distribution and logistics arm, offers delivery to more than 56,000 retail locations weekly.

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