SWNS, Reporter

We are expanding our news Discovery team and looking for two confident reporters.

This is a great opportunity for writers who love sourcing their own material and are hungry to land exclusives every day.

The successful candidates will be obsessed with finding their own stories, from the shocking and scandalous to the quirky and heartwarming.

The roles will suit enthusiastic starters who are keen to learn, as well as more experienced reporters.

One of the roles will involve a greater focus on international sourcing – particularly from the US – so will suit a reporter with previous agency or national publishing experience.

Both will be based at our Bristol HQ but staff currently have the option of working from home.

Who we are

SWNS is the UK’s biggest independent news content provider, with staff in offices across the country and a satellite in the US.

We have continued to grow over the last decade thanks to our commitment to real journalism and original content.

We distribute more than 1,000 original media assets every day, making us one of the single biggest sources of news content for publishers across the world.

Our content spans everything from breaking news and human interest to health, science and viral videos.

Our clients are all the major publishers and broadcasters in the UK and US - the likes of the Mail Online, The Sun, AOL, Yahoo!, the New York Post and Fox News.

We believe in real journalism; reporters, photographers and videographers who gather content on the ground and turn them into media packages which leap off the page or screen. 

Our passion, drive and innovative business model has seen us grow exponentially over the last decade and this role reflects our continued investment in journalism.

The role

You will be part of the Discovery team at our HQ, which sources unique and exclusive content through our owned and operated digital platforms and modern newsgathering techniques.

All our writers must be able to use social and digital media to find stories and turn them into unique and engaging content for international publishers.

The ideal candidates must also be confident in managing exclusives and contributors. Being confident and compassionate on the phone is an absolute must for these roles.

We have a strong ‘real life’ focus to our content; most of our stories are about people.  You will be writing for news outlets, but should have an awareness of what makes a good feature story for weekly magazines and TV.

Both roles will require the successful candidates to be extremely organised and self-motivated.

The more senior role focusing on international and US content may involve unusual hours and communication with reporters and contributors in different time zones.

The successful candidates will also be required to step in and help the traditional news operation when required.

All applicants must have:

• Social media content gathering skills  
• An interest in real life human interest and popular journalism
• NCTJ or similar qualification
• Shorthand (please specify word count)
• Newswriting experience
• Be confident and personable with the ability to quickly strike a rapport with people, particularly over the phone
• Have a sharp eye for a story and the competitive drive to develop them
• Be a fast learner with bags of energy who is willing to jump in at the deep end
• Be organised and able to self-manage
• A driving licence and car is preferable

Please click 'APPLY NOW' and send a cover letter and CV, explaining why you want to work at SWNS and why you fit the criteria. Closing 30 September 2020.