News-Leader to beef up news coverage by adding shopping reporter

The Springfield News-Leader is poised to eliminate one of the big holes in its news coverage.
Earlier today, the News-Leader posted an opening for a shopping reporter. The ad, posted at Journalism Jobs, reads:

The News-Leader Media Group in Springfield, Mo., is looking for a columnist to be our shopping “person-about-town” and known for and looked to by our readers for insider info in print and online.

We are a community-focused news organization that creates deep local content for a daily newspaper, weekly newspapers, glossy magazines, several Web sites and a mobile site.

We’re creating print and digital features aimed at women and focused on the topic of shopping. Coverage will include explaining consumer and retail trends, reveling in the experience of shopping and telling our community where to find bargains.

The ideal candidate is an excellent communicator, experience as a published writer, has demonstrated experience in photography or videography, is comfortable with technology and the interactivity it brings and is highly collaborative. Experience in the retail industry a plus, as is experience as an on-air personality.

This is neither an entry-level position nor focused solely on fashion. We expect this columnist to be knowledgeable and comfortable finding bargains from all sorts of retail goods and services, from lawn tractors and flooring to house wares and designer shoes.

We’re a Gannett media company and at the forefront of developing content for multiple print and online platforms. We’re reinventing our newsroom, so you’ll need to be energized by innovation and change. Our staff creates multimedia content – including audio clips, podcasts, videos, photos and photo galleries – and interacts with our readers/users through blogs, online forums and beat advisory groups.

Up for the challenge? Send your cover letter, resume, and print and digital work samples to Don Wyatt, editor, at dwyatt@news-leader.com.

The News-Leader obvoiusly plans to shop until the circulation drops.