Reporter/Copy Editor

Larson Newspapers is seeking a full-time reporter at the Sedona Red Rock News, a biweekly newspaper located in Sedona and The Journal, a weekly newspaper covering the Verde Valley, of Northern Arizona, south of Flagstaff and two hours north of Phoenix. The position is full-time reporter, 40 hours/week total. Salary range based on experience.

Our News Department has a moderately-sized staff working for a long-time family-owned newspaper group -- Larson Newspapers -- of two papers that have covered our valley for 63 years. This is a great position for recent college graduates working their first job who want to learn the ins and outs of covering local news with a great team of supportive colleagues and editors before moving on a few years down the road or for seasoned journalists who want to cover a diverse mixture of hard news and features and cover a growing community and enjoy doing it. Our staff earns numerous individual awards and newspaper-wide awards from the Arizona Newspapers Association (now the Arizona Media Association) often including 1st, 2nd or 3rd place for "General Excellence."

Send a resume, and clips or portfolios to [email protected], attention Managing Editor Christopher Fox Graham, subject: "Sedona Reporter". Please include at least three news stories and three professional references.

Responsibilities

• The position is 40%-50% copy editing, 50%-60% reporting, 40 hours/week total. Applicants will assist the managing editor with the Sedona Red Rock News (twice weekly) and The Journal (weekly), primarily covering Sedona, Cottonwood and Camp Verde in addition to the smaller towns of Clarkdale and Jerome, and about 10 special tabs throughout the year. We need a copy editor who has a strong grasp of English grammar and AP Style to standardize the wide range of copy from reporters, columnists, professional public relations folks and amateur writers.

• Write and report two to five stories a week (four is average). Hard news, feature stories, lifestyles, profiles, arts and other general assignment and breaking news coverage across Sedona, Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Jerome and Camp Verde, and the Verde Valley as a whole (unincorporated Village of Oak Creek, Oak Creek Canyon, Rimrock, Lake Montezuma, Page Springs and Cornville). There's never a shortage of interesting stories to cover.

• Write one additional story for special tabs throughout the year.

• Research local, community and regional news.

• Ensure late-breaking news is added to website, when needed.

• Post stories to social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube). We have a very active social media presence in our communities. Our readership is very engaged on social media and our websites, redrocknews.com and journalaz.com.

Skills and Requirements

• A journalism or English degree, or experience working at a newspaper is necessary.

• Knowledge of Associated Press Style required.

• We have two full-time photojournalists, but basic photography skills are a plus.

• Social media skills preferred.

• Critical thinking, reading and analysis.

• Interview skills in person and over the phone, as needed.

• Understanding of the news process.

• Available to work on a flexible schedule. 

• Ability to work under stressful conditions and strict deadlines. As a weekly newspaper, most stories can be written over the course of a week but occasional breaking news or major council decisions may come up.

Salary & Housing

The salary ranges from $30,000 for entry-level reporters and those right out of college to $35,000 for veteran journalists with years of experience. Reporters must live in the Verde Valley or move to the area before employment, but can live anywhere in our readership area: Camp Verde, Clarkdale, Cottonwood, Jerome or Sedona, or the unincorporated areas of Page Springs, Cornville, Rimrock, Lake Montezuma, McGuireville, the Village of Oak Creek, Oak Creek Canyon. Housing is limited in the Sedona area, but cheaper and more plentiful in Cottonwood, Camp Verde, Clarkdale and the Verde Villages. We can assist in the search for housing if needed.  

The Verde Valley and Sedona

On average, there are 278 and 300 sunny days in Sedona and 275 sunny days per year in Cottonwood and about 14 total inches of rain, mainly during the summer monsoon and over the winter, occasionally with light snow. There's great hiking in Sedona, the Black Hills and Mingus Mountain. The Verde Valley is surrounded by the Prescott and Coconino National Forests. The Verde River and its Oak Creek tributary flow through the Verde Valley, with kayaking, swimming and fishing along the Verde River. The Sedona area has some of the most popular and most photographed trails and rock formations in the Southwest if you want to impress family back home about where you live.

The Sedona International Film Festival hosts a 10-day annual festival every February with 160 films and hundreds of filmmakers and actors discussing their films. There are monthly major festivals, parades and events throughout the valley and our standalone arts section, The Scene, is distributed free, highlighting these and other events every Friday.

Tuzigoot National Monument outside Clarkdale and Montezuma Castle National Monument outside Camp Verde are pueblos built by the Sinagua people, who inhabited the region from 1100 to 1450 CE. The Yavapai-Apache Nation, a federally recognized tribe with about 1,600 enrolled members, has three separate communities in the Camp Verde and Clarkdale areas and operate Cliff Castle Casino. 

Slide Rock State Park and Red Rock State Park are located outside Sedona, Dead Horse Ranch State Park is in Clarkdale, Fort Verde State Historic Park and Rockin’ River Ranch State Park are in Camp Verde, and Jerome State Historic Park is in Jerome.

Sedona and the Verde Valley have about 69,300 residents in five incorporated cities and surrounding areas and a median age of 50.1. Sedona has a population of just under 10,000 but we get around 3 million tourists a year.

When fully staffed, our newsroom team consists of the editor, two reporters, a photojournalist and two members on our production staff. Our managing editor has 24+ years of experience as a journalist, 13+ years as the editor and has taught college classes on the First Amendment and media law. The editor, newsroom team and general manager, Kyle Larson, the third generation of the Larson family, wants to help reporters improve over their career in the Verde Valley. We write excellent investigative pieces, hard-hitting editorials, great features and cover controversies without fear or intimidation.

Former staffers have gone on to major newspapers and media outlets in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and the Phoenix area with experience they learned here. While we're a hyperlocal newspaper, we cover state stories that affect our readership and had interviews with members of Congress, senators, governors, cabinet secretaries, a vice president, candidates for office, foreign ambassadors, astronauts, national authors and international filmmakers who have come to Sedona and the Verde Valley for events. We're the largest newspaper group in the Verde Valley with about eight times more readers than our competitors, a major readership penetration, well-read websites and robust online discussion via social media with a highly educated and politically active readership.