Entertainment News & Legal Reporter, USA TODAY Entertainment

Entertainment News & Legal Reporter, USA TODAY Entertainment

Location: Los Angeles
Team: USA TODAY Entertainment
Role Type: Full-time, exempt

Overview:

USA TODAY is seeking an experienced Entertainment News & Legal Reporter with a strong track record of breaking news and covering legal and sensitive stories involving celebrities, influencers and the broader entertainment industry. You will drive fast-turn coverage, develop original enterprise stories, and translate complex legal documents into clear, fact-forward reporting that serves a national audience.

What you'll do:

• Break entertainment news with speed and accuracy, prioritizing legal and sensitive developments (lawsuits, criminal cases, countersuits, settlements, deaths, divorce, misconduct allegations, contract disputes, labor actions, etc.).
• Source, read and interpret legal documents (complaints, indictments, motions, settlements, probate filings, police reports, bankruptcy petitions, consent decrees, filings on PACER/state court portals) and use them to advance our coverage with precise context and fair framing.
• Develop and maintain sources across the legal community (lawyers, police sources, public officials, clerks, court spokespeople, agency PR) and inside entertainment ecosystems (labels, studios, streaming services, talent reps, unions).
• Report beyond the day-of cycle by identifying under‑told stories and explaining complex or systemic issues that break from the news churn-using data, documents, and human voices to show impact.
• Publish across platforms, including onsite, in print, newsletters, and social with vertical video explainers/updates, appearing on camera when needed.
• Use AI tools responsibly for research, discovery and analytics-always maintaining transparency, human judgment, and editorial standards.
• Collaborate with editors, visuals, audience, social/video, legal, standards & ethics teams to shape coverage plans, headlines, packaging, SEO and distribution.
• File quickly and cleanly under deadline while maintaining meticulous sourcing.
• Some nights/weekends/holiday work may be required, as driven by breaking news, entertainment events and court calendars and filings.

• 5+ years covering entertainment journalism with a track record of breaking stories and handling legal/sensitive topics with compassion and care.
• Document literacy: Comfort pulling, parsing and summarizing legal filings; familiarity with court systems (federal/state), PACER and public-records requests (FOIA/FOIL).
• A robust contact list across the legal community; proven ability to cultivate new sources and earn trust.
• Editorial judgment & ethics: Fluent in standards for fairness, accuracy, sensitivity, trauma‑informed reporting and cautious language around allegations/claims.
• Storycraft: Ability to write crisp updates and craft deeper enterprise narratives; comfort structuring timelines, fact boxes, and explainer formats.
• Familiarity with entertainment business reporting (contracts, box office/streaming economics, guild agreements).
• Enterprise mindset: Regular delivery of deeper pieces that illuminate under‑covered issues and move conversations forward.

1. Your resume - one to two pages.
2. A cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job.