Phoenix, AZ, USA Req #11428

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

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Food Writer and Dining Critic

The Arizona Republic/ azcentral.com , part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, is seeking an experienced food writer and dining critic to cover Arizona's diverse food and beverage scene.

This journalist must closely monitor local and national dining trends, restaurant industry news and chefs and other prominent figures in the food and beverage community on social media; build connections across the metro Phoenix dining community; and become familiar with digital tools like Dataminr and CrowdTangle to become the most prominent food media voice in the state and region, as well as a cultural thought leader, helping shape how our audience understands the state of Arizona dining.

The critic will track food, beverage and restaurant industry issues at the local and national level, producing a combination of full-length and capsule reviews, breaking news, cultural criticism, reported essays, longform and multi-sourced stories and multimedia projects in a fast-paced, competitive, 24/7 news cycle. The critic will have a strong grasp on how to best use SEO, social media platforms, digital and production tools and public records.

Candidates who are bilingual in English and Spanish are preferred.

Responsibilities:

• Write regular restaurant reviews and food and beverage criticism. Reviews should not only display a strong point of view about the dining experience but also serve as an opportunity to explore topics such as class, race, economics, emotion, conflict and humanity.
• Cultivate a deep curiosity for all things food and drink as well as a passion for exploring the breadth of the metro Phoenix and Arizona restaurant scene, from formal to quotidien.
• Report quickly, clearly and accurately and deliver news, via stories, video, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any other methods available to reach target audiences.
• Use metrics to inform story choices and shape beat strategies.
• Contribute to the food and dining team coverage as needed including with breaking news stories, enterprise and trending stories and traditional long-form features.
• Produce and/or write multimedia content that appeals to key audience targets and maximizes user experience on digital and social platforms to reach readers where they spend their time and attention.
• Work closely with graphic, photo and video teams to optimize and produce content.
• Appear in videos, Facebook/Instagram livestreams and podcasts. Engage with readers through various social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Reddit.
• Demonstrate strong news judgment informed by real-world experience.

• Bachelor's degree in communications, journalism or related field preferred or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Minimum of 5 years' writing/newsroom experience.
• Strong command of AP grammar and style.
• Strong copy-editing skills and the ability to produce content that is clean, accurate and "publication ready."
• Passion and enthusiasm for food and beverage, restaurants and content that will work well with audiences on social platforms.
• A desire to grow and develop a key beat in our newsroom.
• Comfort and familiarity with using social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat to enhance reporting and promote stories.
• Understands reporting ethics and sourcing.
• Excels in a fast-paced news environment and understands the digital first mission.
• Collaborates well with others and can work with a team on the biggest stories.
• This role requires a valid driver's license, reliable transportation, and the minimum liability insurance required by state law.
• Employment is contingent on passing a post-offer pre-employment background check and a motor vehicle record check & drug screen (for driving roles only).