Job Description
Job Description Sports Data Reporter The Houston Chronicle is hiring a Sports Data Reporter who thrives on finding and telling stories with data in a fast-paced, audience-centered newsroom. In this role, you will join the Hearst Texas Data Team, a collaborative group of journalist-programmers who partner with peers at the Austin American-Statesman, San Antonio Express-News, Houston Chronicle and Hearst DevHub to produce impactful, data-focused reporting. You will work closely with our sports journalists to uncover how data shapes the business and culture of athletics - from NIL deals and player compensation to ticket sales, contracts, demographics and fan engagement. This is a role where curiosity about the numbers behind the game translates into stories that resonate with everyday readers.
Key Responsibilities: - Produce data- and graphics-focused journalism centered on sports business topics, including NIL agreements, athlete contracts, revenue streams, attendance trends, and the economic impact of college and professional sports.
- Approach sports and business datasets with a healthy dose of skepticism, finding trends and stories that hold institutions accountable and provide readers with unique insights.
- Write and document reproducible, bulletproof code for data analysis.
- Collaborate with sports reporters and editors to craft audience-focused stories, pairing explanatory writing with compelling data visualizations.
- Support and further data literacy in the sports department and broader newsroom by sharing tools, methods, and leading data trainings.
We're Looking for Someone Who: - Has experience working collaboratively in a deadline-driven newsroom environment.
- Can self-manage and balance multiple projects at once, from quick-turn sports stories to deep enterprise projects.
- Possesses command of Excel and Google Sheets.
- Comfortable using Python, R or similar tools to clean, analyze and present data.
- Is comfortable with data visualization tools such as Datawrapper or Adobe Illustrator/ai2html.
- Has a working knowledge of Git and Github.
- Has a desire and ability to keep learning new data skills on the job.
- Bonus: experience with mapping tools such as ArcGIS or QGIS, APIs and web scraping, or navigating federal and Texas open-records laws related to higher education and athletics.
Success is Measured By: - Delivering stories that reveal new insights about the economics of sports, particularly NIL, contracts, and institutional finances.
- Building visualizations and data explainers that help audiences understand complex trends in a clear, engaging way.
- Providing data support and mentorship that empowers other sports reporters to integrate data into their work.
Additional Requirements and Information This role is based in the Houston Chronicle newsroom.
To be considered, you must submit all required documents in PDF format:
- One-page résumé.
- One additional page that includes: three work/character references (with titles, email addresses and phone numbers) and links to at least three digital work samples.
About the Houston Chronicle: The Houston Chronicle, recognized for its Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism, serves its 2.3 million residents with content and marketing solutions across two of Houston's largest websites - HoustonChronicle.com and Chron.com, along with our magazine, television and newspaper brands. Our mission is to spark conversations that inspire action to create a better Houston. All our content and the innovative business solutions we provide invite Houstonians to join conversations about a community we've been committed to covering and helping prosper for more than 120 years. The community we all call home.
About Hearst Newspapers: With 2,500 employees across the nation, HNP encompasses a network of 24 daily and 52 weekly publications, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News and Albany Times Union, several top digital-only news and lifestyle sites, marketing services businesses, and entertainment businesses such as King Features Syndicate.
At HNP, we are investing in new and innovative ways to tell stories - growing newsrooms, diversifying tools, evolving platforms - to support the millions of people who trust us each month to help them make decisions, take action and be inspired.
Be a part of something bigger - your headline awaits. Recognizing the diverse needs of our candidates, if you are interested in applying for employment and need assistance or an accommodation to use our website or regarding the application process, please contact us by email at hnpemployment@hearst.com. Please do not use this email address to inquire about the status of applications. We will only respond to inquiries concerning requests for a reasonable accommodation through this email address.
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