Reporter (Spotlight)

Job description

The TVCA department in Belfast is looking for a reporter to work on Spotlight, BBC Northern Ireland’s award winning current affairs programme. The programme has won an extraordinary number of regional current affairs RTS awards and is currently the holder of the network RTS Scoop of the Year award.

With a genuine interest in the Northern Ireland story and Northern Irish issues, you will be committed to investigative journalism and be willing to embrace new ways of working. Working on agenda-setting stories, you’ll investigate, interview, report and write scripts for 30 minute films.

This is a remarkable opportunity to gain experience, as a reporter, in a unit that has been designated as a BBC centre of excellence.

Shortlisted candidates may be asked to do a screen test. 

This is a 6 month attachment / FTC opportunity

For further information contact Jeremy Adams  on 028 90 338359 or Gwyneth Jones on 028 90 338817

COMPLETED APPLICATION FORMS MUST BE RETURNED BY MIDNIGHT ON Sunday 6th December

Role Responsibility

· To report, analyse and investigate the current affairs of Northern Ireland. Reporters are expected to suggest story ideas and break new stories.  They must be prepared to carry out in-depth research, find contributors for their reports, conduct interviews, produce well written scripts and broadcast these scripts in an authoritative and presentable manner. This attachment is for a reporter to work exclusively on Spotlight.
· To report on specific events, place them in context and provide detailed analysis and background as necessary at home and overseas. Reporters are required to provide material in any of the programme styles which have been developed, or may be developed by Television Current Affairs
· Reporters are expected to take editorial responsibility for their own work. They must have a thorough knowledge of the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines and the law as it applies to journalists.
· Reporters must be prepared to undertake work to publicise the programmes of Television Current Affairs. This may involve writing articles and producing television and radio packages to promote their films. They may also be asked to give interviews both to the BBC and to other media outlets about their work.
· To be responsible in the field for the work and safety of junior staff working with them.

The Ideal Candidate

· Reporters must be professional journalists with a good general education. 
· They must have a good knowledge of Northern Ireland affairs and of the events and issues on the Northern Ireland news agenda.
· They must acquire a good knowledge of all the techniques involved in broadcast journalism and keep themselves up to date in all areas relevant to their work.

About the Company

We don’t focus simply on what we do – we also care how we do it. Our values and the way we behave are very important to us. Please make sure you’ve read about our values and behaviours in the document attached below. You’ll be asked questions relating to them as part of your application for this role.