Journalist – South Online – EXTEND

This is an opportunity to be part of the team which serves the digital audience across the South of England. From the spires of Oxford to the cliffs of the Isle of Wight, this is a region which is never short on news and gives an ambitious journalist the chance to help cement the BBC at the heart of the local conversation in the digital arena and make a splash further afield.

Job Requisition ID: 30110

Job Closing Date: 01/10/2025

Southampton, GBR, S014 7PW

JOB DETAILS

JOB BAND: C
CONTRACT TYPE: Fixed-term/Attachment – Full time until September 2026
DEPARTMENT: BBC South Online, BBC Nations
LOCATION: Reading – Hybrid
PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: Include salary range including currency icon e.g. £27,600 – £33,000 depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.

We’re happy to discuss flexible working. If you’d like to, please indicate your preference in the application – though there’s no obligation to do so now. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.

BBC EXTEND

This role is advertised as part of our BBC Extend programme for disabled people. To apply for this role you should identify as deaf, disabled or neurodivergent and must meet either the definition of disability in the Equality Act (2010), or the definition of disability in the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) if applying in Northern Ireland. You’re broadly defined as disabled under both acts if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative or adverse effect on your ability to do normal daily activities. This definition includes both apparent and non-apparent conditions and impairments, and medical conditions such as Cancer, HIV or Multiple Sclerosis.

We are committed to making the process of applying for this role as accessible as possible. If you need to discuss adjustments or access requirements for the application process, or have any questions about our Extend programme, please contact [email protected].

The BBC are fully committed to providing workplace adjustments to help eliminate barriers in the workface that disabled people face. To do this, we have our own dedicated BBC Access and Disability Service that provides assessments and support throughout employment with us. If you are successful in applying for this role and require workplace adjustments, we will work with you to get your adjustments in place.

If you’d like more information on BBC Extend, please visit the BBC Extend webpage. (EXTEND code: EX2324).

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

WHY JOIN THE TEAM
As well as helping to set the daily news agenda on digital platforms you will also have the opportunity to make your original ideas work on linear platforms. This is a great chance for someone who cares about the importance of informing local and regional audiences about what impacts their lives. This role involves varied working hours including weekend working.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT:

Writing concise, engaging and accurate news stories for online, demonstrating the ability to exercise strong editorial judgement to tight deadlines
Excellent writing ability with a solid understanding of legal and editorial issues
Contributing on a daily basis to the production of original journalism by the BBC South news team
Creating and identifying the content that helps keep the BBC relevant in an ever-changing local news landscape
Liaising daily with teams in radio and TV in order to promote an integrated approach

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

Strong journalistic skills and experience of delivering news on a deadline
Understand what matters to people about their local community and beyond.
Experience in crafting and producing concise, accurate news content.
Track record of coming up with original news ideas and stories

If you can bring some of these skills and experience, along with transferable strengths, we’d love to hear from you and encourage you to apply.

Disclaimer

This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved.

Please note: If you were to be offered this role, the BBC will conduct Employment screening checks which include Reference checks; Eligibility to work checks; and if applicable to the role, Safeguarding and Adverse media/Social media checks. Any offer made is conditional on these checks being satisfactory.

For any general queries, please contact: [email protected]

Redeployment

The BBC is committed to redeploying employees seeking suitable alternative employment within the BBC and they will be given priority consideration ahead of other applicants. Priority consideration means for those employees seeking redeployment their application will be considered alongside anyone else at risk of redundancy, prior to any individuals being considered who are not at risk.