Reporter - Watford Observer

The Watford Observer is seeking a Reporter to join our team and help us expand our use of AI to deliver first‑class news. The successful candidate will be at the forefront of a new era in journalism, utilising AI technology to create local, and hyper‑local content for the Observer while also applying their traditional journalism skills and news sense and working as part of the team in Watford.

This role will blend some traditional, on‑the‑ground reporting with the growing capability of AI‑powered journalism tools, designed to help you work faster, smarter and at higher impact. You’ll use AI to speed up rewrites, find background information, find stories and organise content — while applying strong journalistic judgement, original reporting, and an ability to turn live moments into stories that drive audience growth.

The successful candidate will be part of a rota of reporters covering early and late shifts, as well as weekends. This is an exciting opportunity for someone passionate about journalism and the potential for AI to contribute to the way we produce and consume news, without losing sight of the importance of quality reporting and writing.

This is a proactive role that requires a keen news sense and innate understanding of what makes a strong story and what audiences want to read across a whole range of platforms. As an AI‑assisted reporter, you will have the opportunity to develop your news and technical skills, including learning how to manage and utilise AI technology effectively while employing your core journalistic skills to the sourcing, selection, angle and presentation of your digital content.

A whole host of audience and content analytics will aid you in refining and perfecting your content to meet the needs of audiences and drive growth. You’ll play a key role in ensuring that our articles meet the highest standards of accuracy, information, and compliance with media law, plagiarism, and privacy, utilising your journalistic expertise alongside AI tools.

Key Responsibilities

• Work with an AI system to help write news articles, while also utilising your journalism skills to maintain the quality and authenticity of the content.
• Cover breaking news as it happens by running live blogs and publishing updates ahead of our rivals.
• Ensure that all content produced meets legal and ethical standards, including those related to media law, plagiarism, privacy, and accuracy.
• Source stories and ideas from a range of sources, proactively building and refining a news list of high quality, engaging digital content.
• Identify and deliver areas to expand our coverage into, as well as the topics and story types that will resonate.
• Efficiently upload and manage stories, using time‑saving AI tools and techniques to ensure a seamless process without compromising the quality of the content.
• Contribute to the development of AI technology by monitoring the performance of AI‑generated content and identifying areas for improvement.
• Work closely with our existing editorial teams to help integrate selected AI‑generated content into a variety of newsrooms.
• Train other reporters in the use of AI technology.
• Stay up to date with industry trends and best practices related to AI and journalism.
• Meet page view targets.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• NCTJ diploma or equivalent.
• Excellent writing and editing skills, with strong attention to detail.
• A strong understanding of journalistic principles and practices.
• Excellent working knowledge of relevant media law and adherence to the Editors’ Code of Conduct are vital to fulfilling the functions of the role.
• Creativity and innovation, with a willingness to experiment with new approaches and techniques.
• Ability to work in a fast‑paced, deadline‑driven environment and manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Ability to analyse data and generate insights to inform content decisions.

Benefits

• 25 days holiday + bank holidays + your birthday off.
• Holiday buy scheme for extra flexibility.
• Structured career progression.