Freelance Reporter Needed for Hellertown Patch

A freelance reporter is needed to cover municipal and school board meetings in the Saucon Valley area (Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township).

Experience in covering local council/supervisors and/or school board meetings is a plus, but not required. The ability to write and report objectively is a must.

Freelancers are expected to upload stories and photos using Patch's content management system.

Applicants must:

• Have communications/journalism experience (photography experience a plus).
• Be able to work independently, with evening availability.
• Have the ability to report on a tight deadline.
• Have good news judgment.
• Understand copyright and libel laws.
• Be technologically savvy.
• Have access to a computer, the Internet and a camera.
• Have access to reliable transportation.
• Live or work in or around the Lehigh Valley--preferably in Northampton County.

There may be opportunities to pitch story ideas as well as be assigned stories outside of municipal meeting coverage.

Familiarity with the Saucon Valley is a plus.

To apply, send a current resume, cover letter and 2-3 clips to josh.popichak@patch.com.

Payment is per assignment.

About Patch:

We're Patch.com, a digital platform that's radically reinventing journalism and community engagement. We launched with just three sites in February 2009 and now operate hundreds of sites in communities across the country - and we are continuing to expand! Patch is founded on two core principles: that there's a big need for news and information in small towns, and that we can create a successful, sustainable business model around that need. Even as many newsrooms have been downsized or shut down over the past few years, Patch is investing millions to strengthen our platform and to provide meaningful daily news, ways for users to interact with the site and with each other, and support for our communities' local businesses and economy. A lot of people are paying attention; our stories have been picked up by virtually every major news organization, including CNN, Fox News, AP and Reuters, USA Today, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and then some.