SWNS
Reporter / Junior Reporter
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Location: Bristol
Hybrid working: (3 day office, 2 day WFH week)
Start date: ASAP
Salary: £26,500 - £27,500 depending on experience
Who we are:
Every day hundreds of stories, images and videos from SWNS are published and broadcast across the national and international media. They are created by a team of dedicated journalists, photographers, videographers and editors based across the UK who are passionate about real, original stories.
We combine traditional reporting with the best content-gathering techniques for digital and social media to produce a news wire that drives millions of views every day. Our journalists cover breaking news, court cases, amazing human interest stories, consumer issues, health studies, scientific breakthroughs, stunning imagery and viral videos.
SWNS clients are some of the biggest news publishers and TV shows in the world – including the Sun, Mirror, Daily Record, Daily Mail, Times, TMZ, Telegraph, New York Post, and Have I Got News For You.
Who we’re looking for:
We are looking for a reporter to source and create content which will be used by the biggest online publishers in the world.
Applicants should have experience covering breaking news and human interest and working up stories for a news publication. You will have experience generating your own stories, but will also be able to work as a team - to a brief from a news-editor and undertake commissions for national newspapers and websites.
Experience of court reporting would be an advantage, though not essential.
The ideal candidate will need to be aware of significant events and dates on their patch and will be expected to inform senior staff when they arise, as well as keeping track of their own stories as they develop. This requires maturity and impressive interview skills. You must be inquisitive and interested in the lives of people who might be very different to you. Editors will look to you to gain and share your knowledge of the newest social media tools or latest TikTok or X trend.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
You should be able to develop your own stories thanks to sourcing skills you already have and will learn. You must be a team player. Organisation skills are a must. You will be juggling of stories every day, so you must be organised and disciplined. You must be passionate about succeeding in the role. It’s hard work, but immensely fun.
The role:
The successful candidate will cover the best stories in the South West of England as well as assisting other teams across the UK.
It will be a mix of working on stories assigned to you and those sourced yourself. You will be desk-based for some of the time – telephone interview skills and social media sourcing are vital – but will also regularly cover stories out in the patch.
Social media skills are essential. You should know your way around all the platforms – and how to use them to source stories.
An NCTJ qualification / similar and shorthand would be preferable but not essential. You must have a clean driving licence and a car.
Additional information
SWNS is a National Living Wage employer.
We are an inclusive employer that values diversity in its workforce. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and experiences.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
Recent studies show most UK journalism industry professionals come from white ethnic groups (92%) and from professional or upper-class backgrounds (80%). We want to continue to do our part to change this and welcome candidates from all backgrounds.
SWNS also has a generous and growing list of employee benefits, including:
- Cycle to Work Scheme
- Health Cash Plan – reimbursement on a number of health services
- Gym Discounts
- Employee Assistance Programme
- GP Anytime
- Holiday Entitlement: 25 days (+ Bank Holidays) per year
- Hybrid Working
- Enhanced Maternity Pay
- Life Assurance
- Enhanced Paternity Pay – 4 weeks full pay
- Contribution towards homeworking equipment
- Company-wide Summer Event and Christmas Party
- Paid Bereavement / Compassionate Leave
- Railcard reimbursement for regular travellers for work
- Sick Pay
- Your birthday off
- Subscription to Furthr
- Salary Sacrifice EV Car Scheme
We reserve the right to close this advert early if we receive a high volume of applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please ensure you submit your application as early as possible.
Thank you to everyone for taking the time to apply for this position and for your interest in joining our team. Whilst we do our utmost to reply individually to all applicants, this may not always be possible due to a high volume of applications we often receive. If you’ve not heard from us within four weeks after the closing date for this advert, please presume your application has, unfortunately, not been successful on this occasion. Once again, we appreciate your interest in SWNS.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills