Regional Reporter - Baltimore County, MD

Join one of Baltimore's Best Places to Work!

About the Company:

The Baltimore Banner is a nonprofit newsroom founded to bring high-quality local journalism to the Baltimore metro area. We are creating a vibrant, strong, trustworthy, and sustainable news organization, seeking to re-imagine the future of local news. Using a multi-platform news operation, covering a broad range of topics from local government to culture and the arts. We tell stories that reflect the community, connecting neighbors, holding government institutions accountable, and making sense of the world. All this work is grounded in truth. We believe we can contribute to a more vibrant, informed, and whole Baltimore, surrounding counties, and the state of Maryland. 

About the Role:

The Baltimore Banner is seeking a dynamic reporter to cover Baltimore County, a region full of diversity, challenges, and compelling stories. Often seen as a suburban extension of Baltimore City, the county is far more complex, with a mix of urban, suburban, and rural areas. From the bustling county seat of Towson, with its large university and shopping destinations, to the Chesapeake Bay waterfront on the east, and the scenic countryside up to the Pennsylvania border, Baltimore County is rich with contrasts and opportunities for impactful storytelling.

Key areas of focus for this role include the county’s budget challenges, population trends, development debates, and public safety issues. You'll report on vibrant communities like Dundalk, with its industrial history and redevelopment at Tradepoint Atlantic, as well as Catonsville, home to small-town charm and UMBC. The northern parts of the county feature a mix of thriving businesses—like McCormick and video game developers—alongside horse farms, winding roads, and rural landscapes.

As a Regional Reporter, you’ll cover topics of high interest to readers, from local government and courts to law enforcement and human-interest stories that highlight the diverse voices of parents, retirees, immigrants, business owners, and community advocates. Holding government officials accountable and explaining how policies impact everyday lives will be central to your work.

We’re looking for a versatile journalist who thrives on both breaking news and enterprise reporting, crafting engaging stories in a conversational tone that resonates with readers. Your ability to uncover what’s happening, explain why it matters, and show its impact will be key to expanding The Banner’s audience. This beat is at the heart of our regional coverage, consistently among our most-read content, and offers an exciting opportunity to connect with readers across a vibrant and evolving county.

Responsibilities:

• Write the news of the day quickly, with accuracy, context and sweep
• Have a keen eye for interesting stories 
• Cultivate a diverse source network to inform story selection 
• Use and understand newsroom analytics to hone and identify coverage that serves readers 
• Collaborate with reporters across the newsroom 
• Approach the beat creatively and deliver stories in a variety of forms 
• Work across social media platforms to connect readers with our content 
• Generate new ideas for audience growth 
• Represent The Banner in the community as needed – in person or on television or radio appearances

Job Requirements:

• A minimum of 5 years of experience in journalism
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
• Strong writing skills and ability to quickly make complex topics understandable 
• A strong instinct for news 
• Digital savvy and a familiarity with audience analytics 
• Ability to juggle breaking news with strong enterprise stories 
• Enthusiasm for news and content that will resonate with readers 
• Teamwork and willingness to collaborate with others 
• Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to give and receive constructive fee