Finger Lakes Daily News is building a network of freelance correspondents: local writers, paid per story, covering the places they already live in. This posting is for Yates and Schuyler counties, including Penn Yan, Watkins Glen, Dundee, Montour Falls, Branchport, Benton, Middlesex, Burdett, Hector and the towns around them.

You pick up assignments and pitch your own. A town board vote that changes a tax bill. A school district decision parents are arguing about. A fire that closed a road, a business opening on Main Street, a farm doing something nobody else around here is doing. You report it and file it. We edit it, publish it, and pay you for it. Your work runs on fingerlakesdailynews.com and on air across our seven radio stations, including WFLR and Finger Lakes News Radio.

There’s no office to report to and no minimum number of stories. Some correspondents file several a week. Some file when something happens that’s worth covering. What matters is that you live close enough to be there, and that what you file is right.

This is a good fit if you’re a working journalist who wants more bylines, a former reporter who misses it, or a strong writer who knows their town cold and is willing to learn the rest. This is WFLR’s home ground and the most compact part of our coverage area. Penn Yan and Watkins Glen are about half an hour apart, so one person can realistically cover both. We’ve also posted separately for Watkins Glen and Schuyler County if that end is the one you know.

What You'll Do

  • Cover Yates and Schuyler counties: town and village boards, school districts, courts, police and fire, business openings and closings, and the community events people actually turn out for
  • Pitch stories out of your own community, and take assignments from our News Director when something breaks near you
  • File clean, accurate copy on deadline. Most stories run 300 to 600 words
  • Send at least one usable photo with every story. A phone camera is fine
  • Get names, titles, and numbers right the first time, and tell us fast if something needs correcting
  • Be reachable when news happens on your beat, even if you can't always take it
  • Work with our newsroom when a story is worth adapting for broadcast

What We're Looking For

  • You live in or near Yates and Schuyler counties and know the towns, not just the county name
  • Solid writing and interviewing skills. You can get a public official on the phone and ask the follow-up question
  • A real commitment to accuracy and fairness. We run corrections publicly and would rather not have to
  • Reliable transportation and the ability to get to a meeting or a scene
  • Comfortable filing by email, or in WordPress if you've used it
  • Willing to disclose anything that would conflict with covering your community: an elected seat, a board appointment, a PR or campaign client. We can work around most of them. We can't work around the ones we don't know about.
  • Reporting experience helps, but a track record of getting things right matters more than a degree
  • Working journalists, retired journalists, freelance writers, and students are all encouraged to apply

What We Offer

  • Freelance work, paid per published story. The rate depends on the scope of the assignment and your experience, and we'll talk about it directly when we speak
  • Set your own pace: no minimum, no office hours, no commute
  • Your byline on fingerlakesdailynews.com and your reporting on air across seven radio stations
  • Editing support, and a News Director who will read your pitch and answer you
  • First look at staff openings. Our correspondents are the first people we call when a full-time newsroom job opens up

When you apply, tell us which towns you can realistically cover, and send two or three clips. Published work is best, but a writing sample is fine if you're early on.

How to Apply

Please submit your resume and cover letter to [email protected].

FLX Local Media is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.