You will provide dynamic and colorful coverage of the US West Coast with particular responsibility for the US movie and television industry, celebrity news and pop culture.

As an integral member of the bureau’s general reporting team, you will cover everything from entertainment to immigration, from US politics to devastating wildfires, and from only-in-America festivals to long-term environmental shifts. This will include quick turnaround short stories as well as multi-day missions across the Western United States.

You will be expected to take the lead in AFP’s coverage of the entertainment industry, reporting on the latest hit movies and TV shows, the Oscars, and the sleazier side of Hollywood.

While you will interview A-listers and attend premieres, you will also work to generate added value reporting on an industry that is struggling to get to grips with the challenges of the 21st Century – the rise of AI, viewers’ changing habits, and a crumbling business model. You will develop contacts with agents and publicists as well as mining social media for news and trends among younger audiences.

An appetite for hard news and an ability to cultivate sources to break news is as important as an interest in the big or little screen.

You will be responsible for ensuring the accuracy of your reporting and for respecting the agency’s editorial policies. Candidates should bring a multi-media approach to the job and expect to coordinate closely with photographers and video reporters.

You will closely monitor social media and strictly adhere to the Agency’s guidelines on social media activity.

You will contribute to the fight against disinformation by working with factcheckers in the network, developing skills in the various methods of online verification, now indispensable for all journalism. Online training is available here.

As a general rule, you commit to respecting AFP’s ethics charter as well as all the editorial guidelines in force and the AFP Stylebook.

In an ever-changing media environment, the nature of the job could evolve in line with coverage demands and the requirements of an increasingly diverse client base.

A keen news sense, an ability to write with flair on a wide variety of subjects, and knowledge of US entertainment, culture and society, along with the ability to explain them engagingly for an overseas audience.

You are also encouraged to support the development of new formats, including close collaboration with AFP’s fact-checking journalists.

Evening and weekend working when required is a non-negotiable part of the job.

Salary and conditions are outlined in the contract with the Washington-Baltimore News Guild, which can be consulted at https://wbng.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/afp-2023-24-signed.pdf  

The managers listed below will be able to access your application: 

·         North America Regional Director: Marc LAVINE 

·         North America Editor-in-chief: Giles HEWITT 

·         Los Angeles Bureau Chief: Huw GRIFFITH

·         Head of the English desk: Sebastian SMITH

·         North America HR Manager: Marion BERGER