Register hiring three investigative reporters now

The hiring spree continues at the Orange County Register. A listing has gone up at the Investigative Reporters and Editors jobs page for three "top-notch investigative reporters in order to expand its watchdog/investigations team." The paper also is adding a business investigator who will cover healthcare. "We our expanding our investigative team from six reporters to ten," says a top editor. "It's quite extraordinary that our new owners are investing in the paper in this way."

Here are the IRE listings:

Investigative Reporter – Legal and social issues: We are looking for a thoughtful and compassionate reporter able to plumb issues of social and legal justice hidden below the surface of relatively affluent communities. Issues may include child abuse, public welfare, under-representation of minority communities, homeless issues, and mental health issues. Reporter should have a demonstrated ability to mine both human and documentary sources in order to examine these issues. Spanish language skills a strong plus.

Investigative Reporter – CAR (computer assisted reporting): We are looking for an aggressive and outgoing nerd skilled in finding and querying electronic data and turning it into surprising and powerful stories that resonate with readers. Successful candidate will have shown an ability to mine data for both short-term and long-term stories, to find human subjects who will give color to the numbers and to handle multiple projects at once. Reporter will primarily generate his/her own stories but will also partner with other reporters who need data to back-up important stories.

Investigative Reporter – Education: We are looking for an investigative reporter with a demonstrated ability to plumb complex education issues such as inequality in public education, performance evaluation of teachers and public funding disparities. The reporter will have broad latitude to examine all levels of the public system, from K-12 districts to UC and Cal State, including economic and administrative issues at UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Long Beach. The goal of the reporting is to effect a positive change in the education system. Applicants should have five years experience covering education, including investigative work, be skilled at using data analysis tools and reviewing public financial and legal records, and be adept at long-form journalism storytelling.

Previously, I have reported on Register editors being told they can fill 25 positions and a Dodgers beat writer.