US Sports Journalist - Los Angeles

Starting date: November 1, 2025
Deadline for applications: September 1, 2025
Location: Los Angeles - North America region

 

THE JOB 

Agence France-Presse is seeking a dynamic English-language sports journalist to join its North American network. 

Working under the direction of the North America Sports Editor and regional Editors-in-Chief, you will be part of a team of four anglophone journalists responsible for covering the major professional leagues in North America in addition to the regular major events which are part of AFP’s core sports coverage, notably tennis, golf, Formula One, boxing and Olympic sports such as athletics and swimming. Knowledge of cricket, while not essential, would be a plus. 

North America will be at the center of the global sporting stage in the coming years, with the World Cup in 2026 followed by the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 and the Rugby World Cup in 2031. Reporting on preparations and issues surrounding these events will be a core part of the role.

You will have strong news and feature writing skills, and will be expected to work with photo, video and graphics colleagues to assist with the agency’s goal of producing exceptional multimedia journalism. A proven ability to identify angles and produce story ideas that work well across all mediums is a must. 

You must be able to react quickly to breaking developments, synthesize complex stories, put them in a broader global context and explain why they are important while making them accessible to a global sports audience. 

You will be a flexible, experienced allrounder who is passionate about telling stories that help explain the vast North American sporting landscape to the wider world. You will be ready to also pitch in when sports news meets the rest of the national news agenda. 

You must be a stickler for accuracy who works well both in a team and independently for a role that will include evening and weekend work in addition to regular reporting assignments. 

The hours can be long and include weekends and evenings. Flexibility and grace under pressure are essential: we regularly juggle multiple story lines simultaneously and have to jump onto breaking stories at a moment's notice. 

You must be a team player, flexible and able to maintain a sense of humor while multitasking. 

You will commit to respecting AFP's ethics charter as well as all the editorial guidelines in force and in the Agency's style guide.

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. 

 

SKILLS REQUIRED 

  • At least three years sports reporting experience. 

  • An ability to generate original story ideas, including compelling focus/analysis pieces and lively sports features. 

  • Excellent writing and editing skills, able to translate jargon into elegant prose. 

  • An eagle eye for inaccuracies or mistakes. 

  • An instinct to react quickly to breaking news. 

  • Familiarity with social media, in particular as a news source. 

  • Working language is English, knowledge of French would be an advantage for translating the output of Francophone colleagues. 

 

CONDITIONS

This position that comes under the aegis of the Washington and Baltimore Newspaper Guild contract, which can be consulted at https://wbng.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/afp-2023-24-signed.pdf  

 

APPLICATIONS

Please send your resume and cover letter to: afpsport-recruitment-us@afp.com

 

AFP is committed to equal opportunities and greater diversity within its teams. We therefore encourage all applications in order to preserve the wealth of profiles, cultures and languages that constitute the strength of our network.