NEWSQUEST has announced a major new £1.5 million investment into local journalism with the recruitment of 50 new roles.

Of the new roles, 32 will be digital journalists at newsrooms across the country, including Essex.

There will be one role in our Colchester office and one in our Basildon office.

The company is also launching a regional SEO content team consisting of 14 journalists and an editor.

One of the journalist roles will be based in Essex.

Newsquest chief executive officer Henry Faure Walker said: “The focus that we have placed on growing engaged local digital audiences over the last few years is paying off with most of our sites now reaching almost 80 per cent of their local population.

“This, coupled with the success we are having with digital subscriptions, gives us the confidence to launch a major expansion in local journalism.

“This investment underlines our commitment to those towns and cities where our brands have been the number one news provider for decades.”

Newsquest is also investing in its digital team with new roles available for data analysts and web developers.

If you are interested in applying for these roles follow the links below.

For the digital journalism roles click here.

For the regional SEO role click here.