As a Software Engineer at The E.W. Scripps, you will play a pivotal role in developing and enhancing software systems that power our media and broadcast operations. Your work will directly impact the delivery of content to our audience, making technology an essential component of how we connect with users across various platforms. This role is not only about writing code; it involves collaborating with cross-functional teams to innovate and improve systems that handle vast amounts of data and deliver news and entertainment seamlessly. At The E.W. Scripps, the Software Engineer contributes to projects that span various technologies and frameworks, which may include developing user interfaces, optimizing backend services, and implementing cloud solutions. You will engage with teams focused on delivering compelling user experiences and ensuring that our infrastructure can support the growing demands of digital media. This role is critical in ensuring that our technology aligns with our commitment to quality journalism and community engagement. Expect to work in an environment that values creativity and problem-solving, where your contributions will directly influence the success of products like and. This is an exciting opportunity to join a team that is passionate about technology and its impact on society. Scripps Networks local news applications
Screening Call
reportedInitial call with HR to discuss the candidate's background and assess fit.
What to demonstrate
- Initial call with HR to discuss the candidate's background and assess fit
- Depth in Technical communication (interview communication)
How to prepare
- Be able to walk your CV end to end in two minutes, and say why this company specifically.
- Have your salary expectations, notice period and location constraints ready, and ask for the rest of the loop in writing.
Technical Assessments
reportedCandidates undergo technical assessments to evaluate their skills.
What to demonstrate
- Candidates undergo technical assessments to evaluate their skills
- Depth in Technical communication (interview communication)
How to prepare
- Answer aloud and timed: Describe how you would optimize a slow-running query in a database.
- Answer aloud and timed: What are some common design patterns you have used?
Team Interviews
reportedInterviews with team members focusing on both technical and behavioral questions.
What to demonstrate
- Interviews with team members focusing on both technical and behavioral questions
- Depth in Technical communication (interview communication)
How to prepare
- Answer aloud and timed: How do you ensure code quality and maintainability?
- Answer aloud and timed: Describe a challenging technical problem you faced and how you resolved it.
PracHub editorial advice for the preparation topics above.
Demonstrate Your Passion
Show enthusiasm for technology and the media industry. Discuss your interests in relevant topics and how they align with the company’s mission.
Prepare Real-World Examples
Have specific examples from your experience ready to illustrate your skills and how you've contributed to past projects.
Align with Company Values
Familiarize yourself with the community-focused initiatives of The E.W. Scripps and be prepared to discuss how you can contribute.
Practice Clear Communication
Sharpen your ability to explain complex technical concepts in simple terms, as collaboration with non-technical stakeholders is common.
Choose a category, try a prompt, then open its approach, worked solution or follow-up when you need it.
Write a function to reverse a string.
Write a function to reverse a string.
Approach
- Restate the input: its shape, its size, and what is guaranteed about it.
- Name the brute-force solution and its complexity before improving on it.
- Choose the data structure from the access pattern, not from familiarity.
- State the target complexity and say which constraint rules the naive version out.
Follow-up
- How does this change if the input no longer fits in memory?
- What is the worst case, and how likely is it on real data?
How would you implement a binary search?
How would you implement a binary search?
Approach
- Restate the input: its shape, its size, and what is guaranteed about it.
- Name the brute-force solution and its complexity before improving on it.
- Choose the data structure from the access pattern, not from familiarity.
- State the target complexity and say which constraint rules the naive version out.
Follow-up
- How does this change if the input no longer fits in memory?
- What is the worst case, and how likely is it on real data?
Solve a problem related to data structures, such as finding duplicates in an array.
Solve a problem related to data structures, such as finding duplicates in an array.
Approach
- Restate the input: its shape, its size, and what is guaranteed about it.
- Name the brute-force solution and its complexity before improving on it.
- Choose the data structure from the access pattern, not from familiarity.
- State the target complexity and say which constraint rules the naive version out.
Follow-up
- How does this change if the input no longer fits in memory?
- What is the worst case, and how likely is it on real data?
Describe how you would optimize a slow-running query in a database.
Describe how you would optimize a slow-running query in a database.
Approach
- Name the grain you start from and join outward from it.
- Check whether any join is one-to-many before aggregating, or the sums inflate.
- Say which index the query would use, and what makes it unusable.
- Handle the rows that do not match: that is usually the actual question.
Follow-up
- How does the query change if that join becomes one-to-many?
- What happens to this when the table is ten times larger?
Hold a per-tenant active cap against concurrent creates
A tenant on the standard plan may hold at most 50 resources with status='active'. The create handler runs SELECT count(*) FROM resource WHERE tenant_id = $1 AND status = 'active', compares to 50, then inserts. Two creates arrive 3 ms apart on different instances and the tenant lands at 51. Name the anomaly, say whether PostgreSQL 16 READ COMMITTED or REPEATABLE READ prevents it and why, then give an implementation that holds the cap at READ COMMITTED with the exact statements. Finally, say what changes when the cap is 'at most one running export per tenant' on job_run.
Approach
- Name it: write skew. The two transactions read an overlapping set and write disjoint rows, so there is no row-level conflict for the engine to detect and each commit is individually legal.
- Rule out the levels precisely. READ COMMITTED takes a fresh snapshot per statement and takes no lock on the counted rows, so both see 49. PostgreSQL's REPEATABLE READ is snapshot isolation: it removes non-repeatable reads and phantoms within the snapshot but still admits write skew, because the anomaly is not a re-read of a changed row, it is a read of a set that a concurrent transaction invalidates. Only SERIALIZABLE closes it, by tracking the read dependency and aborting one transaction with SQLSTATE 40001 — a guarantee that exists only if the application re-runs the whole transaction from the read.
- Convert the set predicate into a single-row conflict: keep tenant.active_resource_count and run UPDATE tenant SET active_resource_count = active_resource_count + 1 WHERE tenant_id = $1 AND active_resource_count < 50 in the same transaction as the INSERT. Zero affected rows is the cap, returned as 409. The row lock serialises the decision at any isolation level, and contention is bounded to one tenant's row — which is also the fair-scheduling unit, unlike a global counter that would convoy every tenant behind one row.
- State the cost you just took on: a counter is a second source of truth that can drift, so every path that changes status must adjust it inside the same transaction, and a periodic reconciliation has to exist, with resource_revision as the authority for what the count should have been.
Follow-up
- A resource moves from archived back to active. Which statements change, and what breaks if the counter update and the status change land in different transactions?
- The cap becomes plan-dependent and a plan can change mid-month. Where does the number 50 live, and who reads it?
What programming languages are you proficient in?
What programming languages are you proficient in?
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
Can you explain the differences between REST and GraphQL?
Can you explain the differences between REST and GraphQL?
Approach
- Say who the caller is and what they do when the call fails halfway.
- Define the identity of a request so a retry cannot double-apply it.
- Separate accepted, pending, failed and confirmed; they are different facts.
- Design the error taxonomy before the success shape; callers branch on it.
Follow-up
- What happens if the caller retries after a timeout?
- How does a client discover it is on an old version of this contract?
What are some common design patterns you have used?
What are some common design patterns you have used?
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
How do you ensure code quality and maintainability?
How do you ensure code quality and maintainability?
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
Describe a challenging technical problem you faced and how you resolved it.
Describe a challenging technical problem you faced and how you resolved it.
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
If you were tasked with improving an existing system, what steps would you take?
If you were tasked with improving an existing system, what steps would you take?
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
How would you approach debugging a complex application issue?
How would you approach debugging a complex application issue?
Approach
- Establish what changed and when, before forming any theory.
- Pick a bisection that eliminates candidates whichever way it turns out.
- Check the instrumentation before believing the symptom.
- Separate the trigger from the cause; the deploy is rarely the bug.
Follow-up
- What would you look at first, and what would it rule out?
- How would you tell a cause from a coincidence here?
Built from the rounds and topics The E.W. Scripps candidates report.
Prepare, practise & reflect
One practical outcome each day. Spend longer where you need it.
0 / 7 done01Map the The E.W. Scripps loop
- Write out the reported sequence: Screening Call, Technical Assessments, Team Interviews.
- For each round, write one sentence on what it is judging, from the description above, and mark the one you are least ready for.
Deliverable: A one-page map of the 3 reported rounds, with the weakest marked.
02Work Technical communication (interview communication)
- Spend the session on Technical communication (interview communication), which The E.W. Scripps candidates report being tested on.
- Write one worked example in Technical communication (interview communication) and time yourself on it.
Deliverable: One timed worked example in Technical communication (interview communication).
03Work Problem solving (coding challenge)
- Spend the session on Problem solving (coding challenge), which The E.W. Scripps candidates report being tested on.
- Write one worked example in Problem solving (coding challenge) and time yourself on it.
Deliverable: One timed worked example in Problem solving (coding challenge).
04Work Take-home coding challenges
- Spend the session on Take-home coding challenges, which The E.W. Scripps candidates report being tested on.
- Write one worked example in Take-home coding challenges and time yourself on it.
Deliverable: One timed worked example in Take-home coding challenges.
05Answer out loud: Technical / Domain Questions
- Answer aloud, timed: What programming languages are you proficient in?
- Answer aloud, timed: Can you explain the differences between REST and GraphQL?
Deliverable: Spoken answers to 2 reported Technical / Domain Questions question(s), under time.
06Answer out loud: Problem-Solving / Case Studies
- Answer aloud, timed: Describe a challenging technical problem you faced and how you resolved it.
- Answer aloud, timed: How would you approach debugging a complex application issue?
Deliverable: Spoken answers to 2 reported Problem-Solving / Case Studies question(s), under time.
07Answer out loud: Behavioral / Leadership
- Answer aloud, timed: Can you provide an example of a time you worked on a team project?
- Answer aloud, timed: How do you handle conflicts with team members?
Deliverable: Spoken answers to 2 reported Behavioral / Leadership question(s), under time.
Expand any day for tasks and deliverables. Your progress is saved on this device.
Behavioural rounds judge the decision you made and what it cost.
Can you provide an example of a time you worked on a team project?
Can you provide an example of a time you worked on a team project?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
How do you handle conflicts with team members?
How do you handle conflicts with team members?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
What motivates you to produce high-quality work?
What motivates you to produce high-quality work?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
What interests you about working at The E.W. Scripps?
What interests you about working at The E.W. Scripps?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
How do you incorporate community engagement into your work?
How do you incorporate community engagement into your work?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
What do you think is the role of technology in journalism?
What do you think is the role of technology in journalism?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
- 01
Can you provide an example of a time you worked on a team project?
- 02
How do you handle conflicts with team members?
- 03
What motivates you to produce high-quality work?
- 04
What interests you about working at The E.W. Scripps?
How difficult are the interviews for the Software Engineer position?
The interviews are structured to assess both your technical abilities and cultural fit, which can vary in difficulty. Generally, candidates find the process fair and engaging, allowing them to showcase their skills comfortably.
The E.W. Scripps Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What differentiates successful candidates?
Successful candidates tend to have a strong technical foundation, a collaborative mindset, and a genuine interest in the mission of The E.W. Scripps. Demonstrating how your values align with the company's goals can make a significant difference.
The E.W. Scripps Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What is the typical timeline from initial screen to offer?
The timeline can vary, but candidates usually hear back within a few weeks after their interviews. The company values thoroughness in the process, so patience is essential.
The E.W. Scripps Software Engineer candidate reports ↗Is remote work or hybrid work an option?
While this can depend on the specific team and role, The E.W. Scripps is increasingly flexible with remote and hybrid work arrangements. Be sure to clarify your preferences during the interview.
The E.W. Scripps Software Engineer candidate reports ↗How much preparation time is typical?
Candidates often find that dedicating a few weeks to prepare—reviewing technical skills and understanding the company’s culture—can significantly enhance their performance in the interviews.
The E.W. Scripps Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What topics does The E.W. Scripps test in interviews?
The E.W. Scripps interviews most often cover Stakeholder Communication, SQL, Python, Professional Communication, and Data-Driven Decision Making. The exact emphasis depends on the specific role you apply for.
The E.W. Scripps Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What roles can I prepare for at The E.W. Scripps?
Scripps, including Account Executive, Data Engineer, Data Scientist, and Financial Analyst, and more.
The E.W. Scripps Software Engineer candidate reports ↗Sources & methodology 3 sources ↗
No official company page is cited. Rounds and questions come from candidate reports and PracHub editorial material; each source shows the date it was read.
- 01The E.W. Scripps Software Engineer candidate reports ↗
Company-reported rounds, questions and FAQ.
Candidate reports · Accessed 2026-09-22 - 02PracHub Software Engineer practice ↗
PracHub practice material, not company-reported.
PracHub page · Accessed 2026-09-22 - 03PracHub preparation framework ↗
PracHub preparation guidance.
PracHub page · Accessed 2026-09-22
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