OK, OK, the paper's ad on JournalismJobs.com doesn't specify Twitter exactly, but notes "Enthusiasm for communicating political news on many different platforms — from print to online to mobile to social networking media — is essential."

As noted here here a couple of days ago, the Strib's politics team hasn't made much of a splash lately in the blogosphere or Twittersphere, but that's clearly about to change.

It'll be interesting to see who has "significant experience covering politics and government," while "wired to the daily news" and also able to execute "strong enterprise that captures major twists and turns in the state’s political life" and "take advantage of the intersection of politics and new technology, watching for trends in how the public is reacting to politics and government, and fully exploring that through coverage."

Plus, this jack-of-all-trades has to be a risk-taker, given no one knows who'll own the Strib in a few months and they'll be at the bottom of the seniority list. (Though management has expanded powers to work around that.)

In all sincerity, aim high, Strib dudes; this town needs all the good political reporters it can get. The paper seems serious about being open to outside applicants; the ad begins with the pitch that "Minnesota is a fascinating place to cover politics."

But hurry up, job-seekers — the application deadline is, gulp, Friday.

Here's the ad:

The Star Tribune in Minneapolis is seeking a political writer for its state Capitol Bureau. Minnesota is a fascinating place to cover politics: A wide-open race for governor already is heating up for 2010, and many believe the current governor is testing a run for president. The eight-month post-election battle over who would be the state’s new U.S. senator has just ended and Sen. Al Franken heads to Washington soon.

This reporter would be responsible for covering the governor and other top political figures in the state — from the campaign trail to governing to interaction with the state Legislature and Congress.

This position requires collegiality and collaboration with other members of the Capitol Bureau in St. Paul and the Washington Bureau to ensure the Star Tribune’s coverage of politics and government is second to none both in print and online. This reporter needs to be wired to the daily news and also be executing strong enterprise that captures major twists and turns in the state’s political life. This position requires thorough reporting that captures the views of both officials and citizens, and lively writing skills. The background to provide historical and national context to developments in the state is crucial.

Enthusiasm for communicating political news on many different platforms — from print to online to mobile to social networking media — is essential.

Qualifications: This job requires significant experience covering politics and government. Openness to collaborative reporting and editing processes is important, as is the ability to communicate well and work collegially with editors and reporters. This reporter must be open to continually refining and recalibrating coverage as the politics and government of the state shift. This reporter must take advantage of the intersection of politics and new technology, watching for trends in how the public is reacting to politics and government, and fully exploring that through coverage. This reporter must produce coverage captivating to average citizens, government workers and political junkies.

Bachelor’s Degree required.

Action: Please submit a list of story ideas, a resume and examples of your work to Kate Parry, assistant managing editor, enterprise/investigations, Star Tribune, 425 Portland Ave., Minneapolis, MN, 55488 or kparry@startribune.com.

[Hat tip: @mnstories]