Convicted murderer Amanda Knox has nabbed a new job as a journalist for her local newspaper, the West Seattle Herald.

Knox, who gained notoriety after being charged and convicted for the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher in Italy in 2007, has been contributing theatre reviews and human interest pieces to the paper.

• Amanda Knox: murderer or innocent abroad?

While the 27-year-old was eventually acquitted on appeal of Kercher’s murder after spending four years in jail, she remains a contentious media figure. She has since been re-tried and re-convicted in the Italian courts of the murder, but remains free in the US.

The paper’s online editor Patrick Robinson has confirmed the appointment, telling The Daily Beast that Knox had been writing under a pseudonym but recently decided to use her real name.

Mr Robinson said the paper is not fazed by Knox’s reputation.

“It doesn’t matter what people say or think — the truth is that she’s a West Seattle resident, she grew up here,” he said of the hiring decision.

“Why not give her the opportunity to be an actual human being versus a celebrity?”

“It’s really about giving a young, talented writer an opportunity at a normal life.”