We are not currently accepting applications for this position.
ProPublica’s unconventional Audience team is looking for an Assistant Editor to join our newsroom for a one-year position (September 2020 – August 2021) focusing on helping develop and execute ProPublica’s local news strategy.
The LRN is an initiative that began in 2018 to support local journalism. We cover the salaries for reporters at local news organizations across the country to do investigative journalism. Our prior Local Reporting Network partners have covered everything from PTSD in first responders to West Virginia’s natural gas industry. Local Reporting Network projects have gone on to win some of the most prestigious awards in journalism, including the Selden Ring Award and the Pulitzer Prize.
As Assistant Editor, Audience you’ll be:
Working with our partner newsrooms, large and small, to help with the framing, packaging and distribution of stories throughout the year.
Pulling numbers, looking at location and performance data, and explaining your findings to reporters, editors and our team.
Coordinating with editors, producers, and developers on images, video and other visual storytelling means. Sometimes, you’ll be helping to combine all of them.
Doing more than writing social copy, though you’ll definitely be doing some of that. At ProPublica, we have a collaborative approach to social storytelling (you’ll like it, we promise). Still, we need someone to bring it all together and make sure everything’s :chefskiss: in the end.
Working with editors to contribute to newsletters, explainers, sidebars and other supporting content across platforms. You might even do some reporting of your own.
Helping connect journalists to communities on- and offline in service of the journalism (and vice-versa). Research, brainstorming and creativity go a long way on our team.
Learning. A lot. This is a junior position in a newsroom of very experienced (and very nice!) journalists. Candidates who are excited to take on an intense learning opportunity will thrive.
Apply if you:
Have an interest in local reporting and news specifically, and a sharp point of view on how to help revitalize it.
Believe deeply in the power of collaboration.
Have experience working with diverse and hard to reach communities
Are energized at the thought of experimenting with new ways of reaching sources, subjects and readers — and are excited by the idea of sharing what you’ve learned.
Believe that people are what make platforms interesting, not the other way around. Opinions about the current state of social platforms and digital media don’t hurt, either.
Have some history of leveraging social media platforms to maximize resonance — and a good plan for applying it to journalism. We’re not just talking distribution here — reach is great, sure — but in the best cases, you’ll be contributing ideas before the reporting even begins.
Can write a hed, dek, lede, takeaways, social copy and pitch for any story you come across.
Are down with using data and analytics to improve and explore the impact of a story and shape larger newsroom strategies.
Are organized (in your way), and are comfortable communicating, prioritizing and asking for help when you need it.
We are dedicated to improving our newsroom, in part by better reflecting the people we cover. (Here is a breakdown of our staff.) We are committed to diversity and building an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and ages. And we are taking steps to meet that commitment. We especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, people of color, LGBTQ people and people with disabilities.
We want to hire journalists who bring a diversity of experiences, talents and viewpoints to their work. So, if you don’t think you can check off every box on the list above but are confident you can contribute to our efforts, please don’t hesitate to apply.
This is a full-time, one year position including benefits. Under normal circumstances, the job would be based out of ProPublica’s office in New York City. However, we’re excited to accept candidates from across the country for this position to work remotely. No need to relocate.
If all of this sounds exciting to you, apply using this form. Applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S. ProPublica will not sponsor visas.
Reach out to [email protected] with questions about this position. Emailing to say you’ve submitted an application isn’t necessary, and won’t help your application.
