Reporter or Editor Story Editor (Part-Time)
Job Description
Chalkbeat, the nonprofit news organization covering educational change efforts in the communities where improvement matters most, is seeking a story editor with digital experience to make our news stories sing.
The story editor will be responsible for editing a mix of articles out of our seven local bureaus: Chicago, Colorado, Detroit, Indiana, Newark, New York, and Tennessee. Stories will vary among news pieces, step-back analyses, and longer enterprise work, and each day will be different. You will work with the managing editor, digital producer, and local reporters to ready stories for publication on our website, and coordinate with the growth editor for social promotion. You will also work with the managing editor to help connect the dots across bureaus and ensure that Chalkbeat is telling a cohesive overarching story.
The story editor will provide crucial perspective, adding regional or national context where needed and ensuring that stories read logically, adhere to Chalkbeat style, and are properly sourced. While each piece that comes across the transom is different, all of our stories taken together should add up to a coherent whole, and the story editor is essential to achieving that goal through a mix of line editing, copy editing, and pulled-back critical thinking.
Who are you?
You respect the power of the (virtual) red pen, craft grabby headlines, and geek out on style guides. Although this position does not manage writers directly, you possess a mentoring spirit that’s able to coax the best story possible from reporters both green and seasoned. You believe that it’s better to teach than to tell. You live by your gut instinct for a good story and whack your way through unnecessary words to sniff out the best angle. Nut graphs? You slay them.
What background and skills do you have?
- 5+ years’ experience in journalism and/or digital content creation
- Expertise in story shaping, line editing, and copy editing
- Experience working in a CMS, preferably WordPress
- Stellar news judgment
- Strong interpersonal skills with a knack for working with opinionated reporters and editors
- Passion for education is a must; knowledge of education is a strong plus, but not required
- Journalism experience in Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Indianapolis, Newark, New York, or Memphis is a plus
The ideal candidate is based in Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Indianapolis, Newark, New York, Memphis, or Washington, DC. Remote candidates will also be considered.
This is a part-time position (20 hours per week). Chalkbeat offers a competitive salary, commensurate with experience.
About Chalkbeat:
Chalkbeat is the nonprofit news organization committed to covering one of America’s most important stories: the effort to improve schools for all children, especially those who have historically lacked access to a quality education. We are mission-driven journalists who believe that an independent local press is vital to ensuring that education improves. Currently in five locations and growing, we seek to provide deep local coverage of education policy and practice that informs decisions and actions, leading to better schools. Read more about our mission and values.
