We’re hiring a contract editor to bring more writers of color onto our site.
Pacific Standard is looking for a contract Web editor who can bring more writers of color onto our site. This person will be responsible for overseeing a minimum of two stories a week connected to a contract-long beat or theme (falling somewhere within our four core coverage areas of environmental, educational, economic, and social justice). The form these posts take will be almost fully up to the discretion of the selected editor: sharp news analysis, reported essays, features, or a mix. The ultimate goal of this role is to produce great journalism, while also lining our freelance roster with diverse — and potentially untapped — journalistic talent.
This editor must be extremely self-sufficient and adept at project management: capable of recruiting writing talent from a strong network of contacts, managing a lean budget, commissioning and assigning stories, completing substantive edits, meeting hard deadlines, collaborating with a top editor, and seeing pieces all the way to production in Medium’s content management system. In addition to the skills outlined above, candidates must also meet the following requirements:
- Highly developed understanding of what a Pacific Standard story is, and how to make one happen under weekly deadline constraints.
- Can make a good story great, and a great story excellent (through line-edits, structural fixes, specific framing, feedback, and comments on drafts).
- Proactive about audience engagement through social media and email, and getting stories placed where there are eyeballs.
- Has a genuine interest in social science and can make complex ideas interesting and compelling to a lay audience, while managing not to alienate experts.
To be considered, please submit a resume, four links to professional editing work, and a short email note outlining what you would aim to do with the role (including a suggested theme/beat, four story ideas, and the specific writers you would assign to them) to rjacobs@psmag.com and mufberg@psmag.com with the subject line Contributing Editor.
The contract will last between four and six months, depending on suggested projects, and has the potential for renewal. The person will report directly to Associate Editor Max Ufberg and Deputy Editor Ryan Jacobs.
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