Job Title: Assistant Community Editor/Reporter
Date Written/revised: August 2011
Grade Level: GC
FLSA Status: Full-time, Non-exempt
Reports to: Managing Editor, Digital
Department: SCPR Digital
Location: Pasadena, CA
Position Summary:
The Assistant Community Editor is responsible for assisting with a wide range of community, editorial and production tasks with OnCentral, a hyperlocal community news site serving neighborhoods in South Los Angeles. The site is operated by 89.3 KPCC Southern California Public Radio. The Assistant Editor is expected to get out of the newsroom and work with the community for content and organizing activities.
In addition to the engagement and community organizing, the Assistant Community Editor will write, report and edit for a web site or blog targeted at a defined geographic area and audience. This position will travel in a range of environments - from working with a content management system, to a church service or council meeting. It is critical this position be an enthusiastic, unrelenting source for gathering community contributors and stories of his/her own in South Los Angeles, as well as editing others’ work and prepping it for web presentation. While this position serves a much smaller area and audience as our main website we expect the same high editorial standards. This position will work under the guidance, supervision and editorial oversight of the Managing Editor, Digital.
The work time will likely fall outside the typical M-F, 9-5 pace, and may call for nights and weekends when the story requires it.
Position Responsibility:
· Run a hyper-local news site – reporting, writing, taking pictures and video; assigning and editing stories from freelancers and interns, and working with the community to produce quality user-generated content on a consistent basis.
· Determines coverage priority with the guidance of the Managing Editor, Digital.
· Provide a source of news and information that improves lives through collected information from identified content sources, original reporting and contributed content
· Incorporates the use of PIN as a resource
· Drive our site to become a essential part of the community
· Run editorial meetings and produce an updated, well-thought out news budget in collaboration with the Managing Editor, Digital that accurately represents many facets of the community
· Editing and writing incidental copy as necessary.
· Identifies and reports production problems and assists with solutions.
· Work with show producers, editors and writers at KPCC to identify online opportunities that compliment or augment the web site.
· Ensure high standards of accuracy, production quality and timeliness.
· Participate in marketing related to the web site.
· Work with content providers to manage flow of content — including interns and freelancers
· Process photos for news stories – including cropping, resizing, color adjusting, etc. in Photoshop
· Participate in all applicable editorial meetings
· Other duties as assigned.
Required Education and Experience:
· Bachelor’s degree in journalism or a similar field required.
· Minimum 2 years experience with engagement and community organizing as well as writing, reporting and editing for a web site or blog (experience could be gained in a school setting).
· Community journalism experience
Required Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:
· A love for local news, and a belief that stories deserve to be told in every community
· Energy and skill required to report, write, and publish several stories per day.
· Ability to be comfortable in a variety of environments
· Strong reporting instincts and willingness to ask tough questions
· Be able to work with the community to identify, report on and showcase the issues, successes and stories of South Los Angeles
· Passion for excellence, and enthusiasm for a challenge.
· Excellent language skills including writing, proof reading and fact-checking and ability to do so in a fast-paced environment
· Adept with a variety of social media tools
· Ability to work collaboratively and effectively with colleagues in multiple departments/divisions.
· Ability to maintain productive and positive communication with co-workers.
· Ability to work under heavy deadline pressure.
· Solid oral and written communication skills.
· Knowledge of AP Style
· Developing ability to coach and guide Reporters and Interns
· Proficiency in digital audio editing
· Familiarity w/on-line content management systems
· Familiarity w/photo editing
· Familiarity w/file sharing and delivery techniques from both internal & external sources
· Basic knowledge of journalism standards and ethics
· Ability to create story ideas
· General knowledge about issues and current events
· Contributes to a healthy work culture
Preferred Skills and Experience:
· Demonstrable skills in the use of HTML
· Able to hand-code and edit tags and content in established Web-authoring tools
· Strong skills in the use of Photoshop or other image-authoring tools for Web production.
· Hands-on experience in Web production at school or in the workplace – Web production coursework is a plus.
· Experience with blogging or other community-based online features
· Ability to speak and write in Spanish a plus
Reporting To This Position: None
Physical Demands and Working Conditions:
· Must be able to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation
· Physical Demands:
o Required to move about in an office environment and sit for extended periods of time
o Required to move about in the community
o Frequent use of hands for data entry/keystrokes and simple grasping.
· Working Conditions:
o Moderate noise level
o Occasional exposure to prevalent weather conditions.
To apply, email a resume and cover letter to careers@americanpublicmedia.org.
Indicate position #127-12, Assistant Community Editor/Reporter. Please see job description attached for more details.
American Public Media is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We encourage candidates with a diversity of life experiences to apply.