Job Description
OVERVIEW
Across our organization, we're building a workplace where collaboration is essential, diverse voices are heard, and inclusion is the key to our success.
The Culture Desk Is NPR's hub for coverage of film, television, books, and music as well as visual and performing arts and spaces where news and culture intersect. As these industries re-invent themselves for the 21st century -- with endless distribution outlets, changing consumer habits and new and diverse audiences to attract -- we aim to highlight their most creative work. We bring a keen news focus to works that address meaningful cultural and social change. As part of our public service mission, we showcase the work of established artists and celebrate the careers of legends, alongside mission critical work highlighting new audiences and artists, reporting on their challenges and the sustainability of today's business models.
NPR is looking for a creative and dynamic journalist to serve as the Deputy Editor on NPR's Culture Desk. If the intersection of journalism, culture and arts gets you fired up every day, read on.
This full-time leadership position will direct NPR's day-to-day coverage across the desk and help coordinate longer term projects including with other teams in the News and Programming Divisions. The deputy editor will help manage the staff as they seek to optimize their journalism for broadcast, digital and podcast audiences. The deputy must have excellent news judgment and the ability to work collaboratively across teams. They should bring energy and sophisticated ideas, think expansively and creatively about content, and the best ways to deliver it. The job requires attention to detail, concern about craft, and an interest in nurturing reporters at various levels of career experience. The deputy should have experience and a passion for covering arts and culture that connects with general interest audiences as well as super fans. The position reports to the Chief Culture Editor.
RESPONSIBILITIES
• Regularly sets desk priorities for daily coverage with a keen focus on younger and diverse audiences.
• Works with the Chief editor to shape longer term beat and theme coverage.
• Coordinates the editing team in planning contextual multi-platform news and feature coverage of arts, culture and entertainment.
• Protects the editorial integrity and quality of news online and on the air, ensuring that all stories meet NPR program standards and practices, including standards of fairness, objectivity, and balance.
• Cultivates and promotes diversity, equity, inclusion and representation in the workplace
• Provides regular and constructive feedback and career development for performance evaluations.
• Generates story ideas and review pitches, help develop creative storytelling approaches and sources, and determine the best platform for news coverage, including making suggestions for interviews and maintaining contacts.
• Assigns, develops and edits original stories from other NPR staff- as needed.
• Assists the Chief Editor in aligning Desk goals with network's strategic goals including with the varied products developed, produced and maintained by the desk- from daily and enterprise journalism on the magazine programs and the web to NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast, Book of the Day podcast, NPR Book Concierge and the NPR arts social channels and newsletters.
• Assists the Chief editor in ensuring that Desk products are integrated with programming, communications, NPR One, marketing and other departments and divisions within NPR.
• Supervise at least five direct reports, including preparing their regular performance reviews, and making effective recommendations regarding any hiring, promotion, and discipline for these positions.
• Other duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS
Education: Bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of experience editing arts, entertainment and culture stories.
• 2+ years of supervisory and managerial experience leading complex teams and breaking news coverage.
• A strong record of multi-platform thinking and execution in breaking news as well as feature and enterprise coverage.
• Experience in editorial decision-making, including assigning reporters/correspondents.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to handle multiple and complex projects simultaneously under stringent timeframes and changing priorities/conditions.
• Ability to work quickly and efficiently under deadline pressure.
• Ability and willingness to work varied shifts.
• Demonstrated team collaboration and leadership skills.
• Experience in digital media, including editing copy, visuals and coordination with news apps.
• Experience editing for radio.
• Familiarity with content management systems and collaboration tools such as Google Docs, Basecamp, etc.
• Familiarity with NPR member stations and the public media system.
• Expertise in writing, with excellence in news, headline and broadcast writing as well as copy-editing.
• Demonstrated ability to generate and execute complex creative ideas, to assimilate and organize large amounts of information.
• Understanding of the changing landscape in media business and audience choices in finding reliable sources of information on multiple platforms.
• A sense of humor
Jobcode: Reference SBJ-rb1y46-34-231-109-23-42 in your application.