News Editor

Do you have a passion for hyper-local news that informs readers’ every-day life on topics such as tourism, short-term rentals, growth and development, the cannabis industry, and entertainment options and venues? Would you relish the challenge of a fast-paced newsroom with plenty of breaking news and opportunities to cover internationally renowned events? Can you provide encouragement and guidance that helps reporters do engaging work that resonates in the community and grows our audience?

The Desert Sun/desertsun.com, the leading news organization in Southern California’s Coachella Valley and part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, is hiring a local news editor.

Responsibilities of the position include being a primary editor for reporters covering communities across the Coachella Valley, who are expected to produce watchdog reporting on city halls; understand hot-button local issues and provide readers with real-time information and answers; craft sense-of-place profiles of the people and personalities who give our desert character; have their fingers on the pulse of the desert’s burgeoning restaurant and bar scene; and track business openings and closings.

You will be a champion for urgent and informative reporting that gives people answers to questions they have about their community in the moment. You also will help foster a culture that values dogged reporting and high-impact exclusive work that regularly scoops the competition. The ideal candidate will be highly organized and able to lead a team that is a watchdog on civic meetings, but also knows that many of the richest community stories happen outside city hall. This includes breaking, time-sensitive news on deadline.

The ideal candidate will have a track record of guiding innovative daily and enterprise work, be well-versed in using metrics to inform beats and coverage decisions, and love to coach reporters, setting high standards and elevating the quality of their work. A demonstrated ability to edit news stories on tight turnarounds is a must.

Candidates must be able to coach both entry-level reporters and those with experience. Good knowledge of AP Style and fundamental newsgathering standards are a must. We interact daily with colleagues in multiple California newsrooms as well as a digital production team and national design studios.

This is a management position with a $65,000-$75,000 salary, depending on experience.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's or master’s degree in communications, journalism, marketing or related field preferred or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Five years or more of daily journalism experience.
• Editing experience is strongly preferred, but successful reporters eager for a leadership role will be considered.
• Strong news judgment and editing skills.
• Comfort in fluid, fast-breaking, stressful situations.
• Ability to help reporters identify story topics that will resonate with our audiences and execute them by delivering clear, complete news articles and video as appropriate.
• A knack for helping reporters hone skills in a wide range of storytelling, from real-time digital updates to narrative storytelling to investigative reporting, employing alternative story forms and multimedia.
• Exceptional planning and organizational skills.
• Understanding of metrics, social media and SEO strategy.
• Self-motivation and self-direction.
• Strong grasp of journalism skills (reporting and editing) and advanced knowledge of writing, spelling, grammar, AP and local style.
• Innovative, creative thinking that supports the company's goals.
• Command of media law and principles of ethical conduct.
• Devotion to peer-to-peer training, as both a teacher and student.
• Passion for empathetic, compassionate storytelling.
• Commitment to detail, accuracy and fairness.
• Ability to build a coverage strategy using analytics and innovation.
• Demonstrated ability to use social media to augment news coverage and engage audience on digital platforms.
• Ability to multi-task and excel under deadline pressure, using time efficiently.
• Skill at collaborating in a cross-functional environment and adapting in a rapidly changing industry.
• Spanish language skills a plus.
• Ability to work extended hours, evenings, weekends, and holidays, sometimes unexpectedly when news requires it.
• Employment is contingent on passing a post-offer, pre-employment,  background check.

Application Instructions:

We are eager to learn more about you and how you fit this role. When you apply, don’t limit your upload to a resume; show us what you’ve done. To do so, put together a single document file that includes the following, in this order:

1. Your resume – one to two pages.
2. A cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job.
3. Examples of at least 3 significant stories you have edited with a short (1-2 paragraph) narrative about how you helped the writer develop the piece, obstacles encountered during the reporting and writing of the piece, and how you overcame them. In addition, provide 1-2 samples of your own writing.

It is important that these items be assembled into a single document and uploaded in PDF format. Completing these steps will ensure that your application receives the highest consideration.

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