Fort Worth Report seeks a content editor

The Fort Worth Report, in Fort Worth, Texas, a nonprofit, nonpartisan online news organization, is seeking a CONTENT EDITOR to help run our newsroom and produce great journalism for the 13th-largest city in the country. We are an online-only newsroom with ambitious growth and sustainability goals in the next three years.

This position will work with the managing editor to run the newsroom and oversee day-to-day local news coverage. This person will help shape daily news coverage and focus on leading our newsletters’ content and production.

This position also plays a key role in the Report’s digital strategy by contributing to the newsroom’s social media accounts and helping develop strategies for increasing our audience. The successful candidate will have strong newsletter (email campaigns) and social media skills, an understanding of SEO and a familiarity with analytics. Digital presentation skills and multimedia experience are a plus.

Because we’re for and from Fort Worth and Tarrant County, preference will be given to candidates with deep knowledge of our community.

Essential Job Functions:

This position will focus on two areas: editing and newsletters.

We seek an editor who can edit both complicated stories and daily turns. This person has the ability to improve both the copy and the reporter. Editing duties include but are not limited to:

• Edit and publish reporters’ daily stories.
• Optimize digital content to grow our audience and membership  and oversee the execution of growth strategies.
• Ensure we deliver first-rate and innovative storytelling through proven digital techniques.
• Use analytics platforms to monitor and improve digital engagement.
• Help engage and convert online readers to becoming newsletter subscribers and move them through the membership funnel.
• Candidates must also have an interest and background in analytics and other metrics to help analyze what’s working and what’s not. At the same time, the ideal candidate will be an experienced journalist who knows how to connect with our audience.
• Be aware of the latest SEO strategies and help write headlines that implement those strategies to help our search performance.
• The ideal candidate will have a background in mentoring young journalists and know how to make them stronger and help them grow.

This candidate will also curate, edit and publish all of our custom news newsletters. The candidate will also work with the managing editor and audience director to provide digital content reports on newsletter performance. Newsletter duties will include but are not limited to:

• Plan and send email newsletters, and test new ways to reach readers directly, such as push notifications or podcasts.
• Lead a daily 15-minute morning meeting reviewing analytics of newsletters and planning upcoming content.
• Ensure we deliver first-rate and innovative storytelling through best newsletter techniques.

Key Responsibilities:

• Demonstrate sound editorial judgment, including an understanding of institutional journalistic guidelines on ethics, tone and subject matter and a passion to bring good storytelling to digital and broadcast audiences.
• Find or create appropriate story images from approved and free-to-use sources.
• Ensure all content is optimized for the web; work closely with the editorial staff on best practices for online readership and engagement.
• Build brand visibility and drive referral traffic by regularly and consistently engaging online with influencers and newsmakers.
• Continually evaluate periodicity of social media postings to maximize their effect.
• Work with managing editor and audience director to analyze analytics to see what’s working and not working to develop future news coverage.
• Experiment with new engagement tools and methods.
• The ideal candidate will be able to adjust on the fly and help develop strategies around other initiatives as they come up.

Qualifications:

• Have at least a bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications or other related field.
• Have at least five-eight years of experience in a newsroom, preferably with exceptional and proven editing experience.
• Have strong knowledge of Association Press style, and firm grounding in journalism ethics.
• Knowledge of newsletter publishing and analytic platforms, and work with newsletters in the past is a key qualification.
• Knowledge of G-Suite applications and Word Press is helpful.

• Ability to effectively and professionally collaborate with managers and peers as well as outside third parties.
• Reliable, trustworthy, ethical and professional.
• Spanish-speaking ability is preferred.

This is a full-time, exempt position that is based in our Fort Worth office. Travel and some nights/weekends will be required.

Salary range is $65,000-$74,999

Deadline: June 30, 2023

For more information click here.