The Los Angeles Times is looking for an Assistant Editor to join our Data and Graphics Department.
Job Description
This team has a diversity of talents, backgrounds and specialized skills that allow us to deeply report with data, craft clarifying visuals, experiment and innovate with code, and provide a utility for our community. We work on projects that have attracted millions of readers, sparked government reforms and helped win some of our industry’s highest awards.
You’ll work closely with journalists on the Data and Graphics desk and across the newsroom to shape, prepare and edit content that drives impactful journalism and engages our audience. Along with the other assistant editors and department management, you will help implement a coverage strategy that includes breaking news, long-term enterprise, investigative data-driven interactive projects, explanatory visuals and utilitarian news applications.
You will collaborate on ambitious, experimental and innovative visual- or data-driven projects with partners from across the newsroom. This involves coordinating with design, photo, audience, video, homepage, product and other departments to plan the rollout and promotion of our work.
On the Data and Graphics desk, assistant editors are hands-on – aiding reporters, reviewing code and analysis and leading trainings – with the focus on both publishing great work and helping reporters develop their abilities. You may significantly contribute to reporting, design and development or pitch and produce your own work on occasion. The Data and Graphics team prizes generalists who learn through their projects and don’t expect any one person to be an expert in all aspects.
Responsibilities:
- Manage projects, including setting priorities, assigning work and defining milestones
- Edit content, including line-editing copy, assessing visuals and reviewing code
- Work with Data and Graphics journalists and small groups of cross-departmental reporters to ensure they produce accurate, fair and technically excellent journalism on deadline
Requirements:
- Experience with news graphics (or equivalent work) that incorporates data analysis, graphics and interactive design
- Demonstrated understanding of the best practices required to create visual- and data-driven projects that show creativity and the ability to communicate information in a visually effective and engaging manner
- Excellent organizational, planning and project management skills
- Demonstrated excellence in news judgment, either through previous editing experience or a minimum of four years of journalism experience at a reputable news publication or media website
- Experience in exercising strong judgment around ethical and legal considerations
- Strong writing and editing skills, including both story conceptualization and accurate, grammatical line editing of copy and ability to edit copy at a sophisticated level
- Ability to multitask and complete work under sometimes intense deadline pressure
Preferred Qualifications:
- Success leading small teams at planning and executing digital projects
- Interest and experience in leading trainings and mentoring peers
- Experience with shaping standardized workflows, robust style guides and templated code
- Working knowledge of a specialized skill such as, but not limited to, statistical analysis, front-end development, machine learning, illustration, GitHub actions, 3D rendering, game design, databases, coding bots, UX design, animation, cartography, APIs and information design
Applicants should send a resume, cover letter and work samples to Data and Graphics Deputy Director George LeVines.
The pay scale for this position is $94,328 to $109,054.
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