The Markup copy editor/producer is our last line of defense against errors, typos, lack of clarity and missing context.
We don’t just care about getting the grammar right (though we do need help with that!), we care deeply about getting the story right—and that’s everyone’s responsibility here at The Markup. This role plays an especially important part in that. We believe words matter and context matters.
The successful candidate will bring “fresh eyes” to find weaknesses in copy we may have overlooked, such as fact errors, grammatical errors, holes, lack of clarity, fairness or context, and potential tone issues around how the story may be received. The Markup’s story editors welcome questions that can help us make our journalism strong and clear. As the last person to read the copy, you will be in a unique position to help carry our work across the finish line to publication.
The Copy Editor/Producer reports to the Editor-in-Chief.
The deadline to apply is December 8.
Responsibilities
- Copy editing investigative and explanatory news articles, newsletters, social media posts, and our technically detailed Show Your Work methodologies, including suggesting headlines, deks and sub-heads.
- Copy editing graphics, captions and other material on the website.
- Fact checking articles for dates, names, titles and basic math and additional fact checking as necessary. An example might be: does a source have a connection to the story subject that got past the reporter that we should know about?
- Posting the latest articles to our website through our CMS.
- Organizing the home page and updating series pages on the website.
- Maintaining and updating the style guide and making recommendations on style.
- Upholding the newsroom’s editorial standards & updating the standards documentation.
- Working with publishing partners to adjust style differences and coordinate production.
- Posting corrections, clarifications and updates to news articles.
- Other duties as assigned.
Skills
- Four to five years experience working as a copy-editor in a newsroom.
- Deep knowledge of AP style.
- Meticulous attention to detail.
- A commitment to fairness.
- Ability to work quickly and accurately under deadline pressure.
- An understanding of newsroom editorial standards.
- Familiarity with WordPress is a plus.
- Familiarity with working with Google Docs is a plus.
- Proficiency with standard HTML, CSS, is a plus but not required.
To apply, go here.
