Digital News Editor

North Texas Public Broadcasting, Inc, dba KERA, the PBS and NPR affiliate of North Texas, is a not-for-profit public media organization reaching the fourth-largest population area in the United States through KERA TV, KERA 90.1 FM and music station KXT 91.7. For nearly 60 years, North Texans have turned to KERA as a vibrant destination for community engagement and lifelong learning. KERA produces original multimedia content, carries the best in national and international public television and radio programs, and provides online resources at a constellation of websites, including kera.org, keranews.org, kxt.org and artandseek.org. KERA has an immediate opportunity for a highly qualified individual to join the KERA team as Digital News Editor. 

POSITION SUMMARY

The Digital News Editor will oversee content on KERANews.org as a content creator and editor. She/he will report, write and produce digital stories and radio stories; curate social media streams; create audio, video and multimedia content; and edit the digital output of the rest of the newsroom staff on KERA’s web sites and social media streams. This person will report for, edit and help shape KERA’s digital news projects (at stories.kera.org) – especially the station’s new Mental Health beat – and will be a key collaborator with colleagues around the state as part of the current Texas Station Collaborative and future Texas News Hub.

This person will bolster and extend KERA’s award-winning digital presence; the station won its first-ever Online News Association award in 2015, and its first national Edward R. Murrow Award last year, for a video on its ongoing digital news project, “One Crisis Away.”

The ideal candidate is an innovative editor and reporter with a journalism background and a passion for local news and arts, as well as a deep interest in how stories, technology and people come together. Someone who’s as comfortable live-tweeting a political debate as diving deep into a data-driven project.

He/she must be a leader with supervisory potential, someone who’s eager to think strategically with colleagues about ways to enhance storytelling through images, video, animation, social media and data reporting. This person will stay abreast of best practices and emerging technologies in digital journalism, while remaining rooted in the ethics, standards and commitment to diversity of public media.

The Digital News Editor is a dynamic team player who is comfortable in a fast-turnaround environment, can juggle many tasks and excels at organizing and executing long-range coverage plans and projects. She/he is excited by the possibilities of public media and of the evolving Dallas-Fort Worth news landscape. This position reports to the Managing Editor.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Write, edit and curate a robust news presence on KERANews.org, stories.kera.org and KERA’s social media streams. The primary goal: Distribute KERA content as widely as possible, whenever and wherever potential news audiences exist.
• Edit and improve posts by other KERA News staffers, creating and adding visual and multimedia content wherever possible.
• Generate story ideas and report, write and produce them for radio and digital platforms.
• Coordinate with and adapt content from other stations around the state as part of the current Texas Station Collaborative and future Texas News Hub, and from national networks and programs.
• Identify future digital trends and opportunities for KERA’s news service to fulfill its regional news and information mission.
• Maintain editorial standards of accuracy, thoroughness, ethics, balance and diversity.
• Organize and provide ongoing digital training for the news staff.
• Work to diversify voices in KERA News coverage online and on the air.
• Report from and work in the field as assigned.
• Coordinate smoothly with other KERA departments.
• Participate in KERA staff meetings and represent the station at professional and community meetings, as well as on-air fundraising drives.

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

• 3+ years in journalism (online experience preferred), some of which must be as a reporter, producer or editor.
• Nimble, fast writer and reporter with wide-ranging interests and a distinctive “voice.”
• Comfort working with internal and external content providers to create, edit and post a variety of digital media, including images, audio, video and animation.
• Fluent in digital editorial practices and tools, in areas such as online audience engagement, social media, analytics, data reporting, etc.
• Ability to exercise sound news judgment and generate factual, error-free online copy quickly in breaking news situations.
• Strong content editing/proofreading abilities, including knowledge of AP style.
• Strategic thinker, with the ability to work with others to put together detailed, easy-to-understand plans.
• Passionate and enthusiastic about online journalism and local news opportunities in North Texas.
• Ability to connect with and maintain relationships with diverse communities and staff.
• Valid Texas Driver’s License and insurance required for assignments/activities that involve work outside of the office. Must maintain a clean driving record. 
• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in journalism or related field or equivalent required; media or journalism degree preferred.

PREFERRED REQUIREMENTS

• Experience with radio or on-camera reporting and audio/video editing.
• Editing/supervisory experience.
• Knowledge of HTML and content management systems including WordPress and Drupal.
• Deep knowledge of North Texas people, cultures, issues, and geography as well as national and international issues, and events.
• Fluent in multiple languages.

HOW TO APPLY

Please provide a 1) resume and 2) cover letter summarizing professional accomplishment and qualifications relative to the position. Please also state how you found out about this position.  Submit this information as you prefer:

• Email to: resume@kera.org
• Fax to: 214-740-9323
• Mail to: Human Resources, KERA,  3000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, Texas 75201