NPR’s award-winning Washington Desk produces sophisticated yet accessible coverage of the White House, Congress, the Supreme Court, the Justice Department and electoral politics. Original reporting, breaking news and ideas with clarity and context and explanatory journalism are vital to our mission. Known for our work ethic, the Washington Desk aspires to great storytelling both on air and online. Our coverage is featured on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, NPR.org, the NPR Politics Podcast and Up First.
This full-time Washington Desk Editor will direct NPR’s news and enterprise coverage of the White House and contribute to projects across the desk. This editor should bring energy and sophistication to our White House coverage, thinking expansively about content and the best ways to deliver it. The job requires attention to legislative detail, big picture thinking and concern about craft. The editor must have excellent news judgment; the ability to coach reporters on breaking news, source development and rich storytelling; and the ability to work collaboratively with editors across the network. The editor should have experience and a passion for covering political and policy news.
- Plan news and enterprise coverage of the President, the presidency and the administration for all platforms
- Coordinate coverage plan with shows and other desks
- Generate story ideas and review story pitches, help develop storytelling approaches and sources, and determine the best platform for news coverage, including making suggestions for interviews and establishing contacts
- Assign, develop and edit original stories from other NPR staff
- Protect the editorial integrity and quality of news online and on the air, ensuring that all stories meet NPR program standards and practices, including standards of fairness, objectivity and balance
- Provide feedback to supervisors for performance evaluations
- Other duties as assigned
REQUIRED SKILLS FOR EDITOR I/II
- Strong oral and written communication skills
- 5+ years of experience editing news stories at the national level
- Experience in editorial decision-making, including assigning reporters/correspondents
- Ability to handle multiple and complex projects simultaneously under stringent timeframes and changing priorities/conditions
- Ability to work quickly and efficiently under deadline pressure
- Ability and willingness to work to work varied shifts
- Demonstrated team collaboration and leadership skills
- Knowledge of audio production
- Experience in Digital Media, including editing copy
REQUIRED SKILLS FOR EDITOR III
- Experience editing for radio
- Familiarity with content management systems and collaboration tools such as Google Docs, etc.
- Familiarity with NPR member stations and public media system
- Expertise in writing, with excellence in news writing, copy editing and headline writing
- Demonstrated ability to generate and execute complex creative ideas, to assimilate and organize large amounts of information
NPR offers a competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits package including health and wellness benefits, retirement, and work/life balance programs, as well as opportunities for career growth and development.