BU Newsroom Deputy Editor (part time), Journalism Department, College of Communication

Boston University's College of Communication invites applications for a part-time deputy editor in the Department of Journalism's Newsroom program.

The program, launched in early 2025, serves news organizations in Greater Boston and beyond and gets students published so they have the clips they need to embark on careers in journalism. We seek an innovative colleague with deep editing experience and is hungry to work with students. We are especially eager to recruit a colleague who supports our institutional commitment to ensuring BU is an environment that is inclusive, equitable and diverse, and one where all constituents can thrive.

BU launched this newsroom to provide students real-time, real-world experience in a variety of journalistic endeavors, most especially for digital-first publications. We want our ambitious and talented students to be able to gain invaluable real-world experience while assembling a portfolio of professionally published work that will help launch them toward meaningful careers.

The deputy editor will work with some of the independent and nonprofit news organizations that are blossoming and in need of journalism. In coordination with the Newsroom's editor in chief, the deputy editor will work with classroom instructors to sharpen students' work and put a high level of quality control on every story that leaves BU. Several existing classes, from our State House program to our newsroom courses, are filtered through this initiative.

Key duties:

Overall: Assist the editor in operating a professionally run, student-driven newsroom designed to sharpen emerging journalists' skills, get them published and provide stories for the growing number of nonprofit/community news organizations in Greater Boston and beyond.

• Edit stories coming through journalism courses to a professional quality so that they are ready to publish in partner news outlets. Edit with the rigor and discipline demanded by the industry's best newsrooms. Work collaboratively with student journalists to shape stories for publication. Pay strict attention to story structure, logic and grammar. Fact-check rigorously. (75%)
• Provide constructive feedback to students in a collaborative, nurturing style. Offer tips on how to improve their reporting and writing, and honest assessments of areas that need improvement. Give practical advice on navigating challenging reporting situations. Hold students accountable for major errors. Be available to edit stories promptly. (10%)
• Coordinate coverage and story publication with partner news organizations. Collaborate with their editors on coverage areas and needs. Coordinate story assignments and deadlines with editors in partner news organizations and with faculty. Connect students and partner editors so they can trade assignments and story pitches. (10%)
• Help manage deadlines so partner newsrooms have a steady, predictable flow of work for their publications. Deliver polished stories to our news partners on time. Maintain regular communication with news partners so they know which stories are covered and when stories will arrive. Respond to requests and feedback from partners promptly. (5%)

Required Skills

Qualifications:

Deep experience as an assignment editor in a daily newsroom and a talent for nurturing early-career journalists.

To apply: For full consideration, please submit a cover letter, CV, and list of three references to greenlee@bu.edu. Please reach out to Professor Steve Greenlee (greenlee@bu.edu) with any questions.