New York Focus is currently seeking:
– Freelance Audience and Social Media Manager
– Contributing Reporters
Freelance Audience and Social Media Manager
New York Focus is seeking a freelance audience and social media manager who will help our new publication develop a comprehensive audience strategy, grow our social media channels, expand our newsletter subscriber base, and help us think about how to optimize for search and other metrics. Pay starts at $30 an hour, commensurate with experience. This position will require approximately 16 hours a week for three months.
This position is a remote position and applicants can be based anywhere. Please submit a resume to hires@nysfocus.com to apply. The application deadline is September 25, 2022, but we will consider applications on a rolling basis — submit earlier if you can.
About New York Focus
New York Focus is an independent, non-profit newsroom committed to unmasking how power works in the Empire State. We investigate how political decisions are made and how they impact vulnerable New Yorkers. We have a particular focus on Albany, where power is concentrated but which receives alarmingly little scrutiny.
In our first two years, our stories have led to the enactment of legislation, been discussed in legislative hearings, been cited in hundreds of local and national publications, and sparked national news cycles. Our core beats include the state budget and legislative processes, climate and environmental politics, the criminal justice system, housing and homelessness, government transparency, and industry influence in politics.
We are entering a growth stage and are expanding our team to publish more stories, pursue longer-term investigations, and grow our audience.
About You
The ideal candidate would have:
- A background working with publications to help them think about how to grow their audience and build a comprehensive audience strategy
- Experience overseeing analytics and sharing insights based on these metrics
- Experience and knowledge of how to optimize for search and social media
- An ability to develop a social media strategy for a new brand and create best practices
- A background in newsletter development strategies and an excitement about helping us build our subscriber base
Consistent with federal, state, and local law, we are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, veteran status, or other protected categories. We are committed to an inclusive workspace, and we strongly encourage applications from people of color excited about our mission.
Contributing Reporter
New York Focus is seeking contributing reporters who will semi-regularly produce and publish deeply reported, hard-hitting stories focused on New York state and city politics.
An ideal candidate would share the enthusiasm we bring to this work and be excited to help build and shape New York Focus. This position is remote, but the ideal candidate lives in or near New York state. The core of the application will involve reporting an investigative story for us, paid at our standard rate of $800.
Please submit a resume, clips, and pitches (described below) to hires@nysfocus.com.
About New York Focus
New York Focus is an independent newsroom covering state and local politics, committed to unmasking the operation of public and private power in the Empire State.
In our first two years, our stories have led to the enactment of legislation, spurred regulatory decisions, been cited in hundreds of local and national publications, and sparked national news cycles. Our core beats include the state budget and legislative processes, climate and environmental politics, the criminal justice system, housing and homelessness, government transparency, and industry influence in politics.
Responsibilities for the position are as follows:
- Generate original ideas for 1-3 hard-hitting, deeply reported pieces a month in New York Focus’s coverage areas
- Work with editors from pitch to publication, often including multiple rounds of edits
- Build relationships with sources beyond the scope of an individual article
About You
The ideal candidate would have:
- Excitement about investigative journalism that promotes accountability in New York
- Demonstrated ability to uncover new information on consequential topics — a nose for where to dig!
- Superb writing ability, including close attention to clarity of prose
- Familiarity with the New York media landscape, potentially including relationships with sources in any or all of our coverage areas
Compensation
$800 per deeply reported article. (Rates may be lower for less intensive follow-ups and other shorter stories.) Articles demanding exceptional effort will receive additional compensation. Contributors are not restricted from writing for other publications.
To Apply
Please submit a resume, three clips, and three pitches for accountability stories to hires@nysfocus.com. In the pitches, lay out the information you would seek to uncover and how you would go about reporting the story; how it would go beyond what has previously been reported; and what you expect its central finding or scoop to be.
Consistent with federal, state, and local law, we are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, veteran status, or other protected categories.
We are committed to an inclusive workspace, and we strongly encourage applications from people of color who are excited about contributing to our mission.
