The Center for Journalism and Liberty, within the Open Markets Institute, seeks a versatile and experienced reporter-policy analyst interested in covering the changing media ecosystem, preferably a journalist with experience in covering competition enforcement. The CJL’s focus is on regulatory and legislative policies that guide and shape channels of communication pertinent to privacy, platforms, journalism business models, and news quality and integrity. This position is an opportunity for an independent and collaborative individual to help shape and illuminate strategies and instruments that can help the news industry address the significant challenges facing it, especially those posed by Facebook and Google. This position reports to CJL director Jody Brannon.
Basic responsibilities
• Conduct research related to the news ecosystem that is central to the focus of the Center for Journalism and Liberty, including identifying and interviewing sources, drafting background research and executing research projects.
• Produce medium- and long-form reporting on media evolution and corporate power in various sectors, including platforms, sustainability and independence, among others. Occasionally this reporter might be assigned stories into other arenas central to the Open Markets mission.
• Support writing projects and policy development work by performing qualitative research into the legal and commercial underpinnings of corporations and market structures in the media and internet sectors.
• Draft op-eds, blog posts, social media content and other materials to react to opportunities presented by the news cycle.
• Engage in supervised legal and historical research on media and platform competition policy.
• Organizational and administrative support, including website maintenance, media monitoring, helping with the planning and execution of conferences and events, social media outreach and related tasks.
Preferred Qualifications
• 3 to 5 years in journalism, preferring a BA or MA degree in journalism or related field (i.e. political science, economics, public policy); MA preferred.
• Creative in research techniques as a way to develop fresh insights into the news ecosystem.
• Strong and/or demonstrable interest in competition law and policy, particularly exploring the media ecosystem, corporate power and competition policy.
• Strong writing skills, highly organized, and detail-oriented, including editing and web skills. Comfortable in writing advocacy journalism, including op-eds.
• news judgment, willingness to learn, comfort in asking for clarity and offering contrasting viewpoints, and experience in being edited, sometimes significantly.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience with social media and website production.
• Strong communication skills and familiarity with working virtually.
• Some experience with data visualization, databases and spreadsheets is a plus; track record in quickly learning new skills and digital tools
• Strong preference for a resident of the Greater Washington, D.C., area.
How to apply: Please submit your cover letter and resume in a single PDF to jobs(at)openmarketsinstitute.org
Benefits: A generous benefits package includes medical, dental, and vision, and a 401(k) plan. Salary will be determined according to a salary and experience scale which takes into account a variety of factors, but starts at $52,000 annually. This position is eligible to join the Non-Profit Professional Employees Union.
About the Open Markets Institute
The Open Markets Institute is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit think tank that uses research and journalism to expose the dangers of monopolization, identifies changes in policy and law to address them, and educates policymakers, academics, movement groups, and other influential stakeholders to establish open, competitive markets that support a strong, just, and inclusive democracy. By combining policy, legal, and market structure expertise with sophisticated communications and outreach efforts, Open Markets seeks not only to hold today’s monopolies accountable for abuse of power, but to rebuild an economic system where progress is easier to achieve, because power is far more widely and equitably distributed.
About the Center for Journalism and Liberty
The core mission of the Center for Journalism and Liberty, a reporting-based program, is to ensure that the news media of the United States and our democratic allies is fully independent and robustly funded in the 21st century’s digital economy. The Center’s work is guided by the belief that government plays a fundamental role in structuring news media markets and business models to ensure that neither the state nor any one or few private actors control the words or actions of reporters, editors and publishers. The center focuses on policy solutions with regard to privacy, platforms, business models, and content integrity. The CJL operates within the Open Markets Institute.
Posted December 2022