Job description:
The politics editor is responsible for keeping track of local political news and pitching politics stories for the Weekly’s writers to report. This section should include coverage of state, county, and city government (including the criminal justice system) as well as (just as importantly) grassroots activism, community civic activity, and political movements that are based on the South Side or have strong relevance to a south side audience. The editor will read local politics stories, follow South Side political reps, and keep up with the schedule of local public meetings for relevant governing bodies. Based on this, they will generate regular story pitches. The editor also works with politics writers—sometimes meeting in person—to help plan and develop the story. Then setting deadlines for each writer, making sure they’re making progress toward those deadlines, and communicating that progress with the managing editors to make sure each story will be ready for its intended issue.
Many Weekly writers are new to journalism or the politics beat, so the politics editor should be prepared to work closely with writers. They will serve as the first pair of eyes on any politics story, providing in-depth feedback and edits that help the writer grow and get used to journalistic writing. The editor may also provide domain knowledge for the politics beat: helping writers identify relevant sources, navigate public documents, press officers, FOIA, etc. Finally, the political editor will work with the managing editors as well as any engaged writers to develop a coverage plan for major political events (e.g., the 2020 election) or long term / ongoing stories.
Time commitment:
This position will range from 5-15 hours weekly, depending on whether it’s a lighter week with basic pitching and editing tasks or a week where you’re also working on creating longer term plans for the section and working on bigger projects.
Availability to edit stories at our Woodlawn office or remotely on Monday evenings production is a big plus, though we may be able to work it out if you can’t do Mondays.
Qualifications:
Writing experience required; editing experience and familiarity with Chicago politics and activism strongly recommended.
The application asks you to write a sample pitch for this section. Here are some examples of previous pitches:
The Non-Enthusiastic Voter
The November election had record turnout especially among young people. But historically municipal elections turnout has been extremely low. There has been concerted efforts by groups like Chicago Votes to increase participation, particularly among young people and incarcerated folks. The writer for this story would talk to groups who are working to GOTV on the South Side and would also talk to voters who are uncertain about the value of voting and discuss why. This should include a spectrum of voices including students, non-voters, and activists who distrust the electoral system.
31st Street Bus
Bringing back the 31st Street bus has been a campaign for Bridgeport and Chinatown organizers for a long time, but how has the pilot program of the line actually gone? A look at the city’s data portal shows some pretty low ridership numbers, but I don’t have any projections in front of me to compare them to. So—how is the bus doing? As expected? Better? Worse? The CTA will decide whether or not to make the line permanent in March—what are the chances it will do so? How has the service improved the lives of Bridgeport/Chinatown/Bronzeville residents, and how could it be improved?