Fellow, Opinion Copy Editor

Description

The company is a news organization whose newsroom sends reporters to nearly 160 countries. Its business strategy depends on readers finding its journalism worth paying for.

This is a copy editor role in the 2027 fellowship class, working on the Opinion section in New York. Opinion operates separately from the newsroom.

Opinion copy editors are the final check before columnists, contributors and guest essayists are published. Routine work covers grammar, spelling and house style, but strong editors also test whether an argument, its logic, style and tone hold up for readers. You balance the company's standards against keeping each writer's viewpoint and voice intact.

You bring copy editing and editorial judgment experience, work well with story editors and fact-checkers, and are willing to challenge changes from senior colleagues when standards or taste are at stake. You are active on digital platforms, follow Opinion's daily output, and are open to stories from every viewpoint and any medium.

Finalists take an editing test.

Responsibilities

• Edit story text, headlines, captions and other display copy so that pieces read clearly at the sentence level.
• Keep editorials, guest essays and columns accurate and consistent with one another.
• Polish, format and check podcast transcripts, graphics and video elements.
• Adjust to shifting priorities and demands set by the department and the news cycle.
• Take part in training and social programs run for the fellowship.
• Show support for journalistic independence and for the company's aim of seeking the truth and helping people understand the world.

Requirements

• You have no more than five years of full-time professional journalism experience, not counting internships.
• You have edited articles, essays or scripts for publication.
• You have worked to firm deadlines.
• Preferred: you have a record of several journalism internships or equivalent experience.
• Preferred: you are comfortable across a wide range of subjects, from politics to science and culture.
• Preferred: you are familiar with content management systems and transcription tools.

Conditions

This is an in-office role in New York, with attendance in the office four days each week.

Your department may allow some remote work, depending on its guidance.

You may be asked to work some nights, weekends and holidays.

The fellowship runs on or about June 7, 2027 to May 26, 2028, subject to satisfactory performance, and does not guarantee a full-time job afterward.

The annual base pay is $82,414.80 USD.

The role is represented by the NewsGuild of New York.

Applications close at 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Nov. 20.

You may apply to only one fellowship position per year, and duplicate applications are discarded.

Vetting can take eight weeks or more, and the company cannot confirm receipt of applications.

You must be authorized to work in the United States. The company will not sponsor work visas for the fellowship, but it will consider applicants with valid work authorization or a valid student visa that can be extended with Optional Practical Training.

Submit your own work and do not use GenAI tools to generate substantive content during the application and interview process.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and considers all applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics, including citizenship.

Benefits

• Depending on the role, US positions may be eligible for variable pay such as an annual bonus and restricted stock.
• Benefits may include medical, dental and vision cover, flexible spending accounts, a company-matching 401(k), an employee stock purchase plan, paid vacation, paid sick days, paid parental leave, tuition reimbursement and professional development programs.
• Roles outside the US receive benefit details during the interview process.