Politics Editor

The Indianapolis Star/ indystar.com , part of the USA TODAY NETWORK , has an immediate opening for a politically savvy journalist to lead a team of politics/government and other reporters.

This is a key newsroom role, particularly heading into 2024. Indiana has an open U.S. Senate race and an open, multicandidate gubernatorial race in addition to the presidential election. Also, recent sessions of the General Assembly have tackled issues of high community interest, including education, transgender rights, criminal justice and abortion, among other issues.

The politics editor will work with reporters on the front end as well as the back to shape the full range of politics and government coverage, from breaking news to contextualized enterprise to investigative and watchdog journalism only the Star delivers.

The editor will put audience at the center of our coverage, asking with every story what do residents of Central Indiana want and need to know about their governments. They will embrace change and experimentation, learning from failures and pivoting quickly.

The team will include the Indianapolis city/county reporter and two state reporters who also provide coverage for the USA TODAY Network, including sites across Indiana. The team could also include the business or education reporters.

The successful candidate will have political reporting experience, a keen editing eye and sharp news judgment – someone who is a team player and self-directed, passionate and compassionate, someone who finds success in the success of others.

Requirements

At least five years of journalism experience
Proven proficiency in applying analytics to content strategy
Strong communication and collaboration skills
Comfort in deadline-driven environment
Exceptional planning and organizational skills
Social-media and SEO knowledge
Strong line-editing skills
Strong people-management skills
Strong problem-solving skills
Creativity and out-of-the-box thinking
Bachelor's degree
Employment is contingent on passing a post-offer pre-employment background check.

About

We are eager to learn more about you and what you will add to an already-great newsroom. When you apply, don’t limit your upload to a resume; show us what you’ve done. To do so, put together a single document file that includes the following, in this order:

Your resume – one to two pages.
A cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job.
Links to 3 online samples of your work. Show us what you’ve produced or had a hand in that best reflects what you can do in your desired role.