Civics Editor

RANGE Media is a worker-owned newsroom that is part of the Spokane Workers Cooperative (SWC), an ecosystem of worker-owned businesses that share resources and expertise.

At RANGE, we believe that our democracy works best when all of us participate, and that can only be possible when everyone has equal access to the news and information that allows them to take action and demand better for themselves and their communities. We are building a journalism organization in Spokane, WA and the greater Inland Northwest to meet the needs of everyone, with special emphasis on people and communities that have been ignored by traditional media and affected by injustice in all its forms.

Launched weeks into the pandemic, we’ve spent the last three years building RANGE from the ground up, growing from one guy making a podcast in his attic to a team of three journalists (and soon five!) who do crucial investigative, accountability, and civics reporting that gives our community the tools they need to demand better.

Our most popular product, our CIVICS newsletter, breaks down dozens of municipal meeting agendas so people know when and where to speak truth to power, whether it’s at city council meetings, school board meetings, the health district or the bicycle advisory board.

The Civics Editor will oversee this product, which entails tracking the public meetings in our area to find the most impactful discussions and votes each week. The Civics Editor will also lead the launch of our Documenters program, where we train and pay community members to attend and document public meetings, then publish an accessible, approachable digest of the meeting. RANGE is the first newsroom in the Northwest to join the program.

The Civics Editor role is vital to our vision of community journalism in Spokane (Read more about RANGE at the bottom of this description). That’s why we’re seeking someone with a passion for journalism that highlights the concerns of everyday people, amplifies the voices of marginalized communities, and who can help make our CIVICS work as impactful as possible.

The ideal candidate loves to be part of a team, loves to help people feel like they’re part of a community, and wants to help build our organizational and missional impact by getting more people civically engaged and involved with Inland Northwest Documenters. To learn more about the Documenters program and the support they provide news organizations like ours, check out our program announcement.

We’re trying to build something this community has never had, and as such, we are committed to learning, growing and, ultimately, succeeding together.
What you’ll do

This role is responsible for expanding our CIVICS work and managing our Documenters program. You’ll:

Manage the Spokane-based Documenters program and oversee our local network of program participants. This includes recruiting and training community members.
Write our weekly CIVICS newsletter and bring it to the next level
Edit Documenters notes for publication
Work with our Audience and Membership Editor to host events for training and recruitment
Work with RANGE staff to tell the story of the Documenters program and make sure Documenters’ work reaches the people who can use it
Apply an equity framework to programmatic decisions to ensure the Documenters program reflects the greatest need as it applies to race, gender and other demographics.
Collaborate with a small team, helping us actualize the mission of RANGE through the specific lens of empowering our community