News Reporter and Editor

The New Humanitarian

Position description

The New Humanitarian is hiring a news-obsessed, globally curious journalist to file daily stories on breaking humanitarian news and trends. Topics could include everything from reports on the latest conflict hotspots to debates over migration policy to ethical issues around the use of AI in delivering aid or access to COVID-19 vaccines. This is a unique opportunity to work with one of the few non-profit media covering international affairs: The New Humanitarian is the only independent non-profit media outfit dedicated to covering humanitarian crises and holding the aid sector to account. Our reporting tackles many of the key issues of our time, from migration to climate change, from the war in Syria to COVID-19, from a multi-billion-dollar aid industry in the midst of soul-searching to emerging forms of solidarity. We are committed to amplifying diverse voices and to upending traditional Western narratives and journalistic tropes. Our work has altered legislation and government policies, exposed financial corruption and sex abuse scandals, and helped mainstream audiences understand how their tax monies are spent on humanitarian initiatives. We are looking for someone to power up our daily coverage, reporting and writing quick-turn-around news pieces for cross-platform use and contributing to our hallmark in-depth coverage. This is primarily a desk-based role, though there may be occasional opportunity for field reporting.

Who we’re looking for

You’re a fast and accurate reporter and writer, as confident turning around a traditional text piece in a few hours as covering a live event via Twitter or doing a Q&A with government officials, recently displaced families, or reporters in the field. You’re an information junkie who lives on trusted news sources from around the world – and who understands the pros and cons of each. You’re eager to find the next story even as you’re hitting ‘send’ on your latest. You love being ‘in-the-know’, building and nurturing sources within your beat and alongside it. It’s great if you’re familiar with the humanitarian sector, the people it serves and how it all works (or doesn’t). It’s fine if you’re not, as long as you’re excited by the prospect of immersing yourself in it. You have several years of newsroom or wire agency experience and thrive when you’re unsure what your next work day will look like. You report and write balanced news stories with ease, always amplifying diverse voices and pushing beyond formulaic narratives. You are equally comfortable working on stories you pitch as on pieces colleagues suggest or on curating and collating content from elsewhere in the news ecosystem. And, while big ideas and exclusive scoops excite you, you have the hands-on reporting and writing skills to deliver on them by filing copy that is accurate, engaging and needs minimal editing.

Like everyone on The New Humanitarian team, you’ll be flexible and open to meeting the evolving demands of this new role and eager to learn new skills quickly.

You must also be aligned with our organizational values:

• Commitment
• Humility
• Candour & Transparency
• Constructiveness
• Diversity

We especially welcome candidates who represent the diverse communities our journalism serves.

What you’ll do

• File several news-focused pieces of content daily for cross-platform use. These could include text-based news stories, Twitter threads, newsletter entries, slideshows, video or audio interviews, listicles or graphics-based stories
• Monitor the daily news cycle and identify the humanitarian focus for breaking stories; monitor social media for stories and emerging trends; pitch coverage and alert team members as warranted
• Keep up to date on annual meetings, conferences, anniversaries and other events in the humanitarian sector, and work with the managing editor and regional editors to determine and deliver appropriate coverage
• File coverage on breaking stories as assigned by the managing editor
• Work with the regional and topic editors to contribute reporting and writing to in-depth and special projects
• Contribute to weekly, annual, and other recurring features, such as the Cheat Sheet or end-of-year coverage overviews
• Compile weekly and occasional newsletters, writing, selecting, and formatting content as needed
• Contribute daily social media content
• Work with the managing and regional editors as well as production and audience engagement colleagues to ensure your content meets editorial standards and technical requirements and is accessible and engaging to a global audience
• Follow the work of other media outlets and suggest innovations that can be absorbed by our small team to increase the timeliness and urgency of our coverage; devise new formats for short, timely content

Skills and competencies

• Several years’ experience working in a breaking news environment, preferably as a reporter in a global or regional newsroom or with an international wire service
• Ability to spot breaking news that is aligned with the humanitarian beat and quickly pitch coverage ideas
• Ability to quickly (within a few hours) report, structure, and write a succinct, balanced, contextualised news story
• Ability to file video, visual, and audio content in addition to text
• A track record of filing copy that is grammatically and factually correct and follows newsroom formats
• Impeccable news judgment and a commitment to fact-based journalism that represents diverse views from diverse contributors
• Excellent English-language verbal and written skills
• Pleasure in working to deadline and responding quickly to news events
• Highly organised and communicative
• Comfortable working independently as well as collaborating with in-house colleagues, freelance contributors, and sources
• An eagerness for getting the story first, balanced with a devotion to ensuring accuracy and clarity

Desirables

• Experience reporting on or working in humanitarian or conflict environments
• Experience writing or editing newsletter and/or social media content
• Proficiency in French, Arabic, Spanish or other languages

We have described the qualities we are seeking in this position, but we recognise that there will be strong candidates who do not meet all the requirements listed here but have other important qualities. So if you’re interested but not sure you fit the profile, please apply anyway. Our newsroom is growing and we’re always open to exploring what’s possible for the future.

Application instructions