Company Profile

Company Description:

The Washington Post is looking for an experienced editor to join the Universal Desk’s Topic Desk, which is responsible for line editing breaking news. 

This position is a perfect fit for an editor with wide news experience who can edit quickly without sacrificing quality. The role requires the ability to edit stories from across the newsroom, including the biggest breaking news, live update files, urgent trending stories and time-sensitive analyses. The ideal candidate must have at least five years of journalism experience – preferably in a digital breaking-news environment – knowledge of and comfort with SEO and search best practices, strong headline writing skills, attention to detail, an understanding of style and legal issues and sound news judgment. This person should be collegial, flexible and calm under pressure. 

The six-person Topic Desk team is an integral part of covering breaking news at The Post. It primarily edits for the web but handles some stories for the print product. Their work requires a holistic approach to editing:  

• Monitor competitive news developments. 

• Perform content and line editing as well as some web production. 

• Write headlines and summaries. 

• Publish stories with priority given to alertable and urgent news. 

The editor will have an opportunity to contribute feedback and ideas for improvements to our products, internal tools and content management systems. 

This position is based in our Washington newsroom and will include weekend and some holiday work. 

Candidates should upload a résumé and cover letter detailing how you would shape this position to our jobs portal. All application materials can be uploaded to the same field. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled, but those received by 07/18/2022 will be prioritized. Address the cover letter to Chief Topics Editor Anne Bartlett and Universal Desk Editor Kenisha Malcolm.

The Post strives to provide its readers with high-quality, trustworthy news and information while constantly innovating. That mission is best served by a diverse, multi-generational workforce with varied life experiences and perspectives. All cultures and backgrounds are welcomed.