Briefs Editor III

Job Description

SUMMARY

The Briefs Editor spearheads the daily production of short, pithy news items that capture larger developments through the Monitor’s distinctive lens and fill gaps while deeper coverage is taking shape. This role requires and exemplifies the discernment that Christian Science Monitor journalism brings to daily news events as well as shifts in thought.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Briefs Editor works with staff writers and editors to deliver timely, high-concept briefs each day that keep Monitor readers well-informed and alert to global issues and trends that deserve their constructive attention. Discernment is key in selecting not only top news items from fields such as politics, government, economics, social and cultural issues, but also examples of compassion, courage, forgiveness, humility, vigilance, cooperation, reconciliation, and other such qualities. The Briefs Editor is a team player, with a gracious demeanor and the confidence to take the lead and guide others as necessary.

The incumbent selects the briefs for the daily newsletter and also manages the briefs feed on the homepage, landing page, and app.

All Briefs editor levels perform the following core editorial capabilities, with complexity, independence, and scope increasing by level:

• Demonstrates strong news judgment and the confidence to leave some developments aside, and to discern hierarchies of relative importance
• Monitors news wires and Slack channel for briefs ideas from staff
• Coordinates with department heads and desk editors to ensure a steady stream of timely briefs
• Conducts and/or encourages original research rather than just rewriting
• Writes the news briefs that desk editors and/or writers are not available to write, as well as finding and writing up constructive developments not seen as news by other outlets
• Excels at bringing out the scope and significance of news developments through clear, tight writing and/or editing
• Fact-checks on tight deadlines and when necessary will challenge writers, including senior staff, to correct or clarify within very small time windows
• Effectively communicates information in a timely and collegial way
• Implements and upholds guidance from the Managing Editor

LEVEL DIFFERENTIATION

Briefs Editor I

• Develops a foundational understanding of Monitor briefs
• Writes first drafts of briefs, with supervision
• Supports senior editor as directed

Briefs Editor II

• Demonstrates a foundational understanding of Monitor briefs
• Drafts briefs for senior editor to review
• Coordinates desk editors and writers as directed 

Briefs Editor III (Position level)

• Demonstrates a solid understanding of Monitor briefs
• Develops and curates a daily lineup of briefs
• Coordinates effectively with desk editors, writers, and the M.E.

Briefs Editor IV

• Refines and advances the concept of Monitor briefs
• Assigns briefs to desk editors and writers
• Directs breaking news coverage with guidance from M.E.

MISSION AND CULTURE

The Briefs Editor strives to uphold The Christian Science Monitor’s founding mission “to spread undivided the Science that operates unspent,” and its object “to injure no man but to bless all mankind.” That includes hewing to our five operational guidelines:

1. Bring a healing, purifying thought to many homes. We counteract cynicism about news and humanity by upholding a higher standard of both.
2. Get above the fray. Because we’re owned by a church, we’re free from corporate and political interests.
3. Cover the day’s vital global news. We provide a trustworthy and concise compilation for our thoughtful, busy readers.
4. Investigate ideals and endeavors, not just events. We keep abreast of the times by recognizing key currents of thought and their impact.
5. Be clean, family-friendly, and non-sensational. We are “a newspaper for the home.”

The Briefs Editor also embraces our newsroom’s three culture pillars:

• We’re scrappy. We seek creative solutions. We’re hungry and nimble. We experiment and streamline.
• We’re rigorous. We embrace others challenging our ideas and our writing. We strive for editorial excellence, and we help each other continually improve. We know that feedback is a gift.
• We have unwavering fidelity to our mission. We make our founding mission the basis for every decision and initiative.

STAFF MANAGEMENT AND JOB CONTACTS

Supervisor: Managing Editor or, if there are multiple Briefs editors, the most senior Briefs editor.

Regular Contacts: Has regular contact with the National News Editor, National desk editors, National reporters, International News Editor, International desk editors, International reporters, Features Editor & Deputy Editor, Features reporters, and interns.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Education/Experience

Level I: College degree or comparable experience.

Level II: College degree and 1-2 years of journalism or comparable experience.

Level III: College degree and/or 3-5 years of journalism or comparable experience.

Level IV: College degree and/or 5-10+ years of journalism or comparable experience.

Knowledge/Skills

• Shares a clear strategic vision with the Editor and Managing Editor for the briefs as a key part of the Monitor’s mission as a daily newspaper.
• Understands and respects the role that Christian Science plays in shaping Monitor coverage
• Possesses a strong sense of what discerning Monitor readers need to know about each day, and delivers on that with clean, perceptive, original writing.
• Possesses and/or develops reporting skills rooted in primary source materials
• Stays calm and poised under deadline pressure, and is able to write quickly, particularly in the hours before the Monitor Daily’s early a.m. send.
• Mentors writers and desk editors to help them understand Monitor briefs
• Finds and utilizes other avenues around the world for spotting possible topics for briefs, including Church channels

Technology Skills

Experience with Google Suite applications (Google Docs, etc.), EZ Publish, social media platforms.

Work Environment

Works in the Boston office a minimum of three days a week.

Engagement with Christian Science

Membership in The Mother Church is valued, but is not required. The Briefs Editor respects that, while the Monitor is not a sectarian publication, it is grounded in the healing mission of the Church that publishes it. The incumbent is receptive to developing a deeper understanding of how that mission informs and uplifts our journalism. For more background, see www.CSMonitor.com/About.

Pay Range: $66,109  - $148,346.80 Annually 

The pay ranges disclosed in our job postings are the compensation ranges the Church reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for a given position at the time of posting.

The offered salary will be determined by factors such as the applicant’s relevant education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities; and benchmarking, work location, and internal equity.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.  

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