Now hiring: a new editor for Dublin Inquirer

The job

Dublin Inquirer is an independent publication, dedicated to quality local journalism and stories that aren’t being told elsewhere.

We publish about eight to 12 articles online weekly, as well as a 40- to 48-page monthly print edition. We also run events and community engagement projects to involve readers in journalism.

We’re looking for someone who cares deeply about independent media, and is excited at the idea (and reality) of serving readers by providing thoughtful, nuanced public-interest journalism about local issues that matter in their lives – and growing a small-budget publication with fresh ideas.

The successful candidate will work full-time as part of a small team, with a flexible mix of working from home and from our office in central Dublin.

Responsibilities:

• Overseeing a small team of committed reporters and freelancers, helping them find story ideas, deciding with them which stories to pursue, and how to best present them
• Coaching reporters and freelancers on reporting and writing, helping them to think through stories, whether long-term projects or those with shorter turnaround, and further develop our journalism
• Coaching and editing new reporters who may just be starting out, and whose first language may not be English, in line with our mission is to offer a route into journalism for those who may face extra barriers
• Editing and publishing eight to 12 articles  a week – with back up from a deputy editor – including rigorous fact-checking, story structuring and subediting
• Making sure there are high-quality photos, and other visuals as needed, to illustrate all these articles
• Protecting the paper, yourself, and the reporters from defamation suits by demanding fair, accurate, precise reporting and writing, and liaising with lawyers on especially risky pieces
• Publishing the articles on our website, and overseeing their distribution via newsletters, social media, and (monthly) by post
• Keeping up an open two-way conversation with readers and subscribers, with an openness to good-faith criticism from readers, and transparency around how we think through and go about our journalism
• Monitoring our story output to make sure we are covering parts of the city and communities that are lacking coverage, and deciding areas of attention with the team or if appropriate with reader input
• Ensuring that the publication does an agreed number of outreach events, or community engagement projects a year
• Responding to requests, concerns and queries from subscribers about their subscriptions

Skills and experience

• Journalism experience
• Strong fact-checking and copy-editing skills
• Working knowledge of defamation law
• An openness to engagement with readers and subscribers
• A desire to coach and work collaboratively in a small team
• A serious interest in the future sustainability of independent journalism
• Ability to work with a small budget

Key terms

• Salary of €2,500/mo, in line with the rest of the team
• Four weeks of holiday a year, plus time at Christmas

To apply

If you think you’d be great for this job, please send a cover letter telling us why, a CV, and contact information for two references who we can talk to about you to lois@dublininquirer.com by C.O.B. on 31 January.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Why am I stepping down?

We launched Dublin Inquirer in 2015, and I’ve been editor for almost all of the years since. Our coverage, readership and team continues to grow, and we remain committed to quality reader-funded journalism.

But after almost nine years, it’s time for a change in editorship.

I’m not going far. I’ll be staying on as publisher, and also helping to run a journalism training programme we’ll soon kick off – and as a reporter.

I’ve always wanted to spend more time finding, reporting and writing on issues myself. So with this change, I hope that I’ll be able to do that too.

A new editor will also have other back up too. Deputy editor Sam Tranum isn’t going anywhere, and will continue not only as a reporter, but also a subeditor.