Code for Africa Recruitment of News Editor 2022| How To Apply

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Code for Africa Recruitment of News Editor 2022| Code for Africa (CfA) has an immediate vacancy for a full-time News Editor to help coordinate our multinational PesaCheck fact-checking team. Requirement and eligibility, Read Through.

As News Editor, you will be responsible for a team of multilingual researchers/fact-checkers across 13 African countries who debunk misinformation on social and traditional media platforms for an international audience. The team works in a fast-paced virtual newsroom, applying global editorial verification/fact-checking standards to hard-hitting issues ranging from complex conflict situations in countries as diverse as Ethiopia and Mali, to conspiracist anti-vaxx or health claims, and extremist hate speech or election related political claims.

About the Role:

The successful candidate will join Africa’s largest fact-checking initiative: PesaCheck.

PesaCheck currently works across 13 African countries, publishing in two international languages (English and French) and a range of major regional indigeonous languages (including Amharic, Afaan-Oromo, Tigrinya and Kiswahili). Its debunks are syndicated by a range of traditional media across the continent, and is also used by major social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc, to combat misinformation. Facebook alone labels over six million posts a year as harmful/misleading based on PesaCheck debunks.

Related:

Eligibility:

  • Demonstrable newsdesk editorial management skills, honed during at least five years managing teams of journalists in a mainstream media or equivalent digital publishing environment.
  • Demonstrable understanding of the step-by-step production process for creating well researched and substantiated news reports, including familiarity with editorial diaries/schedules, editorial workflow, and content assignment/deadline management.
  • Meticulous attention to detail, with the ability to work with congeniality in a fast-paced deadline-driven environment. This includes being an organisational whiz who is able to prioritise multiple simultaneous tasks, while at the same time having the people skills needed to engage diplomatically and collaborate effectively with colleagues under tight deadlines.
  • Robust critical thinking, and strong research and investigative skills, with good general knowledge and interest in current affairs.
  • Proven track-record for creative problem solving in fast-paced impact-driven environments, where solutions involve balancing human and production considerations.
  • Demonstrable ability to self-manage, creating your own as well as wider team timelines and milestones with clear systems/processes.
  • Proficiency in collaborative work solutions such as Google Workplace (Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, etc.), Slack (or equivalents such as Teams), and project management tools like Trello (or equivalents).

Preferred: candidates who are able to demonstrate the following will have an advantage:

  • Previous experience in a fact-checking or editorial verification newsroom.
  • In-depth knowledge about ‘information disorder’ and the differences between misinformation and disinformation and mal-information, as well as conspiracist content and hate speech.
  • Working knowledge of French, and/or Arabic, in addition to the African languages within PesaCheck’s 13-country focus area.

Responsibilities: Your daily responsibilities will include:

  • You will manage and nurture PesaCheck’s in-country journalists, overseeing their day-to-day research, helping develop their skills and knowledge, and keeping them on-schedule to meet agreed deadlines and other deliverables.
  • You will select and prioritise editorial leads for your journalists from PesaCheck’s various editorial tip-lines or algorithmic ‘listening’ or media monitoring tools to help ensure we focus our attention on the most harmful misinformation/conspiracies
  • You will facilitate daily editorial planning meetings at which editorial leads/assignments are brainstormed and allocated to in-country journalists/researchers, with clear editorial briefs and submission deadlines.
  • You will, with the support of your Newsdesk Assistants, ensure that journalists meet agreed editorial targets and production schedules, while adhering to PesaCheck’s ethical and editorial policies and standards.
  • You will ensure the accuracy, clarity, fairness and appropriateness of all draft content, and will ensure that journalists respond promptly to any queries or requests by the copydesk or other support teams.
  • You will, in consultation with other editors, make suggestions on explanatory infographics or other multimedia/visual elements for the graphic or data teams to produce to accompany fact-checks.
  • You will, with the support of Newsdesk Assistants and CfA’s technology team, manage PesaCheck’s various databases and digital tools for tracking, matching and analysing misinformation.
  • You will, in consultation with other editors, proactively identify editorial challenges, ranging from skills-gaps to conflict or censorship, that impact on PesaCheck’s research and you will also proactively identify other production bottlenecks that erode PesaCheck’s ability to quickly debunk emerging misinformation narratives.
  • You will, with input from the Managing Editor, drive the refinement of PesaCheck’s editorial style guide and newsdesk ‘playbook’ (operational manual) and editorial policies to help journalists better understand their role and content production guidelines.

What We Offer:

  • A competitive salary, subject to experience, with opportunities for performance-based growth, both in terms of career path and public stature.
  • A dynamic workplace, with a transnational team, occasional international travel, and generous vacation benefits.
  • Ongoing opportunities to learn new cutting-edge skills and techniques/technologies to future-proof yourself in a rapidly evolving industry.
  • A chance to shine on a global stage, writing for international audiences and interacting with colleagues around the world.

How To Apply: 

The News Editor will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the newsdesk, managing the frontline journalists/researchers across multiple time-zones, with key duties including setting editorial targets and production schedules (strictly enforcing publication deadlines where necessary), helping journalists identify appropriate leads/issues for research, and ensuring that journalists get the data analysis or multimedia support needed to produce impactful content.

Apply Here

Application Deadline: April 17, 2022.

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