Arizona Editor

Date Posted	September 05, 2025
Industry	Digital Media
Specialty	Politics
Required Education	Bachelor's Degree
Job Status	Full-time
Salary	$70,000 to $85,000, based on experience

Description:

Job Title: Editor, Yellow Sheet Report

Location: Phoenix, Arizona (This position is NOT remote)

Company: Arizona Capitol Times/State Affairs

The Scoop:

In the shadow of the Arizona State Capitol, beneath the sizzle of July pavement and the murmur of backroom deals, there exists a digital paper unlike any other. It’s yellow (or it used to be when it was printed). It’s wry. It’s deeply wired. And it needs a new voice.

State Affairs, a growing, national news and tech organization fiercely devoted to state-level political coverage, is seeking an Editor for the legendary Yellow Sheet Report — our insider’s insider read that has chronicled Arizona politics with mischief, rigor and unmatched savvy for more than a century.

We’re not just hiring a journalist. We’re hiring a truth-sifter, a power-mapper, a one-part-shoeleather, one-part-satirist, full-time chronicler of statehouse symphony and farce. Someone who wakes up wondering what happened while they slept — and who’s already texting sources before coffee.

This is not a desk job. This is a capital mission.

What You’ll Do:

Own and lead the Yellow Sheet Report, shaping its daily identity while preserving its famously sharp, sardonic tone.

Report and write original scoops, compile insider intel, and curate the political pulse of Arizona in a format that’s essential, punchy, and impossible to ignore.

Mentor the next generation of political reporters with care, clarity, and the occasional well-timed metaphor.

Edit with precision and love—shaping stories, elevating context, and keeping our voice clear, our facts sharp, and our purpose unwavering.

Build and maintain deep source networks among lawmakers, lobbyists, staffers, activists, and anyone else who knows what’s really going on.

Work across State Affairs’ properties to identify best editorial practices, share smart ideas, and collaborate on cross-state projects.

Who You Are:

A self-starter with the initiative of a campaign manager and the hustle of a press secretary on deadline.

Obsessed with state and local politics. Like, we-should-check-on-you obsessed.

A writer and editor with range—witty when warranted, serious when it counts, surgical with a lede.

A connector. You’re as comfortable at a press gaggle as you are cornering someone at a fundraiser or slipping into a policy wonk panel.

Nonpartisan to your bones, but passionate about accountability journalism and public service.

A sharp mentor with a generous eye, who knows how to coach without condescending.

Someone with a sense of humor and thick skin. You’ll be writing with bite. Some folks will nibble back.

Bonus Points If You:

Know Arizona politics like your own heartbeat — or are ready to learn it with the speed of a scandal breaking in the House chamber.

Have experience managing or editing a newsroom or team.

Love newsletters and daily dispatches.

Can spot a headline that will make a lobbyist spit out their morning coffee (with respect).

What We Offer:

A chance to steer a historic publication into a bold, digital future.

A smart, mission-driven team that believes great state journalism isn’t just necessary — it’s sacred.

Competitive salary and benefits.

Freedom to do journalism that matters, without fear or favor.

Ready to apply?

Send a resume, a cover letter that sings and two writing samples (newsletters, scoops, satire, or any combo thereof) to alison@stateaffairs.com. And tell us what you’d cover in your first Yellow Sheet Report. (NOTE: This position is NOT remote.)

We’re building the new model for statehouse journalism. We want you with us.