Home Forum Editor

SUMMARY

The Home Forum holds a unique place in the Monitor as well as in American journalism. The Monitor’s founder, Mary Baker Eddy, took a special interest in the concept for this section and how it fit into her vision of “a newspaper for the home.” Home is a concept she described as providing a “foretaste of heaven,” along with friendship, love, and pure humanity. The Home Forum section brings out these qualities through a broad range of offerings, including content designed for children and young people. According to an early Home Forum editor, Louise Baum, the section was designed to bring a higher tone, one that is both ethical and educational.

Note: “The Home Forum” is the copyrighted title of the section. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Reimagine The Home Forum as an expanded section of the Monitor, with a greater presence in both the print edition and our daily digital offerings, and special features for children
• Work with the Monitor’s Editor and JSH to rethink the daily article on Christian Science and how it fits into The Home Forum.
• Approach the work with wit, humor, and vivacity, and ensure that these qualities are reflected on the pages of The Home Forum.
• Keep The Home Forum abreast of the times by tracking important trends in thought, particularly those that relate to, affect, and support home and home life.
• Work with staff writers, contractors, and freelancers to produce a lively and varied array of content
• Work with layout artists, graphic artists, and photographers to provide artwork that complements and invigorates the section. 
• Be proactive about how best to incorporate and adapt Home Forum content in our digital offerings.
• Complies with Monitor Ethics Policy. This includes not taking any public position on any political or public-issue campaign, including through social media posts, participation in protests, or donations to political candidates or issues.

STAFF MANAGEMENT AND JOB CONTACTS

Reporting Relationships
Supervisor: Editor

Regular Contacts
Print editor, layout artists, graphic artists, photographers, staff editors and writers

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Education/Experience

At least five years experience in editing.

Knowledge/Skills

• An appreciative zeal for the section and its many possibilities, and its role in helping the Monitor “ ‘reach the homes of the people’ with the message of Christian Science, as Baum describes it.
• A discerning ear for cultural and social trends that Monitor readers in particular should be alert to.
• An ear for excellent storytelling
• News currency.
• Ability to work effectively with both professional writers and less seasoned contributors.
• An ability to work on one’s own, as The Home Forum is a one-person shop.

Technology Skills

InCopy/K4, Crossword Compiler. The Mac basics, including GMail, Zoom, and Slack

Work Environment

Three full days a week in Boston office strongly preferred; remote work considered on a provisional basis.

Engagement with Christian Science

Mother Church membership required. The Home Forum 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, particularly The Home Forum department.

Pay Range: $100,541 - $130,702.40 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.