Washington state Editor

Description:

About The Center Square

The Center Square is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit national newswire service headquartered in Chicago with staff deployed across the country. We produce original, taxpayer-focused government accountability journalism for more than 1,360 local, state, and national media partners, reaching 141 million Americans daily.

Focus on the size, scope, cost, and effectiveness of government is our distinct lane, and has been the key to The Center Square's unprecedented growth as a U.S. news brand. At a time when news media is contracting, and media trust is waning, The Center Square is growing rapidly by providing original news that is well reported, fair, and focused on covering government for the people and holding those in power to account.

We call it The Center Square Way. It means we hold government accountable by showing people what their government is doing, what it costs them, and what it means for the taxpayers, businesses and communities where they live. Our reporters do not write opinion. Our editors do not tolerate it. We compete on accuracy, velocity and frequency — filing more stories, faster, with fewer errors than anyone else covering this beat. Every story goes through a backfield editing system designed to catch what other newsrooms miss. That’s not a slogan. It’s how we operate, every day, across every state we cover.

The Center Square has grown from a startup in 2019 to one of the most widely distributed newswire services in the country — because media partners trust our copy and readers trust our approach. We intend to keep earning that trust.

We operate as professionals. We compensate our employees well and offer a generous benefit plan. 

Washington state Editor

The Center Square newswire service

Reports to: Managing Editor (West Coast and Investigations), The Center Square 

The Role

The Washington state Editor is a working editor — hands on the keyboard, eyes on the region, judgment always engaged. This is not a title to collect. It’s a job to do.

Washington state is the assignment. You will own our coverage footprint in the state, with particular focus on Seattle and the surrounding region, the capital in Olympia, the statehouse activity and statewide policy developments that radiate from it, Spokane and communities east of the Cascades. 

You’ll oversee a team of reporters, manage freelance contributors, and ensure our coverage across the state is sharp, timely and taxpayer-focused every single day.

You'll participate in daily editorial planning, execute against short- and long-term coverage strategies, and push our content across multiple platforms. You’ll also promote our work to media partners in the region — because great journalism that nobody reads isn't journalism, it’s a diary.

What You’ll Do

Edit and produce daily. Supervise reporters, plan coverage across Washington, edit stories to The Center Square standards, and post to TheCenterSquare.com. Every day. The wire doesn't sleep. Our editors are not copyeditors. They are newsroom leaders. 

Report. This is a working editor role. You will lead by example. You will report on state government activity, monitor legislative and policy developments, and use public records and databases to find the stories nobody else is digging for — waste, fraud, abuse, and the expenditure of taxpayer dollars that demands scrutiny.

Own Washington coverage. Ensure consistent, taxpayer-focused reporting out of Seattle, King County and surrounding communities. Keep Olympia and the statehouse on a short leash. Own coverage in Spokane and eastern Washington.

Uphold The Center Square Way. Every story you touch should reflect our editorial standards — taxpayer-focused, opinion-free, accurate, and filed at wire speed. You’re not just editing copy. You're enforcing a standard that separates us from everyone else in this space.

Build the bench. Recruit, assign and edit freelance journalists across the state as necessary. The best editors develop talent — we expect you to find it.

Cultivate sources. Build a network of trusted contacts inside and outside government — legislators, agency officials, think tanks, academia, unions, the business community. Good sources produce good stories. Period.

Compete. Monitor the state media landscape. Identify what’s being covered, what’s being missed, and where The Center Square can own the story. Identify potential media partners and help grow our distribution footprint.

Promote our work. Push The Center Square stories to local and regional media partners. Help manage social media presence for the region.

What You Bring

• A bachelor's degree or higher is preferred. 

• A real background in journalism — reporting, editing, or both — across print, web, radio and/or television. We don’t care which platform made you. We care that a platform did. As news continues to evolve, skills from any of the mass media platforms is valuable, but our work almost always begins in print for use on the wire. 

• Strong writing, strong editing, strong investigative instincts, strong verbal communication. 

• Deep familiarity with state legislative and policy issues — or the ability and drive to get there fast.

• The ability to find original stories and break them. Wire service editors don't wait for press releases. Our reporters are not stenographers. 

• An entrepreneurial mindset. You will work independently, manage your time, solve problems, and keep the coverage machine running without being told to.

• A demonstrated understanding of editorial planning and budgeting processes.

• A willingness to travel as needed within Washington.

• A commitment to the principles of personal responsibility and free enterprise.

Location

You must live in Washington or be willing to relocate. This is a Washington-based role. You can’t cover a state from a thousand miles away and do it well. We need boots on the ground — in the capital, at the county level, and in the communities where the stories are. 

Direct Reports

Reporting staff in Washington and freelance/contractor contributors in the state.

The Center Square is competing for the trust of the American public every day. If you want to be part of a fast-moving, fast-growing organization committed to the highest ethical standards in the industry, we want to hear from you. Email jobs@thecentersquare.com

How to apply: Email resume, cover letter and links to writing samples at jobs@franklinnews.org.