Data Journalism Editor, IRW

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Department:
School of Communication
Time Type:
Full time
Job Type:
Regular
FLSA Status:
Exempt
Work Modality:
Full On Campus Presence
Union:
Excluded
Job Description:
Summary:
The Investigative Reporting Workshop 
seeks an outstanding data journalist to lead
 our data

and artificial

intelligence

journalism efforts , mentor others , and translate complex data into impactful investigative stories , while contributing creatively and strategically to the newsroom.

The Data

Journalism

• Editor handles daily and long-term data
• assignments
• for
• various journalism projects within
• IRW, a nonprofit newsroom based at the School of Communication ). The Data Editor works with
• other editors
• and interns
• and graduate fellows

on data collection, data cleaning, data management, data analysis, and data visualization
s
.

The Data

Journalism

Editor reports to the Executive Editor. This position works under general supervision and will interact with other staff, students, faculty, and consultants

at IRW . The Data

Journalism

Editor

• ensure s
• that
• our
• data-driven investigations are based on sound data management and analysis principles, and that data findings are
• accurate
• and based on accepted
• best practices in journalism.
• Our ideal applicants have a t least three to
• five
• years of experience in data journalism, including statistical analysis and reporting stories from data, and some experience in programming.
• Familiarity with Artificial Intelligence, Large Language Models and their applications is preferred.
• We want a journalist who cares about finding stories among those communities that are often underrepresented in the media , and one
• who is passionate about accurate storytelling across platforms.
• Exceptional candidates with important skills that do not precisely match the above description are welcome to apply and tell us about
• themselves .

Essential Functions

1.) Data Analysis and Reporting

• Develop and execute plans for
• acquiring , analyzing, cleaning, and
• presenting data used by the Investigative Reporting Workshop for potential stories. Pitch and
• develop
• story ideas for future projects.
• 2.) Editing Check and re-check thousands of documents, reviewing the work of student journalists and graduate fellows who obtain data and documents through public-records requests , court records,
• and online sources.

Draft or

• assign drafts
• of all
• methodology
• used in stories and projects for potential publication.
• 3.) Training and Presentations Develop s
• ideas for on-site workshops and events ,
• and
• participates
• in
• panels at national conferences, including, but not limited to, IRE and NICAR, the
• Investigative Reporters and Editors and its spinoff, the National Institute for Computer Assisted Reporting, respectively. This position also
• frequently
• speaks to American University’s graduate boot-camp students and to the Dow Jones training workshops for business reporters held at American University.

4.) Other Duties as Assigned

• Maintain frequent contact with smaller nonprofit newsrooms working with IRW on data-heavy projects.
• Other assignments as needed.

Supervisory Responsibility

• This position supervises one to three part-time student
• reporters
• and
• graduate
• fellows.
• Competencies: Acquiring and Analyzing Information. ​ Prioritizing and

Organizing.
​
Collaborative Leadership.
​
Supporting Coworkers
​.
Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:
Full-time.
35 hours per week.
In-person position and eligible for Hybrid 1 schedule.
Position is located at the Investigative Reporting Workshop at

American University School of Communication ( SOC )

in Washington, D.C.

Continuation of the program/position is contingent upon external funding. Salary Range: $70,000.00 - $80,000.00 annually. Required Education and Experience: ​ ​ Bachelor's degree or equivalent ​. ​ 3 - 5 years of relevant experience ​.

Preferred Education and Experience: ​ ​ Master's degree or equivalent ​.

Travel Required

Occasional travel m

• ay
• be
• required .

Additional Eligibility Qualifications: Candidates are encouraged to submit a cover letter and resume with their application.
Employees in the School of Communication are required to work on campus in a full presence modality for the first month of their employment.
Proficiency

in the following are preferred and would be an asset to this work:
 1.)
Statistics and statistical analysis tools, including

RESTful Service Query Language ( RSQL ) , Excel, Python, 2.) Expertise

in

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA ) ,

Public Access to Court Electronic Records ( PACER ) , and other public-records resources, 3.) Server management,

4.) Database management, especially Postgres
 5.)
Web development, especially news applications and data visualization tools.
Other Duties:
Please

note that

this job description is not designed to cover or

contain

a comprehensive

listing

of activities, duties or responsibilities that are

required of

the employee for this job. Duties,

responsibilities

and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Benefits
AU offers a competitive benefits package.
Click here to learn about American University's unique benefit options
.
Other Details
Hiring offers for this position are contingent on successful completion of a background check.
Employees in staff positions at American University must deliver their services to the university from either the District of Columbia, Maryland, or Virginia, or perform work on-site at the university.
Please note this job announcement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
American University is an
E-Verify
employer.
Current American University Employees
American University current employees must apply through their employee Workday account. If you are a current employee at American University, please log into Workday and select the Find Jobs report which will take you to our internal career listings.
Contact Us
For more information or assistance with the American University careers site, email
theworkline@american.edu
.
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