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JOB DESCRIPTIONS
After a year of virtual production, The CW will be back in print in Fall 2021. Once a month, we will print a special edition issue to be distributed on newsstands across campus and Tuscaloosa. Our twice-weekly email newsletter and daily online content will continue. The email newsletter will be sent to our readers’ inboxes on Monday and Thursday mornings, which means editors will be on call Sunday and Wednesday nights after 5 p.m. to prepare newsletter content.
EDITORIAL BOARD
The Crimson White Editorial Board includes the Editor-in-Chief, the Managing Editor, the Opinions Editor, the Engagement Editor and the Chief Copy Editor. These editors will hold additional meetings for endorsements and will be responsible for producing weekly Our View columns.
MANAGING EDITOR
The managing editor is responsible for building and maintaining an efficient and inclusive newsroom. This editor is in charge of the newsroom and serves as the chief production officer. The Crimson White is looking for a critical thinker and creative problem-solver who can work alongside the Editor-in-Chief to make any necessary structural changes. The managing editor is ultimately responsible for maintaining an up-to-date website, social media presence and making sure the print issue and email newsletter are both efficiently planned and finished on deadline. This editor is also responsible for all payroll matters. ($440/month)
Expectations:
—Assist the Editor-in-Chief with implementing any structural changes, as well as wide-scale hiring and recruiting processes.
—Oversee newsroom diversity efforts.
—Ensure the newsroom is adequately prepared and staffed on print production days.
—Oversee all newsroom operations.
—Write copy for all twice-weekly newsletters.
—Enforce print and newsletter deadlines.
—Fill out all necessary payroll information on a timely/monthly basis.
—Work directly on budgetary matters with the OSM professional staff.
CHIEF COPY EDITOR
Like grammar? Live for AP style? Hate Oxford commas? The Chief Copy Editor will assign initial edits to assistant copy editors. In a second round of edits, this editor will proofread every story and print page to check for factual errors, grammar and AP style. This person will work on production nights and should be available to edit online content throughout the week. Prior experience on the copy desk is preferred but not required. ($280/month)
Expectations:
—Ensure that stories are edited in a timely fashion for both print and online.
—Maintain AP style and CW style consistency throughout the newspaper’s content.
—Make certain the copy desk is adequately staffed during print production days.
—Work with the managing editor to make sure that stories are not only filed on deadline, but are sent back to reporters ahead of time if there are problems that cannot be fixed in copy editing.
ASSISTANT COPY EDITORS
Assistant copy editors will scour every line of a story for factual errors, grammar mistakes and AP style. These editors will report to the Chief Copy Editor and should be available throughout the week to edit online content and will work at least one production night a week. ($80/month)
ENGAGEMENT EDITOR
This new position is adapted from the previous digital editor position and is designed to ensure inclusive coverage and audience feedback. This editor is responsible for advancing reader engagement through content on the newspaper’s social media platforms and planned events. Applicants should be comfortable with WordPress, relevant social media platforms, as well as crowdsourcing and scheduling tools. More importantly, however, this editor should be willing to think deeply and critically about who our audience is, who it could be and how we can make our content more accessible, engaging and inclusive. The CW will count on this editor to cultivate reader relationships and bring new and fresh ideas to the table. ($400/month)
Expectations:
—Oversee the CW’s digital presence, making certain all platforms are updated on a daily basis.
—Be responsible for the newspaper’s timely and aggressive presence on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other platforms. There must be at least one story from every desk each day.
—On production nights, make sure the newspaper’s print issue PDF is filed for online publication and that print issue stories are filed and scheduled online.
—Work with the editor-in-chief and managing editor to produce a monthly report with metrics showing The CW’s impact, audience behavior and diversity.
—Pay attention to the look of the website, and resize photos and graphics during each production cycle so they fit the online format. Don’t simply post the print format online.
—Monitor site analytics and brush up on best practices.
—Oversee a team of social media strategists and notify them once online content is published. Work with the Editor-in-Chief to monitor and respond to comments on posts.
—Assign at least two social media callouts each week to generate reader feedback on specific stories or issues facing campus.
OPINIONS EDITOR
Have opinions? This editor is responsible for all content on the editorial and op-ed pages of the newspaper. The opinions editor is responsible for recruiting a well-rounded group of weekly columnists and cartoonists to work for the section as well as editing any work that is sent in. The opinions editor is also responsible for consulting with the Editorial Board to write and plan weekly “Our View” editorials. Columnist experience is preferred but not required. ($320/month)
Expectations:
—Actively seek out diverse writers to produce content for the Opinions pages, including tweets about major issues on campus.
—Utilize social media and work with desk editors to plan first-person essays related to campus issues. These essays should be written by students or faculty members who are directly affected by the issue at hand.
—Insist that columnists do original reporting instead of simply giving their opinions. Columns should be on timely topics and researched well, with original quotes from sources.
—Publish weekly “Our View” editorials with the full weight of the CW’s Editorial Board.
—Recruit outstanding cartoonists and illustrators.
—Hold weekly budget meetings with columnists to address common mistakes and plan content.
CHIEF PAGE EDITOR
The visuals editor is responsible for the overall design of the print issue of The CW, leading a staff of designers, illustrators and graphics artists. The visuals editor will be a visual communicator to make it easy and fun for readers to interpret hard-hitting stories. Flexible applicants are preferred. The CW is looking for someone who would seize the opportunity to get creative and have their work published. Knowledge of data visualizations, illustrations, Adobe programs and an eye for great design are pluses. An added bonus: coding experience, as it applies to data visualizations. ($280)
Expectations:
—Work with desk editors to ensure that every print issue of the CW is filled with informational graphics, excellent photography (along with detailed cutlines) and artwork.
—Oversee a team of graphic and page designers, ensuring there is adequate designer presence in the newsroom during all production days.
—Maintain design consistency through the pages of the CW, and from issue to issue.
—Be consistent but bold in your design. Make sure designs are accessible to all readers by following ADA requirements.
—Ensure every focal point or CP on page one is clear, uncluttered and has both a headline and a deck (or subhead). Always remember that readers don’t know what the editors know. We have to tell them.
—Make consistent, routine use of teasers on page one.
—Work with desk editors, the photo editor and multimedia editor to develop innovative and creative ways to tell longform stories.
CHIEF GRAPHICS EDITOR
The lead graphic designer will manage a team of graphic designers to ensure consistent, bold, and high-quality design in print and online. The CW is looking for a creative thinker who can tell a story through digital art and infographics. During production, the lead designer will work with the visuals editor to assign pages to page designers. This applicant will be comfortable using Adobe Indesign, Illustrator and Photoshop. An added bonus if this applicant has some coding and/or Adobe Premiere experience, as it relates to data visualizations, animations or interactive graphics. ($280/month)
SENIOR DESIGNERS
These two designers will be responsible for assigning print pages on production nights, working together to design advanced graphics and head up the GameDay pages. In the event that our paper goes to online-only, these designers will work with the lead graphic designer, using their advanced design skills to create web and social media content. ($160/month)
NEWS EDITOR
The news editor is responsible for all news content, both online and in print, for The Crimson White. In this position, you must be comfortable assigning and handling daily, enterprise and breaking news stories about local government, university administration and student life. This editor will edit stories for The CW’s twice-weekly email newsletter, monthly special edition and daily online content. ($320/month)
Expectations:
—Be aggressive in reporting the news on a daily basis. Establish a strong beat system to do this, covering every college on campus as well as all aspects of student life.
—Make certain your reporters provide information for graphics with every story. No story should be turned in without some kind of graphic element, whether it’s simply an information box or a fully-developed graphic.
—Provide a constant stream of daily posts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. These posts can be simply informational if there is no breaking news to report.
—Working with your reporters, enterprise at least three news stories for each newsletter, gleaned from the beat system or from tips from readers or staffers.
—Enterprise stories regularly involving the major aspects of campus life: academics, housing, health, DEI, safety, environmental and financial matters.
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
The assistant news editor will serve as a senior reporter and assist the news editor with editing and production. The editor and assistant editor should work together to divvy up tasks in an equitable way. Common assistant tasks might include editing briefs, posting breaking news and co-leading budget meetings. The editor in this position must have a flexible availability and be able to work on short notice. The CW is looking for someone who is constantly on the hunt for news stories important to the community and is willing to teach others how to tell those stories. ($280/month)
SPORTS EDITOR
The sports editor is responsible for coverage of all sports and intramural athletic activities on campus. This editor should be comfortable with all major social media platforms and be willing to train reporters to be an authoritative online voice for all sports-related news. Sports editors should establish an effective beat system to ensure inclusive and enterprising coverage of all athletics. This editor should also actively seek out sports writers who are underrepresented in the field. ($320/month)
Expectations:
—Constantly push the envelope in finding creative ways to report sports news, especially for Gameday editions.
—Ensure that all sports are adequately covered on campus. Do this by establishing a strong beat system.
—Ensure that every story is illustrated with photography, graphics or art—or often, a combination of them. Work with the visuals, digital, photo and multimedia editors in doing this.
—Take an urgent news approach to sports, especially online.
—Enterprise at least one major profile or story a week that is not connected to a news conference or game coverage. Go beyond news conferences and do great enterprise work.
—Ensure that sports information is posted daily on social media accounts.
—Find unique ways of covering away games in all sports, including the use of reporters at other college newspapers.
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
The assistant sports editor will serve as a senior reporter and assist the sports editor with editing and production. The editor and assistant editor should work together to divvy up tasks in an equitable way. Common assistant tasks might include editing briefs, posting game recaps, tweeting breaking news, obtaining press passes from SIDs and co-leading budget meetings. The editor in this position must have a flexible availability and be able to work on short notice. The CW is looking for someone who is on top of all things sports and is willing to teach applicable skills to younger reporters. ($280/month)
CULTURE EDITOR
The culture editor is in charge of the entertainment, lifestyle and non-news feature content. From a new show opening to creating playlists, the culture desk editor should have a keen understanding of and a vast appreciation for Tuscaloosa’s cultural scene. The CW is looking for someone with creative ideas who is also in tune with local and national entertainment and pop culture. Previous culture writing experience is preferred but not required. ($320/month)
Expectations:
—Recruit and train a diverse staff of contributing writers to capture the nuances of Tuscaloosa’s cultural scene.
—Establish a beat system to ensure inclusive coverage of all campus cultural events, including but not limited to theater, dance, events put on by student affinity groups, visual arts and music festivals.
—Produce content that adequately covers a campus and city full of visual and performing arts, and many other cultural activities.
—Make sure stories are descriptive and set a scene. Find ways to nurture your writers’ strengths and hone their styles.
—Work with the newspaper’s visuals editor, photo editor and graphic artists to ensure that each story is illustrated in a lively, well-designed format.
ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR
The assistant culture editor will serve as a senior reporter and assist the culture editor with editing and production. The editor and assistant editor should work together to divvy up tasks in an equitable way. Common assistant tasks might include obtaining press passes to concerts and events, checking in on writers, and co-leading budget meetings. The editor in this position must have a flexible availability and be able to work on short notice. The CW is looking for a strong writer who has an eye for detail and can form and maintain strong relationships with a diverse set of sources. ($280/month)
PHOTO EDITOR
Photographers capture the details stories cannot tell on their own. The photo editor is responsible for all still photography in print and online. This editor should recruit, train and manage a diverse and enthusiastic team of photographers. The photo editor is expected to build up a gallery of stock photos and assign photographers to events. This editor should also work with the visuals editor to come up with photo illustrations when needed. Although a photographer’s priority is to shoot photos, knowing how to shoot and edit video is also encouraged. ($320/month)
Expectations:
—Ensure daily publication online of images from across campus. Make sure photographers take cameras with them across campus each day, and expect non-assigned, impromptu photos of campus life.
—Give specific direction to photographers on story assignments, based on discussions with the other CW editors in budget meetings.
—Ensure photography deadlines are met.
—Assign feature photography well in advance of the deadline.
—Have photographers on constant standby in case of breaking news.
—Make sure thorough captions are provided for photos that appear in print and online.
ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR
The assistant photo editor will serve as a senior photographer and assist the photo editor with editing and production. The editor and assistant editor should work together to divvy up tasks in an equitable way. Common assistant tasks might include obtaining press passes to cultural and sporting events, assigning shifts or photo opportunities, and co-leading budget meetings. The editor in this position must have a flexible availability and be able to work on short notice. The CW is looking for a skilled photographer who has an eye for detail and can manage a team. ($280/month)
MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
The multimedia editor oversees all videography and podcasts online for The Crimson White. The editor is responsible for producing some media content while assigning daily and enterprise video assignments for staff videographers. We’re looking for someone who is passionate about multimedia and is willing to collaborate with reporters, as well as other campus media outlets, to create content. ($200/month)
Expectations:
—Recruit and train videographers and audio reporters to capture high quality video and audio content. Make sure your staff is comfortable with filming live video in case desks need assistance with breaking news coverage.
—Help increase reader engagement by planning weekly social media callouts. Multimedia editors should seek out diverse voices for first-person features or video diaries.
—Work with the visuals editor and desk editors to come up with innovative and creative ways to tell enterprising stories. This could include more explainer videos, animations or longform podcasts.
—Make sure all transitions, graphics and fonts used are in CW style.
SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIST
The Crimson White has the highest Twitter following of any college newspaper, and we’re looking for a team of savvy, creative people to keep us in the lead and grow our presence on other platforms. The social media team, made up of 2-3 strategists, will work under the guidance of the engagement editor to develop a social media plan for the school year. The team should work amongst themselves to split up posting responsibilities among desks, mediums, or days of the week. We want applicants who are passionate about our content, who want to engage with our audience and are willing to expand our reach in new, inclusive and creative ways. ($120/month)
Expectations:
—Posts should be varied and represent a diverse student body.
—Breaking news posts will be handled by desk editors, but featured content should be represented from every desk each day, and it should be scheduled strategically.
—Promote user-generated content through crowdsourcing tools.
—Create and post at least two social media callouts each week to generate reader feedback on specific stories or issues facing campus.
—Different platforms should have different captions to suit audience needs. Make sure content is being represented appropriately on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, as well as on the story feature for Instagram and Facebook.
—Work with the photo editor and visuals editor to identify high-quality photos and to post graphics suited for each platform.
—When appropriate, offer guidance to reporters on best practices for live-tweeting, posting photos or broadcasting. Often, the CW will retweet reporters who are covering events live. The social media team should work with the desk editors to ensure things are being shared in a timely manner.
Visual
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
The CW is looking for creative thinkers who can tell a story through digital art and infographics. Ideally, this person will be comfortable using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Graphic designers will not be required to work production but must be flexible for online needs. An added bonus if this individual has some coding and/or Adobe Premiere experience, as it relates to data visualizations, animations or interactive graphics. It is critical that designers are open to new practices that promote accessibility and inclusive storytelling. ($80/month)
COMIC ARTIST
Some may think comics are a thing of the past, but humor is timeless. The CW is looking for talented digital artists with strong wit and a penchant for storytelling. In this digital age, we’re looking for someone who can develop an online audience – whether it be through consistent characters or through timely, critical and inclusive commentary on University happenings. Have ideas? Pitch them to us! ($80/month)
VIDEOGRAPHER
The videographer will work with reporters to produce weekly videos of events on campus or in-depth features. Videographers do not need extensive social media chops, but should be comfortable filming live video for Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. The CW is looking for someone creative that can film and edit video quickly to be placed online. ($100/month)
PHOTOGRAPHER
Pictures are worth 1,000 words. You’ve heard that cliche a thousand times, right? At the CW, the photo desk is a crucial part of our operation. We’re looking for enthusiastic and committed photographers willing to scramble across campus to photograph breaking news. We welcome students from all backgrounds, and recognize the need for increased visual coverage of underrepresented student populations. To eliminate cost barriers, the CW provides equipment to students who need it. ($160/month)
Writing
RACE & IDENTITY REPORTERS
A portion of the CW’s new Race and Identity Desk launched in spring 2021. Two paid staff reporters, the data reporter and the features reporter, report to the news editor and culture editor, respectively.
The data reporter would assist the news desk with requesting and analyzing demographic data – whether it be on race or gender disparities in faculty pay, discipline policies, or analyzing the efficacy of recruiting and retention efforts. Having a reporter devoted to requesting hard-to-get demographic data will enhance our newsroom’s investigative efforts and provide incredibly important insights into how – and where – the University can be more equitable.
The features reporter will help spark wider conversations about race, identity and social change. This reporter might also scope out human interest stories that celebrate the accomplishments of students who are underrepresented on campus, or they might embrace their creative side by producing podcasts or playlists curated for students who belong to specific cultural or affinity groups.
Ideally, these two reporters will work together on long-form projects. Both might, for example, spend some time digging through archives or conducting oral histories to give rich context to stories ranging from campus activism to building names – angles that breaking news coverage often obscure or even erase.
NEWS WRITER
It is imperative that news writers represent a diverse student population and have a critical eye for policies and procedures that affect the campus community in disparate ways. This desk is the hub of breaking news on campus, and its writers are primarily responsible for providing timely and critical context about University happenings. Each news writer will cover a specific beat, ranging anywhere from financial affairs to DEI initiatives to environmental justice. News writers should have flexible schedules and should be dedicated to developing strong relationships with a diversity of sources. Reporters will work closely with the news editors to produce at least one daily, breaking or enterprising story per week. We’re looking for enthusiastic, inquisitive and committed students from a variety of backgrounds who are open to learning new skills. ($180/month)
DATA JOURNALIST
Are you an Excel pro, a computer whiz or just love numbers? This new position is created to provide more robust reporting to our newsstands. This applicant should be comfortable with scraping websites, parsing institutional data and requesting information. The data journalists will work primarily with the news desk but should also meet with other desk editors and designers for any data-related needs.
CULTURE WRITER
The culture desk is the home of key commentary on art, music and other intimate facets of student life – whether it be sharp, timely coverage of a school play or an in-depth profile of a student’s struggles and triumphs. These writers will work closely with the culture editors to produce at least one event coverage or feature story per week. We’re looking for creative and intuitive students from a variety of backgrounds who are open to honing their writing. Culture writers should represent a diverse student population and can approach a variety of topics, source, and events with depth, nuance and a desire to tell underreported stories. ($180/month)
SPORTS WRITER
Sports writers will cover a specific beat – whether it be adapted athletics or women’s soccer or anything in between – and develop strong relationships with coaches, players and fans. In this time of uncertainty in the sports world, these writers are needed more than ever to think of creative ways to cover a key facet of campus life. Sports writers should feel comfortable approaching sports with a news and culture mindset, meaning that they’re committed to telling the larger story of athletics on campus – be it by spending breakdowns or player profiles. ($180/month)
OPINIONS COLUMNIST
Opinions columnists will write biweekly columns about a diversity of topics. Columnists are expected to hone their voice as unique authorities on particular campus issues. These writers should be open to nuanced debate, have a passion for persuasion and should use their platform to spark conversation – and action – around inequities on campus and in the world. It is critically important that these columnists represent diverse corners of campus and can shine light on issues that might fly under the radar of larger, more dominant dialogues. ($180/month)