News Writer, New York

Tracking Code 331-427

Job Description

The Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. (NRDC) is a leading nonprofit environmental group with more than 1.2 million members and online activists. We have offices in New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Montana, and Beijing, and a staff of over 430 including lawyers, scientists, and policy analysts, all working to protect the environment and public health.

Position Summary: Environmental journalists have been lamented as an endangered species recently, but nobody's better at saving endangered species than NRDC. For 35 years now, our award-winning OnEarth magazine has explored environmental challenges and uncovered smart solutions, producing what Columbia Journalism Review has praised as 'bang-up investigative journalism.'

Now we want to reach an even larger audience of active, engaged media consumers with the launch of a daily environmental newswire. Emphasizing context, accessibility, and social media sharing, this new digital product will help drive the national conversation about environmental health, science, and policy issues. What Quartz has done for global finance and The Verge has done for tech, we want to do for the planet. And we're looking for a lead news writer.

Responsibilities: This writer will typically publish at least 1-2 short news stories a day, in the style of the Atlantic Wire orSmithsonian's Smart News. Other content might include explainers, Q&As, personal essays, and occasional in-depth reported articles. We're looking for a skilled writer with a light touch and highly accessible, conversational but polished tone (no boring institutional voice here) who knows how to employ listicles, GIFs, videos, charts … the kind of approaches that work for Buzzfeed, Slate, PolicyMic, and Vox. (Yes, we're name-dropping a lot, but it's because we want you to understand the kind of stories we'll be producing and the type of writer we need.)

We take a broad view of what fits on the environmental beat, covering food, health, culture, and tech alongside more traditional topics like climate, energy, and wildlife conservation. We want stories that are surprising, smart, shareable, and often solutions-oriented.

Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree or greater.
• At least 3-5 years of journalism experience, with an emphasis on daily news writing for a digital outlet.
• Strong writing chops, sharp analytical abilities, and excellent news judgment.
• An obsession with breaking news and social media, but also the ability to understand broader trends and put stories in a global context.
• A knack for writing must-click, must-share headlines and tweets that suck in readers like a tractor beam.
• Familiarity with multimedia and explanatory journalism tools like Storify, Chartbuilder, DocumentCloud, and other digital storytelling techniques.
• The capacity to synthesize news and events into the essence of what readers need to know in a way that is fast, fun, and fascinating.
• A recognition that writing short and doing it well takes just as much skill as writing long.
• Proficiency with standard website content management systems. Basic knowledge of HTML.
• An understanding of NRDC's mission and goals (experience with environmental topics or writing for a nonprofit are a plus, but not required).
• Willingness to cover news and our social media channels on some weekends and holidays (it's a news operation, after all).
• A wicked sense of humor. Yeah, everybody says that. We mean it.

Note: We consider what we do 'journalism with a purpose.' That means we follow journalistic standards of accuracy and transparency, but there's no question that we're writing from a point of view. (We don't feel a need to give equal time to those who argue that carbon pollution is a good thing, for instance.) If you're uncomfortable with that idea, this role isn't for you. But if you like to cover news in a way that will engage, educate, and empower readers to make a difference—all while having a lot of fun—then perhaps we can make beautiful media together.

To apply, please create a profile and upload your resume and cover letter, including your Twitter handle and urls for 3-5 news clips that show off your voice, creativity, and explanatory skills, as well as your knowledge of subjects that NRDC cares about. No phone calls or faxes. Please reference where you saw this posting. NRDC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

NRDC is committed to a workplace based on equal opportunity and a strong belief in the increased effectiveness that comes from a diverse workforce. To this end, NRDC:

• Hires staff that reflects this country's full range of racial, ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic identities;
• Creates a workplace where true diversity is fostered and different perspectives are valued and freely exchanged;
• Ensures that all members of the NRDC community feel welcome and respected, and have equal opportunities to thrive and advance within the institution; and
• Is committed to supporting low-income communities and communities of color particularly affected by environmental inequities.

If you are having technical difficulty while applying, please reach out to Customer Care by dialing 1-866-803-9663 .

For further information about NRDC, please visit www.nrdc.org.