Publication Editor

Job Description

NowKalamazoo, an independent, truly local, community news organization covering Kalamazoo County, Mich., is seeking a member of the editorial leadership team as we begin our second full year as an independent program of The Local Journalism Foundation of Kalamazoo County, a 501c3 nonprofit public charity, and fifth year producing journalism as part of a revival of the local news ecosystem.

Our organization is a start-up and still very much building the plane/submarine/spaceship as we fly it, but we already have a track record of award-winning journalism, successful grant applications, securing philanthropic funding, and earning the support of local readers. 

We collectively wear many hats — continuously learning, doing, and experimenting in an entrepreneurial environment as we create the newsroom of the future. The right person will thrive by being curious, passionate, and empathetic while providing service to our audiences, in pursuit of excellent journalism, and collaborating with colleagues in our common mission. 

This position reports to the Publisher of NowKalamazoo and the co-executive leadership team of The Local Journalism Foundation. The role has four key responsibilities:

• Running day-to-day storytelling operations: making sure the flow of community listening ➡️ ideating and selecting stories ➡️ assigning and reportage ➡️ editing and producing ➡️ delivering to the public is smooth and on time across all NowKalamazoo editorial vehicles.
• Leading and managing a team that successfully executes impactful editorial projects.
• Participating in our continuous evolution toward ensuring all communities in Kalamazoo County have the best journalistic, civic, and resource information services possible, including LJF’s mission of building a local journalist talent pipeline.
• Managing freelance and staff journalists — including expanding the newsroom, professional development, and training — to meet current and future needs of a growing news operation that prioritizes diverse representation. 

What Kalamazoo is all about

Kalamazoo County has a population of 262,000 and an additional 25,000 students enrolled at Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo College. The county has a history of nationwide relevance – the birthplace of Gibson Guitars, Checker Motors, and the curb cut; where Derek Jeter grew up, and a number of other professional athletes were born, raised, or schooled; where Abraham Lincoln spoke in 1856 and Barack Obama gave a high school commencement address in 2010; home to the Kalamazoo Promise, the country’s first free college scholarship program offered to all graduates of the Kalamazoo Public Schools; and many other triumphs as well as tragedies. It is also a microcosm of the country’s urban and rural life, opportunities and obstacles, extreme wealth and excessive homelessness. It is not a news desert but is far from an oasis. 

It’s a convenient place from which to play or travel: Amtrak makes multiple stops a day on its way to and from Chicago and Detroit. Each city is just over two hours away when driving, but only 20 minutes via one of the many flights per day from our regional international airport. Anywhere in the county is a short walk or drive from thriving arts, cultural, and sports scenes to watch or play all four seasons long; dozens of public parks; the beaches of Lake Michigan; and the state’s second largest city, Grand Rapids.

It’s also very affordable: According to the NerdWallet Cost of Living Calculator, Kalamazoo is 47% lower than Brooklyn, 42% lower than L.A., 25% lower than Chicago, and 17% lower than Detroit.

What NowKalamazoo is all about

We’re building the local media organization we want as members of our community, and a work environment where we want to work. We view a culture of a healthy work/life balance as necessary to being a successful organization. We are cherry-picking that which is good about legacy journalism and media organizations, and discarding the rest. We prioritize inclusion and representation, both in our journalism and our organization. We consider every way to improve our engagement with the community, including outside-the-box approaches to defining and conveying journalism. We are building the institution to long outlast us, prioritizing the direct delivery to our audience within channels we own. (We don’t work for Meta, Musk, and the rest.) In our current incarnation, our editorial team produces content that is delivered by email — for free — each weekday morning and lives on our website. 

NowKalamazoo is not about being a factory for rigid story counts, click bait, widgets, or deadlines for the sake of feeding a 24-hour news cycle. We are not recreating a traditional newsroom. We believe in journalists and journalism, but our mission is focused on our community, and our vision includes a new, membership-based business model. We are experimenting our way into this model emphasizing a service- (instead of product-) mindset. We use LION’s model of sustainability to help guide our organizational development. 

What this role should expect/will be expected to do: participate in every element of operations, from directing the tasks of reporters, photographers, editors, and other content creators, to helping experiment and create ideas to serve our audience and fulfil NK’s mission and help LJF achieve its vision for our community.

Position Terms & Compensation

• The position pays an annual salary range of $65,000-$80,000, along with a healthcare and retirement benefits package or an opt-out bonus.
• The organization prides itself on flexible scheduling and a healthy work/life balance. This position receives 20 work days of paid vacation total, with no more than 10 continuous days, as well as the following federal holidays: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. 
• To be successful, the position will require an average of 40 hours a week. Some weeks will be less because of work flows and the opportunities of the aforementioned flexible scheduling and work/life balance. Some weeks will be more because of a story, project, or opportunity for our organization.
• We do not measure success by punching a clock in an arbitrary 9-5. Instead, we are focused on deliverables that exceed our audience’s and supporters’ expectations. This may include evening or weekend hours, though this will be the exception not the norm, and depends on the editor’s usage of flexible scheduling options. Work days are generally defined as Monday through Friday when businesses and organizations are generally open.
• The role allows for work-from-home capability throughout any given week, as well as extended work-from-out-of-town flexibility, though the majority of the role requires in-person involvement – both at the office and out in the community – in order to be successful. 
• The person hired is required to live within Kalamazoo County and may invoice for reimbursement of up to $5,000 in moving costs. 

Roles/Tasks: 

• Develop, lead, organize, and oversee individuals and teams who are carrying out the editorial objectives of NowKalamazoo. This will include journalists who report directly to this role, as well as the editors/project managers of specific initiatives who in turn are sending assignments to journalists.
• Represent the journalistic and editorial mission interests of NowKalamazoo in both internal and external meetings, standing and ad hoc, as determined by leadership. This includes managing partnerships/collaborations with other media organizations.
• Work closely with the NowKalamazoo leadership team to ensure editorial operations and deliverables are in line with content and impact strategies.
• Participate in non-editorial elements of NowKalamazoo operations as part of a “hive mind” approach to maximizing success across all elements of the organization.
• Contribute as an organizational leader to discovering different, new, and/or enhanced ways to redefine journalism and media so it has more impact in the community and serves the mission and vision of The Local Journalism Foundation.
• As necessary, conduct reporting and other journalism.

To apply: Please send a resume/CV, references, and any additional, tightly-written details you’d like to share about yourself as it relates to this position, to  workwithus@nowkalamazoo.org. This position is open until filled.

About NowKalamazoo

NowKalamazoo has been in operation since 2019, when it published The Homefront, a pop-up magazine examining the county’s homelessness crisis. Over the years NowKalamazoo has evolved its governance structure, coverage areas, and operations to create a real time experiment in creating the newsroom of the future. It is still focused on developing permanent sustainability and in “start up mode,” but has shown success in building local audience and revenue growth and national attention for its deep-dive coverage. It was one of 205 newsrooms around the country awarded a grant from Press Forward’s first funding round Closing Local Coverage Gaps.

The Local Journalism Foundation of Kalamazoo County (LJF) was formed as a nonprofit and received its 501(c)(3) public charity determination by the IRS in 2023. Its mission is to reverse civic decline through storytelling and community engagement, creating the environment for civic and cultural life in which we want to live for generations to come. In this more perfect union we’re working toward, all of our neighbors in Kalamazoo County are empowered with the information they need — to make informed decisions, to hold those in power accountable, and to create positive change in our community. To achieve this, the LJF has established three core program areas: NowKalamazoo, an independent, nonprofit, community news outlet; Diversifying Local Media; and, Civic Engagement.

Job Requirements

You are more qualified than you think.

We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all qualified individuals regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status. People from historically marginalized communities, including socioeconomic status, are especially encouraged to apply, even if you don’t think you meet all of the requirements or candidate preferences.

Preferred candidates will:

• Have experience leading multiple individuals and/or teams simultaneously, while also working on multiple stories, projects, or deliverables.
• Be energized by and welcome the creative chaos both as a start-up and creating a new way of doing community journalism.

Powered by Journalismnext