The Trace is seeking a freelance newsletter writer to write four daily newsletters per week starting immediately and running for at least 10 weeks.
The Daily Bulletin combines aggregation, analysis, and original reporting on gun violence by Trace staffers and serves a loyal national audience. It also provides an essential medium for daily coverage at our nonprofit news organization, which otherwise focuses on long-term reporting, investigations, and enterprise stories.
Here are several previous editions that give a sense of the format. While editions include major breaking news when necessary, we approach the Bulletin as a compendium of the most important information on our beat, with entries sourced from Trace articles, stories in other publications, social media, new research, and virtual conferences and forums. You’ll be writing for subscribers who bring a sophisticated understanding of the subject matter, many of whom engage with gun violence through their work as policymakers, journalists, advocates, academics, physicians, and educators.
As the only media organization dedicated solely to reporting on gun violence, The Trace uses the power of journalism to improve public understanding, increase accountability, and identify solutions that can lead to safer homes and communities for all. The freelance newsletter writer will compose briefings spanning the range of intersecting topics — firearm trafficking and law enforcement, police violence and prosecutorial abuses, economic disparities and trauma care access, city funding priorities and emerging interventions, and so on. A focus on cities and communities disproportionately affected by gun violence and underserved by traditional media coverage is particularly important.
Duties
- Identifying topics for daily coverage on gun violence, writing each edition, and fact-checking. We’re looking for someone to write the Monday through Thursday editions, which means a freelancer should be available to work Sunday through Wednesday.
- Closing each Daily Bulletin with the newsletter editor the evening (by approximately 6:30 p.m. EST) before it goes out. The Daily Bulletin is sent every morning at 8:30 a.m. EST.
Qualifications
- Familiarity with gun violence (whether through professional or lived experience or personal interest) is preferred.
- Past experience in newsletter writing or social media coverage of a single topic would also be a plus. The newsletter writer will need to be able to credibly and independently identify key topics and trends on a daily basis and execute daily newsletter coverage while maintaining clarity and accuracy.
- An ability to identify and synthesize the key takeaways from outlets’ coverage is key. The newsletter writer may also report original entries by interviewing sources, analyzing data, etc.
- We’ll encourage the successful candidate to bring their own voice to the Daily Bulletin. Our newsletter remains an evolving concept, and we’re open to new ideas and formats.
We know that all of the attributes and interests listed here won’t apply to all candidates. If you think you’d be a great fit and have skills and qualifications we may have left out of this listing, we encourage you to submit an application and tell us why you’d thrive in the role.
This a remote position that can be based anywhere so long as the person is comfortable working on EST hours.
Compensation and time commitment
Rates start at $200 per edition, though the final rate will depend on a candidate’s experience and skills. We expect each edition to take 4-5 hours of work, for a total of 16-20 hours a week.
The initial commitment period will be 10 weeks, with the possibility of continuing beyond that based on evolving organizational needs. A candidate need not be available past the initial 10 weeks to be considered, however.
To apply
Please send your resume, your desired rate, and 2-3 samples of relevant reporting/newsletter writing to [email protected], and put “Bulletin writer application” in the subject line. Applications are due on or before April 30.
At The Trace, we are committed to producing journalism that is equitable and inclusive. We welcome applications from journalists of all experience levels and strongly encourage applications from people of color, women, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ people, and others who are underrepresented in media.
