J-Source/CPFP is hiring a PT legal education editor
Position: Editor/journalist, legal education (part-time)
J-Source is seeking a journalist to work with us at the Canada Press Freedom Project to develop legal educational guides to help reporters, news organizations and journalism schools understand their rights and respond knowledgeably when facing potential press freedom constraints imposed on their journalistic activities. Each guide will be presented in a narrative format and focus on a specific subject (including but not limited to SLAPP, access to information in Indigenous communities, publication bans, student media and online threats), and may entail a combination of the following elements:
- Definition and description of the issue
- History of the issue including how it manifested and affected the work of journalists and news organizations
- Summary of key cases and/or relevant court decisions
- Comments from media workers and news organizations affected by the issue
- Comments and context from legal and other subject matter experts
- Co-ordinating with a range of local and national organizations interested in press freedom issues, including CPFP partners, as well as working with news media and their legal counsel
Qualifications
The ideal candidate would possess a combination of the following skills and experience:
- A minimum two years of journalism experience, or equivalent
- An academic and/or professional background that may include courses in law or legal studies, training facilitation or other relevant discipline
- Demonstrated knowledge of or exposure to the issue that forms the subject of a specific guide
- Experience in preparing educational materials for both journalists and a more general audience.
- Demonstrated commitment to challenging institutional narratives and centring anti-racism in reporting, legal, newsgathering and research processes
- Enthusiasm for collaboration, public interest education, audience engagement, data and entrepreneurial journalism
Responsibilities
- Researching and writing online legal/educational guides
- Monitoring press freedom violations and incursions while understanding the nuances involved in legal interpretation of incidents of possible press freedom violations
- Identifying subjects for qualitative treatment through educational tools, analyses and/or reports)
- Developing a roster of and engaging with legal experts, educators, journalists, members of the public and stakeholder groups
- Co-ordinating with CPFP partner organizations
Compensation
- Maximum 24 hours per week for a minimum of 12 weeks with the possibility of extension
- $30-40 per hour, commensurate with experience and/or subject matter familiarity
This position is based administratively at Toronto Metropolitan University but the successful candidate may work remotely from anywhere in Ontario. Toronto-based candidates may access office space at the university on request.
Candidates must be eligible to work in Canada.
How to apply
A complete application will include the following items in a single PDF attachment:
- A resume
- A cover letter outlining your qualifications, relevant experience and why you’re interested in working with J-Source and the CPFP
- 3 reporting or research samples
- 2 professional references
Please submit applications by email to publisher@j-source.ca addressed to the Canada Press Freedom Project with “CPFP legal education editor application” in the subject line.
The application deadline has been extended until 11:59 p.m. ET on Jan. 5. The successful candidate will begin work shortly after.
You may contact us at publisher@j-source.ca with any questions about the position.
We make every effort to notify all candidates of our decision by email.
This position is funded through a grant from the Law Foundation of Ontario.
J-Source and the Canada Press Freedom Project
The CPFP, an initiative of J-Source that tracks press freedom violations since 2021, is dedicated to maintaining an ongoing database of press freedom violations in Canada; stories about issues related to press freedom and threats and violations of those freedoms; and tools and resources for journalists, organizations, media educators and students to understand and counter those threats. Development of the project was supported by the Michener-L. Richard O’Hagan Fellowship for Journalism Education and is operated by J-Source with ongoing support provided by a group of donor organizations.
J-Source is produced by a collaboration of post-secondary journalism schools and programs led by Toronto Metropolitan University and Carleton University. It is supported by J-Schools Canada/Écoles-J Canada, the organization that represents post-secondary journalism programs in Canada, as well as by a group of benefactors who believe in excellence in journalism and its strong and vital future. Our goal is to promote national discussion about journalism and journalism education as well as to provide a source for news, research, commentary, advice and resources for industry professionals, freelancers, academics, and journalism, media and communications students.