The Tulsa Local News Initiative seeks a detail-oriented and skilled story editor to ensure the highest standards of accuracy, clarity, and consistency in our journalism. This role is essential in maintaining the quality and credibility of our content across all platforms. The ideal candidate will have a sharp eye for detail, excellent grammar and language skills, and a deep understanding of journalistic standards and ethics.

As part of our startup newsroom, the story editor will work closely with reporters, editors, and the digital team to polish and refine content before publication, as well as to contribute to the newsroom’s workflow in assigning, pre-editing and story editing in collaboration with the deputy editor and managing editor. This position plays a crucial role in upholding our commitment to providing Tulsans with reliable, clear, and engaging local news and information.

This role will work a Sunday-Thursday shift in order to help get the newsroom off to a strong start each week, and to help with weekend coverage.

The Tulsa Local News Initiative is a yet-to-be named startup nonprofit organization that has raised nearly $14 million so far in service of a vision to give everyone in Tulsa the local news they need. The newsroom will produce high-quality accountability journalism while working directly with residents to produce and distribute community reporting, employing an innovative model for local journalism that is directly responsive to local information needs. In addition to a team of editors and beat reporters, the Tulsa newsroom will have best-in-class community engagement expertise, multimedia production, dedicated capacity for service journalism and research, and Tulsa Documenters. 

At TLNI, we value learning, curiosity and diverse perspectives. We are dedicated to equitable hiring and follow best practices to create an inclusive hiring process. 

• Edit articles, headlines, captions, and other content for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style consistency
• Fact-check articles to ensure accuracy of information, dates, names, and other details
• Ensure all content adheres to TLNI's style guide and journalistic standards
• Fill in as necessary assigning and editing TLNI or Oklahoma Eagle news stories
• Collaborate with reporters and editors to clarify information and improve story structure
• Review and optimize headlines and metadata for clarity and SEO
• Assist in developing and maintaining the organization's style guide
• Proofread digital and print materials before publication
• Flag potential legal or ethical issues in content for further review
• Maintain a working awareness of current events and local issues in Tulsa
• Participate in newsroom planning and quality control discussions
• Contribute to the ongoing improvement of editorial processes and workflows
• Work with editors to develop and roll out a system to recognize standout work in the newsroom, and lead the newsroom’s efforts to apply for and secure awards for its journalism
• Assist in training reporters and interns on writing and style guidelines
• Work efficiently to meet tight deadlines in a fast-paced news environment
• This role will work a Sunday-Thursday shift in order to help get the newsroom off to a strong start each week, and to help with weekend coverage

• Experience in copy editing, preferably in a news media environment
• Experience reporting and editing local news
• Exceptional grammar, spelling, and punctuation skills
• Strong knowledge of AP style and ability to adapt to house style guidelines
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to work accurately under pressure
• Proficiency with content management systems and digital publishing tools
• Familiarity with SEO best practices for headlines and digital content
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment
• Commitment to journalistic ethics and standards
• Experience with fact-checking and verification processes
• Familiarity with Tulsa's local issues, geography, and key figures
• Knowledge of media law and libel considerations
• Experience with editing multimedia content (audio, video captions, etc.)
• Proficiency in using digital editing and collaboration tools

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The salary range for this role is $60,000-80,000 with a generous benefits package.