About Chicago Public Media
Chicago Public Media is one of the nation’s largest local nonprofit news organizations. Home to WBEZ 91.5FM, the Chicago Sun-Times, and Vocalo. Chicago Public Media reaches more than 3.3 million people weekly across broadcast, print, and digital platforms. As a mission-driven organization, we aspire to be the most trusted news source Chicagoans turn to for understanding the people, events, and ideas shaping our community.
Chicago Public Media is a 100% community-funded newsroom powered by nearly 97,000 members whose support makes our journalism possible. This sustained community investment helped drive nationally recognized work in 2025, including 29 awards from esteemed organizations, including the Public Media Journalists Association, the Edward R. Murrow Awards, and the National Association of Black Journalists.
We believe independent journalism is essential to a healthy democracy and that access to objective, fact-based news is a right for every citizen. We serve the public interest by creating diverse content that informs and enriches our community, supported by a dedicated staff of approximately 250 professionals.
For more information, please see the Chicago Public Media Annual Report.
THE OPPORTUNITY
The News Editor is responsible for supporting Chicago Public Media’s daily news coverage across a wide array of platforms including broadcast, digital, podcasts and print. The News Editor will work with reporters, producers and editors to edit cross-platform work across digital and audio, including: daily and feature audio stories, audio 2ways, and daily and enterprise web stories. The News Editor will work with WBEZ and Sun-Times editors to ensure quality, fact- checked content is published across platforms. This editor will work Tuesday through Saturday.
This position reports to the News Desk and is included in SAG-AFTRA.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Collaborates with the editorial team to support editorial coverage.
- Directs the work of reporters and producers, and works with the editorial team, to plan and lead execution of daily stories for web and audio, and initiatives across platforms.
- Edits text and audio stories for WBEZ and the Sun-Times.
- Reports for audio, web and print (when necessary)
- Reviews story pitches and edits content produced by reporters and producers across platforms.
- Develops and conducts editorial training.
- Helps maintain audio and text standards across platforms.
- Helps manage daily coverage priorities, including coverage plans for major breaking news events.
QUALIFICATIONS
- 3+ years of experience as a News Editor.
- Outstanding news judgment and experience leading journalists to produce work of tremendous distinction and community impact.
- Demonstrated passion for leading creative daily news coverage.
- Ability to conceptualize and edit news stories for content, accuracy, pacing, ideas, narrative and voice. Fluency and enthusiasm for multiplatform journalism.
- Deep commitment to the highest standards of journalistic ethics and the mission of public media.
- Ability to articulate your own ideas precisely and concisely – and to cultivate the strong ideas that come from other producers, editors, and reporters.
- Strong relationship builder and naturally collaborative leader. Experience leading and inspiring diverse, inclusive teams to excellence.
- Knowledge of the Chicago region’s rich diversity of stories, sectors and communities is very helpful.
EDUCATION
Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, humanities or related field
COMPENSATION
The expected pay range for this position is $90,618 to $100,000 per ANNUM.
Chicago Public Media provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the organization reasonably expects to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity, geographical location, and external market pay for comparable jobs.
Working at Chicago Public Media
At Chicago Public Media, we care deeply about our employees as we know attracting, developing, and growing talent is key to our success and enhancing our impact.
Our culture is one where collaboration, diversity of ideas, and innovation are encouraged. We value colleagues who will enhance our culture by bringing new ideas, divergent experiences, and talents to our dynamic workplace.
At Chicago Public Media we believe dedication to a great workplace includes supporting our employees and their families. As a result, we provide a broad and generous benefits package for employees at hire and in the years to come.
Our benefits include a competitive salary and benefits package which includes medical, dental, vision, vacation, holidays, life insurance, disability coverage, retirement savings, and a commuter benefits plan.
Chicago Public Media is an Equal Opportunity Employer and we actively seek and welcome people from all backgrounds, orientations, and life experiences to join our team.
The essential functions described above are not all-inclusive and are not intended to create any contractual or other legal commitment. Chicago Public Media may change the content or format of this job at any time in its sole and exclusive discretion without notice.
Skills Required
- 3+ years of experience as a News Editor.
- Bachelor's degree in journalism, communications, humanities or related field.
- Outstanding news judgment and experience leading journalists to produce high-impact work.
- Demonstrated passion for leading creative daily news coverage.
- Ability to conceptualize and edit news stories for content, accuracy, pacing, ideas, narrative and voice; fluency for multiplatform journalism.
- Experience editing text and audio stories and working across broadcast, digital, podcasts and print.
- Deep commitment to the highest standards of journalistic ethics and public media's mission.
- Ability to articulate ideas precisely and cultivate ideas from producers, editors, and reporters.
- Strong relationship builder and collaborative leader with experience leading diverse, inclusive teams.
- Knowledge of the Chicago region's diversity of stories, sectors and communities.
What We Do
We are Chicago’s NPR news station, one of the largest and most respected public media stations in the country. Our mission is at the heart of WBEZ Chicago. We fulfill our mission at WBEZ by serving as a cornerstone of the public conversation; as a central pillar of our civic community; and by reasserting ourselves as the heart of innovation within public media. We amplify the public conversation by telling the stories that matter; stories that provoke thought, entertain, capture emotion and inspire action. We are a trusted source of news and information in the Chicago region. People turn to WBEZ for our high-quality, fact-based journalism; engaging, entertaining programs on 91.5FM; original podcasts; and digital content
