Slate is hiring a staff writer whose work will move across the magazine, with a home in the life section. We’re looking for a driven, creative reporter who finds unique ways to approach tricky questions in culture and news. Candidates should excel at coming up with and refining ideas, finding sources, and connecting the dots with original reporting and sharp analysis. This position could cover social trends, political life, relationships, sex, religion, education, food, and/or internet culture, but the candidate’s interests will help shape the work. The ideal candidate has feature-writing experience and will write several long-form pieces per year, but will also be comfortable in the day-to-day coverage that is Slate’s lifeblood. Depending on the news, this staffer might publish one to two shorter stories per week commenting on the headlines while also advancing longer-lead work.
Good humor, clean and lively copy, original thinking, a lack of inhibition to chase leads and sources, and enthusiasm will be keys to success in this job. The role will combine some of the DNA of Slate’s classic explainers, trademark spirited news commentary, experiential and reported features, and good old-fashioned blogs with the life section’s incisive view into how our everyday lives and belief systems got to where they are now.
The position is full-time, on staff, with benefits. At least five years in a writing and reporting position is required. Slate welcomes candidates with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. The position can be located in New York or D.C. Strong remote candidates will be considered. This is a position covered under a collective bargaining agreement between Slate and the Writers Guild of America East. The pay range for this position is $80,000 to $105,000.
Key Responsibilities
- Fast writing and reporting that covers the biggest questions on readers’ minds in a given week
- Generating ideas for quick reporting and fun, longer-term inquiry
- Operating as an integral part of Slate’s life team, with a jack-of-all-trades spirit that can dip into our politics and culture sections
Requirements
- A sharp, funny, provocative mind and confidence executing ideas
- At least five to seven years’ experience working as a writer, preferably in a reporting role with feature-writing experience
- A deep well of story ideas and a sharp understanding of the cultural landscape
- Top-notch online sleuthing and communication skills
Skills Required
- At least five years of experience in a writing and reporting position
- At least five to seven years of experience working as a writer, preferably in a reporting role with feature-writing experience
- Feature-writing experience
- Strong idea generation and refinement skills
- Original reporting, source development, and online research skills
- Excellent writing, communication, and analytical skills
- Understanding of the cultural landscape and a deep well of story ideas
What We Do
Slate is a daily online magazine and podcast network that helped invent the voice of the web. Founded in 1996, Slate is a general-interest publication offering analysis and commentary about politics, news, business, technology, and culture. Slate’s strong editorial voice and witty take on current events have been recognized with numerous awards, including the National Magazine Award for General Excellence. Slate’s podcast network, established in 2005 with the launch of Political Gabfest, produces more than 20 podcasts, including Slow Burn, Culture Gabfest, What Next, Decoder Ring and more. Slate.com reaches more than 25M unique visitors and averages more than 40M pageviews every month. Slate's podcast network garnered more than 190 million downloads in 2022.
