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Job Description Summary

The Los Angeles Times is looking for a full-time community engagement editor to communicate and interact with our audience. As the news organization’s public face to the world, the editor will be the bridge between our community of readers and the newsroom, helping to deepen our relationship with our audiences. This senior editor will communicate The Times’ values to the public, speak directly to our audience to convey editorial decisions and update them on our standards and practices. This role will require the editor to establish new ways to connect our readers with our newsroom including, but not limited to, writing weekly columns, hosting events and engaging in community outreach.

As an advocate for readers, the community engagement editor will also be an advocate for The Times: Much of the work is done behind the scenes, persuading editorial staffers to deal quickly and candidly with comments and complaints from readers. This work supports the principle that as the region’s largest and most influential news organization, we have a responsibility to be fair and open to our readers.

Job Description

Responsibilities:

• Be a liaison between the newsroom and readers on questions of accuracy, fairness and bias. Working with the readers’ representative, this senior editor will respond to readers regarding questions or comments about The Times’ journalistic standards and practices. This includes the letters, emails and phone calls that go directly to the readers’ representative as well as those forwarded from the offices of the president and chief operating officer, executive editor and managing editors, letters to the editor and circulation


• Compile occasional reports to the staff on what readers are saying about coverage. Each element in the report is discussed with reporters and editors before publication. The editor meets regularly with the assistant managing editor for culture and talent to review major issues that have come up in that timeframe 


• Produce as-needed reports for top editors and independently investigate questions of accuracy and fairness in our news coverage. Research issues as they arise, working with the library and editors, to ensure an accurate record of coverage and to provide editors with ways to better assess it


• Work with the legal department, communications department and top editors on crafting the newsroom’s responses to sensitive issues


• Serve as a member of the newsroom Standards and Practices committee and Guidelines Committee


• Write a regular column that will include explanations of our guidelines, standards and practices, questions about fairness and usage as well as praise when readers recognize exceptional work


• Host events that will bring Times journalists and community members together

Requirements/qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience


• At least seven years of newspaper or academia experience are required


• Must possess the ability to listen to readers, understand positions and issues related to journalism and controversial topics of interest to the public as well as excellent written and verbal skills to craft written responses and interact with the public


• Able to communicate effectively and diplomatically with editors, reporters and others in multiple departments within The Times


• Passionate about The Times’ role in upholding the tenets of good journalism, with a deep understanding of taste and legal considerations


• Knowledgeable about which inquiries are worth pursuing and what action should be taken. This includes the ability to recognize situations in which it will be necessary to independently investigate questions of accuracy and fairness in our news coverage


• Requires thorough awareness of the Los Angeles Times Ethics Guidelines and editorial policy, as well as the institution’s stance on various issues


• Highly organized and able to set priorities in a fast-paced environment, keeping in mind the overall goal of the office: to act as a voice for our readers and to help hold us accountable to our professional standards


• May appear on TV and radio on behalf of the L.A. Times and represent the organization at conferences, seminars, professional meetings and employer-sponsored events 

The L.A. Times is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes expressions of interest from people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Explore our company history, achievement, values, mission and more on our Careers Site.

This position reports to the assistant managing editor of culture and talent. Times staff is currently working remotely, but when we return to the newsroom this position will be based in El Segundo, Calif. 

The Company is a mandatory vaccination employer for COVID-19 and its variants. The Company requires that its employees be fully vaccinated as of their start date. If you require a medical or religious accommodation, we will engage in the interactive process with you. Proof of vaccination will be required prior to start. If we make you an offer and you are not yet vaccinated, we will accommodate a delay in start date. The Company may also mandate that its employees receive vaccine boosters, and all accommodation laws will be followed.

Qualified candidates should submit a resume and cover letter to Assistant Managing Editor of Culture and Talent Angel Jennings at the apply link. Please note, the opportunity to attach additional documents appears on the third screen, and is labeled “Upload.”

Thank you for your interest in joining our team at the Los Angeles Times!  We look forward to reviewing your application.