The Leveller is a progressive, independent, not-for-profit campus and community newspaper in the Ottawa-Gatineau region on unceded Algonquin territory. The Leveller normally publishes monthly during the academic year, September-April, and is currently recruiting volunteers to fill positions for its Editorial Board. Editors are now paid an honorarium of $25 per article they edit, in a process outlined here.
Responsibilities
Editors are responsible for:
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the newspaper’s overall content and perspective:
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helping to recruit contributors and brainstorm story ideas
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creating each print issue’s editorial (writing may be delegated to a particular editor or staff for a particular issue)
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editing submitted articles
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deciding what to publish
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assisting in copy editing and proofreading articles to maximize accuracy
Through all this, the editors work collaboratively with other members of the Editorial Board and Leveller staff:
- participating in Editorial Board meetings and Story Meetings
- participating in the production cycle to collaboratively edit and compile articles, and prepare the newspaper for print
The Editorial Board makes decisions by consensus. The staff member they work most closely with is the Coordinating/Managing Editor. The other two part-time staff are the Production Manager, who is responsible for print layout for and web publishing online, and the Operations Manager, who is responsible for finances, advertising, and business operations.
The Coordinating Editor is generally responsible for
- accepting and responding to pitches
- giving feedback, guidance, and training to contributors, often based on feedback from the Editorial Board as a whole
- giving guidance and training to new editors
- making sure the Editorial Board’s decisions are implemented
If the Editorial Board cannot reach consensus in time for a decision that needs to be made, the Coordinating/Managing Editor will use their best judgement to make the decision, in consultation with available staff and editors.
The Leveller also has a Governing Board, whose main role is to provide financial and staff accountability. They can also be appealed to in cases of conflict or abuse.
Qualifications
Applicants should have:
- experience working with the Leveller or similar progressive publication
- experience writing, editing, copy editing, or proofreading
- strong organizational skills
- the ability to work collaboratively
- passion for independent media and social justice
Principles
The political orientation of the publication means it follows these general principles:
- It is critical of power and privilege
- It challenges and opposes various systems of oppression
- It aims to provide an independent voice in contrast to that of corporate media and to cover unreported, underreported, or poorly reported news and stories
Commitment
Varies around publishing cycle with minimal hours between printing dates (1-2/week) but compacted hours for three days after articles are digitally submitted(10-14).
Please contact editors@leveller.ca for further information on the role or how to apply.
