Newsletter Writer

If you know how to create newsletters that make people excited to check email every morning, you might be the next Newsletter Writer at CalMatters.

We seek a smart writer with the wit and depth to engage Californians in the state’s top political and policy stories each weekday. Our WhatMatters newsletter is our front page. It’s an essential morning check for anyone who wants to know the latest about major issues in the world’s fifth largest economy.

We seek a writer and editor who’s obsessed with these stories. Someone whose lively voice of authority can quickly tell Californians what happened, why it happened and why they should care. Someone who’s plugged into what’s happening in the Capitol each day and can be a personality in California politics. Someone who will work closely with CalMatters political and the rest of our journalists to share stories they’re covering and tips they receive.

The WhatMatters newsletter is an important platform that will allow the writer to be a prominent and well-known voice in the daily narration of developments in the nation’s largest state. Through our partnerships with radio and television stations statewide, the newsletter author has statewide multimedia reach with a regular following and widely recognizable profile.

In seven years, CalMatters has become the largest newsroom covering California policy and politics. We’re a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, and we give our coverage at no cost to more than 180 media outlets in California. By taking the lead on our flagship newsletter, you’ll play a crucial role in making our work more accessible and impactful as we work to serve the 40 million Californians who represent one-eighth of the U.S. population.

This position works Sunday through Thursday and is based in Sacramento.

Responsibilities include

* Create the newsletter for release each weekday morning with feeds from other CalMatters journalists, aggregation from other news sources and original scoops or analysis.

* Produce the newsletter in our publishing system, write headlines and add photos and other elements.

* Attend regular editorial meetings and communicate daily with CalMatters editors.

These would be a plus:

* Experience writing and/or managing a daily newsletter.

* An understanding of California issues, politics and personality.

* Experience with WordPress and MailChimp.

* Experience with photo selection and editing.

CalMatters, launched seven years ago, is an award-winning nonprofit, nonpartisan news venture dedicated to explaining the policy and politics of America’s biggest state and the world’s fifth largest economy. We produce vivid, original journalism and data-driven news analyses and watchdog reporting that’s distributed to more than 250 media partners on calmatters.org and NPR partners statewide.

Compensation and Benefits

The base salary for this position is $75,000 per year; higher compensation may be available for someone with advanced skills and/or experience.

CalMatters offers a complete benefits package with medical, dental and vision insurance – we cover 90% of the cost for employees and 70% for dependents – from a range of HMO and PPO providers. We’ll match contributions of up to 4% of your salary to our 401(k) program, provide life insurance at no cost, and give you an allowance for personal use of your cell phone and a budget for professional development opportunities like classes and conferences.

We are an expanding and collaborative newsroom, successfully forging a new model for sustainable, intelligent, nonprofit journalism. We’re committed to reflecting the people of the state we serve and especially encourage members of underrepresented communities to apply. If you’re interested, please provide a resume and a cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job.

Apply for the Newsletter Writer position on our website at CalMatters.org.