Audience Editor, D.C.

Company: The New York Times
Location: Washington
Posted on: April 2, 2026

Job Description:

The mission of The New York Times is to seek the truth and help people understand the world. That means independent journalism is at the heart of all we do as a company. It’s why we have a world-renowned newsroom that sends journalists to report on the ground from nearly 160 countries. It’s why we focus deeply on how our readers will experience our journalism, from print to audio to a world-class digital and app destination. And it’s why our business strategy centers on making journalism so good that it’s worth paying for. We are looking for an editor to join the newsroom Audience team and partner with the desks to help them continue to reach more readers and deepen our engagement with those readers. This editor will work with the desks to inform coverage, both day-to-day and long-term, suggesting relevant stories as well as evergreen topics, with an eye toward framing. They will help maximize distribution through search strategies and social programming, and by pitching internally to the homepage, newsletters and other alerts. This role will primarily focus on partnering with the Washington desks as well as other teams in the newsroom focused on elections, politics and other news. Based on strategic need, they may be assigned to cover other desks. This is an in-office position, based in D.C. and includes regular attendance in the office four days each week. There may be some flexibility to work remotely per your departmental guidance. There will be travel to New York as needed. Responsibilities: Identify coverage and format opportunities to draw in new readers, in particular those who do not currently look to The New York Times as a regular news source. Partner with the newsroom audience analytics team on deep and applicable analysis, and collaborate with desks like Politics, National, Business, Culture, Live and others on ongoing coverage strategies. Interpret data and signals to shape how we present stories both on and off our platforms; deliver actionable daily, weekly and monthly reports for relevant coverage. Optimize stories for search; identify trending topics and trends, along with coverage and format opportunities to showcase the depth of the New York Times' approach to big news events. Collaborate with the main search, social, community, home, notifications and newsletter teams on news and enterprise, and coordinate overlapping coverage with other desks. Contribute to regular audience performance updates, including but not limited to daily audience notes, monthly masthead presentations and quarterly and annual audience reports to company leadership. Write social copy, analyze our presence and strategy on existing platforms, and evaluate opportunities and potentially launch new accounts on social platforms. Work with journalists on best social media practices, including framing pieces for specific audiences and using the Reporter Reply commenting feature. Collaborate with colleagues across the newsroom, and with the strategy, product, data and marketing teams (and beyond). Demonstrate support and understanding of our value of journalistic independence and a strong commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world. This role reports into a Senior Audience Editor on the Coverage and Search team within the Audience Department. Basic Qualifications: 3 years of experience in digital journalism Deep understanding of and interest in the political landscape. Preferred Qualifications: Knowledge of the search landscape, and the ability to spot trends, with an eye for spotting misinformation Solid understanding of all mainstream and some emerging social channels Strong writing and editing skills, and knowledge of Times style or the ability to absorb and apply it quickly The ability to write in an engaging, smart tone that feels native to social media and still consistent with the values of The New York Times Comfortable with data and testing and iterating to find what resonates with various audiences A skill to bridging specialties, including reporting, editing, product, analytics, design and user research A willingness to collaborate, and the ability to partner with colleagues across the newsroom, the strategy, product, data and marketing teams, and beyond Deep knowledge of competitors REQ-019209 The annual base pay range for this role is between: $120,000 - $135,000 USD For roles in the U.S., dependent on your role, you may be eligible for variable pay, such as an annual bonus and restricted stock. Benefits may include medical, dental and vision benefits, Flexible Spending Accounts (F.S.A.s), a company-matching 401(k) plan, paid vacation, paid sick days, paid parental leave, tuition reimbursement and professional development programs. For roles outside of the U.S., information on benefits will be provided during the interview process. The New York Times Company is committed to being the world’s best source of independent, reliable and quality journalism. To do so, we embrace a diverse workforce that has a broad range of backgrounds and experiences across our ranks, at all levels of the organization. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate on the basis of an individual's sex, age, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage, religion, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation or affectional preference, gender identity and expression, disability, genetic trait or predisposition, carrier status, citizenship, veteran or military status and other personal characteristics protected by law. All applications will receive consideration for employment without regard to legally protected characteristics. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)’s Know Your Rights Poster is available here . The New York Times Company will provide reasonable accommodations as required by applicable federal, state, and/or local laws. Individuals seeking an accommodation for the application or interview process should email reasonable.accommodations@nytimes.com. Emails sent for unrelated issues, such as following up on an application, will not receive a response. The Company encourages those with criminal histories to apply, and will consider their applications in a manner consistent with applicable "Fair Chance" laws, including but not limited to the NYC Fair Chance Act, the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act. For information about The New York Times' privacy practices for job applicants click here . Please beware of fraudulent job postings. Scammers may post fraudulent job opportunities, and they may even make fraudulent employment offers. This is done by bad actors to collect personal information and money from victims. All legitimate job opportunities from The New York Times will be accessible through The New York Times careers site . The New York Times will not ask job applicants for financial information or for payment, and will not refer you to a third party to do so. 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Keywords: The New York Times, Washington DC , Audience Editor, D.C., PR / Public Relations , Washington, DC