The BlueStocking Job Opportunities

Have a knack for words, photos, web design—or the desire to learn? Looking for an opportunity to maximize your creative potential and build an impressive resume? Then you might be a perfect candidate for a position at The BlueStocking, Presbyterian College’s award-winning student newspaper. Previous experience is not required; when it comes to writers, photographers, and leaders, we grow our own. 

Executive Editor for News and Executive Editor for Design

NOTE: These positions are filled for the 2023-24 academic year.

The co-executive editors will receive a stipend of $250/month.

Joint responsibilities

• Planning and executing the fall and spring recruiting events, maintaining detailed lists of prospects, and working assiduously to discover and bring in new talent
• Setting coverage and operations goals for the semester and academic year and conducting weekly leadership/staff meetings to ensure timely progress toward completion
• Grounding the staff in BlueStocking editorial standards and practices through periodic training for new and established staff
• Gaining proficiency in and conducting periodic staff trainings in WordPress, InDesign, Photoshop, Canva and all other necessary platforms/software needed to produce the website, mail chimp, and print products
• Establishing deadlines and a content workflow for the digital and print editions including fact-checking, developmental editing, and copyediting stages
• Ensuring timely publication of the digital and print editions
• Overseeing Bluestocking content so as to ensure balanced and creative coverage of academics, sports, the campus social scene, and the wider community

EEN responsibilities

• Contributing to the editorial content flow through news, analyses, and editorials as desired or needed
• Recruiting a stable of writers and working with them to develop story ideas and ensure balanced and creative coverage
• Ensuring a proper work flow for articles, from submissions through editing/ design and publication
• Overseeing and organizing the digital edition
• Assisting with the print edition as needed

EED responsibilities

• Contributing to the editorial content flow through stories, photography, and multimedia as desired or needed
• Recruiting a stable of photographers, artists, and videographers and working with them to develop story ideas and ensure balanced and creative coverage
• Ensuring a proper work flow for visuals (e.g., photographs, videos, comics/cartoons, puzzles), from submissions through editing/design and publication
• Taking the lead role in overseeing and organizing the print edition
• Assisting with the digital edition as needed

Managing Editor for Operations

The MEO will receive a stipend of $100 per month.

Responsibilities:

• Attending weekly leadership and staff meetings and maintaining records of agendas and minutes
• Tracking the BlueStocking’s financial condition and strategizing with leadership on ways to enhance it
• Preparing and presenting the semiannual financial reports
• Overseeing the organization’s budget for monthly pay periods, events, etc.
• Ensuring that BlueStocking staffers are properly accounted for in PC’s financial system
• Ensuring timely payment of staff members each month according to their effort
• Developing relationships with local businesses and soliciting advertising for the print and digital editions
• Overseeing design and placement of advertisements for the print and digital editions
• Organizing promotions with BlueStocking branded giveaways
• Contributing to the editorial content flow as desired and participating in weekly editorial work flow as needed
• Attending weekly leadership and staff meetings

Social/Media Editor 

NOTE: The position is filled for the 2023-24 academic year.

The social media editor will receive a stipend of $50 per month.

Responsibilities:

• Reporting to and working closely with the ME-Operations
• Maintaining passwords and security for the BlueStocking’s social media accounts
• Working with the editorial team developing a strategy and campaign to tap into campus social networks and drive traffic to the digital edition using SM
• Reaching out to other SMLs on mutually supportive cross-promotional efforts
• Coordinating with the editorial team to ensure simultaneous delivery of content to the digital editions and social media channels
• Developing ease with Photoshop, Canva, and other tools and creating or soliciting original content including memes, inspirational posts, and entertaining video while ensuring a  consistent BlueStocking brand identity across platforms
• Using analytics to track engagement/SEO and generating bimonthly reports for the MEO
• Contributing to the editorial content flow as desired and participating in weekly editorial work flow: as needed
• Attending weekly leadership and staff meetings

Page Designer 

The page designer is paid $50 per month to produce four print editions annually

Responsibilities:

• Reporting to and working closely with the EE-Design and editorial team to come up with visualization ideas for the digital and print editions
• Developing ease with InDesign, Photoshop, Canva, and other tools and creating training opportunities for other staffers, as needed
• Creating original art, infographics, and tables for story packages and as standalone elements in the digital and print editions
• Working closely with the MEO to design ads and Bluestocking branded promotional materials
• Working with the EED on the print editions from design/layout to finished product

Beat Editors 

Beats include News, Arts-Features-Entertainment, Business, Opinion, Sports. Beat editors who recruit stringers who produce content four times per month will receive a stipend of $50 per month. Otherwise they are paid at the same rate as staff writers when they produce content for the digital and print editions.

Responsibilities:

• Reporting to the co-executive editors to develop story ideas and ensure balanced coverage
• Working with writers they have developed (“stringers” is the term) on story pitches and assigning articles to them
• Providing developmental editing and fact-checking of stories
• Ensuring a proper work flow for articles, from submissions through editing/design and publication
• Attending weekly leadership and staff meetings

Copyeditors

Copyeditors are paid by the hour. Please contact the MEO for rates of pay.

Responsibilities:

• Working closely with the EEs in the final stages of editorial work flow
• Fact-checking dates, names, locations, captions, etc., for accuracy
• Editing articles for grammar and compliance with the Associated Press StyleBook
• Attending weekly staff meetings

General Assignment Writers

Staff writers are paid a flat fee of $25 per article

Responsibilities:

• Producing short pieces (500-800 words) or longer feature/analysis pieces (>800 words) in coordination with the editorial team
• Submitting articles on time and in compliance BlueStocking standards and practices
• Working on assignment and also pitching own story ideas for the digital and print editions
• Attending weekly staff meetings

Photographers

Photographers are paid a flat fee of $5 per published photo and $25 per photo essay

Responsibilities:

• Capturing professional quality images—including candid images, portraits, architectural details, or even abstract compositions—either to accompany assigned stories or as standalone work
• Working closely with editors or writers on assigned stories to ensure a unified look and message between story and illustration
• Cropping photos to achieve maximum visual impact
• Obtaining proper consents and submitting captions with complete identifying information, including correctly spelled names, locations, etc.
• Attending weekly staff meetings

Graphic Artists/Multimedia Artists

Artists are paid a flat fee of $15 for charts/graphs/logos/memes and $25 for infographics/posters/gifs.

Responsibilities:

• Working closely with the editorial team to come up with visualization ideas
• Creating original art, infographics, and tables for story packages and as standalone elements
• Designing ads and Bluestocking branded promotional materials for the digital and print editions
• Attending weekly staff meetings

Videographers

Videographers are paid a flat fee depending on length per video/vlog.

Responsibilities:

• Producing short videos (30 secs to 5 minutes) on events of interest to the PC community
• Working closely on assignment with the editorial team to plan the shoot and the messaging
• Working closely with the editorial team to pitch ideas for videos and vlogs
• Attending weekly staff meetings