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; we grow our own when it comes to writers, photographers, and leaders. 

Executive Editor for News and Executive Editor for Design

NOTE: These positions are updated for the 2024-25 academic year.

 

Executive Editor for News and Executive Editor for Design

The co-executive editors will receive a stipend of $250/month. ($4000/yr total)

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 training 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 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 workflow 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 workflow 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 the 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 workflow as needed
• Attending weekly leadership and staff meetings

 

Social/Media Editor (reporting to/working closely with MEO)

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

Responsibilities:

• Maintaining passwords and security for The BlueStocking’s social media accounts
• Working with the editorial team to develop 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 videos while ensuring a  consistent BlueStocking brand identity across platforms
• Using analytics to track engagement/SEO and generating bi-monthly reports for the MEO
• Contributing to the editorial content flow as desired and participating in weekly editorial workflow: as needed
• Attending weekly leadership and staff meetings

 

Page Designer (reporting to EED)

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

Responsibilities:

• Working closely with the EED 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 (reporting to EEN)

Beats include news, arts features, entertainment, business, opinion, and sports. Beat editors who recruit stringers who produce content four times per month will receive a stipend of $50 per month for managing those stringers. Otherwise, they are paid at the same rate as staff writers when they produce content for the digital and print editions.

Responsibilities:

• Working with the co-executive editors to develop story ideas and ensure balanced coverage
• Working with writers you have developed (“stringers”) on story pitches and assigning articles to them
• Providing developmental editing and fact-checking of stories
• Ensuring a proper workflow 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 workflow
• 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 with The 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 up to a maximum of five and $25 for a photo essay/gallery of five or more picture

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 consent and submitting captions with complete identifying information, including correctly spelled names, locations, etc.
• Attending weekly staff meetings

 

Graphic Artists

Graphic artists are paid a flat fee of $15 for charts/graphs/logos and $25 for infographics/posters.

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 up to a maximum of $25

Responsibilities:

• Producing short videos (30 seconds to 5 minutes) on events of interest to the PC community
• Working closely on assignments 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