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
