Exciting things are afoot at Peterborough Currents. We will share more about what we’ve got in store for 2024 in the coming weeks and months. For now, though, we share this great news: We’re hiring!

That’s right. As news businesses across the country continue to cut back on their content and lay journalists off, Currents is growing thanks to the financial support of our community and a one-time grant we recently received.

We’re looking for a new part-time (26 hours/week) reporter to lead our arts and community coverage. The pay is $26 per hour and the contract is for one year. The ideal candidate will be socially-conscious and community-minded with very strong writing skills. To be included in our first round of considerations, apply by March 3, 2024.

Peterborough Currents aims to build a newsroom that reflects the diversity of our community and includes people with varied backgrounds and experiences. To that end, we encourage people of colour, people with disabilities, gender minorities, and others who are underrepresented in the journalism industry to apply. We commit to fostering a welcoming work culture that encourages flexibility and inclusion.

You can read the full job posting below, or, click here to download a PDF. Please spread this job ad far and wide!

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Arts and Community Reporter

Peterborough Currents

Application Deadline: March 3, 2024

Start Date: Early April, 2024

Peterborough Currents is seeking a socially-conscious, community-minded writer to lead our arts, culture, and community coverage in 2024 and beyond.

As our arts and community reporter, you’ll foster a more connected and informed community through in-depth local journalism that shines a spotlight on our city. You’ll cover:

• The arts in Peterborough-Nogojiwanong, with a particular focus on grassroots, independent and unsung local creators
• Local events and community groups
• The people who are making a difference and animating our community
• Community-led social/political movements and volunteerism
• The socio-political forces that shape community life in Peterborough-Nogojiwanong

What kind of stories will you write? That partly depends on you. But here’s some inspiration. 

You could produce in-depth feature articles like this one diving into the history of Al’s Pizza and Yee’s Chinese Food. You could interview citizens to learn what matters to them, like in these profiles of local bus riders. You could write about the efforts of socially-conscious businesses and non-profits, such as this profile of Fresh Prints. You could cover developments in the local arts scene, like this. And you could cover community events, like this.

At the same time, you will be given the flexibility to follow your nose if you want to work on stories that fall outside of the assigned topic.

Conditions of work

Wage: $26 per hour

Hours: 26 hours per week

Schedule: Work schedule is flexible, but it will often fall during regular business hours
with occasional evening or weekend work when reporting requires it.

Contract: One year; with a possible extension, funding permitting

Holidays: Three paid weeks off per year

Location: Some remote work is possible. However, to maximize opportunities for collaboration, we expect the successful candidate will work consistent hours at our Sadleir House office. We also expect the successful candidate to spend a significant amount of time in the community reporting.

Benefits: We regret that Currents is not in a financial position to offer benefits beyond what is required by law. But it’s a goal of ours to start doing so.

Gear: If necessary, we will provide gear including a camera and laptop.

Accessibility: Regretfully, our main office is not accessible. However, arrangements can be made to provide an accessible workspace elsewhere in Sadleir House if necessary. There are accessible, gender-neutral washrooms at Sadleir House.

Responsibilities

Peterborough Currents is entering a new phase in its growth. We expect a period of experimentation, adjustment, and learning in 2024. You will be a part of this growth process, which means your responsibilities may fluctuate as we adapt to our new schedules and increased output.

That said, we expect your core responsibilities to include:

• Write an average of one story (~800 words) per week to be published on our website
• Maintain, curate, and populate our events calendar (which doesn’t exist yet)
• Contribute to our weekly email newsletter (for example, by repackaging your stories into shorter summaries or by contributing to the “Other Stories To Watch” section)
• Lead the editorial production of a new weekly newsletter focussing on arts, culture, and community events in Peterborough/Nogojiwanong
• Edit and provide feedback on your colleagues’ work
• Contribute to a collaborative workplace where we are always trying to improve and serve our community better

What we’re looking for

The only absolutely essential thing we’re looking for are strong writing skills, including a knack for clear and concise copy that is engaging and accessible without compromising depth, accuracy, and context. We can help you hone these skills and we can support you as you develop your voice, but there needs to be a strong foundation to work from. 

Beyond that, here’s what will make a candidate stand out:

Most important

• Excellent command of written English, with previous writing experience
• Self-motivated and able to work independently
• An instinct for original stories and perspectives
• Curiosity and creativity
• A passion for Peterborough-Nogojiwanong
• An awareness of the inequities in contemporary Canadian media (including local news coverage in Peterborough-Nogojiwanong) and a commitment to addressing them in your work
  

Less important, but still nice to have 

• Photography skills
• Experience writing for a general audience
• Journalism education or experience
• Creative ideas for how to engage audiences through non-traditional media, including podcasts, photo series, video, and zines

Equal opportunity employer

Peterborough Currents aims to build a newsroom that reflects the diversity of our community and includes people with varied backgrounds and experiences. To that end, we encourage people of colour, people with disabilities, gender minorities, and others who are underrepresented in the journalism industry to apply.

We commit to fostering a welcoming work culture that encourages flexibility and inclusion. We encourage you to self-identify if you feel comfortable doing so, but it is not required.

How to apply

To be included in our first round of considerations, please email will@peterboroughcurrents.ca by March 3, 2024 to express your interest. We will respond to confirm receipt of your application.

In your email, please:

• Highlight your relevant skills and experience, including writing experience and community involvement
• Share why you’d be a good candidate for this position
• Submit up to three work samples. (They don’t need to be published. Journalistic work would be ideal, but it’s not essential.)
• Suggest at least one story idea that hasn’t been covered in the local media (or one that you think ought to be covered in a new way)

If you feel most comfortable working in the “Cover Letter + Resumé” format, that’s great. But it’s not necessary; a brief introduction will suffice, and we can ask questions from there if there’s anything missing. (We know applying for jobs can be time consuming and we don’t want this to be a heavy lift.)

Please be prepared for an interview the week of March 4. A trial assignment might be required as part of the application process; if so, we will pay you to complete the assignment.

Questions?

Please reach out in advance of submitting your application if you have any questions about the position, what we’re looking for in potential candidates, and how to put together a strong application. Perhaps you just want to chat a bit before you take the time to put together an application. That’s fine! We would love to hear from you.