Welcome back, students! Spring classes are a week away, and The Crimson White is looking for a group of intrepid reporters and editors to join our staff.

Applications for paid staff positions will close on Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 11:59 p.m, and phone or Zoom interviews will be held later that week. For more information about these positions, keep reading, or view our job descriptions page, here.

Who are we?

The Crimson White is The University of Alabama’s student-run newspaper. We print a twice-weekly newspaper and produce daily online content for over 60,000 readers.Just this past year, our staff was called on by a number of news outlets, including The New York Times, CNN, and Time Magazine, to provide insight into campus events.

We have broken national news, investigated injustice, and have garnered top awards for our extensive coverage of the campus community.

Crimson White alumni have gone on to a number of successful careers inside and outside of the media world. Some of our current staff members have been published in or featured on national news outlets, and alumni have secured jobs at The New York Times, CNN, Time Magazine, Sports Illustrated, the Southern Poverty Law Center, The Los Angeles Times, Buzzfeed, The Chicago Tribune, AL.com, are teaching the next generation, are working in government, are writing books and are advocating for change on both wide and local scales.

Who are we looking for? 

The CW is hiring three paid staff reporters and editors for the spring semester. We are also hiring contributing photographers, designers and writers on a rolling basis.

Ideally, assistant editors should have at least one year of experience in campus or professional media. But, many of our staff members are not journalism majors, and you don’t need to be either. We’re looking for dedicated students from all corners of campus who are passionate about telling stories in new and engaging ways. Staff writers should also demonstrate strong reporting skills, but do not have to be journalism majors. Having some published clips helps, but we also welcome drafts of stories from class, non-fiction essays, or well-researched pitches.

We’re especially looking for applicants who are aware of our newsroom’s weak spots, are open to critique and change, and are willing to create new possibilities within the field and on our campus. Students from underrepresented social, ethnic and economic backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.

STAFF POSITIONS

A portion of the CW’s new Race and Identity Desk will launch in spring 2021. Two paid staff reporters, the data reporter and the features reporter, will report to the news editor and culture editor, respectively. They will be paid the salary of a staff reporter: up to $180 a month. 

Ideally, these two reporters will work together on long-form projects. Both might, for example, spend some time digging through archives or conducting oral histories to give rich context to stories ranging from campus activism to building names – angles that breaking news coverage often obscure or even erase.

Race and Identity Reporter – Data/Investigative

The data reporter would assist the news desk with requesting and analyzing demographic data – whether it be on race or gender disparities in faculty pay, discipline policies, or analyzing the efficacy of recruiting and retention efforts. Having a reporter devoted to requesting hard-to-get demographic data will enhance our newsroom’s investigative efforts and provide incredibly important insights into how – and where – the University can be more equitable.

Race and Identity Reporter – Features

The features reporter will help spark wider conversations about race, identity and social change. This reporter might also scope out human interest stories that celebrate the accomplishments of students who are underrepresented on campus, or they might embrace their creative side by producing podcasts or playlists curated for students who belong to specific cultural or affinity groups.

Assistant News Editor

Additionally, we are hiring an assistant editor for our news desk. This position is paid $280 a month, and assistant editors are expected to work at least one production night a week (Sunday or Wednesday from 5 p.m. to midnight), along with occasional reporting or editing duties throughout the week.

The assistant news editor will serve as a senior reporter and assist the news editor with editing and production. The editor and assistant editor should work together to divvy up tasks in an equitable way. Common assistant tasks might include editing briefs, posting breaking news, and co-leading budget meetings. The editor in this position must have a flexible availability and be able to work on short notice. The CW is looking for someone who is constantly on the hunt for news stories important to the community and is willing to teach others how to tell those stories.

Can’t decide on the perfect role? Feel free to apply to more than one position. Applications are open at thecrimsonwhite.com/apply. If you have any questions about these positions or the application process, please feel free to reach out to Editor-in-Chief Rebecca Griesbach at [email protected].