At a time when local newspapers and digital news sites across the country are closing or shrinking, Berkeleyside is thrilled to announce that we are expanding.
Monday night we posted a total of 13 new openings: nine journalism jobs and four business positions. The latter will be responsible for growth at our parent nonprofit organization, which will run both Berkeleyside and our new Oakland newsroom, slated to launch this spring.
At Berkeleyside, we’re hiring an editor-in-chief and a reporter to provide new resources and talent to our already terrific Berkeley newsroom. For our Oakland newsroom, we are looking for two editors and five reporters to bring in-depth, informed, inclusive local journalism to Oakland, under the stewardship of Editor-in-Chief Tasneem Raja.
We’re especially interested in candidates who’ve worked in local journalism in Berkeley and Oakland, and/or are personally rooted in communities that are represented in Berkeley and Oakland but underrepresented in local media. Both newsrooms are rooted in equity, inclusion, and a service-oriented approach to local journalism.
“We are excited that after establishing a model for local news in Berkeley, we are going to take what we know into Oakland and beyond. Five new reporters in Oakland will allow us to uncover stories that aren’t being told and help build a more informed and engaged community,” said Tracey Taylor, co-founder of Berkeleyside
The four new business hires — a vice president of development, a vice president of corporate partnerships, a director of marketing and audience and a client services manager — will ensure our organization grows, thrives and helps deliver on its mission. Identifying a successful business model for news continues to be a challenge, so our investment in these crucial sustainability roles is significant, and an indication of the growing recognition that local news needs and deserves support.
Berkeleyside announced in December that after 10 years building Berkeleyside into a widely recognized, nationally lauded local news site, we were launching an ambitious, yet-to-be-named mission-driven organization that will embrace Berkeleyside and new city newsrooms. The Google News Initiative and the American Journalism Project are providing initial funding, as well as collaboration, to provide a strong foundation for our work. We will draw on philanthropic funds, local business and corporate underwriting, membership and revenue from live events to create a sustainable platform for its journalism.
