Senior Headline News Producer

About Democracy Now!

Democracy Now! is an independent, non-profit news organization based in New York City, producing a weekday global news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman, Juan González and Nermeen Shaikh. Our program is distributed worldwide to an audience of millions and features breaking news headlines and in-depth interview segments. Our news summaries and select interview segments are available in Spanish. We produce high-quality, independent public-interest journalism that is free from commercial and government influence.

Position Overview

The Senior Headline News Producer is a key member of the editorial team responsible for researching, writing, and producing compelling headline news summaries for Democracy Now!’s live weekday TV & radio broadcast and digital distribution. This role requires exceptional news judgment, a deep understanding of global and domestic news, and the ability to deliver accurate, concise and engaging copy and scripts for broadcast and digital under tight deadlines. The Senior Headline News Producer reports to the Editorial Director and plays a central role in shaping the news for millions of Democracy Now! viewers, listeners and readers worldwide.

Key Responsibilities

• Write and edit concise, accurate, and engaging global news summaries under tight deadlines for live TV & radio broadcasts and digital publication.
• Select and integrate compelling audio, video, and graphics to enhance headline segments, collaborating closely with video and graphics teams.
• Brief on-air hosts, ensuring they are fully prepared with up-to-date scripts and background information.
• Rigorously fact-check and copy-edit all scripts in accordance with Democracy Now!’s editorial standards and practices.
• Monitor breaking news developments, updating scripts and editorial priorities as events unfold.
• Research, pitch, and develop interview segments that reflect Democracy Now!’s editorial vision.
• Identify, research, book, and pre-interview guests, ensuring a diversity of voices and perspectives.
• Prepare news content for digital and translation teams and publish news summaries to the website, ensuring consistency and accessibility across platforms.
• Play an active role in editorial strategy and planning.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience in journalism or news production, with a proven track record meeting daily deadlines.
• Exceptional news judgment and a deep familiarity with Democracy Now!’s journalism.
• Demonstrated expertise in writing, fact-checking, and copy-editing news scripts to the highest journalistic standards.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills.
• Ability to thrive under pressure, manage multiple priorities, and meet tight, high-stakes deadlines in a fast-paced newsroom.
• Deep and broad knowledge of global and domestic news, with a passion for independent, public-interest journalism.
• Available to work evenings and then early mornings to support the 8am ET live broadcast.

Preferred

• Experience producing or writing in a live broadcast news environment.
• Proficiency with newsroom and on-air graphics software systems like Octopus News and VizRT.
• Experience writing for digital news platforms.

Compensation

• The salary range is $99,000 - $110,000.
• Benefits include health, dental, retirement, paid time off and more!

Other Information

• This is an NYC-based position with in-person work requirements.
• This position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement between SAG-AFTRA and Democracy Now!.

To Apply

• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis beginning June 2, 2025, so applying early is strongly encouraged.
• To apply, please submit the following:
  • A complete chronological resume, including dates of employment
  • 2-3 Work samples
  • A cover letter that addresses the following points:
    • How did you discover Democracy Now!’s journalism?
    • How does your personal and professional experience make you a good fit for this position?
    • What recent Democracy Now! story or coverage did you find particularly interesting?

We discourage the use of generative artificial intelligence to create application materials for this position and give preference to candidates who submit applications that showcase their own voice and writing.

Democracy Now! is an equal opportunity employer. People of color, people with disabilities, women and LGBTQ+ identifying people are encouraged to apply.

No phone calls, please.