Cowichan Valley journalists, we want to work with you

Do you want to listen to your community, work on stories outside of the daily news grind and bring issues from the Cowichan Valley into national conversations ahead of the election? Then we want to work with you.

Since 2018, The Discourse has been providing in-depth community-driven journalism in the Cowichan Valley. Reporter Jacqueline Ronson has been leading this coverage. Ahead of the federal election, we want to support more local listening, engagement and content by working with an experienced journalist.

The details: 

• To start, this is a part-time, 9-week contract from mid-September until mid-November. Our hope is that we can gain enough momentum to continue this work on a more permanent basis (more details on that below.) 
• This is a part-time contract at a weekly rate of $600.00. 
• Please send a cover letter, CV and links to your previous work to [email protected] by Sunday, Sept. 8. We’re moving quickly to get this person in place, so we can support meaningful work leading up to the federal election on Oct. 21. 

We’re looking for someone who:

1. Is connected to the Cowichan Valley. You live in the region and bring that context to your work. People can trust you. 
2. Believes in our values and company mission. You are passionate about shaping the future of journalism in Canada. 
3. Wants to listen to people. You are curious and willing to listen to a range of people about what issues matter to them. You like to put yourself out there, host events, build community partnerships and invite people to meaningfully contribute to the reporting process. 
4. Can produce and edit great content. You have a voice, you can write and edit quickly, you can upload content to Hubspot and WordPress, and you’re into social media, video and photography. 
5. Wants to get it right. You are a meticulous fact-checker who understands the importance of using primary sources, lived experiences and various experts to get it right. You question data and information when you get it — no matter who it comes from — and are able to show your process.
6. Is entrepreneurial. You like that The Discourse is a startup that invites all of our team members to play a big role in thinking through what we do and how we do it. You love experimenting, testing, and learning and are committed to building audience and sustainability. 
7. Is a team player. We are a collaborative, female-led company that is trying to shake up typical newsroom dynamics. We want to work with people who are excited to challenge some of journalism’s bad habits and work towards creating a positive work culture. 

The job: 

Over the 9 weeks, you will: 

• Work collaboratively with reporter Jacqueline Ronson to surface what community members think should be on the election agenda and create responsive content
• Contribute to and edit two weekly newsletters (Curious in Cowichan and Cowichan This Week)
• Engage with community members in person and online
• Identify potential community partners for events and engagement 
• Edit in-depth stories on issues identified through community-listening efforts 
• Create social media content 
• Upload content on WordPress, HubSpot and social media
• Collaborate with The Discourse’s central journalism hub to execute supporter campaigns 
• Contribute to the sharing and distribution of the work we publish together 
• Report on the impact of your work 

We recognize that job postings are often long wishlists and that everyone has different strengths to bring to the table. We are interested in hearing from as many journalists in the Cowichan Valley as possible. Be sure to reach out — even if you feel you might not check every box. 

The company:

The Discourse is a digital media company that’s focused on in-depth local news. We listen before we report, and our community members inform what stories we tell. Our journalism is not dictated by people — politicians, advertisers, journalists — who aren’t invested in the communities we serve.

We’re passionate, scrappy journalists committed to building a new kind of media that better reflects us all — because we’re connected to these communities, too. Since founding The Discourse five years ago, our team of journalists have been producing award-winning investigative journalism that privileges feminist and diverse perspectives, is driven by the pursuit of truth. 

What happens at the end of the contract?

We’re a startup, so we can’t guarantee that this job will continue after our 9-week push. That said, if your work shows that there is a demand for in-depth community-driven work in the Cowichan Valley, we’re going to work hard to make sure that we can keep doing it.

This sounds great, but how do you pay for it?

It’s not a surprise to anyone in journalism right now that the traditional advertising model is dying. So in the same way we’re approaching our journalism differently, The Discourse is also funded differently. Read all about it here. [end]