The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, a national leader in sports journalism education, seeks to hire an Executive Editor and Professor of Practice to launch and lead the Sports Knowledge Lab. The lab is part of the Global Sport Institute, an international sports research and knowledge lab based at Arizona State that connects people to the power of sport by translating and amplifying complex sports research to broad, global audiences.
The primary role of the lab is the publication of GlobalSportMatters, a dynamic multimedia storytelling platform that will be the go-to source for must-read and must-know data and advice from across the world of sport, filtered and enhanced by the unique perspective and lens of the Global Sport Institute.
The editor will lead, edit, oversee and teach a student team in the production and presentation of a variety of curated and original content from across the globe that will examine the impact of sport on society and provide context for top sports headlines from around the world. Content will include long-form writing, documentaries, articles, newsletters, data visualization and podcasts. In addition to students enrolled for credit in this professional immersion experience each semester, the editor will hire and supervise students workers and student volunteers to assist in content production, as well as freelance writers. The editor will also plan and coordinate events that help advance the Global Sport Institute’s mission.
GlobalSportMatters will provide compelling angles that not only deepen people’s understanding of issues that fit within the framework of the GlobalSportMatters mission but provide unique context, knowledge and tools that can lead to change.
The intended audience for GlobalSportMatters is anyone, anywhere in the world, who is looking to stay informed about the positive impact of sport, making sport better, and looking for useful answers that can be applied and used in a real world context. This could include team owners, leaders of sports leagues and governing bodies, coaches, parents, fans and academics.
The editor will work with Ken Shropshire, the CEO of the Global Sport Institute, who will guide the mission of GlobalSportMatters to align with the Institute. He/she will join the award-winning faculty who direct Cronkite School professional programs, including former Washington Post executive editor Leonard Downie Jr., former BET vice president Retha Hill, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and editor Jacquee Petchel, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Steve Doig, Pulitzer Prize-winning data editor Sarah Cohen, former news anchor Vanessa Ruiz, former sports columnist and new Arizona Sports Hall of Fame inductee Paola Boivin, National Sports Emmy Award-winning producer Brett Kurland, and former Knight Foundation journalism innovator Eric Newton.
The Sport Knowledge Lab will be the 14th immersive professional experiences at the Cronkite School that reflect the school’s “teaching hospital” approach to education. Students engage at least two full days a week in programs that include a nightly television newscast distributed on Arizona PBS, an innovation and entrepreneurship lab where students create new digital products and services, news reporting bureaus in Washington, D.C., and L.A., and a Spanish-language bureau where students report and produce news content across media platforms for Spanish-speaking audiences.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Leading, editing and teaching upper-level undergraduate and graduate journalism students
- Leading experimentation with and teaching of new tools and technologies that enhance digital storytelling
- Driving audience engagement through social media and SEO
- Performing other faculty responsibilities, such as committee assignments and student recruitment, as assigned.
This appointment holds the faculty rank of Professor of Practice.
Required Qualifications:
Five years of major-market regional or national experience planning, producing and editing content; expertise in social media promotion and distribution and web metrics and SEO; familiarity with HTML and standard content management systems; experience with new tools and technologies for digital storytelling; a bachelor’s degree.
Desired Qualifications:
Experience managing teams in a newsroom environment; extensive knowledge of and experience with sports; experience designing and producing video and other visuals for digital audiences; experience working with undergraduate and/or graduate students in a university or newsroom setting; bilingual (English/Spanish).
Application deadline: Nov. 10 or if not filled, the first of each the first of each two-week period thereafter until the search is closed.
Application procedure: Materials must include: 1) a resume, 2) a letter describing the applicant’s experiences and how they would benefit the Cronkite School, 3) web-based samples of work edited, created or produced, and 4) names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of three professional references.
Submit materials via email to: cronkitejobs@asu.edu.
Attn: Brett Kurland
Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication
555 N. Central Avenue, Suite 302 Phoenix, AZ 85004
Arizona State University is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. More detailed information can be found at https://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.html and https://www.asu.edu/titleIX/
