Become an URBAN TIMES Correspondent

on 8th Jun 2012

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s a damned shame that a field as potentially dynamic and vital as journalism should be overrun with dullards, bums, and hacks, hag-ridden with myopia, apathy, and complacence, and generally stuck in a bog of stagnant mediocrity.”

- Hunter S. Thompson

The late, great, Dr Hunter S. Thompson

At Urban Times, we’re on a constant crusade against myopia, apathy, complacence and mediocrity.

Every day, we strive to transcend the current media paradigm of cynicism and negativity, and offer forward-thinking, solutions-driven coverage of the issues that matter.

As part of this commitment we are undergoing many exciting changes, as our readership grows and our core team expands to keep pace.

Currently we have a team of hundreds of contributing authors. Together these authors bring you more than ten new articles every day, split across seven lead categories each with multiple sub-categories.

Now Urban Times is looking for a team of dedicated correspondents to lead on content for each sub-category of our website, keep abreast of key issues in the field, and diligently report them to our readers.

What does it entail?

Correspondents will be expected to:

Post two pieces of content per week relating to their given field. (These do not always have to be full-length articles, but also short posts, videos, infographics or other media content).
Discuss developments in the field with senior UT editors, and shape overall content strategy for the specific category.
Be prepared to cover specific topics/events related to the field if assigned by senior editors.
Commit a minimum of 3 months to the role.

What would I gain?

Positions are currently unpaid. However, there are a number of non-financial benefits:

Correspondents will have the opportunity to work closely with UT editors to dictate coverage of particular issues. They will have the chance to start their own feature series if desired, creating a coherent body of content which addresses a single theme. Correspondents’ work will be of lasting value for the site, and will continue to attract views well beyond the end of their time at the magazine.

After a three month period correspondents will have built a portfolio of 25 articles or more and generated many thousands of hits for their work. Access to the Urban Times’ 120,000 Twitter followers across 20 accounts will raise their profile across social networking sites, whilst links from UT to personal blogs can markedly improve SEO ranking.

Urban Times editors will also be happy to provide references for all correspondents.

The role would therefore be particularly suitable for early career journalists/bloggers looking to build a portfolio, develop a strong authorial voice and gain experience in the field of digital media.

What are the roles available?

We are looking for correspondents in each of the bullet-pointed areas (names indicate current correspondents):

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Design
Planning – Ash Blankenship
Real Estate

CULTURE

Arts – Iris Sinilong
Food — Chris Zacharia
Health — Kristen Schmitt
Lifestyle — Lauren Mckay & Djordje-Radovanovic

ENVIRONMENT

Conservation
Going Green — Yatu Widders Hunt (completed – position now open)
Nature
Oceans & Seas

POLITICS

Economy
Education — Casey Thomas Larsen
International Relations
Social Welfare

SCI & TECH

Computing — Nathan Liu
Energy
Gadgets
Natural Sciences
Space

WORLD

Americas
Europe
Asia
Africa — Jenna Van Schoor (completed – position now open)
Australasia

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS

Better Me — Natasha Pilides
Hacker/Maker — Ashley Hennefer
Film — Xavier Pineda
Nutrition Matters — Angela Yussuff
Vlogger (that’s video blogger for those less web-savvy folk)

We have selected the above fields based on our existing site categories. However, if there is an area not listed above in which you could convince us of your value as a special correspondent, our editorial team will be willing to discuss.

To apply for one of the above positions, send your resumé and an introductory email to: jobs@urbantimes.co