Copy Editor

ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. 

When you read news stories, do you find yourself weighing their fairness and checking if their logic is sound? Do you cringe at every typo? Does inconsistent style drive you bonkers? Then you could be our next copy editor.

In this role, you’ll work on our copy desk to maintain the high quality our stories, to manage the flow of copy and to publish our work online. (And you’ll also be on the lookout for the little things, like the missing “of” in the previous sentence.) You’ll get to flex your editing muscle not only on complex and lengthy investigations, but also on breaking news stemming from our deep dives, newsletters, graphics, videos and columns. You’ll also at times have to convert stories from the style of a partner newsroom into Associated Press style (so long, coöperate; hello, cooperate!). Other responsibilities will include helping draft corrections, clarifications and updates to stories, and occasionally filling in for the assistant managing editor for standards.

We’re looking for someone with:

• At least three years of experience as a copy editor at a news organization.
• Experience working with Google Docs and publishing tools, including a CMS like WordPress and an organization app like Trello.
• Razor-sharp news judgment and an unshakeable sense of fairness.
• Prior experience bulletproofing and polishing hard-hitting investigations and long-form narratives.
• An eye for detail; you should be meticulous in examining copy and matching facts in text with those presented in graphics, in video and on social media platforms.
• The ability to make sure all copy is consistent and typo-free.
• A deep understanding of AP style.
• Experience working with complex and sensitive topics.
• Good communication skills and diplomacy. In this role, you’ll work across teams and need to seamlessly handle requests both large and small from reporters and editors.
• The ability to work on-call nights and weekends as part of a rotation.
• Excellent time management skills and experience meeting deadlines.
• Experience prioritizing and handling multiple projects at various stages of production.
• The ability to travel as necessary for team meetings and trainings.

This job is full time and includes benefits. ProPublica is based in New York, but the copy desk is distributed, so we’re open to remote candidates. We have offices in New York City; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta; Chicago; Phoenix; and Berkeley, California. Applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S.

The expected salary range for this position is $85,000 to $100,000.

This is a good-faith estimate of what we expect to pay for this position. The final salary figure will take into account a person’s experience, accomplishment and location. ProPublica is committed to paying its staff equitably, and these ranges should not be considered career salary limits or caps.

We will begin reviewing applications on Jan. 5, 2026, but we will continue to consider candidates as long as the posting remains live on our site.

Questions? Send an email to talent@propublica.org. 

No phone calls, please.

We know there are great candidates who may not fit into what we’ve described above or who have important skills we haven’t thought of. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself.

We are dedicated to improving our newsroom, in part by better reflecting the people we cover. (Here is a breakdown of our staff.) We are committed to diversity and building an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and ages. And we are taking steps to meet that commitment. We especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities. We are an equal opportunity employer and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age or any other status protected under applicable law.