The Public Interest News Foundation seeks six organisers to support the News for All campaign by working with independent news providers in the UK’s regions and nations to mobilise their audiences and call for support for the provision of public interest news across the UK.
Since we launched PINF in March 2020, we have provided independent news providers with funding and leadership development opportunities, backed up by original research. In 2022, we launched the News for All campaign because we believe Westminster policymakers can use their powers to support independent local publishers and the communities they serve all around the UK.
By directing funding to small publishers that cover millions of people in underrepresented communities, policymakers can ensure those publishers can produce public interest journalism that speaks to people, for them and with them.
About the role
PINF is growing. We want to expand News for All’s reach all over the UK and ensure that its goals and our advocacy are guided by the needs of independent news providers and the communities they cover.
To do that, we are looking for a campaign organiser in the UK’s nations and regions to help us reach, learn from, inform, and mobilise the independent news sector. This is a crucial role for the campaign; the organiser will help keep PINF grounded in the communities it is designed to serve.
The organisers will establish and maintain periodical contact with publishers in each nation and region, acting as a liaison between the publishers and PINF and our partners in the sector. They will provide the publishers with information about campaign activities and guidance on how to participate. This may include helping them call on their audiences to write letters to their MPs or supporting the publishers themselves in requesting meetings with theirs.
While sharing campaign guidance with publishers, the organiser will also ask for input on the campaign and listen to their needs that might align with the campaign goals and share them with PINF. We hope the line of communication between PINF and the publishers will truly run in both directions.
We are looking for organisers who are tapped into the communities in which they will work and so will welcome their input on News for All planning as well.
The organiser will join PINF on a freelance basis, initially for three months with the possibility for extension depending on campaign trajectory and funding. We expect around 60 hours of work over the three-month period. Aside from scheduled meetings with PINF and other regional campaigners, we are happy for the organiser to manage their own time and fit News for All work around other commitments provided they can meet agreed-upon goals.
Criteria
The regional/national organiser should:
Have experience of working in/around the independent news sector; OR
Have experience in campaigning and community organising;
Be skilled at building and maintaining connections;
Be able to work independently and with others, and manage their time effectively;
Believe in PINF’s mission to support the provision of public interest news in UK.
The role will require the organiser to:
Using PINF guidance, help publishers to mobilise their audiences;
Using PINF guidance, help publishers to engage with their MPs;
Share input from publishers with PINF;
Share ideas/experiences/tips with other organisers;
Act as a spokesperson for the campaign;
Send regular updates to PINF on the status of their outreach to and work with publishers;
Contribute to PINF strategic planning/messaging.
PINF will:
Pay £1,500 for an estimated 60 hours of work over the three-month period;
Paid in monthly instalments of £500 upon receipt of an invoice and activity report;
Engage the organiser for an initial period of three months, which may be extended pending funding and campaign needs.
How to apply
If you’re interested in this role and want to help us create a movement of support for public interest news provision across the whole of the UK, apply to become a Regional/National Campaign Organiser!
Please send a CV and brief cover letter (no more than one page) to hani@publicinterestnews.org.uk with Regional/National Campaign Organiser followed by the region in which you wish to work in the subject line. Feel free to send questions about the posts to the same address. Application will close when position is filled.
Of the many designations we’ve found for regions in the UK, we’ve adopted this map published by the Department for Business & Trade to clarify the locations in which we are seeking organisers.
We are looking for an organiser in each of the following:
Scotland
Northern Ireland
North of England
Midlands
Wales
South of England.