Employment

The Forward is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, citizenship status, color, race, national origin, disability, disability status, gender, pregnancy status or lactation accommodations, gender identity, sexual orientation, domestic violence victim status, marital, partnership or familial status, religion, creed, prior arrest or conviction record according to applicable law, veteran or military status, or genetic characteristics.

The Forward has a commitment to diversity both in the workplace and in its reporting and is looking for employees and perspectives from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences.

Senior Editor: Investigative
Audience Editor
General Assignment Reporter
Internship Opportunity: Digital Reporting and Writing
Freelance pitches
About the Forward

Senior Editor: Investigative

The Forward seeks an intrepid, entrepreneurial, digital- and documents-savvy investigative journalist to land high-impact projects that make a difference and create conversation across the American Jewish world. The journalist will serve as a player-coach in our small nonprofit newsroom, reporting and writing their own stories while also developing and shepherding work by staff members and freelancers.

The Senior Editor: Investigative must have impeccable news judgment and journalistic ethics; deep experience working with public records and data as well as building trust with human sources; and a track record of producing work that resonates with audiences and leads to tangible results. A collaborative spirit and flexibility are essential, as is a dogged commitment to holding power to account.

Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish, Socialist broadsheet, the Forward taught generations of Eastern European immigrants how to be American. Publishing mainly in English since 1990 and fully digital since 2019, our news, culture and full-spectrum opinion coverage now reach 1.5 million people each month across platforms. We are a member-supported nonprofit, having removed our paywall in late 2023, and an Equal Opportunity employer that welcomes applicants from all backgrounds. Knowledge of the Jewish world is a plus, interest in it a must.

The Senior Editor, a new role, will function as a player/coach and help the Forward build on its proud, decades-long legacy of investigative journalism, including coverage that led to Sebastian Gorka’s departure from the Trump White House in 2017, revealed Rep. George Santos’s lies about his family’s Holocaust history in 2022, and exposed inhuman conditions at the Agriprocessors kosher slaughterhouse in 2006. They will report to the Editor-in-Chief, and manage at least one full-time enterprise reporter, plus freelance projects. Expected salary range is $80,000-$100,000, depending on experience, with generous health benefits and PTO.

To apply, send resume, five clips showcasing high-impact investigations you reported or edited, and a cover letter outlining at least three potential Forward investigations for 2025 to [email protected], subject line: Senior Editor: Investigative.

Audience Editor

The Forward seeks an Audience Editor to help broaden our reach and deepen reader engagement and loyalty by working with reporters to publish quick, smart takes on the news that drive the day and the American Jewish conversation.

The person in this new management role will: identify promising audience-centered ideas based on social and search trends; frame and assign stories; and edit and optimize them to reach the widest range of current and new users. They will also draw insights from data about story performance and help colleagues apply them.

This editor must have excellent news judgment, be grounded in journalism ethics and care about Jewish topics. They should be comfortable reporting and writing as well as editing. They will be skilled at both analytical thinking and tactical execution, including crafting compelling headlines, understanding SEO signals and developing audience plans for in-depth enterprise stories.

The role requires equal parts curiosity and urgency, and the successful candidate will confidently triage a steady stream of demands in a small, scrappy team. There will be no “typical” day; they’ll sometimes program a newsletter, update the homepage, flag Forward content to aggregators, post on social; or analyze audience data. The Audience Editor is our First Responder, ready to mobilize colleagues to provide readers with what they need when they need it.

The Audience Editor, a new role, will report to the Managing Editor for Audience and directly supervise 1 to 3 reporters, but also work across the editorial staff and with freelancers as the news demands. Salary range is $65,000 to $80,000, depending on experience, with generous health benefits and PTO.

Responsibilities include:

Using tools like NewsWhip, Brandwatch, SEMrush, and Google Trends to identify promising opportunities for reaching audiences, and helping employees do so
Translating conversations around Jewish topics into compelling ideas for Forward takes
Collaborating with reporters and editors to develop angles, formats, and distribution
channels
Brainstorming conversational headlines, optimized across platforms
Maximizing SEO and other techniques to drive growth and engagement
Analyzing audience data to gain insights and helping colleagues apply them
Careful editing that conforms to AP style, grammar rules, fairness and integrity

Qualifications and Skills

2 to 5 years of successful work in newsrooms or non-media audience work (ideally both)
Proficiency in using Web analytics tools, including Google Analytics and Chartbeat
Fluency in social analytics tools
Experience with SEO content strategies, including headline optimization and keyword-rich use of descriptions and tags
Deep interest in keeping up with digital trends and forecasting
Sharp editorial instincts and skills
Collaborative, with stellar communication skills

To apply, send to [email protected] your cover letter, resume, three examples of audience-centered storytelling work with an explanation of your role in it, and three audience-centered Forward story ideas you’d assign this week. Subject line: Audience Editor.

General Assignment Reporter

The Forward seeks a General Assignment Reporter to file daily stories that reflect and explain Jewish life in America.

The ideal candidate will bring a sense of urgency and curiosity to the role, generating a steady stream of ideas to drive the day’s Jewish conversations. They will pair excellent news judgment and an ability to yield insights from audience data in order to develop a steady stream of quick, smart takes on the news that make sense for the Forward.

The reporter will cover breaking news, find fresh Jewish angles on trending topics, and report and write explainers that answer readers’ pressing questions as they arise. Eager to dig up context and background on high-stakes people, places and perspectives, they’re versatile and enterprising, equally adept at engaging audiences with quick Q and As or quirky features.

They can turn a 150-word breaking news report in minutes, and become expert enough to write a 750-word guide in a few hours. They deploy discerning judgment on a firehose of information to prioritize what to pursue. They know how to vet online sources, photos and videos in an era of mis- and disinformation.

Understanding of the American Jewish landscape is a plus, curiosity about it a must. Also essential: an understanding of audiences and how to write for them, with a strong sense of what will drive interest on Reddit, Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and in search.

The GA Reporter will be a member of the News Guild, with a salary range of $60,000 to $75,000 depending on experience, and generous health benefits and PTO.

Responsibilities include:

Mining tools like NewsWhip, Brandwatch, SEMrush, and Google Trends for leads/ideas
Collaborating with editors to prioritize and deliver real-time stories that resonate
Crafting compelling, conversational headlines optimized across platforms
Maximizing SEO and other techniques to drive growth and engagement
Writing quickly, accurately, and well, with a consistent eye to user needs

To apply, send cover letter, resume and five clips to [email protected], subject line: GA Reporter.

Internship Opportunity: Digital Reporting and Writing

The Forward is seeking one or more beginning journalists passionate about digital and audience — and the Jewish world — for paid internships reporting and writing news items. The interns will work up to 29 hours a week for $15 an hour. The initial term is 10 weeks but the internship may be extended for up to a year. We accept rolling applications for this position, but are currently seeking a candidate to start immediately.

This is a fast-paced, reader-facing job in which interns will report, write and publish frequently on a broad range of subjects. We need people with experience at campus or other publications who know how to navigate the Internet and social media; have great story instincts and editorial judgment; move quickly and write clearly, with solid grasp of style and grammar rules; can juggle (projects, not projectiles); and work well in groups.

The intern will:

Report and write stories across sections, including breaking news on politics, culture and more
Scour the Jewish internet for news, conversation, opportunities and ideas
Support colleagues reporting and writing stories
Quickly source appropriate photos or other art
Use social-media and other platforms to develop a robust readership for items
Use audience tools and analyze traffic patterns to help optimize story selection and framing to meet reader needs

The ideal candidates will be equally interested in news from Israel and Hollywood; about politics and antisemitism. They will have a keen eye for what makes a story resonate for Jewish readers and know how to apply a sophisticated — or sometimes sassy — Jewish lens to the world. The interns should have sufficient Jewish background to be able to give stories proper context, but curiosity and commitment can go a long way to fill any gaps. They must work well under pressure and in collaboration with colleagues, and be eager to grow and be responsive to editors’ feedback. The goals are to file consistently clean copy; to be creative and flexible about format, medium and approach; to channel the Forward’s brand while developing individual voice; and to use audience tools like SEO to maximize impact of each piece.

Successful interns frequently graduate into yearlong fellowships and staff positions; we seek people who are pro-active, committed equally to our mission and to their own development.

To apply, please send a resume, five clips, a one-pager explaining why you want the gig, plus contact information for at least two references to [email protected]. Subject line: Digital reporting and writing internship.

Freelance Pitches

About The Forward:

The Forward is American Jewry’s essential, independent news organization, delivering incisive coverage of the issues, ideas and institutions that matter to American Jews with rigorous, unbiased reporting and balanced, thoughtful commentary on news, politics, arts and culture that are acclaimed in the news industry. The Forward produces enlightening and entertaining multimedia content in English and Yiddish through a variety of newspapers, websites, blogs, videos, podcasts, e-books and apps.

Founded in 1897, the Forward has the entrepreneurial spirit of a startup. It occupies a unique position of independence as a nonprofit news organization, beholden to no institution, denomination or political faction.

Seeking Freelance Pitches:

We will consider trend stories, series, multimedia and video projects. Feel free to pitch profiles if the subject has agreed to give you excellent access. Do look in the news section of our website to see what we’re interested in, but don’t be limited by that. We’re eager to see proposals from communities of color as well as from Sephardi, Mizrahi, Russian and Bukharin communities.

We are looking for news and news features; not analysis, background, interpretation or explainers. We will consider historical pieces only if the story is brand-new and really compelling.

Compensation:

Compensation will be highly competitive for the right pitch. The Forward is an equal opportunity employer. All individuals are entitled to equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, age, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, ancestry, genetic information, medical condition, veteran status, or any other class protected under federal, state, or local laws.

To apply:

To apply, please send detailed proposals including a list of sources to be interviewed, length range, proposed fee and deadline to [email protected].

The Forward Association, Inc., is an equal opportunity employer.

About the Forward

The Forward delivers incisive coverage of the issues, ideas and institutions that matter to American Jews. Its rigorous reporting and balanced commentary on politics, arts and culture have won numerous awards year after year, including repeated recognition by the Society of Professional Journalists.

Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily, the Forward soon became the most widely read Jewish newspaper anywhere, with a larger circulation in the 1920s than the New York Times. It chronicled the events that affected a population of immigrants eager to take their place in American life, and published regional editions around the country before any other newspaper.

The English Forward was launched as a weekly in 1990. Its perspective on world and national news, and its unparalleled coverage of Jewish arts and culture, have made it the most influential nationwide Jewish media outlet today. Millions of readers visit forward.com each month for award-winning news, thoughtful commentary, and captivating videos. And close to 100,000 Facebook friends and subscribers receive e-newsletters that highlight the latest stories in news and culture, food and feminism, as well as the best in Jewish opinion.

The Forward has always been a not-for-profit association and is supported by the contributions of its readers.