Digital Culture Fellow (Summer 2023)

Insider UK is hiring a paid editorial fellow to report on the internet and digital culture within the life division, based in London.

This is a fully paid fellowship opportunity, with an annual salary of £24,000 and a 6-month contract from June through December 2023. We have offices in Old Street and are working on a flexible basis; you are welcome to come in, or work remotely.

Fellows at Insider spend their time doing meaningful work: researching, writing, pitching, and producing news and features. We're looking for someone who can grow and expand our coverage of digital culture, social media trends, emerging platforms and influencer news. A few examples of successful versions of this work include "Gamers say they're earning more money on Facebook's streaming platform than on Twitch and YouTube"; and "Most kids today dream of influencer fame, but YouTubers are warning their young fans about anxiety, exploitation, and burnout".

As a fellow working on the digital culture desk, here's are a few examples of the types of stories you'd be covering:

• Faked footage of a robot in an abandoned Japanese building is blowing up on TikTok as part of an online subculture called 'backrooms'
• Meet Matthew Beem, the 25-year-old YouTuber who skyrocketed to 1.8 million subscribers after a decade trying to make it as an influencer
• TikToks by crime-scene cleaners are gaining millions of views, but the gruesome content has led to backlash and even legal trouble
• A huge livestreaming convention has landed Twitch in hot water as attendees report safety concerns, accessibility issues, and misgendering of guests

The ideal candidate has:

Essential:

• Deep understanding of and interest in different social media platforms, how they work and who the main figures in the space are.
• Excellent knowledge of the influencer community, including big names and emerging creators.
• Strong ability to spot a digital trend or movement worth covering, as well as a deep knowledge about what teens, Gen Z, and Millennials care about.
• A good sense of the digital culture journalism space and the main stories being covered elsewhere.
• Ability to work quickly and collaboratively with a fast-paced team.
• Experience with fast-paced news reporting (student journalism counts!).
• Comfort calling and emailing sources when reporting a story, with guidance from the editors.

Desirable:

• Experience pitching and writing reported features.
• Track record of original reporting and breaking stories.
• A demonstrated understanding of fact-checking and objective news writing.
• Understanding of and interest in how online conversations inform the news and vice versa.
• A natural curiosity about what's happening in our own backyard and around the world.
• Training in media law and ethics.
• Light HTML and/or Photoshop experience.
• Journalism qualification or equivalent professional experience.

The application deadline for this role is Friday 10 March 2023.

If this sounds like your dream job, apply here with your CV and cover letter. Please also include links to five pieces of work in your cover letter. For tips on what makes a great resume and cover letter check out our best practices guide.

The Insider Fellowship Program is for early career journalists who want to spend six months learning from a newsroom full of passionate, dedicated journalists. Fellows are assigned to teams and become experts in digital storytelling. They produce real work that is distributed to our audience of millions, and by the end of six months, they are prepared for the next phase of their journalism careers.