Volunteer Editors

We have volunteer opportunities for the following editor positions (the minimum number of hours per week for each is in parenthesis):

Front Page Editor (15 hours for a minimum of six and a half months, 18 hours for a minimum of six months, or 22 hours for a minimum of five and a half months): Chooses all items for the front page including stories, editorials, columns, photos and videos. Works with content editors and photography editors to find the best content possible. Lays out the page, edits the headlines and summaries to meet our style guidelines, and makes sure the layout meets all our criteria. Makes sure the site looks great. We prefer layout experience, copy editing experience, basic knowledge of AP style and grammar, attention to detail, communication skills, and strong understanding and judgment of the news. It does not require any computer software experience or knowledge of code. Our software is very easy to use, though you must have a solid visual aesthetic sense.

Content Editor (12 hours for a minimum of five months): Scans the Internet for high quality articles, columns, editorials and videos, adds them to our system, and ranks them by quality. The front page editors pick from these to publish on the front page. Usually we have one content editor per shift in tandem with a front page editor. The person also might research facts if any facts are in question in a story we're running. This requires Internet surfing skills, strong understanding and judgment of the news, and attention to detail. Does not require knowledge of AP style or experience with layout.

Photography Editor (10 hours for a minimum of seven months): Must have an eye for photography to choose potential photos, crop them and add them to our content repository. This includes finding photos for possible use in the World in Photos section in the middle of the page, the main photo, the masthead photo and the Photo of the Day. You will also draft captions for the photos. You do not need photography experience and you do not need to know how to use photo cropping software. We have an online photography tool that anyone can learn to use in five minutes. You must have a strong visual aesthetic sense and pay attention to detail.

Copy Editor (eight hours for a minimum of five months): Spends about 45 minutes at different times during the week copy editing the front page for corrections of all types — content, layout, etc. Submits them to front page editors to fix. Proofs take place every two and a half hours from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. E.T. This position requires attention to detail, knowledge of AP style, knowledge of grammar, etc. New copy editors must demonstrate knowledge of our site, AP style and our approach to news by passing a short test before starting.

Editorial Assistant (six hours for a minimum of five months): Helps with various projects related to the site including our special sections. This includes adding potential articles to our In Case You Missed It section, finding items for our quote of the day section, and various projects to improve the behind-the-scenes running of the site. Editorial assistants also do Web testing to test the functionality and usability of the site. We, like other sites, have testers to make sure existing and new parts of the site work and are user-friendly.

Other volunteer positions: Please click here for information on other positions.

About volunteering

We are happy to provide references from our past and present happy volunteers, some of whom work at full-time news jobs for places like NPR and IDG Publishing. You will be doing real stuff that directly impacts our front page. This is an excellent resume builder, and we are happy to give strong references to volunteers/interns who perform at a strong level.

You are welcome to apply to do two different positions at the same time, as long as you meet the minimum hours for each one. For example, you can potentially be both a front page editor and editorial assistant if you do at least 21 hours total (15 for front page editor and six for editorial assistant).

All volunteering is via the computer – you can be anywhere in the world.

To apply

If you are interested in applying, please email the following information to :

What position or positions are you interested in volunteering for? It is helpful to let us know of all positions you are interested in because it makes it more likely that we can bring you on board even if one area is full. If you have a preference, let us know which one you are most interested in, which is your second choice, etc.
If you have a resume, please include it. If not, describe your current work, two of your past positions and your education. If you have past media or journalism experience or if you have volunteered before and have references for your volunteer work, include that.
Why are you interested in volunteering?
What is the number of hours per week you can volunteer and for what period of time (i.e. number of months)? We tend to favor applicants who can volunteer a strong number of hours. Also let us know what kind of Internet connection you have at home.

Thank you for your interest.

More information

On this site, you will find further information on:

DailySource
3800 S Tamiami Trail, #321
Sarasota, FL 34239