Graduate Assistant - Communications

Position Summary:

The Graduate Assistant (GA) for the Community News Lab supports the growth and day-to-day operations of the lab through editorial leadership, community engagement, partnership coordination, and audience development. This position plays a key role in advancing the lab s mission to produce meaningful community-centered journalism while strengthening collaborations among students, faculty, media partners, and community organizations. Primary Responsibilities Editorial Support & Story Development Assist in overseeing story development by helping generate, refine, and track story ideas aligned with the mission of the Community News Lab. Work with student journalists on pitching, developing, and advancing multimedia reporting projects. Provide editorial support through content review, feedback, and copyediting to help prepare stories for publication. Support quality control and editorial workflows for written, audio, video, and digital content. Media Partnership Liaison Serve as a liaison between the Community News Lab and media partners, particularly BCTV and The Alvernian. Coordinate processes for placing student-produced content on BCTV.org, The Alvernian, and other partner platforms. Help maintain communication with partners regarding story opportunities, publishing timelines, and collaborative initiatives. Support development of expanded media partnerships and cross-platform content opportunities. Community Partnerships & Engagement Assist with cultivating and maintaining relationships with community partners, especially organizations in the arts and culture sector. Help communicate with community partners to identify story opportunities, collaborative projects, and engagement initiatives. Support partnerships with nonprofits, local organizations, media outlets, and university departments that advance the lab s mission. Represent the Community News Lab, as appropriate, at community events, public programs, and partnership meetings. Professional Development & Field Engagement May have opportunities to attend community events, journalism workshops, conferences, and professional development programs related to reporting, engagement, and media innovation. Support bringing insights from these experiences back to strengthen student learning and lab initiatives. Promotion, Social Media & Strategic Initiatives Assist with promoting the Community News Lab through social media, newsletters, events, and outreach. Help build and strengthen the Community News Lab s social media presence across digital platforms. Support the sharing and amplification of student journalism by helping feature student-produced stories, multimedia work, and reporting projects on CNL social channels and partner platforms. Contribute ideas for growing audience engagement and showcasing the impact of student work to campus and community audiences. Assist with content planning and promotional strategies that elevate the lab s visibility and support its long-term growth. Support additional initiatives related to university-community collaborations, special projects, and emerging opportunities. Program Support & Administration Assist with organizing meetings, maintaining editorial calendars, and supporting lab operations. Help track project progress, partnerships, and outcomes. Support additional projects and emerging priorities related to the strategic development of the Community News Lab. Preferred Qualifications Graduate student in Communication, Journalism, Digital Media, Public Relations, or related field. Strong writing, editing, organizational, and digital communication skills. Interest in community journalism, audience engagement, arts and culture reporting, and partnership building. Experience with multimedia storytelling, digital publishing, or social media content creation preferred. Ability to work collaboratively with students, faculty, community partners, and media organizations.