English Editor & Regional Reporter

Middle East Broadcasting Networks•Arlington, VA, VA

4d•Remote

About The Position

Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN) is seeking an experienced English Editor & Regional Reporter based in a Middle East time zone to edit, report, and shape English-language coverage originating from the region. The successful candidate will serve as the primary English-language editor during the MENA news cycle—line editing, copy editing, and fact-checking daily stories, analysis, newsletters, and multimedia scripts according to strict MBN standards. Beyond editing, the successful candidate will actively pitch and report original stories, conduct high-level interviews across the region, and manage a roster of per-piece freelance contributors and stringers in key Arab capitals. The role requires someone who understands that Arabic and English carry different sentence structures, rhetorical pacing, and audience expectations. The successful candidate will turn Arabic-origin reporting from regional bureaus into sharp, contextualized English journalism, while producing original, authoritative reporting that explains regional complexities and U.S. policy to an international audience.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in journalism, English, Communications, International Relations, Middle Eastern Studies, or equivalent professional experience.
5+ years of professional journalism experience with a demonstrable track record in English line editing, copy editing, and reporting for a digital news organization, wire service, or international publication.
Native or bilingual English-language writing and editing skills with flawless grammar, syntax, and headline-writing ability.
Deep, working knowledge of the AP Stylebook, fact-checking protocols, and newsroom legal standards.
Professional working fluency in Arabic (strong reading comprehension and conversational ability required) to evaluate primary sources, assess Arabic reporting, and conduct interviews.
Demonstrated experience pitching, reporting, and writing original news stories and conducting high-level interviews.
Comprehensive understanding of Middle Eastern politics, regional history, security dynamics, and U.S. foreign policy toward the MENA region.
Located in or aligned with MENA time zones, with the ability to respond to fast-breaking regional news cycles.

Nice To Haves

Experience commissioning, editing, and managing freelance writers and per-piece contributors across the Middle East and North Africa.
Familiarity with Content Management Systems (CMS), digital analytics tools, newsletter platforms, and basic SEO practices.
Experience editing multimedia formats, including video packages, digital explainers, and podcast scripts.
Practical understanding of Arabic transliteration standards and regional dialect variations in proper nouns.

Responsibilities

Edits, line edits, and copy edits daily English-language reporting filed by regional correspondents, stringers, and freelance contributors for accuracy, structure, pacing, clarity, and tone.
Enforces strict adherence to the MBN Stylebook, MBN’s editorial guidelines, newsroom ethics, and legal standards (libel, sourcing, verification, and attribution).
Crafts clear, compelling headlines, subheads (deks), captions, social copy, and newsletter subject lines tailored to specific digital platforms and search (SEO) discoverability.
Serves as the final editorial gatekeeper for English copy during MENA working hours, ensuring proper transliteration of Arabic names, places, and institutional titles.
Pitches, reports, and writes original English-language news analyses, explainers, features, and enterprise stories focused on Middle Eastern political, economic, and security developments and U.S. engagement in the region.
Conducts on-the-record interviews with regional officials, diplomats, policy experts, and local sources in English and Arabic.
Follows breaking news across MENA time zones, rapidly updating ongoing stories and producing timely context pieces.
Assigns, directs, and edits work from contributors across the region.
Works with contributors to sharpen angles, strengthen sourcing, and restructure drafts to meet international editorial standards.
Coordinates assignments, deadlines, and deliverables to maintain a steady pipeline of English-language content.
Adapts reporting, commentary, and investigative material generated by MBN’s Arabic-language journalists for English-speaking readers.
Preserves the core argument, nuances, and sourcing of original Arabic reporting while restructuring the piece to match English-language journalistic conventions.
Identifies cultural idioms, regional references, and local political framing in Arabic sources that require explanatory context for international and Western audiences.
Uses AI-assisted and machine-translation tools to streamline initial transcription, translation, and drafting workflows.
Applies rigorous editorial judgment to AI outputs—correcting mistranslations, factual hallucinations, flattened nuance, awkward syntax, or tone errors before publication.
Perform additional job-related duties and take on new responsibilities as needed based on organizational requirements and circumstances.