Part-time police accountability community engagement coordinator

USA Today Co • Rochester, NY

5d

About The Position

The temporary, part-time community engagement coordinator will work with USA TODAY Network-New York editors, producers, reporters and videographers, and also with NYS Police Accountability Project partners including the Syracuse University S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, to extend the reach of police accountability journalism online, on social media and through organizing of community discussions on social media and through other means -- discussions focused on empowering residents and law-enforcement leaders to seek a pathway to better local policing. USA TODAY Network-New York and the Newhouse School began seeking and obtaining police disciplinary records from local police departments in 2020, posting the first-of-its-kind database of these records from New York state communities in December 2021. Since, this partnership has resulted in award-winning police accountability journalism and ongoing coverage of disciplinary lapses and patterns. In 2026, we are expanding the collaborative approach and the resources attached to it. For at least one year, the community engagement coordinator will grow audience and build awareness through: Creation of project-specific social channels and a social media approach that explains and promotes the project’s impact for a younger social-first audience. This approach in particular will rely on video created for YouTube, TikTok and Instagram Reels. These short videos might detail a reporter’s findings from our data or explore how to search our disciplinary database or seek ideas from our audiences. Coordinate with our journalists and Syracuse University student-journalists to create video and posts. Engage with audiences on Reddit in discussing police accountability, better policing strategies and culturally relevant police news and trends. Arrange for AMAs hosted by our journalists and video discussions with law-enforcement leaders, community members and researchers of policing issues. Make and tend to Facebook group to promote content and field discussion of the issues the coverage addresses. Populate an already created dedicated website that prominently displays the project’s branding, partnerships and exclusive data and video and story content to engage readers and potential future collaborators and partners. Coordinate with editors and partners to arrange and promote a handful of in-person or virtual community education sessions regarding police accountability issues and solutions. Occasionally participate in video interviews of sources for police accountability stories and projects.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, multimedia disciplines.
• Well organized, detail oriented, adaptable and flexible
• Ability to multi-task and work well in a team environment
• Excellent organizational, analytical and oral and written communication skills
• Technical skills required for multiple aspects of the role
• Ideal candidates will possess strong Office and video editing and PC skills.
• Strong writing skills and a command of grammar and style.
• A self-starter who works collaboratively with others locally and regionally to meet common goals.
• A journalist committed to values of fairness, diversity, inclusion and professionalism.

Nice To Haves

• Previous internship experience is a plus
• Experience with social media and video platforms, like Instagram Stories, Reels, and TikTok, as tools to build audience and as a source for beat development.

Responsibilities

• Help create compelling video and social media related to police disciplinary records and the issues these documents highlight in New York state.
• Populate and help manage police accountability social media channels.
• Help promote new findings from the police disciplinary database on social media and on a dedicated web platform.
• Learn the intricacies of public records requests and policing issues so that social media posts and video are informative and useful and accurate.
• Make it a mission to inform and engage readers through immediacy, insightful journalism and riveting storytelling.
• Work with editors, content creators, visual journalists and producers and partners to shape social media storytelling to meet audience needs and interests on every platform.
• Be aware of and alert to audience interests and questions and needs.
• Learn how headlines, SEO, social posts and effective short video help extend the reach of content.
• Capture basic photos and video as needed.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Entry Level