Senior Digital Journalist - BBC Verify

BBC; London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

The BBC is seeking a Senior Journalist for the BBC Verify digital team in London. This role involves overseeing live digital content, ensuring high-quality journalism, and collaborating with global colleagues. Candidates should have strong writing skills, editorial judgement, and experience in live reporting and transparent journalism.

Benefits

Flexible working hours

Excellent career progression

Unrivalled training and development opportunities

25 days annual leave with option to buy 5 more

Defined pension scheme

Discounted healthcare and gym

Qualifications

• Proven copy editing experience.
• Track record of handling breaking news.
• Ability to produce live reporting in text and video.

Responsibilities

• Run the Verify live pages and commission/edit posts.
• Ensure content is rich, accessible, and up to the minute.
• Assign tasks and collaborate on editorial plans.

Skills

Excellent writing skills

Strong editorial judgement

Experience in live digital coverage

Forensic journalism

Data journalism

Open-source journalism

Job description

Package Description

Job Reference: 23871

Band: D

Salary: £45,000 to £55,000 plus London Weighting depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.

Contract type: Continuing

Location: London Broadcasting House

We're happy to discuss flexible working. Please indicate your choice under the flexible working question in the application. There is no obligation to raise this at the application stage but if you wish to do so, you are welcome to. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.

• Excellent career progression - the BBC offers great opportunities for employees to seek new challenges and work in different areas of the organisation.
• Unrivalled training and development opportunities - our in-house Academy hosts a wide range of internal and external courses and certification.
• Benefits - We offer a negotiable salary package, a flexible 35-hour working week for work-life balance and 25 days annual leave with the option to buy an extra 5 days, a defined pension scheme and discounted dental, health care, gym and much more .

Job Information

BBC Verify was established almost two years ago and brings together the BBC's best analysts, fact-checkers, data specialists and designers from across domestic and global teams with expertise in data journalism, disinformation, and the latest open-source journalism and verification techniques.

We are now launching a new presence on the BBC News website: a live page showcasing the team's work. This accessible, real-time display of BBC Verify's activity will highlight the best of our content, with transparency at its core. The live page will not only promote our best material but also demonstrate to the audience how we know what we know.

We are looking for Senior Journalists to join the digital team for BBC Verify.

A Senior Journalist on the BBC Verify live team will be expected to help run the Verify live pages and to commission and edit posts and video. They'll ensure the content is rich, accessible and up to the minute.

We are based in the BBC newsroom in London and work with colleagues around the world.

Main Responsibilities

This senior digital journalist role is within the BBC Verify live team, which brings its reporting into a real-time, live format (often known elsewhere as a "live blog") to BBC audiences across the world.

We are looking for experienced writers who are creative and full of ideas. You'll be someone who can remain calm under pressure and work collaboratively with others.

The role often involves assigning tasks, commissioning reporting, writing posts around the reporting from other colleagues, subediting and publishing.

You must have first-class news judgement and understanding of the editorial ambitions of BBC Verify and the website. You must be confident in giving feedback to colleagues and in helping to shape the tone and content of the page.

You will be expected to pay close attention to the flow, tone and editorial accuracy of the page, as well as writing compelling website headlines, selecting sharp images, and experience clipping and publishing video clips.

We're looking for someone who has experience of using forensic, data and open-source journalism in their reporting. You'll also be someone who understands the importance of transparent journalism.

You may also be called upon to work on other digital content for BBC Verify, which will include news editing and story writing.

These roles involve shift work, and the working pattern may include some weekend shifts.

Are you the Right Candidate?

You will be able to demonstrate the following key criteria:

• Excellent writing skills and proven copy editing experience
• Strong editorial judgement with experience in handling breaking news on digital platforms and a proven track record of making the right decisions under intense pressure
• Extensive experience of live digital coverage and understanding of the formats, tools, and techniques to plan and produce live reporting in both text and video. This includes the ability to sift news material with speed and accuracy and devise and enact an editorial plan in collaboration with others
• Experience of using forensic, data and open-source journalism in your reporting
• A track record of covering the UK and/or international news agenda and delivering insightful, high-quality journalism to audiences
• A proven commitment to delivering transparent journalism through live reporting and video content.

About the BBC

The BBC is committed to redeploying employees seeking suitable alternative employment within the BBC for different reasons and they will be given priority consideration ahead of other applicants. Priority consideration means for those employees seeking redeployment their application will be considered alongside anyone else at risk of redundancy, prior to any individuals being considered who are not at risk.

We don't focus simply on what we do - we also care how we do it. Our values and the way we behave are important to us. Please make sure you've read about our values and behaviours here .

Diversity matters at the BBC. We have a working environment where we value and respect every individual's unique contribution, enabling all of our employees to thrive and achieve their full potential.

We want to attract the broadest range of talented people to be part of the BBC - whether that's to contribute to our programming or our wide range of non-production roles. The more diverse our workforce, the better able we are to respond to and reflect our audiences in all their diversity.

We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. We will consider flexible working requests for all roles, unless operational requirements prevent otherwise.

To find out more about Diversity and Inclusion at the BBC, please click here .

Please note: If you were to be offered this role, the BBC will conduct Employment screening checks which include Reference checks; Eligibility to work checks; and if applicable to the role, Safeguarding and Adverse media/Social media checks. Any offer made is conditional on these checks being satisfactory