Copy Editor, Part Time Contract

Tulsa Flyer; Tulsa, Northern (OK, KY); Hybrid; USD 23,000 - 26,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Retirement plan with employer match up

Pro-rated PTO and sick leave

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

Tulsa Local News Initiative, Inc. is seeking a part-time copy editor in Tulsa, OK, to work in-person afternoons 2–6 p.m., roughly 20 hours per week, for The Tulsa Flyer and The Oklahoma Eagle.

The contractor will sharpen headlines, ensure AP style, and coordinate across editors, the audience team, and art department. Highlights include editing across long-form, newsletters, social, and print, meeting publication deadlines, and potential transition to permanent part-time employment.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of copyediting experience, with at least 2 years in a newsroom environment.
• Strong command of AP style and newsroom style guidelines.
• Ability to communicate edits clearly to writers.
• Exceptional grammar, spelling, and punctuation skills.
• Experience meeting tight deadlines under pressure.
• Familiarity with WordPress or similar CMS.

Responsibilities

• Edit stories, headlines, captions, and social copy for grammar, spelling, punctuation, accuracy, and style.
• Work across long-form, newsletter, social, and print content to maintain consistent voice.
• Coordinate with editors, audience team, and art department to ensure stories include necessary elements.
• Write and refine headlines to be clear, accurate and attention-grabbing.
• Flag narrative, structural, and factual issues and collaborate to resolve them.
• Ensure content adheres to AP and newsroom style guidelines.
• Proofread weekly print editions with The Oklahoma Eagle team.
• Assist with publishing articles in WordPress when needed.
• Flag potential legal or ethical concerns for review.
• Complete editing on publication deadlines.
• Provide feedback to improve editorial processes.

Skills

Copyediting

AP style

Newsroom experience

Deadline-driven

In-person collaboration

Editorial communication

Tools

WordPress

Job description

Engagement Type: Independent Contractor, approximately 20 hours/week, with potential transition to employment

Contract Term:Through December 31, 2026

Primary Contact:Executive Editor

Availability:Monday-Friday, approximately 2-6 p.m.

Location:In-person in Tulsa, Oklahoma

The Tulsa Flyer and The Oklahoma Eagle are looking for a part-time copy editor to make our writing clean, sharp, and engaging. We want someone who is meticulous and thorough - someone with a knack for writing headlines that get attention and a genuine love for the craft of editing.

This work is more than checking for typos. You'll work with editors across our products - long-form, social, newsletter, and print - to make sure we are telling stories as well as we can. Do you have an expert eye for a wandering narrative and the instincts to fix it? Do you love catching the wrong "its" in a sentence? We want to hear from you.

The copy editor will also help make sure all of a story's elements make it to the audience, coordinating with editors, the audience team, and the art department so stories, newsletters, and social posts have the photos, maps, captions, and words they need.

This engagement is expected to require approximately 20 hours per week, primarily during weekday afternoons, to support our publication schedule.

Scope of services

The contractor will:

• Edit stories, headlines, captions, and social copy for grammar, spelling, punctuation, accuracy, and style - with speed and precision
• Work across long-form, newsletter, social, and print content to support consistent voice and quality across formats
• Coordinate with editors, the audience team, and the art department to ensure stories reach the audience with necessary elements - including photos, maps, captions, and supporting content - in place
• Write and refine headlines that are clear, accurate, and built to get attention
• Flag narrative, structural, and factual issues and work constructively with reporters and editors to resolve them
• Ensure edited content adheres to AP style and newsroom style guidelines
• Work with The Oklahoma Eagle team to proofread weekly print editions
• Assist, as needed, with publishing articles in our WordPress content management system
• Flag potential legal or ethical concerns in content for further review
• Complete editing work within publication deadlines
• Provide feedback and recommendations that can help improve editorial processes and workflows

What we’re looking for

We want a diverse and expansive set of potential contractors. We encourage you to apply even if you don't have every qualification on this list.

• At least 3 years of copyediting experience, with at least 2 years in a newsroom environment
• Strong command of AP style and the ability to adapt quickly to newsroom style guidelines
• Ability to communicate edits to writers both kindly and directly
• Exceptional grammar, spelling, and punctuation skills - and the eye to spot what others miss
• Experience working on tight deadlines with accuracy under pressure
• Ability to work in and between various content management systems
• A feel for narrative structure - you know when a story wanders and how to help it find its way
• Strong news judgment and a commitment to journalistic ethics and standards
• Experience editing for multiple formats - long-form, newsletter, social, and/or print - a plus
• Familiarity with Tulsa's communities, local issues, and key figures preferred
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate effectively in a startup environment
• Ability to consistently be in-person weekday afternoons, generally Monday-Friday from 2-6 p.m.

Contract terms and potential transition to employment

This independent contractor engagement will run through December 31, 2026, and is expected to require approximately 20 hours per week. The contract rate is $500-580/week, depending on experience. There will be 2-3 weeks in October with opportunities for more work with additional compensation.

During the contract period, TLNI will assess its ongoing organizational need for dedicated part-time copy editing. If TLNI determines there is an ongoing need and the Board approves a permanent position, the contractor may be considered for transition to a permanent, part-time employee role. A permanent position or future offer of employment is not guaranteed.

If a permanent position is approved and the contractor is offered and accepts employment, the employee position would be eligible for TLNI's applicable part-time employee benefits, including:

• Retirement plan with up to 4% employer match, immediately vested
• Pro-rated paid time off and sick leave
• Employee Assistance Program

About the organization

Tulsa Local News Initiative, Inc. is home to both The Oklahoma Eagle and Tulsa Flyer. TLNI is a startup nonprofit organization founded in 2025 that has raised $14 million so far in service of a vision to give everyone in Tulsa the local news they need to live more informed and more connected lives.

The newsroom produces high-quality accountability journalism while working directly with residents to produce and distribute community reporting, employing an innovative model for local journalism that is directly responsive to local information needs. In addition to a team of editors and beat reporters, the Tulsa newsroom values best-in-class community engagement expertise, multimedia production, service journalism and research, and Tulsa Documenters.

At Tulsa Flyer, we value learning, curiosity, and diverse perspectives. We are dedicated to equitable hiring and follow best practices to create an inclusive selection process.

What to expect in the selection process

We hope to begin this engagement as soon as possible and will do our best to communicate timing expectations throughout the process.

Application Question(s):

• Are you available to work in the afternoons, preferably 2-6pm, Monday-Friday?
• Are you able to be in person for all work?
• Are you located in Tulsa, OK or surrounding area?
• Are you able to provide a sample of your copy editing work? If yes, submit a piece of work in it's before edits state and then after your edits when submitting your application.

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