Special Counsel - FRONTLINE

WGBH Educational Foundation; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 167,000 - 195,000; Full time

Job summary

GBH seeks a Senior Special Counsel to lead a broad legal portfolio for FRONTLINE content across text, broadcast, digital, and partnerships. The role reports to the Managing Editor, with cross-functional collaboration with the General Counsel, Executive Producer, and Editor-in-Chief to uphold editorial integrity and legal compliance.

The ideal candidate has a proven track record in First Amendment law, media industry leadership, and strong communication skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree is required and a JD with Bar admission is preferred.
• Experience in media/entertainment law and in-house or firm settings is favored.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in First Amendment, copyright and fair use law and content production.

Responsibilities

• Review FRONTLINE content for legal issues including privacy, defamation, and fair use.
• Advise on solutions to mitigate risk and ensure publication with editorial and legal confidence.
• Review fact checks, transcripts, and materials for adherence to editorial standards.

Skills

First Amendment

Media law

Editorial standards

Client relations

Deal-making

Time management

Attention to detail

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree

JD degree & Bar admission

Tools

Macintosh OS

Word

Excel

Document comparison tools

Job description

GBH enriches people's lives through programs and services that educate, inspire, and entertain, fostering citizenship and culture, the joy of learning, and the power of diverse perspectives. At GBH, we believe in the advantages of coming together to build community, mentor and learn from colleagues, and connect more deeply with our mission. As a result, the majority of our staff are hybrid and work both from home and onsite. Our current hybrid approach requires staff to work onsite a minimum of two days each week, every Tuesday and Wednesday, Hybrid staff are also welcome to come in additional days each week or may be asked to come in on other days by their manager.

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW FRONTLINE is investigative journalism that questions, explains and changes our world.

We tell the stories others can't or won't — from the rise of the NSA's domestic surveillance dragnet, to the hidden history of the NFL and concussions, to the secret reality of rape on the job for immigrant women.

Our investigations have helped breathe new life into terrorism cold cases, freed innocent people from jail, prompted U.N. resolutions, and spurred both policy and social change. We've been American television's top long-form news and current affairs series since 1983, and we've won every major journalism and broadcasting award available. Editorial and journalistic integrity is integral to our ability to achieve our public media mission. Adherence to these foundational values in our work underpins our ability to connect to local and national audiences with credibility.

FRONTLINE is also committed to presenting more voices, perspectives, and experiences across our platforms. As a member of public media, it's a core part of our mission to reflect the perspectives of all the people we service. We seek both to foster a work environment and to produce journalism that values inclusiveness and reflects the broad perspectives of the American public from all racial, ethnic, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds, sexual orientations, gender identities and functional limitations, particularly those from historically marginalized communities.

JOB OVERVIEW Reporting to the Managing Editor with a dotted line cross-functional report to the GBH General Counsel, the Senior Special Counsel is responsible for a wide ranging legal and editorial portfolio related to the producing, publishing, distribution and overall legal integrity of FRONTLINE content and its associated work in text and other forms, including broadcast, features, long- and short-form digital and social content, and audio- and text-based work often produced in partnership with other journalism organizations.

The Senior Special Counsel will provide legal advice on matters such as fair use, First Amendment related issues, and upholding FRONTLINE's editorial standards, which are a fundamental part of internal legal assessments. In addition to the Managing Editor, the Senior Special Counsel works directly and closely with the Executive Producer and Editor-in-Chief of FRONTLINE and Documentaries, as well as advising other FRONTLINE senior managers, producers, and staff on editorial and legal matters as described above. The position also has oversight and advising responsibilities over a number of key staff positions, including archival producers, fact checkers, and editors. The role is also essential in advising on the application of editorial and legal standards in new initiatives, led by the Executive Producer and Editor-in-Chief, notably FRONTLINE’s expanding digital content and FRONTLINE Features and the numerous documentaries slated for production with this division. In addition, when needed, and as requested by the General Counsel, the Senior Special Counsel will work directly with GBH's Legal and Business Affairs department to address various legal matters and likewise serves as an expert and a legal liaison to the many journalism and producing partners FRONTLINE collaborates with. This is a high profile, high stakes, high work volume role requiring sound judgment, efficiency, and the ability to navigate complex issues with multiple stakeholders. The ideal candidate is a recognized leader in First Amendment law with exceptional written and verbal communication skills, and a strong commitment to identifying and mitigating risks so as to help empower an independent, free, robust press in an era of complex legal challenges.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Review all FRONTLINE content for legal issues, ranging from privacy, defamation, and fair use, and raise any considerations for producers, FRONTLINE Senior Editorial, and the GBH General Counsel, as applicable.
• Advise on solutions to potential legal issues so as to mitigate potential risk and ensure publication with strong editorial and legal confidence.
• Review fact checks, transcripts and other materials and advise on legal and editorial issues, with primary consideration for how content is meeting FRONTLINE editorial standards.
• Partner and advise Executive Producer, Editor-in-Chief, and Managing Editor on new initiatives, including FRONTLINE Features and documentaries slated to be produced; as well as expanding digital footprint with series, e.g., For the Record .
• Review interview transcripts to assess any potential editorial or legal issues with publication as part of The FRONTLINE Transparency Project or other extended interview efforts.
• Attend and participate in regular meetings with FRONTLINE staff.
• As requested by the General Counsel and as needed/appropriate, liaise with GBH Legal and Business Affairs.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant laws, as well as all GBH policies, guidelines and GBH legal and other internal processes.

SKILLSET

• Demonstrated expertise and knowledge in First Amendment and copyright/fair use law
• Recognized media law expert with a proven track record of active industry leadership.
• Demonstrated expertise in journalism standards and practices.
• Excellent relationship skills and ability to successfully deal with third-party representatives, production companies, and attorneys.
• The ability to interact with and advise senior level staff and generate strong client satisfaction with a cooperative, team-oriented approach.
• Sharp business acumen, sound judgment, and strategic deal-making ability.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Must have a positive attitude and excellent attention to detail.
• Excellent reading, writing, verbal, organizational, negotiating, communication and analytical skills required.
• Must have experience with Macintosh operating system, Word and Excel, and document comparison programs.

EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree, JD degree, and admission to a state Bar is required.
• Experience at a recognized media/entertainment law firm or in-house position with a media company preferred, plus a minimum 10 years’ experience in First Amendment, copyright and fair use law and content production.

JOB SPECIFICS

Staff position Hybrid position

LOCATION 1 Guest Street, Boston, MA 02135 This position is located in Boston, MA, and requires on-site presence.

Salary Range $167K - $195K Compensation offered within this range is determined by skills, experience and internal pay equity.

GBH is an equal opportunity employer. The community and audience we serve are diverse, and we wish to foster that diversity in our workplace. Toward that end, GBH does not discriminate against individuals in hiring, employment, or promotion based on race, religion, color, sex/gender, gender identity and gender expression, age, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, citizenship, disability, veteran or military status, political belief, pregnancy, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Application Process Assistance

GBH will reasonably accommodate applicants with disabilities who need adjustments to participate in the application or interview process. To initiate an accommodation request, contact the Human Resource department by sending an email to [e-mail] or by calling 617-300-2000.

GBH is the leading multiplatform creator for public media in America. As the largest producer of content for PBS and partner to NPR and PRX, GBH delivers compelling experiences, stories and information to audiences wherever they are. GBH produces digital and broadcast programming that engages, illuminates and inspires, through drama and science, history, arts, culture and journalism. It is the creator of such signature programs as MASTERPIECE, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, FRONTLINE, NOVA, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, Arthur and Molly of Denali and a catalog of streaming series, podcasts and on-demand video. GBH's television channels include GBH 2, GBH 44, GBH Kids and national services WORLD and Create. With studios and a newsroom headquartered in Boston, GBH reaches across New England with GBH 89.7, Boston's Local NPR; CRB Classical 99.5; and CAI, the Cape and Islands NPR station. Dedicated to making media accessible to and inclusive of our diverse culture, GBH is a pioneer in delivering media to those who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind and visually impaired. GBH creates curriculum-based digital content for educators nationwide with PBS LearningMedia and has been recognized with hundreds of the nation’s premier broadcast, digital and journalism awards. Find more information at gbh.org.