Legal Researcher & Fact-Checker, Podcasts

Job Title: Legal Researcher & Fact-Checker, Podcasts

Department: Podcasts

Reports to: Executive Producer, Legal Content

Employment Type: Contract, Part-Time

Minimum Experience: 3-5 years

Compensation: $30-40/hr, commensurate with experience

Location: CO, IL, MN, NY, NJ, PA, DC/MD/VA (Remote)

Rewire News Group is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit media organization and the only national publication exclusively dedicated to reporting on reproductive and sexual health, rights, and justice. We’re a nonprofit, no-paywall, multiplatform newsroom that reaches hundreds of thousands of people per month across our site, social channels, newsletter, podcast, and events. Since our launch in 2012, our core mission has remained unchanged: To combat pervasive disinformation and misinformation about reproductive and sexual health, rights, and justice. Rewire News Group is a remote, independent organization and an equal opportunity employer. Black, Indigenous and other people of color; LGBTQIA people; and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. For more information about Rewire, please visit our website.

Location: Rewire News Group is a distributed, all-remote organization. The Legal Researcher & Fact Checker must be based within the continental U.S. and legally authorized to work in the U.S. without requiring employer sponsorship. Preference will be given to candidates in locations in which current staff operate, with ideal candidates based in CO, IL, MN, NY, NJ, PA, DC/MD/VA.

Rewire News Group is seeking a contract/part-time Legal Researcher & Fact-Checker to support the Podcasts team with identifying, researching, and fact-checking podcast scripts for our shows B*tch, Listen and the upcoming spin-off Baby Boom! Lawyered, hosted by the award-winning legal analyst, Imani Gandy. The PT Legal Researcher & Fact-Checker will work closely with internal stakeholders (Imani Gandy, the Executive Producer, Legal Content, Rewire editorial team, and Rewire audience & marketing team), and our external production company. Rewire is a remote organization, so all collaboration will be online. This is a part-time contract position estimated at 14 hours per week (not to exceed 19 hours per week) at a pay range of $30-40/hr, commensurate with experience.

Key Responsibilities

● Research and vet legal and policy stories for episode consideration

● Fact-check scripts against primary sources: court filings, statutes, regulations, case law, and agency materials

● Review scripts in advance of recording and flag sections needing more support, clearer sourcing, or stronger explanation

● Review transcripts after episodes are recorded to catch any remaining inaccuracies

● Contribute legally-informed input on headlines, episode descriptions, and SimpleCast copy, in coordination with the Audience & Marketing team for SEO.

● Maintain a running log of sourcing/fact-check notes per episode for editorial accountability

Qualifications

● Legal background (J.D., paralegal experience, or equivalent) or demonstrated strong legal research skills

● Comfort working independently against tight production deadlines

● Experience with legal research databases (Westlaw or comparable) required or willingness to be provisioned access

● Demonstrated ability to multitask well to meet concurrent deadlines and organize and manage time and priorities.

● High degree of integrity, initiative, and resilience; ability to work independently

● A spirit of collaboration that fosters positive relationships

● Proficiency with Google Drive, Microsoft Office, Simplecast (or other podcast distribution software), Slack

● Passion for the mission of Rewire News Group

In order to submit an application, the applicant must agree to the following:

I attest that I am the sole intellectual author of all materials submitted to Rewire News Group as part of this application and any subsequent exercises conducted as part of the selection process. I agree that I did not use artificial intelligence tools to write or edit this application, and will limit any use of AI to research purposes. I acknowledge that my materials will be scanned by an AI detector; that my work will not be accepted if there is evidence that AI was used in writing or editing my application materials, or assigned application exercises.