Advisor – Germany

Germany & Remote
Freelance, about 10 hours a month

Job Description

NewsGuard’s analysts conduct research and reporting to fight misinformation and disinformation globally through their work curating two main datasets:

  • The Reliability Ratings ⁠— which are detailed trust ratings for news and information sites that assess each site’s trustworthiness based on nine apolitical, journalistic criteria.
  • The Misinformation Fingerprints ⁠— which are detailed descriptions and debunks of the top false narratives spreading online.

Journalists at NewsGuard use their reporting skills for a variety of tasks, including tracking down funding and ownership for anonymous websites that spread falsehoods, debunking inaccuracies, and preemptively warning users about dubious sources before they are widely shared.

NewsGuard’s editorial advisor for Germany will review and edit ⁠— both for content and language ⁠— all work produced by NewsGuard’s journalists, with a focus on reviewing website analyses and ratings. 

The advisor will also, at times, review in-depth, high-profile reports produced by NewsGuard’s analysts about key trends and issues in online misinformation. (NewsGuard’s reporting is regularly covered and cross-published in outlets such as Die Zeit Online, Horizont, Der Standard, The Guardian, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Les Echos, WELT, La Repubblica, the Washington Post, POLITICO, and others.)

Responsibilities will include: 

  • Editing and reviewing NewsGuard Nutrition Labels, evaluating news sites for credibility and transparency. These will be focused on, but not limited to, Germany-based publications.
  • Offer context and advice to the company’s editorial leaders about local market and journalistic traditions.   
  • Work in concert with other editorial advisors.
  • Identify and act on opportunities for local publicity and engagement, as well as business and partnership opportunities. 
  • Editing and reviewing NewsGuard’s Misinformation Fingerprints
  • On occasion, reviewing content produced for NewsGuard’s established publications, such as the Misinformation Monitor and Special Reports.

Good candidates for this job will: 

  • Have at least 5 years experience with news or fact-checking organizations – preferably in Germany or reporting on the country.
  • Have excellent writing, reporting, and fact-checking skills with a strong eye for detail.
  • Have experience navigating social media platforms and apps for online disinformation.
  • Be curious, thorough, and persistent, with the ability to ferret out information, such as a publication’s ownership or financial backing, through reporting and research.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the German media landscape, political and cultural issues.
  • Speak and write fluently in German and English.
  • Approach the role in a determinedly apolitical, non-ideological manner.
  • Be eager to work for a fast-paced, ambitious, journalism organization obsessed with quality and where the product and processes are continually evolving.
  • Be committed to NewsGuard’s mission and vision.

How to Apply

About NewsGuard

NewsGuard uses journalism to fight false news, propaganda, and misinformation. Our analysts, who are trained journalists, rate and review online news sources based on nine basic, apolitical journalistic criteria to help readers and viewers know which ones follow basic standards of credibility and transparency–and which do not. NewsGuard was founded by –Steven Brill (award-winning journalist and co-founder of The American Lawyer, CourtTV, and other companies) and Gordon Crovitz (former publisher of the Wall Street Journal). NewsGuard’s data is used by a wide range of companies and institutions to combat misinformation, including the World Health Organization, the U.S. State Department and U.S. Cyber Command, the U.K. government, technology companies such as Microsoft and BT, and a wide range of research and academic partners.

Building Trust For All

In order to restore trust and accountability in media, we need to build trust in NewsGuard among news consumers from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives. That’s why we’re committed to creating a team that is diverse and inclusive in every way possible—one that brings a breadth of different experiences, beliefs and perspectives to the table. We aim to hire journalists from a range of racial and ethnic backgrounds, political perspectives, geographical origins, gender identities, and more. NewsGuard is an equal opportunity employer.