Manager - Standards, Versant Media

Company Description

VERSANT (Nasdaq: VSNT) is an industry-changing media and entertainment business and home to trusted brands that shape culture, inform audiences, and build lasting connections. It operates across four core markets: political news and opinion, business news and personal finance, golf, and sports and genre entertainment. These markets are served through a powerful portfolio of iconic and innovative brands, including CNBC, MS NOW, USA Network, Golf Channel, Oxygen, E!, SYFY, and Versant's sports division USA Sports, along with complementary digital assets including Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow and GolfPass.

Job Description

The Washington-based Standards Manager will support the DC bureaus of MS NOW and CNBC, as well as the broader array of news programming across cable and digital platforms associated with both Versant outlets. Reporting to the Vice President of Standards and Partnerships, this person will be the primary partner to our Washington-based news gathering teams, supporting their reporting efforts while helping to uphold the highest ethical standards and safeguard the credibility of our news brands.  They will work with Standards colleagues and with editorial teams at MS NOW and CNBC to achieve the best journalism outcomes, ensuring compliance with ethical guidelines, and fostering a culture of accuracy, fairness, and transparency. They will collaborate with journalists, producers, and reporters at Versant’s news platforms to maintain editorial integrity while adapting to the evolving media landscape.

Key Responsibilities: 

Editorial Guidance:

• Help implement editorial policies and guidelines for news content across digital, broadcast, and streaming news platforms and shows
• Provide real-time guidance on breaking news stories to ensure coverage is accurate and ethical 
• Work closely with reporting teams throughout their editorial process to ensure we are adhering to our own guidelines as well as the highest ethical and journalistic standards
• Review digital text pieces, social video, podcasts and promos.
• Review scripts and packages for programs on MS NOW and CNBC, and provide real-time guidance as shows air
• Ensure accuracy and fairness in reporting while adhering to ethical and journalistic best practices
• Work closely with journalists, editors, producers, and reporters to implement best practices in storytelling, sourcing, fact-checking and more
• Advise on editorial decisions during breaking news and crisis situations to minimize risk
• Assess reporting by outside organizations to determine whether it meets Versant standards for publication
• Collaborate with colleagues in legal and rights and clearances departments when work requires their expertise
• Help manage corrections, retractions, and responses to complaints or challenges to published content
• Help monitor and address misinformation or disinformation threats impacting the news organization
• Help with weekend on-call duties on a monthly basis

Qualifications

• 10+ years working experience within the journalism field – including broadcast, cable, digital or print
• Deep experience in political and business/financial journalism and extensive knowledge of U.S. government agencies and how they operate
• Adept in all forms of storytelling – both on traditional media, as well as emerging platforms
• Must have ability to communicate and collaborate across all-levels
• Should be open and able to adapt to new approaches to content and storytelling
• Must have exceptional news and editorial judgment
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in a related field is required 

Desired Characteristics:

• Ability to communicate effectively and clearly with all levels of talent and leadership
• Proven ability to remain calm in high pressure environment
• Highly collaborative in tone and approach
• Proven ability to multi-task and manage a wide array of responsibilities in a deadline driven environment  
• Exceptional business ethics demonstrated professionalism and sound judgment
• Prior experience in investigative journalism a plus
• Familiarity with (or knowledge of) digital journalism and social media standards and practices
• Ability to handle confidential material with utmost discretion
• Self-starter; able to work independently and proactively
• Exceptional writing and editorial skills

Additional Requirements:

• Must be willing/able to work in the Washington, D.C. office
• Must have unrestricted work authorization to work in the United States.  

Salary Range: $130,000 - $180,000, bonus eligble

Additional Information

As part of our selection process, external candidates may be required to attend an in-person interview with a VERSANT Media employee at one of our locations prior to a hiring decision. VERSANT Media's policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran and require support throughout the application and/or recruitment process as a result of your disability, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation. You can submit your request to candidateaccessibility@versantmedia.com.

VERSANT Media is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. We include a good faith pay range for each position to comply with applicable state and local pay transparency laws and to promote equity across our organization. Actual compensation will be based on factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, experience, and location and may include additional forms of compensation and benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, etc.

VERSANT Media is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at VERSANT via-email, the Internet, or in any form and/or method without a valid written Statement of Work in place for this position from VERSANT's Talent Acquisition team will be deemed the sole property of VERSANT. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by VERSANT as a result of the referral or through other means.