COPY EDITOR
Reports to: Executive Editor
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
- $50/month mobile phone reimbursement
- 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.
Pay: $500.00 – $580.00 per week
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.
Work Location: In person