Briefs Editor III, Monitor

Briefs Editor III, The Christian Science Monitor

Job Category: The Christian Science Monitor

Requisition Number: BRIEF
001577

• Posted :
  February 25, 2026
• Full-Time

Showing 1 location

Headquarters, Boston, MA
210 Massachusetts Ave
Boston, MA 02115, USA

Department: The Christian Science Monitor

The Briefs Editor spearheads the daily production of short, pithy news items that capture larger developments through the Monitor’s distinctive lens and fill gaps while deeper coverage is taking shape. This role requires and exemplifies the discernment that Christian Science Monitor journalism brings to daily news events as well as shifts in thought.

The Briefs Editor works with staff writers and editors to deliver timely, high-concept briefs each day that keep Monitor readers well-informed and alert to global issues and trends that deserve their constructive attention. Discernment is key in selecting not only top news items from fields such as politics, government, economics, social and cultural issues, but also examples of compassion, courage, forgiveness, humility, vigilance, cooperation, reconciliation, and other such qualities.

The Briefs Editor is a team player, with a gracious demeanor and the confidence to take the lead and guide others as necessary.

The incumbent selects the briefs for the daily newsletter and also manages the briefs feed on the homepage, landing page, and app.

All Briefs editor levels perform the following core editorial capabilities, with complexity, independence, and scope increasing by level:

• Demonstrates strong news judgment and the confidence to leave some developments aside, and to discern hierarchies of relative importance
• Monitors news wires and Slack channel for briefs ideas from staff
• Coordinates with department heads and desk editors to ensure a steady stream of timely briefs
• Conducts and/or encourages original research rather than just rewriting
• Writes the news briefs that desk editors and/or writers are not available to write, as well as finding and writing up constructive developments not seen as news by other outlets
• Excels at bringing out the scope and significance of news developments through clear, tight writing and/or editing
• Fact‑checks on tight deadlines and when necessary will challenge writers, including senior staff, to correct or clarify within very small time windows
• Effectively communicates information in a timely and collegial way
• Implements and upholds guidance from the Managing Editor

• Develops a foundational understanding of Monitor briefs
• Writes first drafts of briefs, with supervision
• Demonstrates a foundational understanding of Monitor briefs
• Drafts briefs for senior editor to review
• Coordinates desk editors and writers as directed
• Demonstrates a solid understanding of Monitor briefs
• Develops and curates a daily lineup of briefs
• Coordinates effectively with desk editors, writers, and the M.E.
• Refines and advances the concept of Monitor briefs
• Assigns briefs to desk editors and writers
• Directs breaking news coverage with guidance from M.E.

The Briefs Editor strives to uphold The Christian Science Monitor's founding mission “to spread undivided the Science that operates unspent,” and its object “to injure no man but to bless all mankind.” That includes hewing to our five operational guidelines:

• Bring a healing, purifying thought to many homes. We counteract cynicism about news and humanity by upholding a higher standard of both.
• Get above the fray. Because we’re owned by a church, we’re free from corporate and political interests.
• Cover the day’s vital global news. We provide a trustworthy and concise compilation for our thoughtful, busy readers.
• Investigate ideals and endeavors, not just events. We keep abreast of the times by recognizing key currents of thought and their impact.
• Be clean, family-friendly, and non-sensational. We are “a newspaper for the home.”

The Briefs Editor also embraces our newsroom’s three culture pillars:

• We’re scrappy. We seek creative solutions. We’re hungry and nimble. We experiment and streamline.
• We’re rigorous. We embrace others challenging our ideas and our…