Six-Figure Journalism, Media and Communications Jobs for the Week Ending Sept 19

New, remote and hybrid jobs, and calls for pitches that pay up to $400,000 per year and $2 per word, with editor email addresses, pitch guides, and pay rates included.

Author

Abigail Bassett
September 17, 2025

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What Caught My Eye This Week: A Freelancer Wins A Defamation Settlement Against The Atlantic

I was fascinated to read a story in the NY Times this week about a writer who sued The Atlantic and won a $1 million-plus settlement after the publication pulled her story and wrote a scathing retraction. 

The suit she brought (which, hello, who in freelancing or journalism has the money to hire a lawyer and go toe-to-toe with a big publication???) centered on a 2020 article she wrote, as a freelancer, that the magazine later retracted because editors alleged that she misled fact-checkers and sources. Her suit alleged that the retraction hurt her reputation and amounted to defamation. Her article came under critical review when another reporter at the Washington Post began to question the veracity of her sources and her assertions. 

The main focus was around an anonymous source, whom the writer, according to the Times story, had allegedly encouraged to lie about having a son to fact-checkers. She brought suit in 2022, and it began to move through the court systems in 2024 (that's a lot of legal bills), and the parties moved to settle in April of this year. 

I’ve known a few very skilled writers who have had their stories pulled for one reason or another, and it's never a situation that you want to be in. Usually, there’s some miscommunication (or lack of communication) from the editor to the freelancer, which results in the story getting pulled. I’ve also seen situations where editors are reluctant to acknowledge their mistakes in communication with freelancers and would rather let the writer take the fall. Sadly, this is more common than not, especially in the current job environment.  I have a good friend who experienced this at a very well-known publication, and they were absolutely crushed by the actions the editor refused to acknowledge. Thank god for emails, I guess.  

But for freelancers, the lessons of this story are clear. First (as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago), always cite your sources and provide links in your drafts. It's up to the editors to check them and make sure that you’re not just making things or people (see also my story on AI)  up. 

Second, accuracy matters. Every quote, every fact, and every source is important in a story. Yes, mistakes happen (and they usually don’t require a retraction), but it is the ultimate responsibility of you as a journalist to accurately and correctly represent the facts. Even in this insane post-fact world. It’s crucial to the industry and, most importantly, your reputation. 

Third, check your contracts. The question of liability and how any legal challenges can be settled is a crucial aspect of freelance contracts. As part of your due diligence as a freelancer, make sure you read and understand the contracts you sign and what they could mean for you in the long term. Doing this can save you huge headaches and prevent reputational risks by getting intimately familiar with legal language and what it means for you. If you have questions, there are tons of free resources online to help you untangle legalese and ensure you’re protected. It could even pay to talk to a lawyer about it, too, if you still have questions.

On to the Jobs

This week is surprisingly good on the freelance and full-time journalism (and journalism adjacent) jobs front. I have to admit, I was pretty sure it was going to be slim pickings this week, but once I started looking a bit more closely, opportunities continued to pop up. 

Highlights this week include:

  • A bunch of freelance editing and producing jobs that pay upwards of $60 an hour. 

  • A couple of open calls for pitches from well-known business and culture pubs that pay up to $2 per word.

  •  Some great full time editing roles that pay upwards of $200k per year.

  • An insane comms job that pays a whopping $400k per year. 

  • A number of horrible jobs (including a terrible automotive job) on the Dishonorable list

As a side note, I’m considering opening up a Discord channel for those of you actively in the hunt for jobs, where I’ll post jobs as I find them during the week. That way you don’t have to wait for the newsletter each week.

The job market has become increasingly unpredictable lately, with jobs opening and closing rapidly. Having a more immediate way to share job opportunities might be particularly helpful for those of you who are actively job hunting. 

If you think it’s a good idea, drop me a note at [email protected] and let me know.

If you’re new here, 👋 I’m Abigail Bassett 👋 a highly successful freelance journalist with top-tier bylines under my belt. I’ve written for many of the publications I include in this newsletter, including The Atlantic, Elle, Business Insider, National Geographic, Fortune, Fast Company, Forbes, Inc., TechCrunch, The Verge, CNN, and more. I have been a freelancer for more than ten years, and I KNOW the ins and outs of this business. If you’re looking for someone to guide you through these tough media times, I’m your gal. You can find out more about me and my work at abigailbassett.com.

For $5 per month, or less than the cost of a cup of coffee you can get access to these jobs (and previous weeks listings), editor emails (which I include every week), pitch guides, insights about what it’s really like to work for these companies (via the Editor’s Notes), and everyone’s favorite section: The Dishonorable Mentions. There, I detail the worst media jobs (and companies) that consistently underpay for the work they’re offering.

This newsletter stands out in a sea of others because you won’t see these jobs in any other newsletter out there. I curate them directly via a number of different sites and get many listings directly. If I do see something on the numerous jobs newsletters I subscribe to, I’ll mention it in the Editor’s Notes.

This is a special community of hard-working, highly-skilled journalists, writers, video producers, podcasters, and more, and none of us has time to waste trying to apply for jobs that are flooded with applications.

If you want to be a part of this community and get access to these jobs and contacts, join today for just $5 per month.

Thanks so much for being a subscriber, and I’ll see you next week!

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