Explainers are made, not born, and Slate is looking for a new one. If you’ve ever thought, “I could do better than this fool,” here’s your chance. Requirements include avid consumption of news in all media; curiosity and skepticism; an analytical mindset; comfort with using the Web and other online databases; and about 20 to 25 flexible hours a week that need filling. Background or expertise in one or two areas such as law, economics, business, and science would be nice but not essential. Location is not crucial, though Seattle or Washington would be convenient.
If you’re interested, do this: Pick a day and come up with two or three potential Explainer questions from that day’s news–then answer one. (Make it a tough one.) Send all this to Explainerjob@Slate.com along with a brief description of who you are (no fancy c.v. required). Then please be patient.
Please remember if you decide to give this a try: Explainers are about the news. Sometimes they fill in missing information. Sometimes they attempt to summarize a complex story about which there is too much information. Sometimes they’re about a side issue raised by a news story. But they’re not a test of trivia or general knowledge.
