Fact-Checker/Researcher

The SLAPP Back Initiative, a project of First Amendment Watch, a nonprofit newsroom housed at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, is seeking two part-time researchers/fact-checkers to join our team.

In November we launched The SLAPP Back Initiative, a first-of-its-kind database tracking alleged strategic lawsuits against public participation, in which we identified 500 anti-SLAPP decisions filed in 2024. We are continuing to analyze the last five years of data while we begin real-time analysis.

The researchers/fact-checkers, over a six-month period, will read and analyze cases scattered across dozens of jurisdictions in states with anti-SLAPP statutes and make or fact-check determinations about their outcomes, origins and defining characteristics. The ideal candidates will have experience in legal research and can engage in large datasets and the logical and linguistic complexities of legal case review.

These are early career, part-time (25 hours per week), remote, contract positions. The researchers/fact-checkers will not be employees of NYU, nor will they receive any employee benefits. The positions are limited to six months in duration, with the possibility of renewal on a month-to-month basis depending on need and available funding.

The researchers/fact-checkers are expected to work five hours per day during a typical workday schedule (9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. ET) in order to collaborate with SLAPP Back team members. The contractors are invited to attend periodic meetings at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at 20 Cooper Square in New York, NY if it is of interest.

Responsibilities of the position:

• Collaborate with our team to organize, review, analyze and fact-check SLAPP decisions consistent with our methodology.
• Utilize legal research databases and publicly available court records to increase transparency and accessibility to our data.

Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree in journalism, law, communications or another relevant field.
• Proficiency in Google Sheets.
• Knowledge of AI tools and software is a plus.
• Experience using PACER and other court records systems.
• Knowledge of local and national current events, and issues particularly related to the First Amendment freedoms of speech and press.

Compensation for this position is $20 per hour.

Application Requirements:

• A cover letter describing your qualifications for this position and why it interests you.
• Your resume.

Other Information

Location:

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First Amendment Watch, The SLAPP Back Initiative