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Research Assistant, Journalism

Organization Overview

Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research in the areas of U.S. politics and policy views; media and journalism; internet and technology; science and society; religion and public life; Hispanic trends; global attitudes and U.S. social and demographic trends. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. The Center’s work is carried out by a staff of about 160.
 
Position Summary
Pew Research Center has an immediate need for a Research Assistant to support its portfolio of journalism & news media research. The Research Assistant will be part of the Journalism research team, which conducts studies on news and information in a changing society.
 
This position is primarily responsible for working with others on staff to gather, analyze and produce internal and external data on current news trends. The Research Assistant supports all aspects of the research including data analysis, proof-reading and fact-checking, creating charts and tables, organizing data and performing research and analysis of original and external survey data and data from other sources, such as the Census and public APIs. Of foremost importance is ensuring that data analysis and reporting meet the highest standards of accuracy and impartiality. Ideal candidates will have strong research, analytical, quantitative and writing skills. This position reports to the Associate Director of Journalism Research.
 

Primary Responsibilities

  • Assist in survey-based projects including help with data analysis and report production.
  • Number checking and fact checking report drafts.
  • Data management, maintaining and reviewing internal files and databases.
  • Prepare toplines, cross-tabulations and other data summaries.
  • Analyzing balance sheets, industry reports, Wall Street financial data, etc..
  • Assisting in production of reports by creating tables, charts and slides in Microsoft Office suite.
  • Following trends through the year, reading trade publications, becoming familiar with leading figures in the journalism field, monitoring data, and sifting through the data that the project purchases from various research and data sources.
  • Become proficient in and utilize content analysis and computer-assisted coding by:
  • Achieving competence in manual content analysis of news material.
  • Learning the team’s internal software system.
  • Learn to use digital and social media analytics platforms such as the Twitter API or Google Trends.
  • Be a part of the Daily Briefing team – our popular online curation of the day’s media news. This involves some early morning web searches to find a mix of relevant news articles.
  • Work on a wide-range of research studies and analyses, including gaining background knowledge, conducting various kinds of research, literature reviews and working in teams.
  • Assist in writing blog posts
  • Occasional work on team projects across the Center.
 

Knowledge and Skill Requirements

  • Strong research skills, including the ability to quickly grasp data and its implications.
  • The ability to translate data, information and numbers into narrative for a lay audience.
  • The ability to operate independently, be a self-starter, show initiative and develop ideas for studies.
  • Must be able to work in teams, on long-term projects, and be able to write short-turnaround commentaries and analysis.
  • Must be organized, dependable and take “ownership” of his or her work projects.
  • Must have a solid understanding of MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel, including using formulas and creating charts and pivot tables
  • The ability to stay on top of projects and pitch in as needed on other projects.
  • Ability to juggle multiple projects at the same time
  • Facility with data, understanding audience numbers, economic data, reading survey data, and more.
  • Familiarity with creating information graphics.
  • The candidate does not need to be proficient in technical Internet programming but should have some experience with it and be someone who could learn the additional skills.
  • Ability to work collaboratively and collegially with staff from across Pew Research Center and outside organizations
  • Demonstrated ability to work accurately on deadline
  • Experience working with “big data” and/or secondary source data
 
Required Education/Experience
  • A B.A. degree in media studies or other related research field or comparable work experience.
  • A background in quantitative analysis. Coursework in statistics or proven experience with quantitative analysis and background in data management and analysis required.
  • Proficiency with SPSS and Excel and R required, knowledge of Stata or other statistical software packages a plus

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

The Pew Research Center is an equal opportunity employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Pew considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to age, sex, ethnicity, religion, disability, marital status, sexual orientation or gender identity, military/veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.