Mountain Xpress is seeking experienced contributing writers to bolster our coverage of local news, arts and entertainment, food, the environment and health and wellness. We work with writers who know Asheville and Western North Carolina, are comfortable interacting with and reflecting a wide range of people and perspectives and can turn in clean, compelling copy — on deadline. Knowledge of AP style is helpful, as are photography skills.
Interested? Please send a cover letter; résumé; at least three published, relevant clips/links; and an indication of the section or sections you’d like to work with to writers@mountainx.com.
Thanks for reading through to the end…
We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.
We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.
Ok, I’ll bite.
1) Does the Mountain Xpress pay a living wage commiserate with the cost of living in WNC?
2) Do I get a free coffee mug that says something clever like
“Lemme Alone Until Cup#2”?
Mountain Xpress is certified as a living-wage employer by Just Economics. Freelance contributors are independent contractors who generally seem to feel that our freelance rates are commensurate with those offered by similar publications.
We have a fine collection of mismatched coffee cups (to go with our mismatched office furniture and other lovingly curated castoffs), so who knows what slogans may be found among them?
So, Virginia, does that mean you pay living wages to employees, but perhaps not to contractors? Clinton-esque
It’s a per-word rate, so it’s hard to compare to hourly. Some people report and write faster than others. But either a per-word rate or a flat rate per story are the main models publications use for compensating freelance contributors. We are not unusual in that, and I understand from our freelancers that our rates are comparable to other area and regional publications.
Wait a sec- that per word rate for contractors idea changes things. By comparable rates, hopefully that isn’t a nice way of saying “print journalism’s dying gasps”.
I don’t think freelance journalism has ever been a particularly lucrative endeavor, with the possible exception of writing for glossy magazines during the heyday of that business.
Cool!