“This job sounds dope,” said Washington Post protest organizer Wesley Lowery as his newspaper just dropped a job ad for a new race reporter.
What the hell? Is Wesley leaving? Is he being promoted to senior protest organizer?
The Mirror put in a request for comment to a WaPo spokeswoman. I also asked Wesley whether he was being promoted. He SHOCKINGLY replied directly to The Mirror and set me straight about what he does at WaPo: “This is a completely different position. I am our national reporter on law enforcement and communities (working on our national desk). This job listening [sic] is for a job on our financial desk, covering race and business.”
On Twitter, things are heating up. In other words, Captain Underpants wrote into Wesley’s feed to say, “Position: Race-Baiting Journalist. Goal: to financially capitalize on the current racial tensions in the US.”
WaPo‘s job listing states that they are looking to hire a “Business of Race and Ethnicity Reporter.”
The odd part is they want the reporter to “launch” the beat. How strange. Seems like Wesley already has this beat.
Technically his beat, as described on his LinkedIn page, says he’s a “national reporter covering law enforcement and justice throughout the nation.” His former beat was covering Congress for “The Fix” and “Post Politics” blogs. Before that he worked for The Boston Globe.
No word on whether white people can apply for the job.
See the ad below:
The Washington Post is looking for an experienced and driven reporter to launch a beat at the intersection of race and ethnicity, business and economics.
As a member of The Post’s financial policy team, this reporter will seek to influence the national conversation on one of the most important topics of the moment, showing how the issue of race plays out in the economy and business world with compelling stories that merge human experience with revealing data.
Candidates should be adept at writing news, analysis and features. The ideal candidate has a track record of producing creative, agenda-setting enterprise as well as the digital know-how and authoritative voice to build a following as a contributor to our high-profile Wonkblog franchise. We’re looking for a reporter who is as energized by producing smart takes on the news of the day as by diving deep into the latest labor statistics to find compelling stories, and has the dexterity to do both simultaneously.
Experience writing about racial issues is preferred, as is a demonstrated interest in business and economics. Strong writing and digital journalism skills are essential.
UPDATE: A Washington Post spokeswoman replied, “Wes Lowery covers policing; more specifically the interactions between law enforcement officials and their communities. This position covers the intersection of race & the economy. They are totally separate.” Thankfully she also sent me a fabulous outpouring of Wesley’s work. “Here’s a look at Wes’s stories: https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/wesley-lowery Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you.”