Journalist, Global Disinformation Unit

This is an exciting opportunity to join one of the key teams at the BBC. The BBC Global Disinformation Unit challenges disinformation globally, exposing the industry behind fake news. As a Journalist in the team, you will drive impactful investigations that hold power to account and tell stories about the real-world harm of disinformation while navigating legal and editorial policy complexities. You will produce outstanding original investigations with and for the BBC’s World Service Languages.

Why Join the Team

This is a chance to join the BBC’s Global Disinformation Unit and produce impactful investigations projects that expose disinformation actors and highlight the real-world harms of disinformation. The team produces outstanding original journalism using data-driven research and OSINT techniques alongside traditional journalism to bring audiences these stories in an accessible, engaging format.

Your Key Responsibilities and Impact

• Producing and commissioning investigative, global human-interest stories that show the impact of disinformation on people’s lives and hold disinformation actors to account.
• Tracking the spread of disinformation across global platforms and identifying trends in the spread of disinformation content using OSINT, analytic tools and traditional journalism techniques.
• Creating engaging short or longform video, audio and text formats that showcase the investigations.
• Collaborating with other teams across the BBC, including the World Service languages.
• Ensuring all content upholds BBC editorial policy.

Your Skills and Experience

Essential Criteria

• Proven experience in investigative journalism – demonstrated ability to design and deliver original, high-impact investigations, with experience working closely with high risk, safeguarding, legal and editorial policy teams.
• Experience with disinformation journalism – a solid track record of understanding how disinformation spreads and experience investigating coordinated influence operations and tracking digital manipulation.
• Open-Source intelligence proficiency – experience with social media monitoring and using open-source tools and digital forensic techniques to gather and authenticate information from online platforms. Familiarity with tools such as BrandWatch and CrowdTangle and proven experience transforming data into compelling storytelling.
• Multiplatform storytelling experience – success in translating complex, data-heavy stories into compelling multi-platform content. Demonstrated experience crafting investigative stories for a range of formats, from text pieces and longform documentaries to digital shorts. Strong scriptwriting skills are essential.
• Proficient in FCP to a high professional standard.
• Excellent written English – ability to craft sharp, clear, and engaging copy for multiple platforms, with proven experience of stories shared with other Languages teams and English online.

Desired but not Required

• Proficiency in other languages besides English is desirable.

If you can bring some of these skills and experience, along with transferable strengths, we’d love to hear from you and encourage you to apply.

Disclaimer

This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved.

Please note: If you were to be offered this role, the BBC will conduct Employment screening checks which include Reference checks; Eligibility to work checks; and if applicable to the role, Safeguarding and Adverse media/Social media checks. Any offer made is conditional on these checks being satisfactory.

The BBC is committed to redeploying employees seeking suitable alternative employment within the BBC and they will be given priority consideration ahead of other applicants.

Life at BBC

Here you will benefit from:

• Fair pay and flexible benefits including a competitive salary package, a flexible 35-hour working week, 25 days annual leave with the option to buy an extra 5 days, a defined pension scheme and discounted dental, health care and gym.
• Excellent career and professional development.
• Support in your working life, including flexible working which you can discuss with us at any point during the application, selection or offer.
• A values-based organisation where the way we do things is important as what we do.

Benefits may vary if you are joining on an FTC basis or on an orchestra conditions contract. Learn more about life at the BBC and our values in our candidate pack.

Candidate Pack

You belong. We have a working environment where we value and respect every individual's unique contribution, so all our employees feel that they can belong, thrive and achieve their full potential. We want to attract the broadest range of talented people to join us. The more diverse our workforce, the better able we are to respond to and reflect our audiences in all their diversity. We welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief.

Find out more about diversity, inclusion and belonging in our strategy below.

Disability confident

We are a disability confident employer. If you need to discuss adjustments or access requirements for the interview process, or to carry out this role, please contact us via email and we’d be happy to discuss: reasonable.adjustments@bbc.co.uk.