Hi LightStalkers,

I’m a journalist seeking a technical co-founder for a self-funded start up (ORBmedia) that will mix journalism with modern data analytics. I have been looking, but haven’t yet found that person, so I’m doing what journalists do – I’m asking people!

I’ll save you the speech about the dearth of quality journalism, the financial challenges facing the industry and dramatic lamentations of a mythic journalism era past – if you want it, just come round for dinner and a glass of wine!

I’ve been around media all of my life and very much want to play a role in rejuvenating and revitalizing it – even if only at one organization – in order to deliver a true public service to a global audience. I see the “public” as the global public, and service as helping us better recognize, understand and manage the interdependence of our dynamic human and natural systems.

ORBmedia’s stories are fueled by data analytics. We’ll be pulling together data to identify trends in our global human and natural systems, use those trends as a springboard for our professional journalists to do on the ground reporting, and turn that reporting into a single, daily, multimedia story designed for and delivered to a diverse global audience in multiple languages. Our allegiance is to humanity as a whole, rather than any single national, religious, cultural or ideological community and we answer to the global public, acting as a fourth estate on their behalf. We value each individual’s equality, and their right to justice and dignity.

I’m looking for a like-minded technical co-founder who can help me create this journalism organization.

The person I’m looking for is:
A software developer with lots of experience with data-driven web applications – the kind who can help me design our product, build it from scratch (ok, you might need some help) and has the skills to manage others. You also likely possess a passion for journalism and a strong sense for usability and experience design. You will contribute to the development of this concept as well as its realization.

Given that our product will thrive on data, your résumé might include terms like “data extraction,” “data mining,” “data warehousing,” and “NoSQL.” But you don’t have to be a data scientist. It is much more important that you have the initiative and drive to reliably produce work without daily supervision; the flexibility and energy to push through the early, unpredictable days of a startup; and the drive to shepherd an idea from start to finish. If you have those things, you can figure out whatever technical challenges lie ahead.

The deadline for applications is September 9th. Resumes with a cover letter and references can be sent to SarabethR@ORBmedia.org and to me, of course at MollyB@ORBmedia.org. Here’s a link to the post http://tinyurl.com/d7ybev4

Please feel free to reach out to me about the organization or the position and I greatly appreciate you taking a minute to consider who you might share this with in your community.

Molly

Molly Bingham
MollyB@ORBmedia.org
Office: +1-202-237-0074
Mobile: +1-202-256-6216
Washington, DC

For the benefit of those you might share this with:
I’ve spent the majority of my career covering conflict as a photojournalist, writer and documentary filmmaker and I’ve been noodling on these concepts since a 2005 Nieman Fellowship.
You can see a website with basic information about me is here: http://www.meetmollybingham.com/
And information about my Iraq documentary here: http://www.meetingresistance.com/
We have a very basic static page at http://www.ORBmedia.org
I was recently named one of twenty women to watch in journalism by CJR: http://www.cjr.org/cover_story/20_women_to_watch.php?page=all