News & Copy Editor

$70–75/hr

rate as listed

Workload: ~15h/week
Engagement: Project-based
Location: Worldwide
Field: Creative

Review paired AI-generated news and copy samples for factual accuracy, appropriate hedging and lead placement. Select the stronger version, record a concise reason and apply relevant tags before progressing from calibration to live work.

The work

You will compare paired AI-generated news or copy against a task brief and writing guide. For each pair, you will identify factual slips, unnecessary or missing hedging and buried leads, then select the stronger sample, write a one-line rationale and apply relevant tags.

Screening

Mercor screens for desk or copy editing experience at a major news organization and the ability to make defensible editorial decisions under deadline conditions. Before handling live data, you must pass a calibration gate that tests whether your judgments and rationales align with the project standard.

Logistics

The pilot requires five hours per day for five business days, with the possibility of an ongoing month-to-month engagement. The listing does not state whether the work is remote or asynchronous, so candidates should confirm both points with Mercor. The observed pay band is not guaranteed.

Pay band: $70–75/hr

What they look for

Desk or copy editing experience at a major news organization
News judgment and lead prioritization
Factual accuracy review
Concise deadline editing
Editorial evaluation of hedging and certainty
Clear one-line decision rationales and tagging

Included with this listing

Interview prep — 10 questions

Matched to what this platform's screening actually measures. Answer each out loud in 60–90 seconds: claim → concrete example → implication.

What it tests: This verifies the newsroom, desk, role, tenure and level of responsibility behind the required editing background.
A strong answer: Name the organization, desk or coverage area, dates and core responsibilities, including whether you edited breaking news, features, wires or homepage copy. Include concrete publication volume or deadline cadence where possible.
Where people lose it: Candidates lose credibility by naming a publication without explaining whether they actually edited copy or merely reported, produced or contributed to it.

Summary, eligibility guidance and screening preparation are prepared by Sidequest from the platform's posting. Check the source listing before applying.