2008-09 PEN Editor's Contract

Final Version: December 20, 2007

Effective January 1, 2008

Contract between the Board of the Ottawa Peace and Environment Resource Centre (PERC) and Margaret Jensen

Margaret Jensen agrees to serve as editor of the Peace and Environment News for a period of 12 months beginning January 1, 2008.

Specifics of the Position:

The Peace and Environment News (PEN) will be produced up to 6 issues a year (at the discretion of the Board).

Responsibility for producing the PEN will be divided between the PERC Coordinator and the PEN Editor.

The PERC Coordinator will ensure that the following administrative support is provided to the PEN in the areas of:


 * financial administration


 * printing costs,


 * distribution and mailing,


 * membership records,


 * office space and computer time, technical support, etc.


 * researching funders, preparing and submitting funding proposals and administering grants, including preparing budgets and final reports.


 * recruiting skilled volunteers in those roles prioritized by the Editor, particularly in the following three areas:


 * Writing


 * Events Calendar development, including:

(a) liaising with groups and individuals outside PERC,

(b) collecting and inputting events,

(c) updating groups listing.


 * Administration of advertising

The PEN Editor will be responsible for tasks as described in the attached Job Description.

Amount of contract: $700 per issue, for approximately 70 hours of work.

This contract can be terminated at any time on one month's notice from either party. Modifications to it will require the consent of both parties.

Signed:

For the Board of the Ottawa Peace and Environment Resource Centre:

President of the Board of Directors

Editor of the PEN:

Margaret Jensen

Date:

________________________________________________________________________________

Job Description
Editor of the Peace and Environment News

1. Editor's Mission

The Editor of the Peace and Environment News (PEN) is responsible for planning and producing the PEN and for carrying out its mandate. The PEN is the major communications tool of the Peace and Environment Resource Centre (PERC). The mandate of the PEN is to provide information and viewpoints on issues, to support volunteer groups by providing public exposure, and to provide an opportunity for individuals to take an active role. The Editor is responsible for avoiding libel in the PEN and for keeping the PEN consistent with the mandate of the PERC.

2. Editor's Responsibilities

A) Planning and producing the "regular" or first section of the PEN, and the PEN Insider, including:


 * planning editorial content,


 * soliciting manuscripts,


 * inputting, editing, proofreading, and fact checking,


 * selecting graphics,


 * designing the publication in collaboration with the Layout Coordinator
 * delivering the camera-ready copy to the printer.

B) Preparing the Events Calendar, including:


 * compiling, updating and editing entries.

C) Orienting, coordinating and supervising Editorial Committee volunteers

D) Scheduling, planning and chairing Editorial meetings

E) Liaising with writers outside the Editorial Committee

F) Collaborating with the Finance Committee to administer Advertising, by providing invoice information at the end of each issue.

G) Providing a duplicate copy of a PEN layout template to be stored in the PERC office.

NOTES

NOTE 1: The PEN Insider is a key component of the publication. It is the part of the PEN that only PERC members receive on a regular basis; thus, it is a major tool for attracting and keeping PERC members. It is the part of the PEN that attracts funds from funding agencies, and therefore grant applications focus on the Insider. It has a key role in fulfilling the PEN mandate: in providing information and viewpoints to the public, exposure for volunteer groups, and a place where volunteers can take an active role.

NOTE 2: It is understood that:

(a) For Insiders not supported by outside agency funding, the Editorial Committee will establish topics and story ideas and has full responsibility, as detailed in (2-A).

(b) For Insiders funded by an outside agency, topics and story ideas will be determined by the Editorial Committee in collaboration with the Coordinator. This may include working in partnership with other organizations. The Coordinator will be responsible for writing funding proposals, in collaboration with the Editor. The Coordinator will be responsible for administration of funded projects, as detailed under "Specifics of the Position." The Editor has final responsibility for editorial content.

(c) Any other fundraising involving the PEN will have to be discussed with, and agreed to, by the Editorial Committee.

(d) Any matter or proposal related to the PEN should be developed in collaboration with the Editor and submitted in writing to the Editorial Committee, who will then make a final decision, consulting, if necessary, with the Coordinator, Board members, or other individuals, as appropriate.

(e) The Editorial Committee will bring matters involving PERC policy, as it relates to the PEN, to the PERC Board for discussion and resolution.

Addendum to Editor's Job Description

1) Any discussions or negotiations between the Editor and the Board will be conducted in such a way as to demonstrate mutual respect for, and to take into consideration, each other's concerns, ideas and viewpoints, their time constraints, their needs, and their obligations outside of PERC, and will be conducted in a spirit of mutual cooperation, fairness and equality. Any conclusions or decisions reached will be fair, equitable and mutually acceptable to both the Board and the Editor.

2) The Board and the Editor will provide for adequate advance consultation in pursuing any matters pertaining to either party.

3) The Board will address difficulties the Editor raises related to problems or deficiencies in PERC's organizational structure or material infrastructure that are related to the operations of the PEN, and they will strive to resolve the situation in a way that satisfactorily meets the Editor's needs.