Senior Assistant General Counsel, Media & Data Privacy

OVERVIEW

A thriving, mission-driven multimedia organization, NPR produces award-winning news, information, and music programming in partnership with hundreds of independent public radio stations across the nation. The NPR audience values information, creativity, curiosity, and social responsibility – and our employees do too. We are innovators and leaders in diverse fields, from journalism and digital media to IT and development. Every day, our employees and member stations touch the lives of millions worldwide. 

Across our organization, we’re building a workplace where collaboration is essential, diverse voices are heard, and inclusion is the key to our success. We are committed to doing the right thing in our journalism and in every role at NPR. This means that integrity, adherence to our ethical standards, and compliance with legal obligations are fundamental responsibilities for every employee at NPR.

Intro to Position 

NPR’s Office of the General Counsel seeks a highly skilled and collaborative attorney to serve as Senior Assistant General Counsel, Media Law & Data Privacy. This unique senior-level role bridges two critical areas of the organization, with a primary focus on supporting our award-winning newsroom and a significant secondary focus on global data privacy compliance. Reporting to the Deputy General Counsel (Head of Media Law & Distribution Rights), the successful candidate will provide high-level legal guidance and strategic oversight to ensure NPR’s content and data practices remain industry-leading and ethically grounded.

Responsibilities

This role is split between Media Law (approximately 60%) and Data Privacy (approximately 40%):

Media Law & Content Vetting (60%)

• Provide expert legal vetting for a wide range of high-stakes content across radio, audio-visual, and audio podcast formats.
• Advise newsroom and production teams on complex issues, including libel, privacy, copyright, newsgathering, recording, and First Amendment protections.
• Ensure compliance with FCC content-related regulations and navigate the complexities of multi-platform vetting.
• Lead NPR’s transparency work, including managing Freedom of Information (FOI) and access requests.
• Supervise and mentor the Media Law Fellow in their transparency and access assignments.
• Draft and negotiate sophisticated content-related agreements, such as releases, photo licenses, and freelance agreements.
• Develop and deliver media law training sessions for journalists and content creators.

Data Privacy (40%) 

• Collaborate with in-house technology, business teams, and the Data Privacy Officer, as well as outside counsel on data privacy strategy, implementation, and compliance.
• Support the company-wide data privacy compliance program, including product counseling and Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs).
• Manage data subject requests (DSRs) and oversee vendor due diligence from a privacy perspective.
• Assist with incident response planning, privacy-related claims, and litigation issues.
• Track and interpret federal, state, and global privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA/CPRA) to determine implementation requirements alongside the Data Protection Officer.
• Design and execute privacy training programs for employees across the organization.

This role reports to the Deputy General Counsel, Head of the Media Law & Distribution Rights team.

The above duties and responsibilities are not an exhaustive list of required responsibilities, duties and skills. Other duties may be assigned, and this job description can be modified at any time.

Minimum Qualifications

• 10 years of media law and content vetting experience
• Juris Doctor from an accredited law school 
• Active license to practice law in D.C. (or eligibility for admission in D.C. within one year)
• Proven experience vetting journalistic content and providing sound legal advice on content issues
• Proven experience managing data privacy compliance and legal strategy
• A comprehensive understanding of journalism ethics

Preferred Qualifications

• Litigation experience, particularly with libel, copyright, and/or FOI issues
• Prior in-house experience, specifically within a radio, television, or digital media environment 
• Strong background in drafting and negotiating contracts and releases 
• Demonstrated experience with non-commercial or public media

Education Requirements

• J.D. from an accredited law school

Work Location & Requirements