Newspaper Editor

As a Newspaper Editor, you’re charged with assembling a newspaper. At the end of the day, all the content that goes into the publication is your responsibility. You need to balance speedy coverage, attention to detail, and a commitment to journalistic ethics to be a successful Newspaper Editor, and help the paper turn a profit, too. It’s not an easy job, but to the proud few who do it, there’s nothing else they’d rather do.

For this position as a Newspaper Editor, a “nose for news” is a strong prerequisite. Knowing which stories to cover and which to ignore can make or break a paper and an Editor. Leadership skills, and the ability to juggle multiple people or departments and their various priorities, are also critical.

Newspapers are getting squeezed out by other forms of media, but still serve a vital function. It’s your job to make sure they can keep serving the public. Helping your paper branch out and stay current in the world of new media is one way you can do that and still pay homage to the history of the printed word.

Some days, you’ll be coordinating old-school news coverage of a crime or disaster. Other days, you’ll need to put your head together with your team and scrounge for stories to fill up your columns. The news world is dynamic and ever changing.

You work in an office most of the time, but what time you leave is up to you and your staff. Also, because publication deadlines can sometimes be late in the day, you probably won’t get a standard nine-to-five. But knowing that your job helps bring news and information to the people you serve usually makes up for it.