Local Editor
Gannett
- Monroe, MI
- Permanent
- Full-time
- Boots on the ground editing for local newsrooms.
- Primary assigning, story vetting, line editing. Managing workflow to meet deadlines.
- Coaching and directly supervising front-line journalists, including regular 1:1s.
- Ensuring steady productivity around high value topics and adjusting as needed.
- Prioritizing DEI values in story selection, sourcing and hiring.
- Being the local face of the news organization for the community where based and ensuring local engagement by frontline journalists in others.
- Helping the staff hone skills in a wide range of storytelling: from real-time digital updates to narrative storytelling, employing alternative story forms and multimedia.
- Using metrics and analytics to determine how to best reach and grow the audience.
- Increasing digital audience and engagement and growing digital subscriptions.
- Assuring daily work is completed on time and efficiently, setting priorities and coordinating with colleagues.
- Receiving assignments in the form of objectives to meet goals; administering company policies that directly affect team members.
- Assigning and editing articles for context, completeness, fairness, accuracy, balance, and adherence to news values. Demonstrating strong news judgment in the selection, prioritization and editing of content.
- Writing effective digital headlines, social media posts, briefs and breaking news alerts that help attract audiences.
- Market leader duties such as office/building administration, compliance and customer service that require hands-on engagement at the local level (with Market Leader Administrators).
- Labor relations in certain markets (with Group Editor, HRBP, legal).
- Leading or coordinating coverage when local news attracts a national audience (with Group Editor, Producer/Planners, others).
- Cultivating a recruitment pipeline and screening, conducting first interviews for frontline journalists (with Group Editor, News and Talent Team, Recruiters).
- Reviewing and optimizing beat and topic assignments within local newsrooms (with Group Editor).
- Manage freelancers (with Operations Assistants).
- Commitment to values of fairness, diversity, inclusion, and professionalism.
- Strong writing skills and a command of grammar and style.
- Strong story and word editing skills.
- Knowledge of data-based reporting and use of spreadsheets such as Excel.
- Experience with social media, including Instagram Stories, as a tool to build audience and as a source for beat development.
- Experience with and/or interest in multimedia, including video and podcasting.
- Ability to work collaboratively with others locally and regionally to meet common goals.
- Demonstrated commitment to reader interest and reader questions in helping reporters frame stories, utilizing tools such as Google Trends and Parsley.
- Top-notch planning, organizational and time management skills.
- Understanding of metrics, social media, and SEO and how they relate to the audience funnel.
- Self-motivation and self-direction.
- Ability to work as a member of a team.
- Ability to multi-task and excel under deadline pressure in a rapidly changing environment. · Solid news judgment and mastery of ethical and legal principles in day-to-day journalism.
- Bachelor's or master’s degree in communications, journalism, marketing, or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- 3-5 years of relevant work experience. Management/supervisory experience.