Newspaper or Magazine Editor

Job Description:

Newspaper and magazine editors oversee the look and content of online and printed publications.

Job Category:
Culture, Media & Sport

What you will do:

Depending on the publication you work for as an editor, your day-to-day tasks may include:

  • commissioning articles
  • choosing which articles to publish
  • deciding how they’ll be laid out for publishing
  • assessing work sent from freelance journalists, photographers and illustrators

You’ll work with sub-editors, designers, production staff and printers to make sure publication deadlines are met.

On smaller titles you might help to write and sub-edit. On larger titles you’ll just have editor duties.

You may also look after other areas like budget control, hiring staff and working with advertising and production departments.

Skills:

You’ll need:

  • knowledge of English language
  • knowledge of media production and communication
  • the ability to read English
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

As well as:

  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • excellent written communication skills
  • the ability to work well with others (teamwork skills)
  • to be flexible and open to change (adaptable)
  • leadership skills
Illustration of employee looking at workspace

Entry Requirements:

You’ll need a background in journalism and usually have relevant qualifications and work experience.

You’ll also need a good understanding of the newspaper and magazine industries.

You could build up your publishing experience by starting as a reporter or journalist.

If you want to work for a specialist publication like a medical or scientific journal, you’ll likely need a:

  • degree or postgraduate qualification in a relevant subject
  • high level of specialist knowledge

Working Hours and Environment:

If you work for a daily or weekly publication you’ll usually work irregular hours, including evenings and weekends.

If you work for a monthly publication or a specialist trade journal, you’ll usually work normal office hours, but with some overtime leading up to publication deadlines.

Your work will be mainly office-based. You may need to travel to meet clients and reporters.

Career Path & Progression:

With experience as a local newspaper editor you could move on to regional and then national publications.

You could become editor-in-chief of a group of newspapers, or magazine publishers.