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Public Administration & LegalISCO 2642

Newspaper editor

A newspaper editor is a person who decides which stories go into the paper, who is assigned to them and how much space they get.

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Rate 5 of the 20 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.

participate in editorial meetings

follow newspaper house style

adapt to changing situations

consult information sources

adapt to type of media

About newspaper editor

The newspaper editor follows the news and judges what matters enough to a reader to belong in an issue. Information sources are analysed: who is reporting something, where they have it from, and whether it can be confirmed by a second source. Each story is assigned to a journalist, with the editor setting out what the piece is expected to do.

The editor also decides the length of an article and its position in the paper, which is to say what a reader sees first. Stylistic consistency across published articles is maintained and the house style applied — the rules for names, titles, numerals and quotations that have to look the same throughout one title.

The editor meets the deadline for sending an issue to press and adapts to a changing situation when something more important arrives at the last moment. The code of journalistic ethics is followed, and press law is known: corrections, protection of sources, the limits of criticism and the protection of personal rights.

Key Work Functions

Core areas of responsibility for a newspaper editor.

1

Story Selection and Assignment

  • Evaluate story pitches and submissions to determine newsworthiness and public interest
  • Assign journalists to stories based on expertise, experience, and workload
  • Follow breaking news and identify emerging stories with significant community impact
  • Set deadlines and monitor story progress to ensure timely completion
2

Editorial Quality Control

  • Review stories for accuracy, clarity, and compliance with editorial standards
  • Check stories for factual accuracy and verify sources before publication
  • Ensure consistency of published articles with house style and editorial guidelines
  • Edit articles for tone, clarity, and adherence to writing techniques and standards
3

Newspaper Layout and Positioning

  • Determine article length based on story importance and available space
  • Decide placement and prominence of stories within the newspaper
  • Collaborate with design team on layout and visual presentation
  • Balance front-page content to ensure diverse, engaging mix of stories
4

Deadline Management and Production

  • Meet publication deadlines and manage time-sensitive editorial decisions
  • Coordinate with production team to ensure timely newspaper completion and printing
  • Adapt quickly to late-breaking news and adjust editorial plans accordingly
5

Ethical Standards and Compliance

  • Follow the ethical code of conduct for journalists and maintain editorial integrity
  • Ensure compliance with press law and copyright legislation in all publications
  • Respect cultural preferences and diverse perspectives in editorial decisions
  • Verify facts and ensure accuracy to combat misinformation and maintain reader trust
6

Professional Networking and Source Development

  • Build and maintain professional contacts with newsmakers, experts, and information sources
  • Develop professional network to maintain steady flow of quality news and stories
  • Consult information sources and maintain relationships with community leaders

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (20)

press lawpress lawThe laws concerning the licensing of books and the freedom of expression in all products of the media.copyright legislationcopyright legislationLegislation describing the protection of the rights of original authors over their work, and how others can use it.participate in editorial meetingsparticipate in editorial meetingsParticipate in meetings with fellow editors and journalists to discuss possible topics and to divide the tasks and workload.follow newspaper house stylefollow newspaper house styleProduce concise and accurate copy according to newspaper's house style and to strict deadlines-daily newspapers may have several each day.adapt to changing situationsadapt to changing situationsChange approach to situations based on unexpected and sudden changes in people's needs and mood or in trends; shift strategies, improvise and naturally adapt to those circumstances.consult information sourcesconsult information sourcesConsult relevant information sources to find inspiration, to educate yourself on certain topics and to acquire background information.adapt to type of mediaadapt to type of mediaAdapt to different types of media such as television, movies, commercials, and others. Adapt work to type of media, scale of production, budget, genres within type of media, and others.meet deadlinesmeet deadlinesEnsure operative processes are finished at a previously agreed-upon time.respect cultural preferencesrespect cultural preferencesRecognise different cultural preferences when creating products and concepts in order to avoid giving insult to certain people. Try to reach as broad an audience possible.develop professional networkdevelop professional networkReach out to and meet up with people in a professional context. Find common ground and use your contacts for mutual benefit. Keep track of the people in your personal professional network and stay up ...follow ethical code of conduct of journalistsfollow ethical code of conduct of journalistsFollow the ethical code of conduct of journalists, such as freedom of speech, right of reply, being objective, and other rules.apply organisational techniquesapply organisational techniquesEmploy a set of organisational techniques and procedures which facilitate the achievement of the set goals set such as detailed planning of personnel's schedules. Use these resources efficiently and s...create editorial boardcreate editorial boardCreate the outline for each publication and news broadcast. Determine the events that will be covered and the length of these articles and stories.build contacts to maintain news flowbuild contacts to maintain news flowBuild contacts to maintain a flow of news, for example, police and emergency services, local council, community groups, health trusts, press officers from a variety of organisations, the general publi...follow the newsfollow the newsFollow current events in politics, economics, social communities, cultural sectors, internationally, and in sports.writing techniqueswriting techniquesThe different techniques to write a story such as the descriptive, persuasive, first person and other techniques.use specific writing techniquesuse specific writing techniquesUse writing techniques depending on the type of media, the genre, and the story.ensure consistency of published articlesensure consistency of published articlesEnsure that articles are consistent with the genre and theme of the newspaper, journal or magazine.check storiescheck storiesSeek out and investigate stories via your contacts, press releases and other media.editorial standardseditorial standardsThe guidelines on how to deal with and report on privacy, children, and death according to impartiality, and other standards.
Optional (23) — show
digital journalismdigital journalismThe process through which the editorial content is produced through digital media and distributed through the Internet.interview techniquesinterview techniquesThe techniques for getting information out of people by asking the right questions in the right way and to make them feel comfortable.graphic designgraphic designThe techniques to create a visual representation of ideas and messages.accounting techniquesaccounting techniquesThe techniques of recording and summarising business and financial transactions and analysing, verifying, and reporting the results.spellingspellingThe rules concerning the way words are spelled.desktop publishingdesktop publishingThe creation of documents using page layout skills on a computer. Desktop publishing software can generate layouts and produce typographic quality text and images.grammargrammarThe set of structural rules governing the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language.ask questions at eventsask questions at eventsAttend a variety of events, such as council meetings, magistrates' court proceedings, football matches, talent contests, press conferences and ask questions.edit negativesedit negativesUse different software products and techniques to process photographic negatives and adapt the images to the desired specifications.manage budgetsmanage budgetsPlan, monitor, report on the budget and prepare set production budgets.manage staffmanage staffManage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the wor...create online news contentcreate online news contentCreate and upload news content for e.g. websites, blogs and social media.apply desktop publishing techniquesapply desktop publishing techniquesApply desktop publishing techniques to create page layouts and typographic quality text.check correctness of informationcheck correctness of informationCheck if the information contains factual errors, is reliable, and has news value.proofread textproofread textRead a text thoroughly, search for, review and correct errors to ensure content is valid for publishing.interview peopleinterview peopleInterview people in a range of different circumstances.use word processing softwareuse word processing softwareUse computer software applications for composition, editing, formatting, and printing of any sort of written material.perform image editingperform image editingEdit various types of images such as analogue and digital photographs or illustrations.apply grammar and spelling rulesapply grammar and spelling rulesApply the rules of spelling and grammar and ensure consistency throughout texts.write headlineswrite headlinesWrite titles to accompany news articles. Make sure they are to the point and inviting.edit photographsedit photographsResize, enhance and retouche photographs, using airbrushing, editing software and other techniques.write captionswrite captionsWrite captions to accompany cartoons, drawings, and photographs. These captions can be humorous or explanatory.write to a deadlinewrite to a deadlineSchedule and respect tight deadlines, especially for theatre, screen and radio projects.

Related Occupations

Occupations that need many of the same essential skills, so the move between them is shortest.

editor-in-chief15 shared essential skillsbroadcast news editor13 shared essential skillsmagazine editor13 shared essential skillsphotojournalist12 shared essential skillsbusiness journalist10 shared essential skillscolumnist10 shared essential skillscrime journalist10 shared essential skillscritic10 shared essential skills

Frequently asked questions

What does a newspaper editor do?

Newspaper editors decide which news stories are interesting enough and will be covered in the paper. They assign journalists to each item. Newspaper editors determine the length of each news article and where it will be featured in the newspaper. They also ensure that publications are finished on time for publishing.

What skills does a newspaper editor need?

A newspaper editor needs 20 essential skills, including press law, copyright legislation, participate in editorial meetings, follow newspaper house style, adapt to changing situations.

Will AI replace newspaper editor jobs?

The AI disruption score for newspaper editor is 75/100 (very high risk). Skills most exposed to automation: spelling, apply grammar and spelling rules, follow the news. Most resilient: follow ethical code of conduct of journalists, adapt to changing situations, ask questions at events.

AI Replacement Risk

75/ 100
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Quick Facts

SectorPublic Administration & Legal
ISCO GroupLegal, social and cultural professionals
Essential Skills20

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