The
Editor: An Overview
(mostly from The Editorial Eye)
| Editors
do many specific tasks and have a variety of roles within a news organizations.
But their overall commitments or loyalties are to: * THE MESSAGE (the content of their product). * THE MESSENGERS (their staffs). * THE MISSION (to inform the public…and, not incidentally, to help the organization thrive). |
Editors
make judgment calls in every aspect of their job. To make good ones,
they draw on knowledge of: * THE PUBLIC (despite changes and challenges). * THE NEWS (what important, what’s interesting). * THE LANGUAGE…every word counts. |
Like
all journalists, editors tell good stories: "All I ever wanted to be was a storyteller. At first I thought the only way to do that was by writing. They called me a reporter. " Then I helped others identify and tell stories. They called me an editor -- city editor, news editor, assistant managing editor. " Then I specialized in telling stories with text, photos and graphics. They called me a designer. " Now I direct people and ideas, and they call me a manager. " But I still think of myself as a storyteller." (Former assistant managing editor, Detroit News) |
Editors are news junkies! Try a few 2005 year-in-review news quizzes for, uh, fun: * General
(CBS News, 10 questions, medium difficulty): * General
(MSNBC.com, 25 questions, toughie): * Incendiary
political quotes (InfoPlease, 10 questions, medium/tough) |