Newspaper Editor

Local news is what’s sorely lacking in America today, and we are here to revive it. Perhaps the biggest part of that mission lies in the editing room. In an age where editors are encouraged to “punch up” headlines and content, we want someone who is going to hold true to traditional journalistic values and challenge reporters to hone their own news judgment.

The editor’s job above all else is whether they can help reporters get to the “why” of every story. It’s not enough to just say, “this happened, now you know.” Why did it happen? That’s the mission you are leading as editor.

However, it’s hard for readers to know what story is interesting if they can’t read through to the point when the copy is filled with grammatical errors. It’s the editor’s job to spot copy errors when they find them, and keep to the AP Style Guide as a northstar. Of course it is also the editor’s job to ensure that the story is factually accurate, consistent and well organized.

Reporters that work for Mineral King Publishing, Inc. are often young and cutting their teeth in the industry. The Sun-Gazette and Mid Valley Times are places where young reporters want to learn and be mentored by capable editors who will help them grow as professionals. Therefore it is not the editor’s job to just fix mistakes, but learn how reporters arrived at their mistakes and teach them how to avoid them in the future.

In practicality terms the editor is also the conduit for the print and online designers to know what will be published and when. Using an assignment sheet the editor will determine what stories get covered, who will cover them, denote when they are read for posting, assign the photographer, and schedule when a story should be posted. For the print product the editor will prepare the entire week’s list of stories and photos for the print designer by the end of the day on Friday.

EXPECTATIONS

It is expected that this person will be a team player and always willing to learn. But the following expectations are key for this position:

• Must be punctual, professional, and keep regular working hours with slight variations;

• Must be capable using Google Sheets, Docs and other online resources;

• Must have a command of journalistic style of writing;

• Must have experience interviewing citizens, public officials, state legislators, coaches, etc.;

• Must have experience to learn/expand on knowledge of news and photography;

• Must be conscientious about communicating with the executive editor, reporters, photographers and design team;

• Must be able to stay on top of tasks for reporters, photographers and designers ;

• Must be willing to work the occasional late night or weekend;

• Must be willing to take direction, admit mistakes and demonstrate an understanding of the solutions needed to progress in the job.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

At least 2 years as an editor or management role:

• Preferred experience as a journalist covering government, education and business;

• Preferred bachelor's degree in mass communications and journalism;

• Preferred experience with Adobe Suite programs InDesign and Photoshop;

• Preferred experience with Google Docs and Sheets;

• Preferred experience with instant messaging services such as Slack.

STARTING SALARY: $60,000/year + benefits