We use cookies to improve and customise your experience, for analytics and metrics, and to track any purchases you make both on this website and on others. To find out more about the cookies we use see our cookie policy
More info
- Lead the team at a newspaper or magazine, deciding on what stories to publish and how the publication looks
- Varied, fast-paced work, where you'll need to have great awareness of current affairs
- Work your way up to high-profile publications, or move into online publications
DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES
- Commission articles
- Choose which articles to publish
- Decide how they'll be laid out for publishing
- Assess work sent from freelance journalists, photographers and illustrators
- 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
DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT
You'll most likely work in an office.
You'll need
For this role, you'll need knowledge of English language, media production and communication, the ability to read English, excellent verbal and written communication skills, thoroughness and attention to detail, the ability to work well with others, and flexibility and openness to change.
You'll usually start by doing a degree in English, journalism or media studies. You can do a postgraduate qualification in publishing or journalism if your first degree is not related to the industry. If you want to work for a specialist publication like a medical or scientific journal, you're likely to need a degree or postgraduate qualification and a high level of specialist subject knowledge.
You can start as a reporter or journalist with a regional newspaper or magazine and work your way up. Competition is high, so you'll have an advantage with a degree.
You'll need experience before applying, such as volunteering for student and community newspapers, keeping an online blog, having an online presence on sites such as Twitter, or submitting articles and reviews to local papers or websites. This is a good way to develop contacts, as many jobs are not advertised.
Alternatively, you could take a proofreading or editing course, like the ones offered by the National Council for the Training of Journalists, the Society for Editors and Proofreaders and The Publishing Training Centre.
CAREER PROSPECTS
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.