Career as Editor

An editor is a senior management role in the content-based industry. He oversees the content and style of the content to be published. An editor is accountable for everything that is published in the newspaper, magazines or tabloids including the positions of the elements beside stories.  An editor is responsible for assigning ideas of new stories to be covered. He or she read the content submissions, proofreads them and verifies facts. He or she finalises the stories for submission for publication. 

Assigning Stories

An editor is responsible for assigning stories to writers, content writers, journalists or reporters to research, take interviews and bring a story with correct facts for submission. 

Review Submission

An editor is accountable for reviewing the stories or copies provided by writers, content writers, copywriters, journalists or reporters. He or she ensures the quality of the story meets the publication standards.

Editing Content

An editor is responsible for providing direction to writers to revise the content of the article or manuscript. At this level, only the storyline is concerned without giving a second thought to grammar and style.

Proof Reading

An editor proofreads the copy before sending it for final submission. He or she removes grammatical errors and checks the tone of the language including facts and figures. He or she ensures the final copy matches the style of the publication.

There are various types of editors depending on the beat in which they are proficient. We have provided below some of the major types of editors working in print media.

Sports Editor: A sports editor possess a good knowledge of various sports, rules and regulations and the common terms used in it. A sports editor is responsible for editing the copies for the sports section of the newspaper, tabloid or related publication of similar interest. 

Business Editor:  A business editor stays up to date with the latest developments in the field of economics such as the stock market, fluctuations in prices of crude oil, gold and other materials that affect the economy. 

Entertainment Editor: An entertainment editor edits the copy that is based on the latest developments or events in the entertainment industry which includes upcoming films, events,  celebrities’ marriages and their personal life gossips.

Political Editor:  A political editor is one of the reputable job offered in the news industry. He or she keeps an eye on politicians to stay up to date on political matters. A political editor edits the copy that has information on major political events such as new bills, elections, rallies and other things. 

An Editor usually works in an office environment. In bigger organisations, he or she has provided with separate cabins to work with the least disturbance. An editor may conduct a meeting on daily basis with copywriters, content writers and reporters to provide guidelines on the quality of copy and what stories should be picked and given priority. An editor working in the print industry usually requires to work under strict deadlines therefore they are required to work overtime. Those who work on a freelance basis may have a more flexible schedule. 

Does Editor require travelling?

Not Likely

A print editor does not require travelling on a daily basis. He or she may often require to travel to attend important conferences organised by the editors guild or related associations. 

Employment Shifts

Full Time, Work From Home

Yes, a career as editor (print) involves working on a fixed schedule. He or she may work from early morning to late evenings or from mid noon to midnight. It depends on the functioning of the organisations. Editors working for magazines or tabloids usually work in day shift. While an editor working for newspaper publications requires to work till late at night to ensure every important story has nicely edited without any error and sent for publication. 

Employment Nature

Contractual, Permanent

An editor usually works on a full-time basis for print publications such as newspapers, tabloid and magazines. Several editors may find work on a freelance or contractual basis to edit and proofread content.  

Work Place

Office, Work From Home

A career as editor (print) is a desk-based job role. He or she least requires to move to other places or travel. 

Presence in Geographical Area

Semi-urban, Urban

The headquarters of print media publications are usually located in urban and semi-urban areas. Rural areas are least likely to provide good opportunities for editors. Delhi and Bengaluru provide exciting salary perks with numerous opportunities. The pay is slightly lesser in Pune, Chennai and Mumbai than the national average. 

Time Pressure

Likely

Yes, an editor requires to perform duties under frequent time pressure. He or she has to conduct meetings, assign stories, prioritise stories to be published on the front page and also finalise articles for an editorial section for providing a value-based opinion to reflect the editor’s understanding and ideologies.

Overtime Details

An editor usually requires to work till late nights to ensure successful submissions of the important stories and providing sufficient space for all the essential reports, dropping stories of least importance for the next day’s edition. He or she has to approve the layout and positioning of the stories, images and cartoons to be published.

Weekly Hours of Work

Min 35 Hours

Usually, the work hours of an editor in a newspaper publication are stretched. He or she worked till late at night to ensure successful submission of all the important news stories for the next day edition. 

Are you searching for requirements to become editor. Well, in order to acquire the role of editor you are required to develop several skill sets to produce the best copy for publications. We have described below major editor skills required on a daily basis.  

Creativity: An editor must possess proficiency in creative writing. He must to able to write crisp headlines and storylines giving it a sense of humour and sarcasm. You may get great examples of creativity in headlines in the copy of ‘The Hindu.’ 

Language Skills: An editor must be proficient in the language. He must have a strong vocabulary to improve the quality of the copy by replacing ordinary words with more effective or strong words that suit the situation or the description of the story. 

Attention to detail: An editor must be detail-oriented. He or she must possess knowledge of a piece of information that he or she is reviewing. An editor is responsible for fact-checking to ensure accuracy and trustworthiness. 

Interpersonal Skills: An editor has to go through numerous copies a day. He or she must possess interpersonal management skills to avoid any blunder. It becomes crucial to reach out to each copywriter in case of any doubts about the copy. 

We have provided the below certification courses for aspiring editors to upgrade their skills and knowledge to edit the copies for publications. 

There are numerous editorial positions that you may acquire while progressing in the print media industry. You may check the descriptions of the editorial role with varying job titles and know the career hierarchy of the editor. 

Copy Editor: In order to become an editor, one must possess the characteristics of a good copywriter. A copy editor is someone who refines the copy and polishes its language. He or she cross-checks all the necessary facts, information and all other elements.  

Sub Editor:  A sub-editor is also known as a copy editor. He or she is responsible for improving the quality of copy by fact-checking it and removing redundancies and grammatical errors. 

Associate Editor: An associate editor is supporting a managerial role. He or she is responsible for working under an editor for a specific section such as technology, business or other beats. 

Senior Editor: A senior-editor possesses a command over the language. He or she is responsible for writing and proofreading articles to ensure accuracy, consistency and quality. A senior editor creates ideas for content and oversees writing assignments. 

Deputy Editor: A deputy editor is someone who is responsible for the entire publication in the absence of the editor-in-chief. He or she reports to the editor-in-chief and functions as his or her other hand. 

Editor-in-Chief: An editor-in-chief is accountable for the overall publication and its supplements. He or she manages other editors and inspects the quality of their work. An editor-in-chief is in charge of a range of titles produced by a particular publisher. 

There is an abundance of opportunities for editors in the booming print industry. There was a time when the print industry struggled and numerous employees were laid off due to affected circulation in COVID-19 times when worldwide lockdown happened. But, the bad times are gone now. The print industry has started functioning and its circulation has again reached its peak numbers as it used to be. There are people who still rely on information provided by the print medium as it is most trustable as compared to other media platforms.  Individuals can find numerous opportunities in publishing houses and news organisations based on the publication of newspapers, magazines and tabloids. Several organisations publish weekly, fortnightly newspapers, magazines and tabloids. There are more than 100,000 language newspapers are registered with the registrar of language-specific lists. The pay offered to editors depends on the circulation of the publications.