Community Editor
Southeast Iowa Union Community Editor:
Summary: Responsibilities include managing the news staff and news content of the Southeast Iowa Union, particularly as it relates to your assigned community / coverage area. The Community Editor would collaborate with the other Community Editors to merge all content into a cohesive regional, 5-day-per-week publication and other affiliated print and digital news offerings. The position will also require writing / reporting, page layout, and regular meetings with the other Community Editors and the Publisher to help determine the direction of news content in our publications.
Responsibilities:
- Coaches the news staff to produce compelling news content with strong visual presentation in accordance with audience needs and product deadlines and standards.
- Works closely and equally with other Community Editors to produce quality news content & publications
- Develops individual ongoing training plans for news staff that focuses on growing skills, and presenting interesting stories in accordance with industry standards.
- Collaborates and works on an as needed basis with executive editor and other key newsroom staff in Cedar Rapids to help achieve content, presentation and other strategic goals.
- Some enterprise reporting, photography, page layout and design will be a function of this position
- Assist with planning and creation of special sections, products and/or services based on community need and feedback.
- Increase your, and by extension the newspapers, visibility in the community by attending community events and gatherings as the representative of the Southeast Iowa Union and affiliated publications. This would be considered above and beyond covering the event for news purposes.
- Ensures that publications contain timely and locally relevant news content
- Using a variety of data, including conversations in the communities, to ensure that the news content we produce drives readership and relevance in our publications
- Tracks trends on topical area and develops and cultivates sources (i.e. people, records, databases, etc.) across a wide variety of interests.
- Maintains a list of story ideas relevant to readers with emphasis on original enterprise stories that set an agenda for the city and county the publication serves. Takes ownership of topical area(s).
- Uses solid news judgement when communicating assignments and training to news staff.
- Identifies opportunities for using a variety of ways of storytelling (video, audio, pictures, text, etc.) and regularly finds opportunities to put the ideas into practice.
- Demonstrates proficiency in using existing and new tools to gather, display and report content and also present news in context. Attends training to learn and apply these tools.
- Adheres to all professional and company policies and ethical standards.
Job skills & attributes: Ideal candidate will be a flexible, self-motivated, creative go-getter and problem solver who works well with peers, superiors and those in their charge. Candidate must display technical aptitude and have strong ability to write and report well and distill complex subjects into understandable, accessible elements which in turn can be trained to news staff under their direction in a way that allows them to also grow their skills. Must have empathy and toughness and be a good listener. Must work well with others and be attentive to follow-up with staff, sources and customers. Candidate possesses basic desire to learn new skills.
Minimum Requirements: Preferred - undergraduate degree in journalism, English or related course of study. Must have valid driver's license and history of safe driving habits. Candidate must demonstrate ability to work quickly and accurately and must have ideas on how to present news in an ever-changing media landscape. Approximately 3 - 5 years experience in a multimedia newsroom is desired.
Salary: Salaried position