As a salaried employee, hours will vary, but the managing editor must be able to work a minimum average of 35 hours per week. As second-in-command of the newsroom, the managing editor is expected to assist the editor in all decisions. In particular, the managing editor will work with the newsroom staff to ensure complete, fair and accurate coverage; will work to ensure that the overall quality of the newspaper remains high; and specifically will be expected to:
- Assist and advise the editor in chief in decisions of newsroom policy and procedure, in the hiring of staff members and in the exercise of staff discipline and rewards
- Assist the editor in chief with the daily critique of the newspaper and Web site
- Coordinate and monitor all newsroom desks to ensure communication between those desks
- Work with reporters and editors to generate story ideas and help develop stories with the proper sourcing and approach
- Help organize larger news projects, such as a series of articles on a subject by one or more writers, a photo essay with an accompanying article, or a major front-page package with photos, graphics and text
- Help keep track of all stories in progress
- Meet daily deadlines and ensure all staff meet deadlines
- Assist staff in improving their work and reaching their potential
- Line edit all stories prior to publication to identify problems, such as libel, inaccuracy, wordiness or lack of clarity and have them ready in a timely manner for the copy desk
- Record any error caught during the editing process on the CQ Report
- Keep regular office hours
- Attend required staff meetings
- Attend week ahead meetings on Sunday, editorial board meetings twice a week and budget meetings at 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday
- Monitor the news daily to keep abreast of all issues that need to be covered and see that no pertinent news is missed
- Monitor article comments on ODE Web site
- Issue blog posts and/or Twitter alerts as needed
- Be available to line edit stories throughout the day as breaking news emerges and stories are posted to the Web site
- Write stories as needed or desired
- Take on or delegate additional duties, as needed
Direct supervisor: Editor in chief
