The Wall Street Journal is seeking skilled, highly creative editors for its fast-paced Publishing Desk in New York. These accomplished journalists are invigorated by the demands of the current news cycle and the importance of delivering top-quality stories and visuals to readers.
Senior publishing editors meet and maintain WSJ’s high standards through precise and concise editing, sharp and informative headlines and distinctive presentation, while taking on additional responsibilities to independently and quickly make decisions about breaking news, coordinate with core coverage chiefs to manage strategy on the top news of the day and oversee the work of colleagues.
These editors must understand the demands of a 24-hour news cycle and be comfortable with making high-level news decisions while in some cases leading a small team of publishing editors. These editors have excellent communication skills and are able to move fast, decisively and support colleagues in their work by giving clear direction. They help evaluate staff progress. The role also requires a strong appreciation of the needs of our various publishing platforms and the wherewithal to communicate with those overseers.
Successful candidates must have exceptional news judgment and the ability to sharply edit and elevate stories of all types with speed and depth under deadline pressure for a digital audience. In addition to breaking and top news of the day, these editors will work on lively, in-depth feature stories and graphics on a variety of core subjects valued by our readers. A deep interest in all areas of news, in particular finance, business and technology, is desired.
Editors on the publishing desk are versatile and possess the temperament to handle multiple articles and responsibilities across platforms in an efficient manner. The ability collaborate with reporters and editors around the world is essential.
Experience in digital journalism and publishing, plus an appreciation of modern and innovative storytelling techniques, is preferred. A desire to learn new skills is encouraged.
Journalistic skills
- Exercises exceptional news judgment in editing and fast-paced publishing.
- Demonstrates the ability to quickly and sharply edit for grammar, style, sense, jargon, accuracy, structure, balance and fairness.
- Proficient in numeracy and draws on a variety of general knowledge, confident in analyzing the data behind a story.
- Upholds Dow Jones standards and ethics in own work and that of others.
- Understands WSJ’s brand, content and various digital and print platforms.
- Thoroughly understands the core WSJ’s audiences, and their needs and expectations.
- Helps connect the content with the audience.
Media skills
- Skill with editing different types of media, e.g., text, graphics, social-media descriptions and photo captions.
- Understands the value of on-page and search-engine optimization, notably headlines and tags.
- Creates publishable story packages/article pages, including adding related links, visuals and other digital elements, that meet WSJ requirements.
- Assesses the digital performance of stories and make adjustments as needed.
- Deep knowledge of digital and social-media strategy and tools.
- Command of newsroom editorial tools, metadata and internal coding for WSJ and DJ Newswires.
Management skills
- Assigns or oversees other editors’ work. May manage workflow or participate in performance reviews.
- Assists in coaching individual editors, identifies training opportunities and participates in training presentations as needed.
- Makes coverage decisions when needed and organizes colleagues to execute plans.
- Leads by example and works well across teams.
- Aids in building collective skills across the editing team.
- Proactive rather than reactive.
- Communicates precisely, with compassion.
- Participates in recruiting and evaluating candidates during the hiring process.
- Participates in decision-making regarding disciplinary action and compensation.
To apply, go here.
