We are seeking an assignment editor who can carry our news day into the evening and help drive our news report across platforms. They will work closely with the morning editor and other managers and staff to determine the stories that we are covering each day on LAist.com and across our radio and on-demand platforms. This person is eager to help reinvent the scope of our daily news report and make it truly cross-platform. That means delivering top headlines with creativity and thinking beyond the basics — and also holding firm on what we aren’t going to do. They will work with a dedicated team of journalists, have a passion for daily news, share our commitment to deliver innovative and insightful storytelling, have strong news judgment and the ability to lead and bring out the best in people.
Our newsroom is known as a leader in engaged journalism, an approach that prioritizes listening to our community members and framing stories to meet their information needs. This extends into our daily reporting and this editor will be expected to understand and embrace this approach.
The Afternoon Editor, Daily News will share in a major component of our newsroom strategy: growing our audience across platforms with dynamic daily news reporting.
Position Responsibility:
- Lead daily editorial meetings and work with other editors to determine the assignments of the day.
- Maintain a daily news calendar and be involved in long-term planning.
- Play a lead role in keeping the newsroom on track to meet audience growth goals.
- Edit web stories, radio scripts and newsletters.
- Understand and deploy our promise to practice diversity, equity and inclusion in how we assign, report, edit, produce and distribute our journalism.
- Participate in the editorial leadership team, helping plan and execute coverage across desks, develop new approaches for cross-platform reporting.
- Provide clear guidance, feedback and supervision to assigned staff. This includes editorial and performance assessment.
- Work with other members of the management team to provide strong, consistent leadership of the department.
- Assist in development and implementation of editorial and programming policies to achieve consistent, reliable quality and depth.
- Supervise, train and manage direct staff through coaching, mentorship, performance meetings and on-going feedback. Involve senior managers and HR on performance issues as needed.
- Foster a creative and productive work environment. Create development opportunities and individualized development plans for staff and training to enhance skills and foster growth.
- Represent newsroom internally and externally.
- Other duties as assigned.
Required Education and Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in Journalism or related field, or equivalent work experience.
- Two years editing or equivalent experience, including experience of managing the work of others. Minimum of 5 years’ experience in reporting.
- Experience reporting or editing in Southern California preferred.
- Experience in maintaining high journalistic standards under deadline pressure, including standards of objectivity, balance and fairness.
- Some experience providing work direction or supervisory experience.
- Experience assigning stories and editing copy.
- Experience with digital audio editing systems (or willingness and aptitude to learn).
- Experience with digital news production and presentation.
Required Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:
- Strong writing, editing, essential.
- Knowledge of broadcast journalism and public radio, or ability and willingness to learn.
- Knowledge of styles for digital and radio (AP and our internal Style Guide) , or ability and willingness to learn.
- Demonstrated ability to make decisions on deadline, direct coverage and communicate effectively with colleagues and supervisors.
- Ability to effectively execute multiple assignments on deadline.
- Leadership and personnel skills and ability to develop high performing teams.
- A strong commitment to principles of diversity, equity and inclusion.
- Ability to consistently work well with others and to inspire and lead the staff.
- Strong communication skills and passion for building community relationships via networking both in-person and through social media/online.
- Editing skills: has an understanding of need for interpretative reporting on complex issues.
- Ability to develop complex story ideas that provide analysis and add context.
- Ability to use non-traditional approaches, and community engagement tools/methods, crowdsourcing and digital newsgathering techniques, including curation and aggregation.
- Well-established contacts and knowledge of the journalism community.
- Commitment to public service journalism.
Preferred Skills and Experience:
- Fluency in Spanish or other languages commonly used in Southern California.
Reporting To This Position:
- At least three direct reports
Compensation: It will be no less than $87,694 annualized and no more than $112,000 annualized.
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