The Digital News Editor manages the teams that curate The Wall Street Journal’s digital experience across multiple platforms each hour of every day.
He or she works with Coverage Chiefs and the Chief News Editor to ensure digital presentation standards, keeping in mind the best news and features of the day as well as the special nuances of and opportunities afforded by each platform.
This person has a finger on the pulse of the news and, more importantly, a window into how each of our audience groups experiences it differently.
Tasks/Responsibilities
Content
- Advise and guide the coverage chiefs about story package requirements to ensure readers are offered the best possible digital presentation.
- Ensure all packages are given necessary tailoring to optimize for digital WSJ and non-WSJ platforms, including SEO, headline style and length, graphic sizing and legibility, photo-cropping, hyperlinking, etc. Provide feedback to Coverage Chiefs, Platform Editors and copy editors to improve future work.
- Working with the Audience & Analytics team, theEditor for Digital Content Strategy and the Product and Development team, track and maximize performance of story packages on digital platforms, make real-time adjustments in conjunction with individual Platform Editors and Bureau and Coverage Chiefs, and provide feedback to the Chief News Editor, Coverage Chiefs.
- Oversee the work of the Platform Editors as they curate and manage story packages and the main front-facing WSJ pages on all digital platforms based on news judgment, established priorities, audience behavior and performance.
- As needed, particularly for special news events such as elections, work with and advise News Planning Editor and Coverage Chiefs on presentation.
- Implement new strategies for alerts and notifications across all digital platforms, establish standards and put in place a plan for execution.
- Carry out A/B and multivariate testing on all platforms, optimize in real-time, and provide feedback on the results to coverage areas and Editor for Digital Content Strategy.
- Ensure high-impact off-platform and social media activities.
- Create and manage a 24/7 presentation strategy, overseeing the digital Platform Editors in New York and setting and ensuring standards are met in the WSJ newsrooms in London and Hong Kong.
Platform and workflows
- Regularly review each platform’s strategy (content, design, UX, navigation, personalization) based on industry standards and trends, audience behavior and editorial vision in close collaboration with Editor for Digital Content Strategy, the Product & Tech team and top news editors
- Work closely with the Editor for Digital Content Strategyand the Chief Technology Officer on product and content initiatives.
- Work with the Editor for Digital Content Strategy and the Product team on platform strategies for all digital WSJ platforms, and work with the Platform Editors to implement the strategies.
- With the Editor for Digital Content Strategy, answer the question “What does good look like?” when it comes to storytelling, content structure, story components, etc., and set KPIs for all digital editions in collaboration with the analytics team.
- Inform and coach the reporters and coverage-area editors so they understand these best practices and take them into account in their daily work.
- Regularly review and optimize the back-end functionality and usability of the digital platforms from WSJ users’ point of view. Work with development and tech teams on continuous improvement.
- Regularly review and improve the processes and workflows used to publish our digital journalism with the Coverage Chiefs, the Chief News Editor, and the Writing & Editing Chief.
- Ensure the user-friendly integration of text and non-text formats (i.e. seamless embedding and delivery of video), in conjunction with the Product & Tech team.
- With the coverage areas and News Planning Editor, plan for and implement special visual treatments of major events on WSJ and non-WSJ platforms.
- Work with the commercial team on the technical implementation of non-editorial and sponsored-content solutions that are in line with WSJ standards (e.g. microsites)
