Breaking News Editor

Job Description

The Breaking News Editor manages a team of reporters who thrive on being first to break significant local news in Lancaster County across LancasterOnline’s digital platforms – web, social media, photo, video and text – and emphasizes accuracy, speed, thoroughness and powerful storytelling. 

The Breaking News Editor possesses sound news judgment, proven leadership and team-building skills, innovative approaches to show-and-tell journalism for all audiences and relentless and untiring pursuit of answers. Under the direction of the Director of Journalism, the Breaking News Editor will lead a team of multimedia journalists to provide fair, relevant and necessary coverage of all breaking news, going beyond crime and safety.  

That team will use our established guidelines to vet coverage, break news and follow with unique, interesting, user-friendly content. The breaking news editor is informed by both digital analytics and strong news judgment in making coverage decisions for an audience that primarily resides in Lancaster County. This leader is responsible for ensuring the work of fast-paced breaking team members meets the highest journalistic standards and collaborates with other editors. 

Job Requirements

Essential job functions 

• Perform all supervisory and leadership responsibilities associated with the newsroom, including motivating, coaching, training, appraising, rewarding and disciplining, and addressing complaints and resolving issues of the employees. Also, as part of a team, will be responsible for interviewing and hiring new talent for the breaking news team. 

• Supervise and facilitate the work of a reporting team dedicated to generating stories that are fair, balanced, accurate, compelling, and have a positive impact in the communities we serve. Individuals on the team produce daily beat content for digital and multimedia packages planned for digital or print presentation routinely each week. 

• Works closely with the digital team and social media manager on breaking news strategy and coverage.  

• Works closely with the Director of Journalism and team members using expertise and good judgment in selecting the most appropriate content for print and digital products to engage the audiences. 

• Use metrics/analytics to inform decisions on content assignments and placement across platforms. 

• Assign and edit copy as well as write headlines and captions as needed.  

• Create, edit and post video for site and social. 

• Attend daily morning and afternoon content meetings. Also, attend regular brainstorming meeting about newsroom projects. 

• Foster a newsroom work environment that champions excellent journalism, creativity, collaboration, teamwork and a sense of fulfillment. 

• Create and/or contribute to content as needed. 

In addition to the essential functions listed above, the employee is expected to exercise honesty, integrity and respect with all clients and co-workers, maintain a professional appearance and demeanor, demonstrate a positive attitude, communicate effectively with co-workers and clients, work with accuracy, efficiency, and attention to detail, respect the work environment and keep it as neat and clean as possible, and exercise initiative to learn new skills and tasks and to help co-workers when possible.   

Qualifications:   

• Bachelor's degree in journalism, communications, related field or equivalent experience.  

• At least 3-5 years’ experience in administration and supervision in a newsroom environment. 

• Proven ability to lead a team. 

• Excellent writing, editing and interpersonal communication skills. Knowledge of newsroom-specific editing, photography and wire handling is preferred. 

• Experience using wire services and publishing systems for all platforms. 

• Fluency in Web and social media technology as well as advanced knowledge of digital metrics and SEO. 

• Ability to work and collaborate in a mixed-media team environment, to multitask in a deadline-driven newsroom and to adapt constructively and creatively to change. 

• A firm grasp of current events particularly as they relate to LNP's Lancaster County area audience. 

• A keen interest in and knowledge of LNP competitors and partners. 

• Thorough familiarity with journalism and libel law. 

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