JOB DESCRIPTIONS and EXPECTATIONS

for
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDITORS
2016-2017
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: The editor-in-chief (EIC) is the most responsible person on the
papers staff. The EID works closely with the adviser to plan each issue, to run
editorial and staff meetings, to supervise and help other editors, to troubleshoot any
problems, to represent The paper at meetings in or out of school, and to set the
tone of the newspaper for the staff and the school. The EIC establishes a team
approach to publishing the newspaper, making sure that all members of editors
and writers work for a single purpose: to publish the best high school newspaper
possible. The EIC organizes training sessions for all members of the staff, both
editors and writers. The EIC is totally responsible for everything The paper
publishes. Therefore, the EIC must maintain open communication with all editors,
writers and the adviser. The EIC, working with the adviser, plans a production
calendar for every issue. The EIC meets with section editors to generate story ideas.
The EIC reads, edits, and reviews all content in The paper before it goes to the
printer. The EIC ensures that The paper is appropriately efficiently delivered to the
school community, both students and faculty. The EIC leads an evaluation of every
issue of The paper in a meeting of the editorial board. If anything needs doing, the
EIC takes charge and does it or makes sure it gets done. The EIC takes credit for The
papers successes and accepts responsibility for The papers problems. The EIC
makes The paper a winner. A successful online editor should have both strong
technological and excellent writing skills. (SPECIAL NOTE: If The paper has coeditors-in-chief, both EICs decide between themselves and with the adviser how
specific responsibilities are divided between the two. In any case, the last sentence
of the above paragraph applies to both.)
(SPECIAL SITUATION: While much of The papers work is accomplished during afterschool hours [between 3:40 and 5:00], the EIC often has to spend longer hours,
especially as we near the printing stage. Therefore, transportation must be
arranged.)
ASSOCIATE EDITOR: The associate editor works closely with the EIC as an
assistant. In some cases, the associate editor may be considered to be in training to
become an EIC sometime in the future. Such an appointment, however, is not
guaranteed. The associate editor assumes responsibility for special projects that
The paper undertakes projects such as planning themes for special issues, working
with section editors who need help, running special meetings of staff writers. The
associate editor also works with the EIC in reviewing each publication before it goes
to print, often specializing in such specifics as headlines, layouts, captions, page
references. The associate editor works assists the production editor with each of the
items listed in the previous sentence. The associate editor alerts the EIC and adviser
of any problems or situations that interfere with a team approach to publish The
paper. The associate editor helps to keep The paper intact.

PRODUCTION EDITOR: The production editor manages the technology of The

paper. Working with the section editors, the production editor supervises the layout
and placement of every section and page. Working with the EIC, the production
editor arranges and places advertising on appropriate pages. Working with the
associate editor, the production editor pays special attention to the appearance and
special details of the newspaper. Our paper uses MSPublisher as it software
program. Therefore, the production editor must know this program and be able to
train section editors in its use. The production editor is a key person in the total
Paper process, so this editor must be an exceptionally responsible person and team
player, one on whom everyone can depend to do an excellent job. The production
editor, with the approval of the EIC and adviser, may designate an assistant,
someone who is technologically proficient, to help with these responsibilities.
SECTION EDITOR: A section editor specializes in one part of the newspaper: for
example, news, opinion, entertainment, sports, feature. At a meeting with the EIC
and associate editor, the section editors determine how the content of our paper
will be organized, who has responsibility for each section of the content, and what
expectations each section should meet. A section editor, in a meeting with the EIC
and associate editor, generates story ideas. In a meeting with writers, a section
editor hears writers ideas for stories, reviews story ideas already generated, and
determines which writer will work on which story. A section editor makes sure that
all writers know their deadlines and communicates with them periodically during the
writing process to ensure that writers are on task and whether any of them have
any problems with a story. A section editor helps any writer who needs help and
works with the writers to produce copy that is interesting, articulate, and
appropriate for The paper. A section editor works with the EIC to edit all copy and
with the production editor to format all articles so that they are ready for placement
in The paper. Therefore, a section editor should have excellent writing skills and
should know or learn the MSPublisher program in order to fulfill this responsibility. To
be a valuable member of Paper, a section editor must attend meetings called by the
EIC and must plan to work during after-school hours to edit and format copy.
BUSINESS MANAGER: The business manager cares for the advertising and
circulation of the paper. Advertising is often requested by local businesses and
services. The business manager communicates with prospective clients, negotiates
advertising space and applies the appropriate rates. Before officially accepting an
ad, the business manager must meet with the adviser to determine whether the
proposed ad is appropriate for a high school publication. On approval from the
adviser, the business manager obtains advertising copy, collects payment or sends
bills for each advertisement. Working with the production editor, the business
manager oversees the size and placement of every ad. The business manager may
organize a small group of students for an advertising staff, if approved by the
adviser and EIC. As part of the paper, the business manager is the link between the
staff and the readers.
STAFF ASSISTANT: A staff assistant works with a section editor as a mentor. The
assistant learns and applies skills that would help the assistant become a more

responsible part of the paper in future years. This is an ideal position for a freshman
and/or a staff writer who wants to apply for a leadership role in the future.
PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR: The photography editor works with everyone on the
paper. Primarily responsible for taking photographs that complement other peoples
articles, the photography editor may also propose to the EIC ideas for self-contained
photo stories. Section editors request and arrange photo ops with the photography
editor. The photography editor may develop a small corps of photographers to help.
Working with the online editor, the photography editor has an assortment of HHSrelated photographs suitable for posting on the pages.

EXPECTATIONS FOR EVERYONE TO MEET:

1. Everyone on the paper must know, understand, and apply the papers editorial
policy, which is printed on page two of every issue.
2. A newspaper editorial staff is a team. Teams work together. An editor who
experiences a conflict with the paper approach to publishing must find a way to
resolve the conflict or must resign from The paper editorial staff. All editors are
inter-dependent upon each other. As the saying goes: A chain is a strong as its
weakest link. Therefore, every editor must be ready to contribute a total effort to
each issue of The paper.
3. Every editor must write at least one article for every issue.
4. After-school hours are crucial and are work intensive. Editors usually work on
Tuesdays and Thursdays.
5. Schmoozing and musing are fun, but they often interfere with work. So, editors
are expected to maintain a focus on their work for The paper and to keep socializing
to a minimum during workshop sessions.
6. All editors should know or learn the MSPublishing program.
7. With the knowledge and permission of the EIC and production editor, some
formatting work may be done at home.
8. All editors should learn, review, and apply standards of good journalism and
writing as they are outlined in pages on the papers web pages.
9. Our paper must always be a winner. All editors are expected to cooperate with
and to help other editors when the need arises.
10. SUGGESTION: Editors often send their work to HHS and to home via e-mail or a
cloud drive. We suggest that editors use Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo.