In the case of a journalist considering a move into editorship, the key question is one of maturity. This is not a matter of age, nor even, ultimately, of professional experience, although both can help. It is about assessing your...
See more »
In the case of a journalist considering a move into editorship, the key question is one of maturity. This is not a matter of age, nor even, ultimately, of professional experience, although both can help. It is about assessing your own skills, attitudes and personal situation and deciding whether you are ready. When you apply for your first editorship, you can be sure this question will be uppermost in the minds of those assessing you in dissertation editing. You will need the confidence that comes from a thorough mastery of the fundamentals of journalism. You will, probably, have achieved most of your ambitions as a reporter, writer, section editor or sub-editor. These may have been private triumphs, for instance producing a substantial number of news ’splashes’ or cover features, dissertation editing successful supplements or mastering the complexities of production. Or you may have achieved outside recognition in the shape of awards, appropriate compensation and interim promotions. It is not always a good idea to embark upon editorship while there are still stories you are burning to write. But there is a more important type of maturity. You must ask yourself how you will cope with the responsibilities of leadership. Immediately, you will find yourself removed from your former peers. You will have business you can discuss with no-one. You will have to give instructions and advice to those who are older and sometimes more experienced than you. You will have to praise without patronising and, on occasions, to reprimand. You will have to turn down people’s pet ideas, refuse them pay rises, even, on occasion, end their employment. You must be ready to be the person that everyone turns to when there is a crisis, or when, as sometimes happens, no-one has any ideas. The option of passing the buck will no longer be available. You must be ready to take full legal and moral responsibility for what appears in your magazine, what happens in the editorial office and what happens to the magazine in its market. That may mean appearing before a judge to explain your actions in publishing a particular report, appearing at an industrial tribunal to stand up for your decision to dismiss someone, and standing up to a publisher whose commercial schemes threaten the editorial integrity of the magazine. Success in all these tasks demands strong resolve, supportive domestic circumstances, good health, excellent technical knowledge and skills, but above all, great personal maturity in dissertation editing.
See less »
Kaboodle will send you a newsletter and updates from your friends. You can unsubscribe at any time. Kaboodle does not sell or share your email address or personal information with anyone.
Kaboodle requires all users to provide their real date of birth as both a safety precaution and as a means
of preserving the integrity of the site. You will be able to hide this information from your profile if you wish.
Added by 1 people