News Editing: Introduction

Your coverage
· How to plan news coverage for a magazine or newspaper
· Identifying weak areas of coverage
· Turning a story round for your publication
· Dealing with late-breaking stories
· Ensuring you have a steady flow of story ideas presented to you

The news editor's role on your publication
· What is expected of you as news editor?
· Defining your role
· A look at you as leader and manager
· Managing your time effectively

Budgets
· How to win a realistic budget
· How to stick to that budget

Getting the most from your team
· How to ensure you have a clear understanding of the skills, abilities, problems and concerns of each member of your team
· How to ensure they trust and value you as their leader
Forward planning
· How to make sure your know what story generating diary events are coming up and that you have them covered
· How to anticipate news
· Controlling the diary and choosing the right reporter
· Deciding which stories to cover

Commissioning a detailed brief
· How to get what you want from reporters, feature writers and photographers
· How to handle the situation if you don't get the story you want

Editing copy
· When should you edit a piece of unsatisfactory copy yourself and when should you hand it back for additional work?
· Editing a news piece effectively

Keeping ahead of rivals
· Keeping reporters keen and sharp
· The role of the news meeting
· Finding off-diary stories

Questions and answers