What is a Daily Editor?

A daily editor is one who works on a daily newspaper, producing content, checking copy for errors, writing articles, and assigning articles to reporters, among other duties. A daily editor might refer to the person who runs the newspaper, also known as the managing editor or editor-in-chief, or it may refer to a section editor. This person may be the entertainment editor, for example, and will be responsible for running his or her section, but will still report to the managing editor.

A daily editor typically spends most of his or her time in the newsroom, not out conducting interviews or gathering information for articles. Instead, when the editor writes pieces for the newspaper, they are often opinion or analysis pieces. Most editors regularly write articles for their newspapers, however, particularly daily editors who must produce a complete newspaper every day of the week.

Predominantly, a daily editor is responsible for determining the stories that will run in the newspaper. These will consist of a mixture of hard and soft news stories; hard news consists of local, national, and international events, for example, while soft news generally consists of human interest stories, such as music, arts, or charity events, to name a few. Typically, hard news will take priority over other types of news, and it is the job of the editor to be sure these stories are covered. The editor will assign reporters to investigate and write these stories, and will hold the reporters to their deadlines.

At most newspapers, the reporters are responsible for fact-checking and proofreading their own stories, though some larger newspapers might hire additional copy editors to do this job. Ultimately, though, it is the job of the daily editor to make sure that everything in the paper is accurate and correct, and that there are no glaring typos or other mistakes in any of the stories. Once the articles are turned in, the daily editor will determine what will run in the paper that day and what will take priority, and may then assist with creating the layout of the paper.

In a larger paper, the managing editor will likely meet with the other section editors to plan for subsequent editions. In addition to the duties on the newspaper, the daily editor might have other business responsibilities as well, such as finding advertisers for the paper, hiring and firing employees, and marketing and promoting the newspaper, among others. Editors typically have at least a bachelor's degree in journalism, though Master's degrees are increasingly common.