Local News Editor

Lee Enterprises is seeking an experienced editor to manage operations at its Central Virginia weekly publications: the Greene County Record, Orange County Review and Madison Eagle.

The editor will be required to cooperate with a team of freelancers for the three weekly newspapers, collaborate with editors and their newsrooms in surrounding markets and coordinate original copy from Central Virginia as well as copy pulled from across the commonwealth and the nation.

The ideal candidate has experience writing and editing local government, education, business and sports stories, as well as editorials and columns. That candidate will also have strong time management skills and sound news judgment, able to think critically and plan ahead for a print product that goes to press once a week as well as a digital product that should provide real-time updates to the readers and residents of Greene, Orange and Madison counties.

Responsibilities

Maintaining the story budget and ensuring stories are ready for immediate digital publication and print publication by weekly deadlines.
Monitoring workflow from pitch to publication, keeping the newsrooms’ budget up to date and keeping freelance staff on deadline.
Line editing and copy editing stories to keep content tight in language and focused in narrative.
Finessing headlines for print and digital content to suit the medium and audience.
Analyzing audience data on a regular basis to help better understand what is working and what can be improved in strategies for digital presentation, social media and SEO.
Working regularly with senior editors at nearby newsrooms to coordinate reporting on and of Central Virginia.
Producing some content — stories, video, data visualization — as needed.