EDITOR – Online and News: Job Description – Index on Censorship
Overview: The Editor (online and news) (EON) leads and manages Index’s editorial coverage online and the Index website as a whole (including publishing advocacy, events and communications outputs). The Editor (online and news) reports to the CEO. This is a vital senior management post, and will play an important role in the implementation of Index’s new strategic framework, including the development of our key themes, increasing the international range of Index’s work and the integration of our editorial and advocacy
work.
This senior post combines strategic and management ability with hands-on news, analysis, editorial and writing ability.
The Editor (online and news) will lead Index’s editorial coverage of free speech issues at national, regional and international levels, from daily news to features, debates, analysis and interviews on a weekly and monthly basis. He or she coordinates Index writers, editors, regional correspondents and translators. The editor must be able to provide clear leadership, and to manage, commission and plan for editorial output that is wide-ranging, diverse, fresh, and exclusive and that reflects and contributes to the overarching Index
strategy. He or she will also contribute his/her own high quality writing and analysis.
The job involves taking a strategic overview of all our editorial output, and working closely with other colleagues on the effective integration of web editorial output and our longer form magazine coverage and on the strategic integration of editorial and advocacy. He or she will ensure excellent editorial coverage, with the CEO and campaigns and advocacy colleagues, of our five priority themes covering the following free expression challenges: digital; authoritarian regimes; democracies; access; and religion and culture. He/she will
have the editorial and strategic ability to target and increase audiences and play a leading role in our audience strategy.
Main Responsibilities
To plan and to implement a strategic, integrated editorial strategy as a core part of Index’s overall strategy.
To coordinate, lead and manage Index writers, editors, regional correspondents to produce news coverage, analysis, features and debates on free speech issues at national (UK), regional and international levels and to develop audio-visual content for
the site.
To work with, and as appropriate lead, advocacy, policy, events and communications colleagues in planning and creating high quality content for the site that covers our themes and priority countries. To prepare web pages, editing, writing and updating, adding links, and appropriate audio and visual material. To ensure our web site, blogs and digital work cover all of Index activities in a hard-hitting, strategic, high impact, innovative and expert manner.
To contribute to Index funding proposals both for editorial work and for cross-Index
projects and programmes.
To work with the Magazine Editor on increasing the integration of magazine output (within the constraints of its pay wall) with our other web output and repackaging it for social media audiences, including creating related and interactive web content.
To commission and edit, consistent with the Index style rules, guidelines and strategy (and to lead on these with the Magazine Editor), to transmit edited stories in a timely manner, managing contributors to ensure assignments are completed on time and of the highest quality.
To provide and discuss with Index writers story ideas related to Index’s themes.
To lead on Index’s social media strategy;To represent Index at Index events and at external events, to contribute to broadcast, web, print and social media.
To write high quality, well sourced analyses and stories that contribute to Index campaigns and to contribute to Index’s policy analysis;
To identify and build audiences for Index as part of our overall audience strategy and to play a leading role in the development of that strategy, including giving feedback on website design and content, keeping a “big picture” perspective on audience perceptions of Index, identifying trends and tools that could be used for sites/feeds, social networks and new innovations, etc.
To act as liaison between the IT support staff and the rest of the organisation
The Editor (online and news) reports to the CEO.
Competences – Essential:
Demonstrable and substantial leadership and management experience, including in strategy, planning and delivery and in motivating, coordinating and developing teams and individuals, and managing complex projects.
Strategic vision, ability and skills to plan ahead and coordinate coverage strategically in order to fulfil Index´s goals of reporting, informing, promoting debate – and so creating awareness of free speech issues – and influencing decisions by those in power to support free expression around the world.
Excellent editing and writing skills, and substantial experience writing, editing and publishing online and in print.
Extensive experience of commissioning high quality, original output internationally and within an overarching strategic framework, and of integrating editorial and advocacy outputs.
Excellent understanding of, and experience in, building large, sustained audiences internationally including in an editorial and advocacy context and of how to communicate serious political and policy debates to a range of audiences.
Excellent knowledge of international politics and current affairs and debates (political, human rights, international human rights law etc), especially those related to free expression.
English at mother tongue level.
Excellent web and web content production. Technical skills:
Good at HTML: how a document is structured (doctype declaration, the head, the body, the tags and recognising external script and why it’s there); how HTML relates to CSS, and how markup affects appearance; and how to look at raw HTML code and remove or tweak elements without breaking the whole document.
CSS: how CSS syntax alters markup to change the look of a web page; how designers organise screen layout using wrappers, blocks, and floating elements, and that the appearance of content can be altered using custom tags.
Knowledge and experience supervising and managing servers.
Desirable:
Experience of working on human rights and understanding of international human rights law
Experience of working in and with NGOs and campaigners internationally including in the global South. Field experience – whether editorial or advocacy related.
Experience of advocacy and lobbying
Good oral communication skills, demonstrated experience of public speaking,
media commentary etcKnowledge of: PHP and SQL; XML; Flash; Photoshop; Macros in Microsoft Office; Javascript.
Other languages desirable
