1. Amy Poole
Job roles
Editor
In control of the content of the paper, the editor is totally responsible for
everything that is published and will be the person taken to court if anything
illegal is published.
Sub-Editor
Works with the editor to make decisions on content and then is responsible for
planning the pages, making decisions on the size of the stories and where
they should be placed on the page. Also checks stories written by reporters
for spelling, grammatical errors and to see if they have covered all aspects of
the story. Finally, once the space has been allocated and the story checked a
sub-editor also writes the headlines.
Reporters
General news reporters are the Leicester Mercury's news gatherers. They are
often allocated an area of Leicester to cover and have to get to know all the
influential people in that area: religious leaders, politicians, and school heads
and community group leaders. They spend a lot of their time on the phone
investigating stories. Some reporters specialise in certain areas such as
politics, education or business.
Technicians
Once pair of pages has been completed they are printed out in the form of a
photographic negative. This is then used to create a printing plate by placing it
on a sheet of aluminium coated with a material sensitive to the light. A strong
light is shone through the negative, hitting the plate and developing the image
of the pages. This plate is then sent on to the press team. The technicians in
this area often work under great pressure and must ensure the correct plates
are processed in the correct order, for the time they are needed.
You will now conduct your own research into the different roles involved in
producing a magazine. In your group answer the 4 questions and feedback
your research to the rest of the class:
1. What qualifications would be needed to fulfil this role in a professional
context?
2. What skills are needed?
3. Who will you be managing and why.
4. What are the main responsibilities?
5. Who are you responsible for?
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2. Amy Poole
Layout and design manager
Who they Manage?:
• Writers
• Photographers
• Designers
Reason for this
They have to be able to delegate to people and meet deadlines because it is
important as they are answerable to the editor if they don’t clearly meet
deadlines. Therefore, the layout managers have to negotiate with the writers
and photographers so they have time to research articles, articles, conduct
interviews and write them. Before they even go through the layout process the
layout editor has to wait for the sub editor to finish analysing the mistakes
before lay outing the articles on time with any added time to prefect the
article to a high standard as the writers and photographers are the ones who
structure the article both visually and structurally. This them means they the
writers and photographers create a direction for the layout manager to grasp
and bring to life the article through the information they showcase within their
magazine.
The main responsibilities/Skills :
• •have skills in software programming and graphics
• •have creativity and imagination
• •be adaptable and able to pick up new techniques
• •have good interpersonal and communication skills
• •be able to work on their own or in a team
• •be able to work to tight deadlines
• •be thorough and precise in their work
• •be able to multi-task
• Designing and creating theme a deeper meaning
• Oversee the designing process
• Structure the layout for the project
• Delegate among the team
• MANAGE PROBLEMS
Reason why these skills are important
The reason why the person is needed to be creative and have eye for
designing as they are the ones who have to the vision how the product will
look in the end to meet the target audience needs of the magazine and the
brief of the concept of the magazine from which the client has set.
Qualifications
•BTEC National Diploma in Art and Design (Multimedia), Computer Studies or
IT. Applicants typically need four GCSEs/S grades (A-C/1-3) or equivalent
qualifications and courses normally last two years, full time.
•SQA National Certificate in IT. Applicants normally require four GCSEs/S
grades (A-C/1-3), and courses normally last two years, full time.
•BTEC/SQA higher national diplomas. Colleges normally ask for at least one
A level/two H grades and four GCSEs/S grades (A-C/1-3), or a BTEC/SQA
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3. Amy Poole
national certificate/diploma in a relevant subject. Courses can be full time or
part time, and some colleges offer sandwich courses, with one year's work
experience.
•NVQs/SVQs are available in IT practitioner subjects, including Design at
Levels 2 to 4.
According to http://creativepool.co.uk/articles/jobdescriptions/web-designer-
and-web-developer-job-description
Why this is important
This is important to understand because IT skills are needed because the
layout for magazines are used within certain software’s such as Photoshop
and InDesign as it offers a more precise and effects for the layout manager to
get the best result for the magazine such as manipulation of texts to create
themes whether it is the front cover or the articles which is characteristic when
making any magazine.
Source of information:
http://jobs.virginia.gov/careerguides/GraphicDesignManagerGuide.htm
http://education-
portal.com/articles/Layout_Artist_Job_Description_Duties_and_Salary_Info.ht
m
Senior Photographer:
Managing
• photographers
A senior photographer is someone very high up within the photographer
sector that has overall impact on the other photographers shoots and
determines what they can or can’t use within the magazine. They can work
with other main editors to meet deadlines being given from the editor of the
magazine through negotiating when and what time they take the photos in
order to get the article finished on time. The senior photographer has to take
various shots and experiment with themes of the images to be able to
evaluate which pictures will suit the magazine through number pictures being
taken. Prior to this they would have meeting with the main editor to discuss
the concept of the theme which would be allowed for product and it may
change if the main editor isn’t impressed with the senior photographer
decisions.
Qualifications/skills
GCSEs/SCEs at Grade G/6 minimum or equivalent in English language and
maths. Qualifications in graphics and an IT-based subject are desirable.
•have excellent technical and photographic skills
•have good communication and people skills
•have good IT skills, especially with computer programs such as Photoshop
•be commercially aware and good at marketing themselves.
•have computer skills, especially with computer programs such as Photoshop
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4. Amy Poole
•have good communications skills
•be confident organising people
•be able to listen and interpret the client's needs
•be able to focus on getting a good picture no matter what is going on around
them
•have commercial awareness and be good at marketing themselves.
Art degree, gcse, A levels
The Main responsibilities:
• Take photos
• Organise the shoots
• Understand the concept from the brief
• Meet the deadlines
• Offer guidance to photographers.
These qualifications are important as the photographer has to have excellent
knowledge of being able to use special software and equipment when taking
photos in order to be able to get the best result for their pictures i.e through
Photoshop to manipulate for the magazines front cover and articles. They are
required to be creative and have excellent communications skills as they will
be delegating to other people how they want the shots to be shot i.e through
different angles like medium close up and eye level. There are some people
who have key photographic skills from courses from university and a levels in
order to understand the terminology being used within the industry and how
they operate through experience they have gained through studies.
Source information:
http://jobs.guardian.co.uk/job/4411835/photographer/?
utm_source=jobfeed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=JobFeedXml
%253aIndeed.co.uk&ProcessedTrackID=13452
News/Features Editor
Who they Manage?
• Writers
• Photographers
This management is important as they are at the centre of the action
therefore they have to able to negotiate between the two fields of job roles i.e
writers and photographers so that they can react to any broken news which
the features editor may need them to report at short notice i.e in the tv news
and magazines. Prior to the story they would along with the journalists
researched the story and concept with the editor to choose the best story to
target the audience and for the product. They would also work along with
subeditors to negotiate when the stories needed to be editied before so they
can be published.They would also need to negotiate with the layout designer
in order to be able fully complete the production stage while trying to meet the
professional deadline of the layout designer and the main editor deadline for
the whole process which can be stressful process.
Responsibilities
•overseeing the layout, appearance and content of feature articles;
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5. Amy Poole
•generating ideas for features with writing staff;
•commissioning articles from freelance and in-house writers;
•managing writing staff and freelance feature writers;
•editing and re-writing articles, some of which may be rejected or returned to
the writer for revision;
•overseeing artwork, design and photography for the features section of the
magazine;
•attending photo-shoots;
•organising meetings with writers and artists to discuss ideas for artwork,
layout and features;
•negotiating payments with freelance writers;
•dealing with legal matters;
•selecting feature articles for each issue;
•sending out briefs to writers which can include word count, deadline, fee and
writing style;
•proofreading all pages before going to press;
•raising the profile of the magazine;
•networking with others at industry events;
•assisting other staff to meet their deadlines
Why responsibilities important?
These responsibilities are important within the magazine process as the
features editor ensures that their publication is full of entertaining, informative
and newsworthy articles. This can also feature within their powers to
generate ideas for features; through commissioning work by freelance writers;
editing and proofreading; managing writing staff; and liaising with artists and
photographers. This is important through analysing the writers work they have
checked the content is right for the article itself in order not to give wrong
information which is important to do in this process in order get rid of potential
mistakes which wouldn’t make the magazine not effective .For example the
editor looks at how much the writer has wrote in the word count of the article
and which parts aren’t good or attractive within the article to make sure the
tone of article is professional and effective rather than looking amateur.
Qualifications
Graduate qualifications are useful within this career but are not always
essential. Postgraduate degrees in creative writing or English are deemed as
popular, and a postgraduate qualification in journalism is a useful way of
topping up an undergraduate degree gained in another subject. English is
important because this job is mainly writing based as the editor job is analyse
writers work through the tone and content article. English language and
literature qualifications as well as a creative writing play a pivotal role in
bringing to life the article and concept of the magazine. Through the feature
editor obtaining this English qualifications it helps them evaluate peoples work
more critically and professionally in
•confidence; the magazine interest to make it an overall success. Media can
be qualification for this job role because it can help form experience within the
job and important contracts within the media industry through understanding
how this job role works and the opportunities that can be created to further
develop the person’s skills.
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6. Amy Poole
Key Skills:
•creativity;
•persistence;
•the ability to take constructive criticism;
•management skills;
•the ability to multi-task;
•attention to detail;
•decisiveness;
•organisation skills;
•excellent writing skills.
Why these skills are important
These are important skills to have because it is important to establish where
the direction of the magazine is heading through analysing article itself and
the general message of the product which the writer has put into the article.
Therefore the feature editor has to give important yet critical feedback in order
to bring out the best of the article and for the magazine reputation which aims
to be a high standard. The person who undertakes this role has to have clear
communications skills and organisation skills as they are part of a
management who need to dictate what needs to be done a certain way while
trying to keep on top of deadlines being set by the main editor who is in
control of the production and wants feedback during the process how that
particular section is doing.
Sports Editor
Who they manage?
• Photographers
• Writers
• Contacts
The purpose of a sports editor is be in charge of range of sport journalists
ranging from ie basketball, formula one, football and etc in great detail in order
to establish and analyse the content the writers put into the article . The point
of understanding this as the sport editor role is that partly the role consists to
establish whether the information is it right and acknowledge parts that
unsuitable for the target audience within the article and by looking at the
original brief itself set by the editor. Prior to the management of this job role
itself it requires the person to have excellent knowledge of the sporting
industry i.e research and personal experience in order to give accurate
information and have a whole range of contacts to make effective stories
within the magazine through arranging this with the photographers and writers
to do make certain interviews happen. They would also have regular meetings
with photographers and writers to be able to evaluate the writing via the sub
editor and photos to choose the best one for the product. Sports editor
themselves are often are journalists who have progressed their writing ablity
to meet the highest standard.
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7. Amy Poole
Skills and qualifications:
• English language
• English literature
• Sports
• Creative writing
• Communications and Media
• Passion
• Computers IT
• Team player
Meaning behind this
The reason behind is that by having an important understanding they can
clearly structure their writing through technical language and tones to make
the article look and feel professional through understanding the purpose of the
genre itself sport in detail. What is also important is that IT skills and media
are crucial a way of getting the story to a bigger audience through the internet
i.e through social media such as twitter etc. Therefore the person has to be
able to adapt and reach out to specific contacts to attract the audience’s
attention to the story they are reporting rather than to the competitors. They
must also have the passion for sport while working a team to achieve the best
results while under a tight deadline to complete the article.
Roles and responsibilities:
• Review copy and correct errors in content, grammar, and punctuation,
following prescribed editorial style and formatting guidelines.
• Photograph or videotape news events, or request that a photographer be
assigned to provide such coverage.
• Develop ideas or material for columns or commentaries by analysing and
interpreting news, current issues, or personal experiences.
• Transmit news stories or reporting information from remote locations, using
equipment such as satellite phones, telephones, fax machines, or modems.
• Write columns, editorials, commentaries, or reviews that interpret events or
offer opinions.
• Conduct taped or filmed interviews or narratives.
• Present live or recorded commentary via broadcast media.
• Write reviews of sports, based on knowledge, judgment, or experience.
• Edit or assist in editing videos for broadcast.
Source: http://www.mymajors.com/skills-and-knowledge/Sports-Editor
Why important
This reason why this is important for sports editors do because they are in
charge to make this section within the magazine or news effective and stand
out than the others. Therefore they have to consider the legal and ethical
constraints when analysing peoples articles in order not conflict rules and
regulations which may jeopardise the article itself and magazine which isn’t
good or professional when making a professional magazine.
Entertainment Editor
Roles and responsibilities
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8. Amy Poole
Research from both the editors and journalists would be essential when
writing stories along with important negotiations meetings with sub editor to
get the stories mistakes rectified before being published. There would be also
further meetings with photographers and writers to display and create an
important theme being set from orders from entertainment editor and main
editor. The purpose of an entertainment editor is to be familiar with all
upcoming bands, concert events, and the latest movies within the
entertainment industry. This entertainment editor must be willing to attend
music concerts and review newly released movies in showcasing their
professional and personal opinion to the audience when writing the reviews in
order to attract people to article .This position can receive an enormous
amount of incoming mail with CDs, DVDs, press releases; it is up to the
entertainment editor to sort through and analyse the mail for possible stories.
This is partly down to the contacts the editor has have developed over the
course of their career who have contacted them to give them press releases.
Therefore when deciding which stories they would include within the
magazine they must taking into consideration the impact it will have on the
target audience if they were to choose the content within the magazine article.
Other roles responsibilities/skills/qualifications
• Works with associate entertainment and layout editors to determine
graphics ideas for Features cover
• Contributes constructive and helpful criticism of writers work
• Assign stories to journalist and photographers
• Attend a meeting with the editor.
• Creative Writing for structuring the articles
• Knowledge of Music , dramatic arts, gaming and media industry
• IT-able to use various software for manipulate of articles , and writing
stories
• English degree , A levels
• Forming important Contacts
Why this important
The reason why it is important to understand what is happening within the
important sectors of the industry i.e music, drama, media and gaming industry
in order to not mislead the audience by giving false information which isn’t
right as people are looking for reliable information when reading this section
within the article. This means the editor has to be even more critical when
analysing the authors work in order not allow any mistakes to be made. The
person has also to be computer literate as all stories as can be shown on
various platforms i.e internet and apps which the audience can view the
content so the editor has to make sure that the information that is put online
has no further mistakes as it wouldn’t look professional. They also have to
attend meetings with the main editor of the whole production in order to clarify
which stage of the stories are at, so that they make sure the deadline of the
set work of end product will be on time. The importance of using creative
writing and English within the job they can further build upon their writing skills
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9. Amy Poole
to create an effective article which can symbolise a specific theme which can
interest the target audience and the tone of the magazine.
What is even more important within the job entertainment editor itself is to
establish important contacts to make the story itself effective because without
being a well-established entertainment editor they won’t get high profile
stories to report to the audience involving well known celebrities. This means
with experience within the job role over amount of time they the editors will
progress up the social scale to be able to get those important contacts to
make the article effective is what the audience looks for.
Marketing and Advertising Manager
Roles and responsibilities.
The purpose of a marketing and advertising manager is to be able to delegate
among the marketing team to increase revenue and reputation of the
magazine through certain strategies they come up to achieve success. So
they have to have strong negotiation skills and communication in order to
target and fulfil advertisements within the magazine from outside advertisers
who are competing to be featured within magazine to maximise their own
reputation.
They work with the editor and other editors to make the product even more
attractive and promising through advising how they can market the product to
meet target audiences needs through the market team who do the necessarily
research into the target audience through questionnaires, focus groups .This
helps them improve the product to meet the demands of what the target
audience wants within their magazine through analysing strengths and
weaknesses. This can also determine what themes and content can be used
within that particular issue of the magazine which can add more value through
the marketing team offering special treatment to the issue by saying its
special edition and one off which draws the audience attention and more
revenue towards the magazine.
Skills and qualification
• Organising market research
• Writing press releases
• Arranging promotional events
• Assessing the results of a marketing campaign
• Assisting the manager in writing reports and analysing data
• Communicating with clients
• Business degrees, A levels
• Maths
• Media
Source : http://www.totaljobs.com/careers-advice/job-profile/marketing-
advertising-pr-jobs/marketing-assistant-job-description
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10. Amy Poole
The reason why business, media and maths is important because within the
job it requires the person to run a business admissions service which requires
charts and money detailing the results of sales in order clearly highlight areas
that needed highlighted so they be rectified when they approach the next
product in not repeat the mistakes. Media is an important skill within
marketing as it shows how the industry works and the purpose of researching
to achieve the best result when trying to market a product to meet the target
audience needs.
Now that you have looked at each of the roles you must allocate roles within
your group and then individually write up why you were given this role i.e.
skills, ability and general suitability for the job.
Zashia Editor:
The reason why Zashia is the editor of our magazine is that she can be
organised at times which is important to the job itself as at requires the person
to be organised to do the job justice while meeting deadlines. This is
important as she will have to set important deadlines for us as journalists and
editors to follow to meet the deadline on time. She has excellent
communication skills which would benefit our production as in the past she
has given feedback on my work when I was stuck and unsure of what do. This
will be important when I will be writing for the magazine as she will need to be
critical of my work so I can achieve the best results for the magazine.. She is
also not afraid to voice her opinions if she doesn’t like something which is
crucial when being editor to give critical feedback to make the product even
more successful and professional among the group.
Omar- news features entertainment editor
The reason why Omar is editor of the entertainment section because he has
clear communication skills which is needed to form important contacts around
the latest news and stories within the entertainment section. These skills are
important because he will produce an effective story which will hook the
audience which is the purpose of the editor by getting people involved within
the stories he made. He also has good writing skills and good knowledge of
the music industry and other popular stories which is needed to showcase
varied stories within this section which is important.
Layout designer- me
The reason why I’m a layout designer because I have a clear distinctive idea
how I want things to turn out which will be effective as I have found out when
making my Mixmag magazine which looked effective using Photoshop and
InDesign features to the best of my ability .Another reason why I am best
suited for this job is that I’m organised and able to work to a deadline as I
have shown in the past and currently I am able to take on feedback from tutor
to improve on my work. This will be important when I will take orders from the
editor when guiding the other journalist on when I want the deadline for the
work to be done for the layout. I have also shown I’m able to work from a
concept to create unique theme which will make the magazine effective which
when I will incorporate this within our student magazine.
Brad- sports news editor and features news
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11. Amy Poole
The reason why we have chosen brad as this role is that he is a keen sports
person as he is in a football team and has knowledge within this field which is
important when trying showcase this sport to the audience in a lot of detail
who don’t know much about this genre. He can be at times creative and
professional when writing his work which is important when undertaking this
role in order to maximise the result of the article as sport is an important
subject that needs this attention to detail as it a fun subject. Another reason
why we chosen him for this role is that he has important communication skills
needed to include people to take part within the article which will effective.
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