Editorial Structure and Staff Responsibilities

Building an effective editorial board is a crucial step for any publication, whether you're starting fresh or looking to enhance an existing team. In this post, we'll explore some key considerations for assembling an efficient editorial board.

An editorial board structured like a pyramid enhances the organization and efficiency of the editorial process.

As shown in the pyramid structure, there should be more managing editors than the editor in chief, more section editors than managing editors, and more writers than section editors. This makes sense in the context of the responsibilities that come with each role.

Leadership and Responsibilities

Editor-in-Chief

Leadership and Responsibilities

• Responsible for the successful cooperation of the newspaper staff, regular publication, and long-term planning.

• Go-to person for every editor.

• Takes final responsibility for the publication along with the adviser and represents the publication.

• Reserves the right to veto an article if necessary.

• Finds ways to motivate the staff and create a warm environment.

• Mediates any conflicts among staff members.

Editorial Duties

• Publishes articles along with the managing editor(s).

• Writes articles on a rotating basis with other editors.

• Checks all work done by other editors and approves/vetoes any changes.

• Updates the publication outline.

• Updates staff bios at the beginning of the year.

• Edits style guides and the Staff Manual.

• Prepares staff updates.

• Holds staff accountable for meeting deadlines.

Meetings and Coordination

• Regularly meets with school administration to get articles approved for publication.

• Meets regularly outside of school with the adviser and other editors.

• Chairs editorial board meetings, in which editors discuss:

  • Editorial ideas

  • Story assignment ideas

  • Internal feedback

  • Mission statement/policies

  • Modifications to editing and writing guidelines

  • Potential changes to the publication, infrastructure, staff responsibilities, or protocol.

Support and Development

• Helps any staff member who is struggling with story ideas or the writing process.

• Prepares mini-lessons frequently to improve staff writing skills.

• Works with the adviser to create standards for staff members.

Technical and Logistical Tasks

• Addresses any problems with the website and contacts SNO for guidance when necessary.

Managing Editor(s) 

Collaborative Responsibilities

• Collaborates with the EIC, Section Editors, and the adviser.

• Participates in all editorial board meetings.

• Helps the EIC manage deadlines and manage all staff.

• Assumes the duties of editor-in-chief with the adviser when EIC is not present.

Editorial Duties

• Looks at articles edited by the section editors.

• Spend more time editing opinion pieces, editorials, and long-form features than on news/sports.

• Fact checks articles.

• Make decisions on the time sensitivity of articles and when to publish them.

• Hands off articles to the EIC to publish or publishes articles with EIC permission.

• Writes or assigns any time-sensitive news articles when necessary.

• Writes articles on a rotating basis with other editors.

• Creates potential story ideas for staff writers.

Guidance and Support

• Helps any staff member who is struggling with story ideas and/or the writing process.

• Teaches new writers the Staff Manual.

Technical and Logistical Tasks

• Addresses any problems with the website and contacts SNO for guidance when necessary.

• Updates the Staff Outline.

• Edits style guides and the Staff Manual.

Section Editors 

Collaborative Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the EIC, Managing Editor(s), and the adviser.

• Participate in or communicate about editorial board meetings.

• Collect feedback and ideas from writers and communicate any ideas/feedback from the writers to the EIC during board meetings.

Editorial Duties

• Edit all peer-edited articles (including captions and headlines) and update the Staff Outline accordingly.

• Write articles on a rotating basis with other editors.

• Can publish articles with permission from the EIC or the Managing Editor(s).

• Write or assign any time-sensitive news articles when necessary.

• Create potential story ideas for staff writers.

• Fact check articles.

Guidance and Support

• Help any staff member who is struggling with story ideas and/or the writing process.

• Teach new writers the Staff Manual.

Additional Responsibilities

• Assume the duties of editor-in-chief with the adviser when the EIC/Managing Editor(s) are not present.

Photography Editors 

• Edit any photos that require color-correcting that the editor-in-chief assigns 

Social Media Editors 

• Design social media posts and runs social media accounts

Staff Writers

Professional Responsibilities

• Contribute to positive newsroom culture.

• Meet deadlines.

• Learn and adhere to the ethical journalism standards of the newspaper.

Attendance and Participation

• Be there for all work sessions and inform the adviser if you will be absent.

• Must make up for absences.

Journalistic Standards

• No lazy journalism: research, interview, and actively seek information.

• Use reliable and credible sources only for research.

• Use the Story Brainstorming Guide from the Staff Manual.

• Stories must be approved by the editing chain of command before writing.

Writing and Editing

• Use the writing guide for the genre of article you write.

• Use the editing guide to edit your article, including your headline, subheadline, and captions.

• Regularly check the Staff Pipeline for progress updates on your article.

A well-structured editorial board is the backbone of any successful student publication. By establishing clear roles, responsibilities, and a hierarchy that supports collaboration, newsrooms can operate more efficiently and produce higher-quality journalism.