How to hire an assignment editor

How to hire an assignment editor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step assignment editor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an assignment editor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new assignment editor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an assignment editor do?

Post an assignment editor job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the assignment editor you need to hire. Certain assignment editor roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect assignment editor also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of assignment editors and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Assignment Editor	Description	Hourly rate
   Assignment Editor	Editors plan, review, and revise content for publication.	$14-35
   Journalist	A journalist is responsible for creating written correspondence, covering various subjects as the management requires. This task involves a lot of research investigations, conducting interviews, and gathering reliable sources to verify the authenticity of data before releasing the articles on news portals and other social platforms... Show more	$18-45
   Reporter	In journalism, a reporter is responsible for relaying truthful and reliable information to the public audience through various mediums such as print and media. A reporter must ensure to gather necessary and factual data that are supported by interviews and comments of those involved, remain unbiased in all aspects, produce a concise and comprehensive informational material within an allotted time, and efficiently coordinate with every staff... Show more	$13-35

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Twitter
   • Assignment Desk
   • Phone Calls
   • News Management
   • Local News
   • Government Agencies
   • Social Media Sites
   • Newsgathering
   • Press Releases
   • News Reports
   • News Crews
   • FTP
   • Law Enforcement
   • News Gathering

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage all audio/video material logging, digitizing, and archiving.
   • Manage incoming and outgoing video footage from CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN, and affiliate stations.
   • Manage the Facebook/Twitter social media pages for the station and interact with viewers for the purposes of research and community morale.
   • Manage and create newsletter archives for NASA: http: //www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/home/index.html
   • Experience includes inbound and outbound news gathering via phone, monitoring scanners, sending and receiving video through feeds and FTP.
   • Assign the ENG and search for new histories and planning.

   More assignment editor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your assignment editor job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An assignment editor can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, assignment editors' average salary in mississippi is 59% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level assignment editors 58% less than senior-level assignment editors.
   • Certifications. An assignment editor with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an assignment editor's salary.

   Average assignment editor salary

   $48,582yearly

   $23.36 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level assignment editor salary

   $31,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average assignment editor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$66,744	$32
   2	Connecticut	$60,011	$29
   3	District of Columbia	$59,306	$29
   4	California	$55,146	$27
   5	Minnesota	$53,249	$26
   6	Washington	$52,781	$25
   7	Virginia	$52,707	$25
   8	Maryland	$51,133	$25
   9	Illinois	$50,952	$25
   10	Pennsylvania	$49,280	$24
   11	Massachusetts	$48,177	$23
   12	Maine	$47,787	$23
   13	Michigan	$46,408	$22
   14	New Mexico	$43,945	$21
   15	Ohio	$43,663	$21
   16	Colorado	$43,636	$21
   17	Texas	$43,194	$21
   18	Arizona	$42,735	$21
   19	Oklahoma	$41,295	$20
   20	Georgia	$40,218	$19

   Average assignment editor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	The Washington Post	$82,464	$39.65	2
   2	The Boston Globe	$72,237	$34.73	3
   3	ESPN	$66,328	$31.89	3
   4	Fox News	$63,022	$30.30
   5	Kenneth Copeland Ministries	$61,784	$29.70
   6	AccuWeather	$59,904	$28.80
   7	Sinclair Broadcast Group	$51,787	$24.90	91
   8	ViacomCBS	$51,470	$24.75
   9	TEGNA	$51,056	$24.55	35
   10	Middle East Broadcasting Network	$50,340	$24.20	2
   11	Gray Television	$50,073	$24.07	77
   12	The E.W. Scripps Company	$46,479	$22.35	21
   13	The Walt Disney Company	$45,818	$22.03	36
   14	Nexstar Media Group	$45,174	$21.72	28
   15	*n/a*	$44,535	$21.41
   16	Paramount	$42,180	$20.28	39
   17	WMSN FOX 47 News, Madison	$39,119	$18.81	91
   18	Hearst	$38,162	$18.35	119

4. Writing an assignment editor job description

   A job description for an assignment editor role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an assignment editor job description:

   Assignment editor job description example

   OVERVIEW OF THE COMPANY
   Fox TV Stations
   
   Fox Television Stations is one of the nation's largest owned-and-operated network broadcast groups, comprising 29 stations in 18 markets and covering over 37% of U.S. television homes. This includes seven duopolies in the top 10 markets: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, Washington, D.C. and Houston; as well as duopolies in Minneapolis, Phoenix, Orlando and Seattle.
   
   JOB DESCRIPTION
   The assignment desk is the HEART of the newsroom. The ideal assignment editor candidate is passionate about both breaking news and enterprise story generation. We're looking for someone with strong news judgment who will be an integral voice on our editorial team. Assignment editors must gather story information from various news sources and determine the newsworthiness. Decide what stories to cover and assign/dispatch crews by performing the following duties:
   
   ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
   Assist field crews in story development/completion; this includes, but is not limited to, providing directions to a location, providing contact information for a story, providing background information on a story, making preliminary calls to set-up a story. Listen to scanners and respond as required. Work independently to research story information. This can include but is not limited to, social media, web site searches, calling sources, FOX35 archives.Organize and manage news crews. Assign and dispatch crews for news vehicles including ENG/SNG vehicles.Assign live gear technology to crews as needed Communicate story developments to producers, field crews, web team, and managers.Call and arrange live shots and feeds with other FOX affiliates. Ensure continuity in coverage.Coordinate coverage of special events. Write, edit and post stories on the station's website and social media platforms; on-air, on-line, in-mobile and social.Develop and maintain professional relationships with sources. This includes, but is not limited to Public Information Officers, corporate spokespersons, public relations personnel, viewers, and members of the public.Create and maintain story files. Files should include contact information, background information, newspaper articles, official reports, phone numbers, and addresses.Professionally, respectfully and courteously answer incoming calls as quickly as possible. Must be able to communicate intelligibly, via telephone and e-mail, to news crews and callers. Respond to viewer questions and concerns.Responsible for daily sorting and distribution of incoming department e-mail and voicemail. Distribute information to the appropriate recipient.Stay informed on current events, journalistic practices and changing industry trends.Write coverage plans. Effectively communicate between shifts by writing detailed notes. Must be able to regularly and proficiently operate a personal computer, using a keyboard, and news related systems.Attend and participate in department editorial meetings. Provide suggestions for stories and participate in post-production critiques.Adhere to all professional broadcast journalism standards in regard to legal and ethical issues
   
   Other duties as assigned.Reliable, punctual, flexible Work varied hours, holidays, weekends and during severe weather situations as needed and/or scheduled.
   
   JOB RELATED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
   Positive AttitudeProblem Solving and Decision MakingCommitment to ExcellenceTake InitiativeTeamworkExperience in News Television StationIntegrityExcellent Communication Skills
   
   Regularly stand; walk, sit, reach with hands and arms; and; talk or hear. Occasionally required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. Regularly lift and/or move up to 30 pounds. Vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus.
   
   REQUIREMENT: A minimum of 3 years television news assignment desk experience. College or technical degree in in an applicable discipline such as broadcast journalism or communications. Thorough working knowledge of newsroom computers, the Internet and computer-assisted reporting. Excellent interpersonal, organizational and communication skills. Detail oriented.
   
   We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with applicable law.
   
   At FOX, we foster a culture and environment where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. We are deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including attracting, retaining, and promoting diverse talent across our company. We live in a diverse world, with different ideas and different perspectives that come together to spark new ideas and make great things happen. That means reflecting the diversity of the world around us is critical to our company's success. We ensure that our viewers, communities and employees feel heard, represented, and celebrated both on screen and off.Click here to learn more about the diverse communities of people behind our brands.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find assignment editors for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your assignment editor job on Zippia to find and attract quality assignment editor candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as problogger, media bistro, journalismjobs.com, content writing jobs.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting assignment editors requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new assignment editor

   Once you have selected a candidate for the assignment editor position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new assignment editor first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire an assignment editor?