What does a story editor do?
An editor selects and edits the best news and stories to prepare them for publishing. Similarly, a story editor confers with their production chief to select writers and materials. Hiring, assigning, and supervising writers is also the responsibility of a story writer. They review the writers' work, read material, and assesses its potential development into scripts.
Story editor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real story editor resumes:
- Communicate with transportation managers, administrators, equipment operators and others for fulfillment of copy to achieve editorial goals.
- Maintain website content and Facebook page content for viewers.
- Collaborate with editor-in-chief to shape editorial direction of this monthly lifestyle magazine for the Chicago/Lake Michigan region.
- Read and copyedit manuscripts for publication
Story editor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 32% of Story Editors are proficient in Fiction, Story Development, and ABC. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Detail oriented, and Good judgment.
We break down the percentage of Story Editors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Fiction, 32%
Executed line-by-line editing for a fiction novel Delivered regular feedback and coaching to move project forward Facilitated remote meetings via Skype
- Story Development, 20%
Ensured reporters were thorough in their story development, either by pushing for more reporting or rewriting for depth and clarity.
- ABC, 15%
Directed, produced and edited more than two-hundred episodes of a political talk show for the local ABC affiliate.
- News Stories, 6%
Prepare rundown of news stories and assignment sheets, using computer.
- String Outs, 6%
Created string outs on Avid and assisted Story Producers on an upcoming Nat Geo docu- series.
- Documentaries, 5%
write, shoot, edit, and market my own documentaries
"fiction," "story development," and "abc" are among the most common skills that story editors use at work. You can find even more story editor responsibilities below, including:
Creativity. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a story editor to have is creativity. Their role and responsibilities require that "editors must be imaginative, curious, and knowledgeable in a broad range of topics." Story editors often use creativity in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "reviewed and evaluated fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction submissions to the cold mountain review. "
Detail oriented. Another essential skill to perform story editor duties is detail oriented. Story editors responsibilities require that "editors must be meticulous to ensure that material is error free and matches the style of a publication." Story editors also use detail oriented in their role according to a real resume snippet: "work directly with editors throughout the post-production process; providing detailspaper edits for the editors to work from. "
Good judgment. story editors are also known for good judgment, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to story editor responsibilities, because "editors decide whether certain stories are ethical and whether there is enough evidence to publish them." A story editor resume example shows how good judgment is used in the workplace: "utilized content planning, news judgment and seo for maximum audience reach. "
Interpersonal skills. story editor responsibilities often require "interpersonal skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "in working with writers, editors must have tact and the ability to guide and encourage them in their work." This resume example shows what story editors do with interpersonal skills on a typical day: "coordinated interpersonal relations between editorial staff, artists, writers and judges. "
Writing skills. Another common skill required for story editor responsibilities is "writing skills." This skill comes up in the duties of story editors all the time, as "editors ensure that all written content has correct grammar, punctuation, and syntax." An excerpt from a real story editor resume shows how this skill is central to what a story editor does: "read and evaluated submissions for fiction writing. "
The three companies that hire the most story editors are:
- The New York Times Company4 story editors jobs
- Godfrey Dadich Partners
1 story editors jobs
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Compare different story editors
Story editor vs. Editing internship
An editorial intern is responsible for assisting the editorial department of an organization with publishing various media and digital content. Editorial interns shadow tenured editorial staff on researching stories, validating information, writing captivating articles, interviewing target audiences, and screening submitted manuscripts. They also assist in planning promotional strategies and marketing campaigns, such as monitoring press releases, posting on social media platforms, and developing marketing materials. An editorial intern must have excellent organizational skills, most importantly, a fast-learner to understand complex tasks and perform assigned duties under minimal supervision.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, story editor responsibilities require skills like "cinema," "story development," "r," and "abc." Meanwhile a typical editing internship has skills in areas such as "video footage," "adobe photoshop," "photography," and "press releases." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
On average, editing interns reach similar levels of education than story editors. Editing interns are 2.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Story editor vs. Editorial internship
An editorial intern is responsible for assisting the editorial team in publishing digital and media content, writing articles, and managing readers' reviews. Editorial interns must have excellent knowledge of the industry they work for, suggesting the latest trends and featured topics, taking notes of the tenured employees' advice and observations, and actively joining brainstorming sessions. An editorial intern must be detail-oriented and take constructive feedback as an opportunity to learn. It is also crucial to have outstanding communication and proofreading skills and keep all the materials confidential until release.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real story editor resumes. While story editor responsibilities can utilize skills like "cinema," "r," "abc," and "string outs," editorial interns use skills like "fact-check," "editorial intern," "web content," and "twitter."
Editorial interns earn a lower average salary than story editors. But editorial interns earn the highest pay in the media industry, with an average salary of $33,508. Additionally, story editors earn the highest salaries in the media with average pay of $46,788 annually.In general, editorial interns achieve similar levels of education than story editors. They're 2.4% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Story editor vs. Editor, freelance
An Editor, Freelance is responsible for reading content and correcting for errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. They work with writers to help their ideas and stories succeed.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a story editor is likely to be skilled in "cinema," "story development," "r," and "news stories," while a typical editor, freelance is skilled in "music videos," "web content," "track changes," and "promotional videos."
Editors, freelance typically earn similar educational levels compared to story editors. Specifically, they're 4.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Story editor vs. Editor in chief
Even though a few skill sets overlap between story editors and editors in chief, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a story editor might have more use for skills like "cinema," "r," "abc," and "string outs." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of editors in chief require skills like "editor-in-chief," "edit content," "website content," and "editorial direction. "
Editors in chief enjoy the best pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $53,837. For comparison, story editors earn the highest salary in the media industry.In general, editors in chief hold similar degree levels compared to story editors. Editors in chief are 3.7% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 2.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of story editor
Updated January 8, 2025
