Editors as a Brand, Jesse Snyder

The Expectation of Editors

Editors are expected to write within the parameters of the newspapers that employ them. Unlike Blogging, editors of newspapers and magazines write and edit their work within the boundaries of a company or corporation. This gives them a brand name of sorts. As Katrine Sorensen wrote in her blog post, "As journalists it is important to remember that you are a professional who represents the company at all times - they own your name so to speak." This is important to remember as a journalist, but even more so as an editor. When working as a buffer for any newspaper, it is imperative to edit in a way that suits its overall layout and style. It's the editors job to promote a newspaper's image and write in a way that meets its standards.


Magazines vs. Daily Newspapers

Every major newspaper or magazine has a slightly different way of portraying the news. Magazines are inherently more eye-catching than daily newspapers, and editors working for either are given a specific way to illuminate its inherent qualities. A magazine like MacLeans, for instance, writes the same story as a daily like The Globe And Mail, but makes it a little more eye-catching or controversial than the former. When the H1N1 virus broke out in October, there was a lot of heat on the B.C. government for supposedly not being prepared enough for the potential pandemic. An article by The Globe And Mail on the scandal was entitled, "B.C. not prepared for H1N1:Report." Meanwhile, at around the same time an article by MacLeans on the same topic was entitled, "The flu shot screw-up." Every newspaper is trying to target a different audience, uses different CP style specifics, and covers certain topics more than others. It is an editors job to recognize this and edit content in a way that fits the mold of the newspaper or magazine that employs them. When it comes down to it, editors are really just advertising a brand name. They are like rats.

Note: Image from librarian.net website.