Western Courier Personnel Job Descriptions
Editor in Chief
1. Hires all department heads for the newspaper in accordance to Article VIII, Sec. B, Item 2 of the Courier Operations Manual.
2. Has final approval of all content in each issue of the paper and is responsible for ensuring the final reading of all final digital files before publication.
3. Ensure that the paper upholds all the canons of good journalism prescribed by the Society of Professional Journalists.
4. Acts as liaison between the staff, the Director of Student Publications and University Publications Board.
5. Supervises the design, layout, and proofing of each issue on production days.
6. May assign news, feature, editorial, and sports editors relevant topics for coverage; maintains a detailed daily features book of perspective story ideas, photo subjects, editorial, and column ideas for this purpose.
7. Schedules weekly staff meetings and editorial board meetings on a required attendance basis no later than two working days after the beginning of fall semester and presides over these meetings throughout the publication year.
8. With editorial staff assistance, may review the written Editorial Policy reflecting specific management staff goals and objectives regarding content decisions the staff will uphold during their year of press operation.
9. Establishes with the Business manager and Director of Student Publications a clearly defined, freelance pay rate schedule for writers and photographers.
10. Attends Publication Board meetings as a non-voting member of that board.
11. Participates in the rotation of writing columns, editorials, and highly pertinent news stories.
12. Daily opens and reads all correspondence addressed to the Editor in chief and immediately passes pertinent material on to appropriate department heads.
13. Maintains regular office hours on Monday through Friday during the publication year. Monitors all staff appointments to ensure members are maintaining their own office hours.
14. Informs the contract printer of the printing schedule.
15. Checks Courier e-mail account daily and purge all redundant messages.
16. When necessary, to serve as one of the drivers of the Courier delivery vehicle or any university vehicle for the purpose of performing official Courier duties.
Managing Editor
1. Assists the Editor in chief in the design, layout, and proofing of each issue.
2. Works every production day and maintains at least one office hour per day Monday though Friday.
3. Acts in the place of the Editor in chief and assumes those duties and responsibilities if the Editor in chief is unable to perform assigned functions.
4. In conjunction with the News editor, selects lead news stories, press releases, and wire and syndicate copy for each issue and assists in the editing of these materials for each issue.
5. Dummies any page the Editor in chief deems necessary; assists in layout and headline composition.
6. In conjunction with the advertising sales director, assists in assembling editorial content for special supplements.
7. Attends weekly staff meetings and editorial board meetings; presides over these meetings when the Editor in chief cannot be present.
8. Maintains a daily futures book of prospective story ideas, photo subjects, editorial topics and column ideas.
9. Participates in the rotation of writing columns, editorials, and prominent news stories.
10. Checks Courier e-mail account daily and purges all redundant messages.
11. When necessary, to serve as one of the drivers of the Courier delivery vehicle or any university vehicle for the purpose of performing official Courier duties.
News Editor
1. Responsible for the gathering and writing of news pertinent to the WIU campus community.
2. Checks daily with University Relations web site for information and published releases concerning newsworthy campus activities, events, organizations, and individuals.
3. Hires writers and makes related assignments.
4. Coordinates with the Photo editor for photographic coverage of news assignments.
5. Maintains a daily futures book of prospective story ideas and photo opportunities and briefs writers and photographers on purpose, focus, and angle of news assignments prior to coverage.
6. Provides the Editor in chief and Managing editor, in advance, a master assignment and schedule sheet of upcoming news articles and pictures for consideration in that day’s issue.
7. Writes major news stories and headlines; assists in designing, arranging, and grouping of news stories and photos on the news pages of each issue.
8. Attends required weekly staff and editorial board meetings.
9. Schedules periodic department meetings with all news writers to review department operations.
10. Implements and manages throughout the year a campus beat or assignment system for news gathering and reporting.
11. Works every production day and maintains at least one office hour per day Monday through Friday.
12. Checks Courier e-mail account daily and purges all redundant messages.
13. When necessary, to serve as one of the drivers of the Courier delivery vehicle or any university vehicle for the purpose of performing official Courier duties.
Opinions Editor
1. Responsible for gathering and writing editorials and columns for the editorial page(s) and designing, arranging, and laying out these pages.
2. Conscientiously adheres to the forum doctrine providing a free marketplace of ideas for all views protected by the 1st and 14th Amendments of the United States Constitution.
3. Coordinates with graphic artists for illustrations and cartoons for display elements which unify and complement editorial columns and letters to the editor.
4. Provides the Editor in chief and Managing editor, in advance, a weekly master schedule sheet of editorial subjects and column ideas for the week’s issues.
5. Attends required weekly staff and editorial board meetings.
6. Participates in the rotation of writing columns and editorials.
7. Daily opens and reads all correspondence and selects “letters to the editor” for publication; attempts to publish all verified letters in a timely fashion.
8. Works every production day and maintains at least one office hour per day Monday through Friday.
9. Checks Courier e-mail account daily and purges all redundant messages.
Sports Editor
1. Responsible for gathering and writing of sports news at WIU.
2. Communicates daily with the University Sports Information offices.
3. Hires sports writers and make related assignments.
4. Coordinates with the Photo editor for photographic coverage of sports events covered by sports writers.
5. Maintains a daily features book of upcoming sports events and photo opportunities and provides the Editor in chief and Managing editor, in advance, with a weekly master assignment and schedule sheet of upcoming sports articles and pictures for inclusion in that week’s issues.
6. Supervises and assists in the design and layout of sports pages for each issue and writes major sports stories and headlines.
7. Attends required weekly staff meetings.
8. Schedules periodic department meetings with all sports writers.
9. Works every production day and maintains at least one office hour per day Monday through Friday.
10. Checks Courier e-mail account daily and purges all redundant messages.
Production Manager
1. Responsible for the appearance of final layouts and electronic files of each issue.
2. Dummies all advertising inches for each issue and provides the Editor in chief with a complete set of page dummies at the end of each advertising production day; in conjunction with the Editor in chief determines page count and spot color placement.
3. Assists Ad manager in solving technical or space problems related to ad production.
4. Participates actively in the development of display advertising for publication.,
5. Hires, trains, and schedules production and typesetting personnel.
7. Performs electronic transfer and placement of display and classified advertising using computer network system.
8. Maintains cleanliness, neatness, and organization in the production room.
9. Attends required weekly staff meetings.
10. Assists advertising department with type style choices, sizes, and weights for display advertising.
11. Communicates equipment problems immediately to the newspaper.
12. Operates and maintains the Macintosh computer pagination system.
13. Schedules periodic meetings for typesetters and ad staff to review operations and presides over these meetings.
14. Works every production day and maintains at least one office hour per day Monday through Friday.
15. Checks Courier e-mail account daily and purges all redundant messages.
Assistant Production Manager
1. Assists the Production manager in the page dummying, layout, paste-up, and personnel management processes.
2. Operates and maintains the Macintosh computer systems.
3. Assists typesetters with technical problems related ad production, space allocation, and placement.
4. Communicates immediately to Production manager or Editor in chief any equipment, technical or personnel problems.
5. Attends regularly scheduled production department meetings and presides when Production manager cannot attend.
6. Works every production day and maintains at least three office hours per week during the annual publication schedule.
7. Checks Courier e-mail account daily and purges all redundant messages.
Photo Editor
1. Responsible for hiring and assigning photographers for all sections of the newspaper.
2. Coordinates with various editors for photographic coverage of events to ensure main stories are accompanied by related photos and takes important photos when necessary.
3. Supervises the electronic editing, sizing or correcting of photographs for the newspaper.
4. Monitors and accounts for camera gear signed out to photographic personnel.
5. Uses digital cameras, print and negative scanners, computer hardware, and software applications to create electronic pictures and graphics for print and web page publishing.
6. Keeps a futures book of upcoming photographic assignments and marks them on the desk calendar for photographers.
7. Supervises Assistant photo editor.
8. Keeps up-to-date digital photo files, CD’s, and DVD’s.
9. Attends required weekly staff meetings; schedules periodic departmental meetings to review operations and presides over these meetings.
10. Works every production day and maintains at least one office hour per day Monday through Friday.
11. Checks Courier e-mail account daily and purges all redundant messages.
Edge Editor
1. Responsible for covering entertainment, life style, and cultural news of special interest to the WIU community.
2. Maintains working communication with the News editor to avoid content duplication.
3. Hires Edge writers and makes related assignments.
4. Coordinates with any and all sources that would contribute to an entertainment directory to include campus activities scheduling director, bureau of cultural affairs, campus radio stations, and local community cultural activities personnel.
5. Coordinates with the photo editor for photographic coverage of Edge assignments.
6. Briefs writers and photographers about the purpose, focus, and angle of Edge assignments before coverage.
7. Maintains a futures book of prospective story ideas for upcoming assignments and writes major articles.
8. Supervises and assists in the design and layout of the Edge pages in each issue.
9. Attends required weekly staff meetings.
10. Schedules periodic department meetings with all Edge writers to review department operations and plan upcoming issues; presides over these meetings.
11. Works every production day and maintains at least three office hours per week during the publication year.
12. Checks Courier e-mail account daily and purges all redundant messages.
Business Manager
1. Compiles a monthly income and expense statement.
2. In conjunction with the Advertising manager sets the annual schedule of advertising rates and charges.
3. Makes daily cash deposits for all advertising revenue to the university business office; with assistance from Assistant Business manager performs a daily cash reconciliation of all cash on hand.
4. Performs general ledger computer accounting functions for income, expenses, and accounts receivable. Works with the Assistant Business manager to take action against those accounts more than 90 days in arrears.
6. Processes any orders for equipment and supplies necessary to operate the newspaper and composes all direct pay authorizations, request for purchase, and continuous purchase order authorizations.
7. Compiles a income/expense statement as needed for the Director of Student Publications or the University Publications Board.
8. Composes and verifies payrolls for salaried, hourly, free-lance, and commissioned staff members on a semi-monthly basis.
9. Attends required meetings.
10. Maintains at least one office hour per day Monday through Friday.
11. Checks Courier e-mail account daily and purges all redundant messages.
Advertising Manager
1. Responsible for gathering, proofing, and verifying publication of all ads for the newspaper.
2. Coordinates ad representative incentives and staff development programs.
3. Hires, trains, and supervises all salespersons engaged in gathering of ads.
4. Proofs all ads for each issue; determines make-good amounts for faulty advertising after conferring with the Editor in chief.
5. Assists advertising representatives with advertising invoicing, overdue accounts or customer relations problems.
6. Maintains at least one office hour on Tuesday and Thursday.
7. Works with the Director of Student Publications to redesign and update the Courier Rate Card & Publication Schedule for the succeeding publication year.
8. Checks Courier e-mail account daily and purges all redundant messages.
Assistant Advertising Manager
1. Responsible for all national advertising, inserts, special supplements and promotions.
2. Coordinates ad representative incentives and staff development programs.
3. In conjunction with the Ad manager and Managing editor maintains a comprehensive insertion log of all prepaid materials scheduled for insertion in upcoming issue.
4. Maintains comprehensive insertion files for all national advertising clients and mails tearsheets of published ads within a week of publication.
5. Attends required staff and ad department meetings.
6. Maintains at least two office hours per day Monday through Friday.
7. Checks Courier e-mail account daily and purges all redundant messages.
Copy Editor
1. Assists editors with all phases of the copy desk function in material preparation for publication on a schedule assigned by the Editor in chief.
2. Hires, trains, and schedules copy readers for weekly shifts to ensure all editorial and ad copy for each issue is proofed.
3. Using appropriate copy editing symbols and an appropriate writing utensil, finds and corrects the following errors in submitted hard copy manuscripts: factual, grammar, punctuation, spelling, mechanics, organization, coherence, exactness, and style.
4. Locates, researches, and corrects factual errors; immediately alerts the appropriate section editor and Editor in chief if any unverifiable material could expose the paper to legal difficulties.
5. Critically reads all content for factual accuracy, accuracy of sources, source identification, quotes in context, and proper qualifiers such as “alleged” when editing crime news.
6. Has a sound working knowledge of such legal pitfalls as libel, invasion of privacy, (particularly false light), and obscenity and brings potential problems involving any of these areas to the immediate attention of the respective editor and Editor in chief.
7. Fully understands and supports the 1st and 14th Amendment guarantees of press freedom and the fundamental rights to print, criticize, and report expression protected by those amendments and will not arbitrarily censor any content being edited.
8. Has a sound working knowledge of such legal defenses as “the principle of truth,” “ fair comment,” “privilege,” and “opinion” clearly labeled as such.
9. Revises or rewrites unsatisfactory copy to improve writing and content quality, but does not revise or rewrite for purely personal preferential reasons.
10. Attends weekly staff meetings.
11. Works every production day.
12. Checks Courier e-mail account daily and purges all redundant messages.
Assistant Business Manager
1. Assists the Business manager with billing, filing, and monthly statements.
2. Performs other related duties the Business manager assigns.
3. Attends required weekly staff meetings in place of the Business manager when that person cannot attend.
4. Checks Courier e-mail account daily and purges all redundant messages.
Assistant News Editor (s)
1. Assists News editor in gathering information about city and campus events and activities of interest to students as well as to assist with writing, and editing copy for news stories in each issue.
2. Assists the News editor in designing, arranging, laying-out, and proofing of pages.
3. Performs other news reporting duties the News editor specifies.
4. Attends weekly staff meetings and news department meetings; presides at the news department meetings when the News editor cannot be present.
5. Works every production day and maintains at least one office hour per day Monday through Friday during the publication year.
6. Checks Courier e-mail account daily and purges all redundant messages.
Assistant Sports Editor
1. Assists the sports editor in gathering information, and writing and editing articles for sports stories in each issue.
2. Assists the sports editor in designing, arranging, laying-out, and proofing of pages.
3. Performs other related duties the sports editor specifies.
4. Attends weekly staff meetings and sports meetings; presides at the sports department meetings when the editor cannot be present.
5. Works every production day and maintains at least one office hour per day Monday through Friday during the publication year.
6. Checks Courier e-mail account daily and purges all redundant messages.
Assistant Edge Editor
1. Assists the Edge editor in gathering information and writing and editing articles for each issue of the entertainment magazine.
2. Assists the Edge editor in designing, arranging, laying-out, and proofing of paste-ups.
3. Performs other related duties the Edge editor specifies.
4. Attends weekly staff meetings and Edge department meetings; presides at the Edge department meetings when the editor cannot attend.
5. Works every production day and maintains at least one office hour per day Monday through Friday during the publication year.
6. Checks Courier e-mail account daily and purges all redundant messages.
Assistant Photo Editor
1. Assists the Photo editor in shooting, processing, and printing photos for each issue.
2. Performs other related duties the Photo editor specifies.
3. Attends weekly staff meetings and photo department meetings; presides at the photo department meetings when the Photo editor cannot be present.
4. Works every production day and maintains at least one office hour per day Monday through Friday during the publication year.
5. Checks Courier e-mail account daily and purges all redundant messages.
Classified Advertising Designer
1. Typesets all classified advertising for each issue of the paper.
2. Accurately sorts and codes all classified, adding and deleting according to run date.
3. Immediately alerts production manager or editor in charge when noticing a classified containing potentially defamatory, threatening, or fraudulent content.
4. Files all typeset classified ad forms in appropriate run-date boxes for future references.
5. Immediately notifies Production manager, secretary, or Director of Student Publications when unable to typeset classifieds for an upcoming issue.
6. Attends periodic meetings and workshops the production manager schedules.
Copy Readers
1. Employ strong spelling, punctuation, mechanics, grammar, and other English composition skills to spot and correct errors in both computer typeset editorial “soft copy” and “hard copy” proofs.
2. Use the dictionary and thesauruses to check spelling accuracy and exactness in word choices but do not rewrite or edit content beyond the proofreading correction cycle.
3. Alert Production manager, or editor in charge to potentially defamatory, privacy invading, or plagiarized editorial content written to disk or output as the proof.
4. Immediately inform copy editor when unable to work assigned shift.
Typesetters
1. Input editorial and advertising copy on computer terminals from slugged manuscripts and speculative display advertising layouts; properly store and back up data for retrieval.
2. Employ accurate design, paragraph, font and type styles requested by editors and advertisers.
3. Queue disk data to appropriate laser printer for proofs and electronic output.
4. File finished display ad slicks and original copy in appropriate section boxes.
5. Alert production manager or editor in charge when noticing potentially defamatory, threatening, privacy invading, or fraudulent content.
6. Attend periodic typesetting meetings and workshops the Production manager schedules.
Graphic Artist (s)
1. Design and produce advertising artwork.
2. Work hours Production manager schedules and immediately notify Editor in chief, secretary, or Director of Student Publications if unable to meet schedule for any upcoming shift.
3. Attend periodic production department meetings the production manager schedules.
Writers
1. Gather information through interviewing, research, and personal observation for news, features, sports, and Edge stories assigned by these respective editors.
2. Accurately and objectively transcribe all facts, inferences, and opinions from notes and tapes to compose a factually accurate, unified, coherent, well developed article reflecting a clear strategy of organization and correct scribal skills using Courier and AP Style Guide.
3. Type hard copy article submission according to accepted journalistic manuscript format or input rough drafts on Macintosh computer system and revise electronically (Editors will reject copy submitted written out using long hand script).
4. Adhere with commitment to copy deadlines editors assign: immediately inform respective editors with as much lead time as possible if the story deadline can not be met, or inform the Editor in chief, secretary, or Director of Student Publications. Failure to do this can disrupt an editor’s whole section of the paper and create considerable hardship on everyone engaged in the production cycle.
5. Attend periodic writers meetings section editors schedule to review performance.
6. Become familiar with and adhere to the code of ethics prescribed by the Society of Professional Journalists and agree to apply this code while reporting for the Western Courier.
Photographers
1. Shoot assignments and free-lance photos for news, features, sports, and Edge which these respective editors give the Photo editor; gather related accurate cutline information to accompany story.
2. Per Photo editor instructions, transfer digital pictures to assigned computer.
3. Sign out and assume full responsibility for Courier camera gear used while shooting assignments; immediately eport equipment problems to the Photo editor or Director of Student Publications.
4. Adhere with commitment with appearing on time at all assigned or voluntary photo sessions with equipment necessary to accomplish the shoot; immediately inform the Photo editor, section editor, Editor in chief, secretary, or Director of Student Publications when an upcoming scheduled assignment cannot be shot. Do not leave the paper or photo subjects hanging from a thoughtless failure to communicate.
5. Attend periodic photo department meetings to coordinate assignment calendar and review operations.
Advertising Representatives
1. Sell display, display/classified, and classified advertising for each issue of the Courier using current rate card and production schedule guidelines.
2. Create speculative layouts using various type styles, point sizes, weights, and line measures.
3. Invoice all advertising inches sold according guidelines established by the newspaper.
4. Proof all client’s camera-ready advertising on finished flats prior to publication; deliver photocopied proofs to advertisers in advance of final paste-up and secure validating signatures.
5. Deliver tearsheets of published ads to advertising clients promptly after each issue of the paper is printed.
6. Attend weekly department meetings.
7. Maintain at least one office hour per day during the publication year.
Distributors
1. Pick up finished press run at printer’s drop point and distribute the specified number of copies at each designated Courier drop point within the Macomb business and campus community as determined by current distribution schedule established at the start of the publication year.
2. Sign out the Courier vehicle at the front desk, use the vehicle solely for paper distribution, return the vehicle to its proper restricted parking location, clean up and remove all loose papers, bindings, inserts from the vehicle, and properly sign the vehicle back in at the Courier front desk.
3. Promptly change 360 Youth poster advertisements on specified campus drop boxes in accordance with ad department instructions.
4. Promptly report all instances of drop box vandalism to the Director of Student Publications.
5. May attend staff meetings to review distribution procedures.
Web Editor
1. Responsible for creating, maintaining, and revising electronic text and graphic pages published on the student newspaper Internet server.
2. Works closely with Editor in chief and Advertising manager to ensure web content is timely and accurate.
3. Has knowledge of web site applications such as College Publisher.
4. Adheres to the ethics codes of the Associated Collegiate Press Association and Society of Professional Journalists in managing web content.
5. Reports computer hardware, software, and network malfunctions and problems immediately to Editor in chief or Director of Student Publications.
6. May attend staff meetings to review web-publishing operations.
Graphic Designer/Illustrator(s)/Infographics Technician
1. Creates pen & ink or digital editorial cartoons, other cartoon strips or panels, and/or pie charts, graphs, and other info graphics for the newspaper using Macintosh system.
2. Works under the guidance of the editorial board to create timely editorial page cartoons that graphically communicate the board’s content focus for each issue.
3. Works with editors on newspaper design projects for different sections of the publication.
4. Attends weekly editorial board meetings when asked.
Senior Writers, Staff Writers, Contributing Writers
1. Gather information through interviewing, research, and personal observation for news, features, sports stories and columns assigned by respective editors.
2. Accurately and objectively transcribe all facts, inferences, and opinions from notes and tapes to compose a factually accurate, unified, coherent, well-developed article reflecting a clear strategy of organization and correct scribal skills using Courier and AP Style Guide.
3. Type hard copy article submission according to accepted journalistic manuscript format or input rough drafts on Macintosh computer system and revise electronically. Editors will reject copy submitted written out using long hand script.
4. Adhere with commitment to copy deadlines editors assign: immediately inform respective editors with as much lead time as possible if the story deadline can not be met, or inform the respective editors. Failure to do this can disrupt an editor’s whole section of the paper and create considerable hardship on everyone engaged in the production cycle.
5. Attend periodic writers meetings section editors schedule to review performance.
6. Become familiar with and adhere to the code of ethics prescribed by the Associated Collegiate Press and Society of Professional Journalists and agree to apply this code while reporting for the Western Courier.
7. Senior writers will write a minimum of three stories per week for assigned editor and maintain five office hours per week.
