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Editor-in-chief

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by The Eloquent Peasant (talk | contribs) at 14:26, 26 April 2020 (Adding local short description: "A publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies", overriding Wikidata description "a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies" (Shortdesc helper)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

An editor-in-chief, also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies.[1][2]

The highest ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing editor, or executive editor, but where these titles are held while someone else is editor-in-chief, the editor-in-chief outranks the others.

Description

The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members and managing them. The term is often used at newspapers, magazines, yearbooks, and television news programs. The editor-in-chief is commonly the link between the publisher or proprietor and the editorial staff.

The term is also applied to academic journals, where the editor-in-chief gives the ultimate decision whether a submitted manuscript will be published. This decision is made by the editor-in-chief after seeking input from reviewers selected on a basis of relevant expertise. For larger journals, the decision is often upon the recommendation of one of several associate editors who each have responsibility for a fraction of the submitted manuscripts.

Typical responsibilities of editors-in-chief include:[3]

  • Ensuring that content is journalistically objective[4]
  • Fact checking, spelling, grammar, writing style, page design and photos
  • Rejecting writing that appears to be plagiarized, ghostwritten, published elsewhere, or of little interest to readers
  • Evaluating and editing content[5][6]
  • Contributing editorial pieces
  • Motivating and developing editorial staff[5]
  • Ensuring the final draft is complete
  • Handling reader complaints and taking responsibility for issues after publication
  • For books and journals, cross-checking citations and examining references
  • Working to advance the commercial success of the publication[7]
  • Position may involve recruiting, hiring and firing staff.[7]

References

  1. ^ Staff (2012). "editor in chief". The Free Dictionary by Farlex. Farlex, Inc. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  2. ^ "Encarta Dictionary definition". Archived from the original on 2009-06-05.
  3. ^ Patil, Sayali Bedekar. "Editor In Chief Responsibilities". Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
  4. ^ Nesvisky, M. (2008). Covering Your Campus: A Guide for Student Newspapers. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-7425-5389-7. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  5. ^ a b Young, M. (2007). Death, Sex & Money: Life Inside a Newspaper. Melbourne University Press. pp. 46–51. ISBN 978-0-522-85344-5. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  6. ^ Smith, H.F. (1996). Springboard to Journalism. Columbia Scholastic Press Advisers Association of Columbia University. p. 6. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  7. ^ a b Niblock, S. (2003). Inside Journalism. Taylor & Francis. pp. 62–63. ISBN 978-1-135-37256-9. Retrieved July 17, 2017.

Further reading

  • John La Porte Given (1907). "The Editor-In-Chief". Making a Newspaper. New York: H. Holt and company. pp. 30–35.
  • Nathaniel Clark Fowler (1913). "The Editor-In-Chief". The Handbook of Journalism: All about Newspaper Work: Facts and Information. New York: Sully and Kleinteich.
  • The New Fowler's Modern English Usage (3rd ed. 1996, edited by R. W. Burchfield); Bryan A. Garner, Garner's Modern American Usage (2009).
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