Discuss the qualities of a desk editor

1. Curiosity
Good editors are fascinated by everything around them, and it is their inquisitive nature that makes them ask good questions and, in turn, be good listeners. This quality rather comes in handy in a corporate setting, where someone needs to wonder aloud about all the possibilities hiding in the far corners of the complex.

2. Empathy.
Editors should care about the struggles of their writers, but in this case the empathy is meant for the readers. CJR described it as “a bond with the reader, an almost subliminal notion of what will be interesting or important to her or him—even though the reader may not know so at the time.”
This one should strike every corporate editor where she lives. Bombarded by the opinions and needs of the CEO, vice presidents and department heads, the corporate editor must push—no, fight—for her readers. What is it they want? What do they need? How can I deliver this story about the latest five-year plan in a way that will make them care?

3. Self-confidence
This helps a great deal when struggling against the forces listed above. But it is also represents the flip side of empathy. Don’t be ruled by the readers; it’s your job to know what they need and deliver it to them. In this sense, you have to trust your instincts and not switch every time you get a nasty letter
or take a poll.

4. Fearless
In the world of magazines, this means being able to fend off the publisher, the pushy advertisers, the investors and anyone else who is trying to steer you in a different direction from the one you’ve chosen.
In the corporate world, fearlessness means being able to stand up to the approvers and the jargonistas, who would suck all the life out of a story and turn it into an incomprehensible mess of corporate speak and company value statements.

5. Stamina
This means both physical and intellectual stamina. Running a publication (or a
communications department) can be an exhausting endeavour, and if you take it seriously, then you’re probably working a lot.
But the best editors can also survive the emotional stress of dealing with writers of varying temperaments and talents, as well as demanding bosses and the constant barrage of requests to run a picture of someone’s great-niece.

6. Be sensational
This quality means the ability to stimulate others to greatness. Fabulous stories can come from the strangest places; it’s the job of a desk editor to find them and yank them out.

7. Reporting
Pure and simple, the best editors are the best reporters on their staffs. They can tick off a dozen questions on any topic and find the one question that you didn’t consider. Editors can step back from a story, taking it all in, and at the same time ask such precise questions that you’d think they had been reporting on the subject all their lives.

8. Smart staff.
Top-notch editors know what they don’t know, and they’re not afraid to admit it. That’s why they surround themselves with people who can fill the gaps in their own knowledge.

9. Saying ‘no.’
This may be the hardest task of any editor, and therefore the most important. As much as she might seek consensus, or work to develop a comrades-in-arms feeling among her staff, it is the editor who has to make the tough call.

10. Be a mentor.
Editors are teachers as well as journalists. They develop a staff of sharp writers, independent thinkers and risk takers, knowing full well that no one’s a lifer anymore, and the talents they nurtured will one day move on.

---

NatalieR answered the question on June 15, 2022 at 13:29