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Assignment Editor Internship (Virtual)

(Contact Internship and Career Advisor for academic credit eligibility)

Assignment Editor Duties

Categories of your main duties and where to find the necessary documents are laid out below. You will consistently perform these duties throughout the internship.

 

Research News and Trending Topics

  • Research using Google News, New York Times, Washington Post, BBC, The Guardian, etc. to find topics relating to women’s empowerment and social issues like human trafficking, education, female genital mutilation, gender violence, equal pay, etc.
  • Write summaries for each topic and provide link if necessary in Weekly Pitches sheet for Sarah (Assignment Editors > Folder: Topic Sheets > Weekly Pitches Original (Make copy for Assignment Editors folder and add date to title, ex: “4/24 Weekly Pitches”))
  • Use the (approximate) 45/45/10 ratio for each day. 45% of our content is about empowering women, 45% is about addressing social issues, and 10% is entertainment. Column names are flexible  - For example, if the column you have left to fill is “Empowerment in the Workplace,” but you find a great story that would be better suited to a “Women in Mass Media” column, then you are welcome to adjust it for that week. Just make sure to make the proper adjustments in the final spreadsheet as well, and to keep a balance of topics (Don’t have more than 3 of the same column, unless it’s one of the daily ones - “Women around the World” and “Addressing the Issues”)
  • There may be slight changes in this ratio depending on the number of writers. Brainstorm ideas for new columns if needed and have them approved by Sarah.
  • Make sure there are a total of 3 topics per writer

 

Pitches from Fun Column Writers/Other Pitches

  • Send reminder emails to entertainment column writers ( App of the Week, Explore the World, Food, etc.) to send pitches to both assignment editors by Tuesday at 11 a.m. EST each week (This time may change based on your meeting time with Sarah, just keep the writers updated!)
  • Once you’ve received pitches from writers, add them into the appropriate spot on the Weekly Pitches sheet for Sarah to approve
  • Contact writers for another pitch in the case Sarah does not approve any of theirs
  • We also encourage writers to let us know about any interesting stories they find that fit with NYMM’s vision. Writers can pitch up to 3 stories to you each week by email at any time. If you think it’s a good story, add it to the pitches sheet with their name. If Sarah approves their pitch(es), when you are making the final spreadsheet, make sure to put the writer’s name in the “Availability” column before you send it out so they are automatically signed up for that topic.
  • Make sure to keep updated with the Slack messages because sometimes Sarah, our Chief of Staff, or other members of the editorial team will send cool stories that you can use in the pitches!

 

Meet with Sarah and Editorial CoS to Discuss Topics

  • Once finished filling out all of the topics on the Weekly Pitches sheet, email Sarah and the Chief of Staff the link before your google hangouts meeting with them
  • During your meeting with Sarah, she will approve, reject, or request more information about the pitches - Take note of what she says about each topic in the “Sarah’s Comments” column
    • Note any comments for Marketing in the same column

 

Reevaluate Weekly Pitches and Communicate Changes to Sarah

  • Find new topics or more information for the columns that were rejected during the meeting. Add “UPDATED” (make sure to highlight) under each updated column name so Sarah can find them easily. Once all are updated, email Sarah the link to let her know.
  • Usually there’s a bit of back and forth between the Assignment Editors and Sarah before she approves all topics. If there are only a few left to be approved, you can pitch to her through the Slack chat for faster communication.
  • You are always welcome to ask the editorial team for any stories they might know of if you are having trouble finding topics!

 

Create and Share Excel Spreadsheet for Writers

  • Once all topics have been approved, copy and include all relevant info including links and specific comments from Sarah into the official Weekly Topics Excel spreadsheet for the writers (Assignment Editors > Topic Sheets > Topics Original (Make copy for whichever month folder and add date to title, ex: “Topics (4/24-4/28)”)). Highlight any notes in the notes section so the writers can see them more easily!
  • At the scheduled time (Thursdays between 5-6 p.m EST.), email all of the writers (Writers Contact Sheet) with the shareable link of the spreadsheet, titling the email “NYMM - Topics are now live!” - Writers will use the “Availability” column to sign up for the topics they want. Make sure to also CC NYMM Community Relations in this email so they can contact sponsors. It’s also a good idea within these emails to relay any general information the writers should be aware of, and remind them that they should always be looking at and following the directions in the notes! Here is a sample email that would be sent:

Hey Writers,

Please remember to always look at the notes and Sarah’s comments for each article you sign up for and follow the directions that have been given!

Also, as always, I greatly appreciate any and all pitches - It's a great way to write about what YOU want! You can send them to me at any point in the week, and if Sarah approves them, you'll be automatically signed up for those topics (up to 3).

Here's the topics for this week: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JBxVMKVY4SuWZVxPbRcRxCQ3zJ3DQPFEVZHenRFXDbQ/edit?usp=sharing

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns!

Best,

(Assignment Editor)

  • Make sure that any incoming writers do not have a time conflict with the scheduled time. Everyone should get a fair chance to sign up for their choice of topic
  • Check every Friday morning (or sometime soon after the topics have been sent to writers) to make sure everyone has signed up for three topics! If they haven’t, contact the writers and make sure they do so there isn’t any confusion for the Lead Editors when it comes time to publish the articles. Also, move the spreadsheet to the Assignment Editors folder at this point so it is available for the lead editors to access for the week.
  • Respond to any questions that writers may have about topics

 

Maintain Google Docs Folder

  • You are responsible for keeping the Assignment Editors folder on the shared Google drive up-to-date and organized. This mainly consists of moving the Weekly Pitches and Topics docs into their corresponding month and year folder after you are done with them. You are also expected to keep the original copies of the Weekly Pitches and Topics docs updated with the correct number of columns, the correct entertainment columns and their corresponding writers, etc.

 

Quality Check Published Articles

  • Double check site and newsletter - two shifts per week
  • See guide

 

Help Train New Interns

  • You will assist the Lead Editors in training new writers over Google Hangouts - explain to them the process of signing up for articles and pitching topics
  • If the applicant is offered a position, they’ll need to be sent an orientation email after you train them over a Hangouts meeting.
  • You are also responsible for keeping this training guide up-to-date with any new or changed information for the Assignment Editors after you!
  • Use the Pitches and Topics docs that have been previously used for examples of stories for each column, the variety of columns you can use, the kinds of comments Sarah makes, and how to communicate her comments to the writers!