Editor’s note: The Fix is running a series of articles on different jobs in the media industry. We ask leading news media professionals about their job positions – what they actually do, how they make decisions, what excites them about their work, and what they can advise newcomers in their fields. In this episode, we describe the editor position in a news outlet based on our interview with Emma Löfgren from The Local Sweden. (Disclosure – Emma Löfgren is also a contributor for The Fix).

In the news industry, editor is a top managerial role in an outlet, responsible for planning, coordinating, and revising the work of a newsroom. Usually, there are editors responsible for specific topics or formats, and the editor-in-chief who oversees the whole outlet.

In their daily work, editors review article ideas, decide what and when to publish, and who is responsible for each content piece. They also check and edit the story before its publication, giving feedback on how to improve it. Editors may also produce content, depending on their workload and the outlet’s standards. Additionally, they cooperate with other newsroom departments and work as a mediator between them. Depending on the organisation, editors might be responsible for managerial tasks like hiring, firing and evaluation of employees.

What the editor in The Local Sweden does

The Local Sweden is a part of The Local network, which consists of nine outlets in Western and Northern Europe. They all write for foreign professionals who live in their respective countries: students, digital nomads, business people, foreign language teachers etc. As Emma Löfgren, the editor of The Local Sweden, explains, all foreigners face unique challenges and opportunities uncommon for the domestic population. “We see the news as an excellent way of getting to know and understand a new country. And by explaining the news, our job is to help our readers navigate life in their new countries,” she continues.

The Local’s business model is based on membership and ads. A person can pay for the membership and get full access to all nine outlets without ads and paywall, and with the ability to comment and chat. Thus, it is pretty challenging to count the audience of the specific country outlet. But Löfgren says that the three biggest media of the network are in Sweden, France, and Italy. In total, the network has 53,000 members at the moment.

Emma Löfgren oversees a small team consisting of the deputy editor and a “Nordic editor” who works as a correspondent for all Nordic editions of The Local. Additionally, there is a small network of freelancers, but Löfgren and her two colleagues do most of the work. As she explains, her work varies: from strategising and planning to writing stories and newsletters. “I’m everything apart from a photographer,” she adds.

The team covers the news in Sweden and publishes many explainer articles on topics ranging from paying taxes and applying for a migration permit to more entertaining content like “10 Swedish words you need to talk about spring” or Swedish habits.

Daily work of the editor

Emma Löfgren says that the job allows her to be flexible and do what works for her. She wakes up at 5 am and starts the day by writing and publishing a news round-up each weekday. Then she talks to the deputy editor about the plans for the day and logs out for an hour to take care of her child. 

After she is back, Löfgren works on the stories to publish. The Local Sweden usually has from six to eight pieces of content each day. “That could be stories that are completely our original content, like interviews. It could also be stories that are based on things that we’re seeing in the Swedish newspapers. Sometimes we will see a story, but we’ll re-angle it slightly to write it for an English-speaking audience. And that’s a day,” she explains.

Each Thursday, they record a podcast. Throughout the week, Löfgren communicates with other teams from The Local network, like the social media manager (The Local Sweden doesn’t have their own) or the managing editor. Overall, her day is quite predictable, but it depends on the news cycle.

Every week there is an editorial meeting with all the network reporters. They discuss what’s happening in their respective countries and the content that does well or poorly. If needed, Emma Löfgren also has a call with the managing editor, who she reports to. 

Talking about metrics, she points out that the number of members is the main figure they look at: “Some other things that I look at are returning readers, how much time they spend on our stories, how they engage. And when I talk about engagement, I don’t just mean how many people liked the post on Facebook, but also qualitative engagement: how are they commenting on the article, are they commenting on the site etc. And my ultimate goal, which is almost impossible to measure: do articles help our readers navigate life in Sweden? If the answer is yes, then it’s a success.” She adds that audience surveys and inbound mail are valuable ways to measure this ultimate goal, and direct conversions on an article are also helpful.

Most exciting and challenging parts of the job

Löfgren shares that she “loves nothing better” than a member reaching out to the team to say that The Local has helped them navigate life in Sweden or impact their job there. She also likes that the job is quite varied because she tends to get bored easily. “I like that I get to do a little of everything,” she says. 

However, the same thing is one of the most challenging parts of the job for the editor. Emma Löfgren explains that sometimes she would prefer to “get stuck into something,” which rarely happens with such a small team. They don’t have the time to cover all the stories they would like, so it is quite challenging “to say no to a story we just don’t have the time for.”

What to read and watch if you are interested in the editor role

Löfgren advises those interested in the editor role to try to think of their work as a part of a bigger picture. “If you’re, say, a reporter, don’t just focus on the text. Think about what pictures would work well with the story and how they should be laid on the page. How to share it on social media to maximise engagement. How its value can best be communicated to readers to get them to become subscribers, and so on. To understand the business rationale of your newsroom,” she explains.

Additionally, she advises taking an interest in colleagues’ work to understand how all the pieces fit together and to build a network within the newsroom. Löfgren believes it will help someone when they take the editor role.

She also gives a few recommendations on what to read or listen to::

  • The User Needs Model 2.0 is essential to understand audience needs.
  • The Reuters Institute’s annual Digital News Report is a must-read to understand and keep up to date with trends in digital news consumption across different international markets.
  • “Ten things I’ve learned about leadership” is an excellent panel from the 2022 International Journalism Festival in Perugia, chaired by Lucy Kueng, an expert on strategy, innovation and leadership.

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