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Regional daily editor to discuss role in ‘evolving newsroom’ at conference

Nancy FielderA regional daily editor will join national colleagues to discuss their roles in a forthcoming debate.

Nancy Fielder, pictured, who edits Sheffield daily The Star, will appear at a panel discussion entitled ‘Role of the Editor in the Evolving Newsroom’ at the Society of Editors Conference on 12 November.

The debate will be chaired by Kamal Ahmed, editorial director of BBC News, and will also feature Daily Mirror editor Alison Phillips, Daily Telegraph editor Chris Evans Mail on Sunday editor Ted Verity and Reuters Global managing editor Alessandra Galloni.

The SoE has also announced a debate on press freedom will also take place at the event, featuring Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham, John Whittingdale MP, Sunday Life editor Martin Breen and ITN head of compliance John Battle.

SoE executive director Ian Murray said: “In a fast-changing media world the role of the editor would seem ever more vital.

“How editors of some of the most important news operations are seeing this change and their thoughts on the future of the role will make fascinating and compulsive listening at this year’s conference.”

The conference will be held at Stationers’ Hall, in London.

2 comments

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  • September 18, 2019 at 11:56 am
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    I can only speak from my own experience where going back four or five years the role of newspaper editor was, to all intents and purposes, downgraded to that of a supervisor/ content chief > staff go between with no real power other than the title alone.

    In a fast paced and changing digital world where editorial teams are cut to the bone and social media UGC is becoming relied on more and more for stories which are merely top ,tailed and uploaded( by which time it’s no longer news ) and where a large proportion of content is generic across group titles, there is little or no need for an ‘editor’ as we would traditionally know them any longer.

    I’m sure some with a vested interest will defend the need but in reality the money tied up by an editor could be better used employing good experienced journalists rather than continue with a role no longer relevant in an industry changed beyond all recognition from the days when print was king, papers sold in their tens of thousands and an editorship was something to aspire to.

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  • September 18, 2019 at 2:05 pm
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    Seriously it might be more beneficial if the group brainstormed what an editor actually does and what his/her responsibilities are?

    As far as I can see the Content Chief is the new editor and the Editor is merely a team leader.

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