Associate or assistant SE?

In your newsroom, what's the difference between the assistant and associate sports editor positions? Are there specific tasks associated with the two positions?

 

At the two places I've been that had the associate position, there were no real differences in the duties, just a matter of rank with the associate being higher.

Paper A (110k, no Sunday): sports editor (administrative and lead desk four times a week), associate (NFL beat and lead desk), assistant (MLB beat and lead desk).

Paper B (large metro): executive sports editor (administrative), sports editor (columnist), deputy sports editor (manage desk people, lead desk three times a week), associate sports editor (manage writers, lead desk once a week), Sunday sports editor (lead desk once during week plus on Saturdays), four assistant sports editors (two for preps, one working with the writers on live stuff, one handling the huge sports weekend package that appeared Fridays).

 

Usually, associate and deputy are higher on the food chain than assistant.

 

Six of one, half dozen of the other. And by that I mean how many people have those titles instead of actual raises.

 

Say a No. 2 position was being created by a daily on the smaller side......is there a difference between calling it assistant, associate, deputy, etc, in terms of prestige or assumed responsibilities by outsiders on a resume etc?

I ask because I've really only ever heard it called assistant-----is it assumed that that's lower than some of the other titles? Or does it vary greatly based on circulation and staff size?

 

I was at a place once where a guy had the title of "Deputy SE."

Of course, everybody always called him "Barney Fife" behind his back.

 

People need to get over themselves and their silly-ass titles.
Do the job, don't "be" the job.
Have worked for too many who got that backwards.
I thought Dwight Shrute and the "assistant to the regional manager" stuff exposed such hot-air foolishness. Guess not.

 

I was once Associate SE on a 14-person staff and made less than at least six staff members, including the Assistant SE.

More than half the staff had titles: Executive SE, Associate SE, Sports Editor, Assistant SE, Preps Editor, Agate Editor, College Editor, Outdoors Editor ...

 

Associate shmociate.

If you want to "transition" out of journalism, it's better to have some more confusing, bureaucratic title like:

Portal manager
Content director
Multi-platform content provider

I think when folks in HR looking to fill PR, communications and management jobs and the like, and they see "editor" they envision someone with a red pen snippily marking up proofs.

Unless they know you, "editor" is a killer (unless you are applying for a copy editing position).

 

This needs to be added to the "getting out of the business" thread ... these words are absolutely correct.

 

This is exactly right.