1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Professional titles - what do they mean?

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Eagleboy, Jun 10, 2007.

  1. Eagleboy

    Eagleboy Guest

    This is just a throwaway question I figured I'd pose to the community, but I was wondering what the job qualifications and duties are for individuals with the following titles:

    • Sports Editor
    • Managing Editor/Sports
    • Deputy Sports Editor
    • Assistant Sports Editor

    I've never had to deal with them, being at tiny papers, but now that I'm looking at the bigger places, many of these shops have individuals with several of these titles (and several individuals with one title). What do they do that's different?
     
  2. SCEditor

    SCEditor Active Member

    This isn't always the case, but usually it goes. 1.) Managing Editor/Sports 2. Sports Editor 3. Deputy Sports Editor. 4. Assistant Sports Editor.

    The job descriptions of all these can vary, but from what I've seen, usually this is how it goes.

    ME/Sports: Head honcho over the department, goes to a lot of meetings with the other head honchos and things like that.

    SE: Actually over the sports department. Handles budget, planning, etc...

    DSE: A lot of times they'll be over one big aspect -- Design, Editing, Writers, etc...

    ASE: A lot of times will specialize in one of the big aspects or coverage. One might be responsible for college coverage, another for NFL, or sometimes they combine sports.

    That's the way it is at a couple papers I know of, but of course it varies.
     
  3. fishwrapper

    fishwrapper Active Member

    Pretty damn good answer. What he said.
     
  4. SCEditor

    SCEditor Active Member

    Even a blind squirrel can find a nut.
     
  5. reformedhack

    reformedhack Well-Known Member

    Can't forget about the position of Executive Sports Editor, as in the person who actually runs the department, pays the bills, sets the budgets, signs off on evaluations, etc.

    In recent years, it has morphed into ME/Sports or AME/Sports, but there are still many places where this position exists (and even sometimes co-exists with an ME/Sports), particularly in places where an old-timer holds the title of Sports Editor but doesn't do any administrative duties.

    It's conceivable to have an org chart that looks like this: ME/Sports > Executive Sports Editor > Sports Editor > Deputy Sports Editor > Assistant Sports Editor.

    And don't get me started on the bogus feel-good concept of "team leaders" that reared its ugly head in the 1990s. :)
     
  6. SCEditor

    SCEditor Active Member

    My personal favorite are the executive sports editors who are actually columnists, but hold the ESE title. I think we've got two of them in our state. Neither of them have have anything to do with running the sports section. They've just go the title.
     
  7. OnTheRiver

    OnTheRiver Active Member

    Sometimes it's because they've been bumped up because of their incompetence in trying to run the department.
     
  8. SCEditor

    SCEditor Active Member

    True. I don't know if that's the case here. One of them is an old-timer, so it may have been a situation where they brought somebody in to run things and allow him to focus on columns. The other guy ... I don't think he's ever been anything but a columnist for them.
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page