Volunteer Role: Newspaper Editor

You MUST be a paid up member of InQuire to run for this position

Purpose:

To lead the newspaper from the top ensuring and supporting other members of the team are fulfilling their roles. Also developing and advancing the newspaper in new and exciting ways as mentioned in the InQuire handbook and through committee agreement.

In your role, you will:

• Attend and chair committee meetings when required

• Reply to all emails (Approx 1hr per day)

• Assist and support other committee members within their roles, in particular the section editors

• Lead and support InQuire’s big events (including elections, Varsity coverage and charity events)

• Help develop new ideas and challenges for the newspaper to ensure continuous development

• Maintain and build positive relationships with all funding partners, staff & community bodies, as well as maintaining links with CSR FM and KTV, InQuire’s student media partners

• Attend proofing sessions every two weeks for the newspaper

To help you in your role, InQuire will provide the following training and support:

• InQuire committee induction

• InDesign training

• Handover and shadowing from the outgoing Newspaper Editor

• Support from the Student Media Manager as well as other Committee members

What will I get out of this role?

• Meeting new people and networking with industry/ Union professionals

• Enhance CV and gaining valuable skillset

• Improve training, communication and motivational skills

• Experience of working within a team as well as leading

• Learning valuable journalism skills such as InDesign, interviewing, sending a paper to print, compiling documents and managing a team of editors

• A chance to build contacts within the industry, particularly in entertainment such as the Marlowe Theatre and Gulbenkian, etc

• A nationally recognised qualification in Volunteer Management

Skills required:

• Organisation – you will receive a lot of emails and have to manage several projects at once

• Adequate experience of InQuire and the journalism/newspaper industry

• Leadership – Must have the confidence and ability to lead and work within a team

• Willingness to learn and adapt as well as teach others

• Basic law knowledge; an idea of what defamation law is and what you can and can’t say in a newspaper

Expected hours and commitment: Approximately 20 – 30 hours per paper. An additional minimum of an hour a day dealing with emails and this can increase around deadline time.

To do this volunteering role, you will need to put in a lot of time and a lot of work, as each paper is essentially a project in itself. You will need to make sure that editors stick to their deadlines and that you have a good understanding of what is going into each paper. You will also need to keep on top of the emails, as you will be receiving emails from the VPs, promotional companies, press offices and the marketing office at Kent Union.

It takes a lot of time and energy but the rewards are monumental, as you will have gained a real insight into how the media works and what it takes to pursue a career in print journalism.

If you would like more information about this role please contact:

Pamela Head (InQuire Newspaper Editor) newspaper.editor@inquiremedia.co.uk – OR –

Mel Lewis (Student Media Manager) m.e.lewis@kent.ac.uk / 01227 823005