This full time position could also be broken up into two 3-day (M, Tu, W) part time positions (1 in Hinckley and 1 in Pine City). No benefits with part-time positions.
The purpose of the editorial assistant position is to be a back up to the editor of the North Pine County News which covers the Hinckley, Sandstone, Finlayson and Askov areas, and the editor of the Pine City Pioneer, by putting the papers together and formatting copy used for publication. The position is also one that writes stories and takes photographs for each of these areas.
Core Responsibilities:
- Create content for the North Pine County News from the Hinckley, Sandstone, Finlayson, Askov and surrounding areas and for the Pine City Pioneer newspapers. This should be four to seven bylined stories a week from the footprint of each paper’s coverage area. The stories need to be properly formatted in InDesign and using AP Style with cutlines, photos, and named properly when saved to the server. These need to be completed by 3 p.m. on Mondays.
- Prepare public notices, obituaries and events for publication including communicating with attorneys, funeral homes and individuals to ensure accuracy and timely production. Public notices are done for the North Pine County News and the Moose Lake Star Gazette. Legals must also be posted on the MNA website. Obituaries and events are done for the North Pine County News and Pine City Pioneer.
- Writing columns is also encouraged and counts as one of the bylined stories.
- Assist both of the editors by formatting copy, letters and other material for printing in each of the papers. Formatting means editing the copy to be AP Style, possibly rewriting the story, proofreading, and placing properly on the server.
- Save all photos to the server that are submitted photos from stringers or the general public. They need to be cropped and saved properly on the server – name, space, date.
- Learn how to paginate the North Pine County News and Pine City Pioneer so if the editor is out of the office, direction can be provided to the composition teams putting together the paper. Pages not sent to the team need to be able to be completed and sent for printing.
- Assist the editors by updating the PineCountynews.com website with content and by using the site for breaking news. Also posts stories to Facebook pages.
- May be asked to fill in wherever needed for staff during vacations, staffing shortages or other projects assigned by publisher and/or group editor.
- Needs to be in the Hinckley office by 9 a.m. Mondays and Tuesdays for a full day of work completing public notices in the North Pine County News and Moose Lake Star Gazette, formatting copy and preparing to do layout. Exceptions cleared with editor beforehand.
- Assists in operations of the office – answers phones, helps walk-in customers, etc.
- Maintains positive relationships with various segments of the communities, building social capital
- Alerts editors and publisher to concerns both in the office and in public that directly deal with the newspaper and/or organization.
Job Type: Full-time. Salary: $15.00 – $16.00 per hour
Benefits: 401(k), dental insurance, health insurance, life insurance, paid time off, vision insurance
Schedule: Monday to Friday
Work Location: In person