Lead Local News Editor: Digital, Impactful Coverage

Agupdate; Sarasota (FL); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The Sarasota Herald‑Tribune is seeking an on‑site Local News Editor to lead a high‑performing local newsroom in one of Florida’s fastest‑growing markets. You’ll guide daily coverage, enterprise reporting, and visual storytelling, using metrics to guide smarter decisions while upholding journalistic values.

Lead, coach, and manage breaking news, collaborate with regional teams, and advance SEO, audience growth, and multimedia storytelling across digital and print platforms.

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years of newsroom editing or senior reporting experience.
• Strong editorial judgment under deadline pressure.
• Proficiency with CMS, social media, and audience analytics tools.
• Bachelor's degree in journalism, communications, or equivalent professional experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide strong editorial leadership for daily coverage and breaking news.
• Edit stories for accuracy, tone, and narrative strength; assign work and mentor staff.
• Write and coach on engaging, SEO-optimized headlines and story presentation with multimedia.
• Collaborate with USA TODAY Network teams and product/visual teams.
• Experiment with AI and emerging tools while upholding journalistic standards.

Skills

AP style

Editorial leadership

SEO

CMS platforms

Analytics tools

Social media

AI tools

Storytelling

Education

Bachelor's degree in journalism or communications

Tools

Parse.ly

CrowdTangle

Job description

The Sarasota Herald‑Tribune is seeking an on‑site Local News Editor to lead a high‑performing local newsroom in one of Florida’s fastest‑growing markets. You’ll guide daily coverage, enterprise reporting, and visual storytelling, using metrics to guide smarter decisions while upholding journalistic values.

Lead, coach, and manage breaking news, collaborate with regional teams, and advance SEO, audience growth, and multimedia storytelling across digital and print platforms.