In this article
Welcome to the world of media & journalism
Whether you're a journalist who wants to lead, or you want to understand the top of an editorial career, this guide covers what an editor-in-chief actually does, the skills, the day-to-day, and the honest upsides and downsides.
General description
An editor-in-chief leads a publication's editorial direction, standards, and team. In simple terms: they set the direction and lead the team that tells the stories. Think of them as the voice of a publication.
- Set the editorial direction
- Make final publishing decisions
- Lead the editorial team
- Uphold standards and the publication's voice
Key skills & qualifications
Hard skills
Soft skills
- Editorial judgement — you make the final call
- Leadership — you lead the newsroom
- Integrity — standards and trust matter
- Decisiveness — deadlines demand decisions
- Vision — shaping the publication
- Resilience — the buck stops with you
Education & qualifications
No specific degree required — editor-in-chief is reached through a strong journalism and editorial track record, with experience and judgement valued over qualifications.
Typical responsibilities
- Direction — the editorial vision
- Decisions — what gets published
- Leadership — the editorial team
- Standards — quality and ethics
- Voice — what the publication stands for
- Responsibility — for everything published
Responsibilities by seniority
Journalist / Editor
0–10 years
- Reports and writes
- Edits and commissions
- Builds a track record
- Toward senior editing
- Building judgement
Senior Editor
10–16 years
- Leads sections
- Shapes coverage
- Mentors journalists
- Toward the top job
- Specialising
Editor-in-Chief
16+ years
- Sets editorial direction
- Makes the final calls
- Leads the publication
- Carries responsibility
- Top of editorial
Where editors-in-chief work
📰 Newspapers
Print and digital news.
💻 Online media
Digital publications.
📓 Magazines
Magazine publishing.
📡 Broadcast
News organisations.
🏢 Trade / B2B
Specialist media.
🚀 Independent media
New publications.
A day in the life
Reviewing the day's stories and setting the editorial agenda — what matters and why.
Leading the editorial team, making decisions on coverage, angles, and priorities.
Making a tough editorial call — what to publish, what to hold, and standing by it.
Shaping the publication's voice and strategy, the direction that defines what it stands for.
Direction set, decisions made, the publication led. The voice of the publication. That's the job.
What this job gives you
- Senior, influential role
- Top of an editorial career
- Shapes a publication
- No degree needed
- Leadership and impact
Pros & cons
✅ Advantages
- Senior, influential role
- Top of an editorial career
- Shapes a publication
- No degree needed
- Leadership and impact
- Respected position
- Creative and strategic
❌ Disadvantages
- The buck stops with you
- High pressure and scrutiny
- Long, deadline-driven hours
- Tough editorial decisions
- Industry under pressure
- Public accountability
Salary potential — global rating
Rated against all professions globally, where ★★★★★★★★★★ = top 1% earners:
Career growth paths
- Editorial Director — lead across titles
- Publisher — the business side
- Media executive — senior media leadership
- Columnist / Author — prominent writing
- Editorial consultant — advisory roles
- Own publication — start your own
Editor-in-Chief vs related roles
Here's how some neighbouring roles compare.
| Role | Core focus | Note | Pay | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Editor-in-Chief You are here | Leads a publication | Editorial direction, leadership | Baseline | Medium |
| Editor | Edits and commissions content | Editing, judgement | Lower | Medium |
| Journalist | Reports and writes news | Reporting, writing | Lower | Medium |
| Content Manager | Manages content | Content, strategy | Lower-similar | Medium |
| Copywriter | Writes persuasive copy | Writing, craft | Lower | Accessible |
Scroll the table sideways on mobile. Pay comparisons are directional and vary by market and seniority.
Future outlook
Although the media industry faces pressure, every publication still needs editorial leadership and judgement, keeping skilled editors-in-chief central to journalism and publishing.
- Every publication needs editorial leadership
- Judgement can't be automated
- Trust and standards matter more than ever
- Quality journalism is valued
- Steady need for editorial leaders
Fun facts 🤓
The editor-in-chief makes the final call on everything a publication publishes.
They shape the voice and direction of a whole publication.
With the top job comes full responsibility for what's published.
It's reached through a journalism track record, not a degree.
It's the top of an editorial career.
Myths about this role
"It's just editing copy."
❌ It's setting direction, leading a team, and owning every editorial decision.
"It's not leadership."
❌ It's leadership at the highest editorial level.
"Anyone senior can do it."
❌ It takes deep editorial judgement and a strong track record.
"You need a journalism degree."
❌ No — experience and judgement matter most.
"There's no pressure."
❌ The buck stops with the editor-in-chief on everything published.
Is this job right for you?
✅ Good fit if you...
- Have strong editorial judgement
- Want to lead a newsroom
- Have a journalism track record
- Can make tough decisions
- Want an influential role
- Handle pressure well
❌ Maybe not for you if...
- You're early in journalism
- You don't want responsibility
- You can't handle scrutiny
- You dislike tough decisions
- You want a non-leadership role
- You avoid deadlines
Top of editorial
Editor-in-chief is the senior, influential summit of an editorial career, setting a publication's direction and leading its team, where editorial judgement and leadership define what a publication stands for.
✅ Advantages
- Senior, influential role
- Top of an editorial career
- Shapes a publication
- No degree needed
- Leadership and impact
❌ Challenges
- The buck stops with you
- High pressure and scrutiny
- Long, deadline-driven hours
- Tough editorial decisions
- Public accountability
How to get started
- Build a journalism career report, write, and edit.
- Develop editorial judgement the heart of the role.
- Lead sections as a senior editor take on leadership.
- Shape coverage and standards prove your judgement.
- Reach the top editor-in-chief, then editorial director.
What to know before you start
- It's leadership and direction, not just editing copy
- It owns every editorial decision
- It's reached through a track record, not a degree
- Editorial judgement can't be automated
- The buck stops with the editor-in-chief
- It's the top of an editorial career
From the field
The same lessons come up again and again from people actually doing the job:
People think the editor-in-chief just edits copy. The job is leadership — I set the editorial direction, lead the whole team, and make the final call on everything we publish. When something goes out, the responsibility is mine. That's a very different job from editing.
Editor-in-chief · 18 years in
It's the top of the editorial career, and you reach it through a track record, not a degree. I came up reporting and editing for years, building the judgement the role demands. There's no shortcut — it's earned through experience.
Editor-in-chief · 16 years in
The pressure is real. Every tough call — what to publish, what to hold, where the line is — comes to me, and the buck stops here. But shaping what a publication stands for, leading a newsroom of talented people, is as influential as journalism gets.
Editorial director · 22 years in