Assistant editors - also known as editorial assistants work in a variety of media-related fields, like magazine publishing, book publishing newspapers, radio programming or on websites. They are under the direction of an editor-in-chief or senior editor and may be in regular contact with guest writers, reporters and authors.
Assistant editors are given a variety of tasks and responsibilities based on the media in which they are employed. For magazines and newspapers assistant editors can assist the editor-in-chief in choosing and editing articles that are that are to go out for publication, and also editing, proofreading, or fact-checking. They can also assist in selecting digital media that can accompany the article, such as diagrams, photographs or other illustrations; they can also assist with the layout.
In other areas like publishing books assistant editors are responsible for manuscripts. Assistant editors are accountable for proofreading and examining the manuscript for style, content syntax, as well as other aspects. A lot of assistant editors progress towards a position in publishing, performing tasks as an assistant editor, such as proofreading and editing copy.
To be the assistant editor of a magazine, the majority of individuals must hold at least an undergraduate degree in English or another related field. Sometimes, a graduate degree is required, but the experience of previous editors is usually preferred.