Assigning Editor: Trends & Viral News

Assigning Editor: Trending & Viral News

About The Mary Sue and We Got This Covered

The Mary Sue and We Got This Covered are looking for a highly skilled and motivated assigning editor to take our story sourcing, pitching, and article curation to the next level, with a focus on social-first stories and syndicated news.

We cover everything from major political news to the latest celebrity drama and the week's biggest streaming hits. We also tell real stories about real people, like an everyday post on social media that hasn't yet caught anyone else's attention. This variety is the key to our success, and the right candidate should be comfortable sourcing and pitching engaging stories from all corners of the internet as well as major trending news.

We aim to share stories with our audience that really get them thinking, talking, and sharing them organically rather than relying on traditional SEO. We want someone who is excited about doing things a little differently and has a hunger for finding the next big story. 

About The Role

As the Assigning Editor, you will be in charge of the first, and one of the most crucial, steps when it comes to formulating an engaging or thought-provoking article. You'll lead story sourcing and pitching for our social and viral news desk across multiple brands and spend much of your day digging into the major trending news stories that people really care about, or digging through TikTok (as well as Reddit and other social media platforms), spotting posts and conversations that have the makings of a big story. To excel, you'll have a natural ability to spot the story in something that others would scroll straight past and know how to frame it so it reaches a wide audience.

This is a fast-paced, high-volume role, which will best fit someone who is comfortable pitching a large number of stories every day while using data (and natural instinct) to inform decisions over time.

What You'll Do

• Keep abreast of major world events, the latest news in the world of entertainment, and understand how to frame these topics in new and interesting ways that will resonate with our audiences 
• Monitor TikTok and other social platforms every day to find stories, ideally before other publishers do
• Write clear pitches and context to give writers everything they need before starting on an article
• Assign stories to staff and freelance writers
• Frame stories and headlines for syndication and social platforms like MSN, Facebook, and SmartNews
• Track performance and use data to refine your pitches
• Build and document discovery workflows, so writers and other editors can become stronger pitchers
• Verify that stories are accurate, credit creators properly, and treat the people in our stories fairly
• Work with the wider editorial team to spot stories that deserve extra attention, follow-ups, or investigation

What We're Looking For

• Experience as an assigning, commissioning, news, trending, or social editor in a fast-moving digital media environment (or extensive experience as a self-pitching writer)
• A genuine love for the weird and wonderful worlds of TikTok and social culture, with a strong instinct for what people will want to read and a passion for exploring new niches
• Syndication and/or social media experience is a strong plus
• Excellent, compelling headline writing without being misleading
• Comfortable working with traffic data and using it to guide editorial decisions
• An ability to work in a fast-paced, high-volume pitching environment
• A strong understanding of ethical journalism
• A strong understanding of US culture and audiences

Think you can spot the next big story before anyone else? Please send us your resume, along with a cover letter that tells us who you are and what makes you a good fit for this role. We'd also love to see three social posts or stories you've come across recently that you think would make a great article, with a headline for each and a line on why you picked it.

Equal Opportunities

The Mary Sue and We Got This Covered are committed to being inclusive and welcoming places to work. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, gender identity and expression, and sexual orientation. LGBTQI+ candidates are warmly welcomed and encouraged to apply.