Editor

Description

The Fergus Falls Daily Journal has been serving Fergus Falls and the surrounding communities since 1873, delivering trusted local news with deep roots in the region. Fergus Falls offers the best of both worlds: welcoming small-town living with easy access to big-city amenities. Located roughly midway between Fargo, North Dakota, and Minneapolis–St. Paul, residents enjoy convenient access to major metro areas while calling a close-knit community home. As the gateway to Minnesota’s Lake Country, Fergus Falls is surrounded by lakes, trails, and outdoor recreation, making it an ideal place for those who value work-life balance, community connection, and time outdoors. The Fergus Falls Daily Journal is part of Forum Communications Company, a fifth-generation, family-owned media organization with more than 20 publications across the Upper Midwest, collectively reaching more than 5 million readers each month.

Job Summary

The editor is responsible for overall direction and leadership of the newsroom and its news gathering efforts, with a focus on building a loyal, engaged audience across digital and print platforms. This role oversees editorial operations for the Fergus Falls Daily Journal, ensuring timely digital publishing and high-quality print production. The person in this role manages newsroom workflows, audience engagement, staff collaboration and community-focused reporting while covering a wide range of local beats throughout Otter Tail County. 

Expected compensation for this role is $60,000/annual, based on qualifications and experience.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Forum Communications Company is a family-owned media and technology leader with more than a century of delivering trusted, quality journalism and innovative business solutions. Storytelling is at the heart of who we are, but today, we’re so much more than a newspaper. As one of the Upper Midwest’s leading media organizations, we’re driving the future across print and digital news, sports streaming, technology, broadcasting, commercial printing, and full-service agency advertising.

Forum Communications Company offers the following to all Full-Time and 32-Hour Benefited employees:

• Health, dental, and vision packages
• Paid maternity and parental leave
• Company-paid short-term disability and life insurance
• Additional options for critical illness, accident, and hospital indemnity coverage
• Retirement benefits with company match
• Generous PTO and paid volunteer hours

We are an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. FCC currently does not offer employer sponsorship.

Responsibilities

• Directing and managing local news gathering and editorial functions for the newsroom on all relevant publishing platforms.
• Editing and producing content for the Daily Journal and special publications. 
• Covering local government and community news.
• Maintaining timely digital publishing workflows and ensuring print deadlines are consistently met. 
• Establishing an agile and urgent news operation with workflows organized around timely, digital publishing.
• Conducting weekly newsroom meetings and maintaining effective newsroom communication. 
• Building newsroom skills and performance expectations around the use of new and emerging digital tools; promoting the consistent use of alternative content formats and publishing tools that will help reach new audiences. 
• Broadening and diversifying editorial contributions from local commentators, writers and thought leaders; evaluating and implementing opportunities for reporting partnerships with other local news, community or academic organizations.
• Being a player-coach with a hands-on leadership style, demonstrating strong journalism values, creativity and agility. 
• Creating and maintaining a healthy workplace that values candid communication, clear expectations, respect, inclusion, innovation and urgency. 
• Responsible for newsroom budget management and ensuring newsroom/content resources are allocated appropriately.
• Communicating weekly or as needed with FCC content teams and collaborating regularly on content projects with FCC state and regional teams.
• Communicating story/visual plans for the print edition to relevant production teams to ensure a high-quality publication that meets all deadlines.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in appropriate discipline with at least four years newsroom experience. 
• Experience in a daily setting and/or supervisory capacity preferable. 
• Strong decision-making skills. 
• Strong verbal and written communication skills. 
• Strong interpersonal skills. 
• Ability to work well under deadlines. 

Environment and Cognitive/Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Prolonged periods of time sitting and working on a computer in an office environment.
• Standing and walking on an occasional basis.
• Ability to talk and hear over the phone, in person or via online meeting platforms.
• Repeating motions that may require wrist, hands and fingers. Reach with hands and arms.
• Ability to stoop, kneel, bend, crouch and lift up to 25 lbs.