Call from The Star:
We are looking for trainee subeditors, especially but not exclusively for digital.
We want people who love the news and writing and are willing to learn about editing.
Please contact Victoria:
victoria.graham at radioafricagroup.co.ke
victoria.graham at the-star.co.ke
Informal additional info:
Editing/subediting is the backbone of any good news operation.
I have been training editor here for three years (22 years with The AP). I am not the HR Department and we are just starting to recruit.
I do not yet have details about engagement,. Any stipend will be modest. But we will advise top candidates when we know.
Kindly email me a few grafs about yourself and your CV. Some of you have already done so. Thank you.
You do not need to be a professional writer or editor to be a good subeditor, crucial to all news operations, digital and print. There are print and digital platforms that offer opportunities for creativity. We are expanding our digital platforms, and there are opportunities for good writing and creativity. Social media, too.
I advise you to look at Radio Africa Group websites (including the Star, Kiss, Jambo, Classic — and Mpasho).
Subeditors make well-known writers look good and often write better than big names themselves. They improve their raw copy, catch errors, add background and context. They rethink and reorganise. They write catchy headlines that ensure stories are read and passed along. Attitude, initiative and motivation are key.
You must love the news, be up to date, read a lot, know the news makers (their titles and how they spell their names), be savvy, detail-oriented, unafraid to change a story if the most interesting elements are buried. Make a boring story interesting, if possible.
Do you have a flair for writing? Storytelling? Choosing the right word? An eye for the telling detail that makes a story?
Excellent written English is vital. We get a lot of crush/crash, park/pack, carve/curve and so on. We expect you to fix those problems — swiftly. You will get up to speed. We will train you.
Many people can learn all this and excel. Many people can ‘learn’ and still lack what it takes. Some instinctively get it. Some with master’s degrees and certificates will never get it. No matter how many laurels. I knew a door-to-door Kenyan salesman (soap, housewares) who reported and wrote better than a well-regarded trainee with a major foreign news agency.
Thank you for your interest. Kindly do not call. I am swamped.
