Magazine editor to crime journalist
A magazine editor already meets 57% of what the crime journalist role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
51.2/ 100
1 How much of what a crime journalist is expected to do is already part of a magazine editor’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the crime journalist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A crime journalist role treats 15 of its required skills as things a magazine editor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply grammar and spelling rules
- consult information sources
- copyright legislation
- develop professional network
- editorial standards
- follow ethical code of conduct of journalists
What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 26 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A crime journalist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a magazine editor background worth leading with.
- already held write captions communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held write headlines communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held follow ethical code of conduct of journalists assisting and caring
- already held participate in editorial meetings communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held edit negatives working with computers
- already held editorial standards social sciences, journalism and information
All 26 carried skills, including the 15 the crime journalist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn stay up to date with social media required
- still to learn study topics required
- still to learn record court procedures required
- optional, not held manage writing administration optional
- optional, not held document interviews optional
- still to learn build contacts to maintain news flow required
- still to learn evaluate writings in response to feedback required
- optional, not held ask questions at events optional
- optional, not held create online news content optional
- optional, not held edit digital moving images optional
- optional, not held follow directions of on-site director optional
- optional, not held present during live broadcasts optional
- optional, not held promote one's writings optional
- optional, not held rewrite articles optional
- optional, not held communicate by telephone optional
- optional, not held provide written content optional
- optional, not held show diplomacy optional
- still to learn court procedures required
- still to learn criminal law required
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
- optional, not held pronunciation techniques optional
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
- optional, not held audio editing software optional
- optional, not held edit recorded sound optional
- optional, not held perform video editing optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a crime journalist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 build contacts to maintain news flow practise this
- 02 evaluate writings in response to feedback practise this
- 03 stay up to date with social media practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 26 skills that carry over
- already held apply grammar and spelling rules skill
- already held consult information sources skill
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held editorial standards knowledge
- already held follow ethical code of conduct of journalists skill
- already held follow the news skill
- already held grammar knowledge
- already held interview people skill
- already held interview techniques knowledge
- already held participate in editorial meetings skill
- already held spelling knowledge
- already held use specific writing techniques skill
- already held write to a deadline skill
- already held writing techniques knowledge
- already held adapt to type of media skill
- already held apply desktop publishing techniques skill
- already held check correctness of information skill
- already held desktop publishing knowledge
- already held edit negatives skill
- already held edit photographs skill
- already held perform image editing skill
- already held press law knowledge
- already held proofread text skill
- already held write captions skill
- already held write headlines skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held manage personal finances optional
- optional, not held law enforcement optional
20 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
- optional, not held ask questions at events optional
- optional, not held create online news content optional
- optional, not held edit digital moving images optional
- optional, not held edit recorded sound optional
- optional, not held follow directions of on-site director optional
- optional, not held manage personal finances optional
- optional, not held manage writing administration optional
- optional, not held perform video editing optional
- optional, not held present during live broadcasts optional
- optional, not held promote one's writings optional
- optional, not held rewrite articles optional
- optional, not held audio editing software optional
- optional, not held communicate by telephone optional
- optional, not held document interviews optional
- optional, not held law enforcement optional
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
- optional, not held pronunciation techniques optional
- optional, not held provide written content optional
- optional, not held show diplomacy optional
11 held skills the crime journalist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt to changing situations skill
- not needed by the target role apply organisational techniques skill
- not needed by the target role check stories skill
- not needed by the target role create editorial board skill
- not needed by the target role ensure consistency of published articles skill
- not needed by the target role graphic design knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
- not needed by the target role recruit employees skill
- not needed by the target role use word processing software skill
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn court procedures required
- still to learn criminal law required
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
- optional, not held audio editing software optional
- optional, not held law enforcement optional
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
- optional, not held pronunciation techniques optional
Common questions about this move
Can a magazine editor become a crime journalist?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A magazine editor already covers 57% of what a crime journalist is expected to do: 26 skills carry over, 15 of which the crime journalist role treats as required.
What skills does a magazine editor need to become a crime journalist?
7 required skills are missing, plus 20 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is build contacts to maintain news flow.
How hard is the move from magazine editor to crime journalist?
Its learning distance is 51.2 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.