News anchor to editor-in-chief
A news anchor already meets 45% of what the editor-in-chief role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
60.3/ 100
1 How much of what an editor-in-chief is expected to do is already part of a news anchor’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 editor-in-chief role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An editor-in-chief role treats 9 of its required skills as things a news anchor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adapt to changing situations
- check stories
- consult information sources
- develop professional network
- editorial standards
- follow the news
What stands in the way is 11 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 20 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An editor-in-chief role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a news anchor background worth leading with.
- already held check stories information skills
- already held work closely with news teams communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held participate in editorial meetings communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held editorial standards social sciences, journalism and information
- already held press law business, administration and law
- already held write to a deadline management skills
All 20 carried skills, including the 9 the editor-in-chief role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 25 missing skills fall into 9 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 adapt to type of media required
- still to learn build contacts to maintain news flow required
- still to learn create editorial board required
- still to learn ensure consistency of published articles required
- still to learn implement strategic planning required
- optional, not held create online news content optional
- optional, not held use specific writing techniques optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- still to learn manage budgets required
- still to learn manage staff required
- still to learn meet deadlines required
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- still to learn follow ethical code of conduct of journalists required
- optional, not held follow newspaper house style optional
- still to learn copyright legislation required
- still to learn digital journalism required
- optional, not held edit negatives optional
- optional, not held edit photographs optional
- optional, not held apply desktop publishing techniques optional
- optional, not held perform image editing optional
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an editor-in-chief role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 adapt to type of media practise this
- 02 build contacts to maintain news flow practise this
- 03 create editorial board 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 20 skills that carry over
- already held adapt to changing situations skill
- already held check stories skill
- already held consult information sources skill
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held editorial standards knowledge
- already held follow the news skill
- already held participate in editorial meetings skill
- already held press law knowledge
- already held work closely with news teams skill
- already held apply grammar and spelling rules skill
- already held check correctness of information skill
- already held edit digital moving images skill
- already held grammar knowledge
- already held interview people skill
- already held interview techniques knowledge
- already held perform video editing skill
- already held photography knowledge
- already held proofread text skill
- already held spelling knowledge
- already held write to a deadline skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held graphic design optional
- optional, not held writing techniques optional
- optional, not held study relevant writing optional
- optional, not held document interviews optional
- optional, not held desktop publishing optional
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held create online news content optional
- optional, not held edit negatives optional
- optional, not held edit photographs optional
- optional, not held follow newspaper house style optional
- optional, not held study relevant writing optional
- optional, not held use specific writing techniques optional
- optional, not held apply desktop publishing techniques optional
- optional, not held desktop publishing optional
- optional, not held document interviews optional
- optional, not held graphic design optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held perform image editing optional
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- optional, not held writing techniques optional
17 held skills the editor-in-chief role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adopt a relaxed posture skill
- not needed by the target role audiovisual equipment knowledge
- not needed by the target role breathing techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role lighting techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role memorise lines skill
- not needed by the target role moderate a debate skill
- not needed by the target role news analytics knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate audio equipment skill
- not needed by the target role perform improvisation skill
- not needed by the target role present during live broadcasts skill
- not needed by the target role pronunciation techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role read pre-drafted texts skill
- not needed by the target role rewrite articles skill
- not needed by the target role set up sound equipment skill
- not needed by the target role show diplomacy skill
- not needed by the target role vocal techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role work with a voice coach skill
5 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 digital journalism required
- still to learn copyright legislation required
- optional, not held desktop publishing optional
- optional, not held graphic design optional
- optional, not held writing techniques optional
Common questions about this move
Can a news anchor become an editor-in-chief?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A news anchor already covers 45% of what an editor-in-chief is expected to do: 20 skills carry over, 9 of which the editor-in-chief role treats as required.
What skills does a news anchor need to become an editor-in-chief?
11 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is adapt to type of media.
How hard is the move from news anchor to editor-in-chief?
Its learning distance is 60.3 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.