An assigning editor on a metro newspaper had worked as a reporter for 10 years before moving up to run a bureau. Only three years later he had had enough of management. It feels like work coming to work now, he explained to his boss as he asked to return to reporting. Hours and stress increase with the responsibilities.
Recognition invariably decreases.
The higher salary hardly compensates for the greater risks. It should be. Senior editors might have more influence on the final package, but they are dependent on the quality of the assignments and editing upstream. Equally important is the assigning editor s influence on the staff. To most reporters, photographers, and artists, the assigning editors are the only management they ever work with directly.