Main purpose of the role:

The Assistant Editor: Politics is responsible for setting the agenda for News24’s daily coverage of South African politics. The successful candidate will give direction to the political writers and write regular and authoritative analyses, opinions and exclusive articles.

Key responsibilities:

• Determine and manage the politics diary on a daily basis.
• Manage a team of political reporters in Johannesburg and Cape Town (Parliament).
• Maintain regular contact with the head of news to plan and coordinate diaries.
• Identify the key stories of the day in order to produce consistent and excellent news stories.
• Adhere to deadlines and publishing schedules to position News24 as the most trusted title in politics.
• Gather, write and present in-depth political news reports.
• Analyse political information and produce regular columns and informative analyses.
• Liaise with the production staff and multimedia editor to produce video and audio content of political news.
• Build up and maintain a network of local and national contacts.
• Attend political meetings, gatherings and other events with political role-players.

Skills and competencies:

• The ability to manage a team under daily deadlines and in a changing news cycle.
• The ability to set the agenda with exclusive and in-depth coverage of South African politics.
• To prioritise big stories with a team of reporters.
• A thorough understanding of South Africa’s three political tiers and how they operate – local, provincial and national.
• Analytical thinking to produce insightful columns and analyses.
• Sound news judgment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• A team player who liaise regularly with fellow editors.

Qualification and experience:

• At least ten years’ experience in a national newsroom.
• A relevant tertiary qualification.
• Proven experience as political writer with the ability to produce insightful and exclusive stories.
• A proven network of political contacts.

Given the employment equity policy of Media24, preference will be given to suitable candidates from the designated groups.