The Public Life Editor leads Media Trust's coverage of politics, governance, national and international affairs, the economy, business, justice, security, the environment, and public institutions. This desk drives the national agenda, ensuring Media Trust remains authoritative in public policy, governance, and power reporting. The role is responsible for high-speed breaking coverage and structured depth journalism within the Intake - Output system.
- Lead political and governance coverage across all platforms.
- Set agenda-setting priorities in coordination with the News Hub.
- Ensure competitive exclusives and authoritative reporting.
- Commission stories daily.
- Structure stories into sequential waves, including breaking news, context, and deep analysis.
- Prepare content for seamless multi-platform adaptation.
Desk Coordination & Collaboration:
- Coordinate with Radar to immediately upgrade breaking stories and provide verified context.
- Collaborate with Checkpoint to flag investigations and develop policy-based deep dives.
- Ensure stories are adaptable to the web, print front pages, TV debate formats, and radio bulletins.
- Provide front page leads, political features, governance analysis, budget/economic explainers, and national crisis reporting.
- Attend the News Hub meeting.
- Review the national diary and political calendar.
- Approve the day's assignments.
- Respond to overnight breaking stories.
- Review the first-wave publication.
- Commission upgrades, including background and analysis.
- Coordinate TV and radio angles.
- Confirm print lead options with the General Editor.
- Review headline hierarchy.
- Ensure depth pieces are ready for next-day editions.
- Senior editorial leadership experience in public-interest reporting, long-form journalism, or current affairs.
- Strong editorial judgment and proven ability to originate, shape, and deliver exclusive journalism.
- Demonstrated experience in managing complex reporting projects from conception to publication.
- Strong understanding of verification, editorial risk management, and evidence-led reporting.
- Experience working across digital, print, and broadcast workflows.
- Strong editorial judgment
- Public-interest orientation
- Excellent commissioning and story development skills
- Strong planning and organisational discipline
- Ability to manage complex multi-stage editorial projects
- Collaborative leadership
- Calm decision-making under pressure
- Strong understanding of multiplatform storytelling
- High standards of accuracy, fairness, and verification
Success indicators (first-year expectations)
- Deliver regular exclusive and enterprise journalism.
- Build visible fact-check and accountability output.
- Produce recurring data-led explanatory journalism.