News Editor
🗞️Runs a live news feed: decides what leads, rewrites headlines, checks sources and keeps the pace of dozens of stories a shift.
Prospects & pay
What the work is like
💼 Job market
🇺🇸 $84.6k a year on average · -1.1% jobs by 2035 · 7,900 openings a year
Editors — US: Census ACS 2020–24 (full-time), BLS projections 2025–35
🇬🇧 £42.4k median a year · 22,000 jobs
Newspaper and periodical editors — UK: ONS ASHE 2025 (full-time)
🤖 AI & automation
AI writes news briefs and headlines in seconds. The editor still decides what to trust, what matters and what the outlet stands behind, but there are fewer such jobs.
Who it suits
Interests: ✍️ Writing and literature, 📱 Media, content, advertising, 🏛️ History, society, politics, 🧭 Organising and leading.
Key strengths: speaking and writing, attention to detail, organisation.
Where to study
- Bachelor's BA Journalism, English, History or Politics
- Master's MA / postgraduate diploma in Journalism (NCTJ-accredited in the UK)
- Apprenticeship Journalism apprenticeship (UK)
Key school subjects (A-level / IB / AP): English Literature, History, Politics.
🧗 A degree in journalism or the humanities; in the UK, an NCTJ diploma via a postgrad course or apprenticeship. Then several years as a reporter before becoming a news editor.
Universities
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- City St George's, University of London London
BA Journalism; Attestat + foundation; IELTS usually 6.5–7.0; site not reachable * - Cardiff University Cardiff
Journalism and media; Attestat + foundation; IELTS usually 6.5; site not reachable * - Goldsmiths, University of London London · €27.5k/yr
BA Media & Communications £23,900 (2027/28); IELTS 6.0 (writing 6.0, others ≥5.5); integrated foundation year option
🇺🇸 United States
- Northwestern University (Medill School of Journalism) Evanston, IL · €63.6k/yr
Common App; TOEFL/IELTS/DET for non-native speakers; aid for internationals limited (need-aware) - University of Missouri Columbia, MO · €34.5k–38.1k/yr
international rate $39.7–43.8k by major; TOEFL/IELTS/DET for non-native speakers - Syracuse University (Newhouse School) Syracuse, NY · €60.2k/yr
Common App; TOEFL/IELTS/DET for non-native speakers; ≈ $96–99k/yr with housing
🇩🇪 Germany
- LMU Munich Munich · free
No tuition; DSH-2, TestDaF 4 in all parts, telc C1 Hochschule; without it at least B2 to apply; medicine: non-EU quota - TU Dortmund University Dortmund · free
No tuition; German C1 (DSH-2/TestDaF 4x4); journalism has its own selection * - Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Mainz · free
No tuition; German C1 (DSH-2/TestDaF 4x4); Russian certificate: via Studienkolleg Mainz *
🇳🇱 Netherlands
- University of Amsterdam Amsterdam · €17.5k/yr
Certificate + usually 1 university year (Diploma finder); IELTS 6.5 (PPLE 7.0); medicine is Dutch-taught, numerus fixus, €34,700 - Erasmus University Rotterdam Rotterdam · €13.5k–32.2k/yr
Certificate + usually 1 university year; IELTS ≈ 6.5; medicine is Dutch-taught, numerus fixus (400 places), €32,200 - Fontys School of Journalism Tilburg
Dutch-taught HBO: certificate equals HAVO, Dutch NT2-II *
🇫🇷 France
- Sciences Po Journalism School Paris
Master's only (journalism); first do a bachelor's elsewhere * - École supérieure de journalisme de Lille Lille
Concours after a bachelor’s (bac+3); in French * - CELSA – Sorbonne University Neuilly-sur-Seine
Entry into licence year 3 (after bac+2) by concours; in French *
🇮🇹 Italy
- IULM University Milan
Private university: 12 school years, B2 in the language of study, entrance test * - Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Milan
9 English-taught bachelor's (Communication Management, Finance, Psychology etc.); English B2, selection by documents - University of Bologna (Communication Sciences) Bologna · €1.2k/yr
Taught in Italian: Italian B2, TOLC test; 12 school years *
🇪🇸 Spain
- University of Navarra (School of Communication) Pamplona · €13.9k–17.5k/yr
Private: own admission process; year 1 €13,900–17,500 (2026/27) - Complutense University of Madrid (Information Sciences) Madrid · €6.8k–8.2k/yr
Spanish B2 required; homologation + UNEDasiss, PCE; non-EU pay 4th-attempt rate - Autonomous University of Barcelona Bellaterra · €1.8k/yr
Homologation + UNEDasiss, PCE for score; some classes in Catalan; non-EU €30/ECTS *
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
- Charles University Prague · free
Free in Czech (Czech ≈B2 + exams, ÚJOP course); English programmes €40–30,620/yr - Masaryk University Brno · €0–16k/yr
Free in Czech; English €2,700–7,500/yr (Informatics €4,500), Medicine CZK 380,000; Czech ≈B2 + entrance exams - Palacký University Olomouc Olomouc · €0–14k/yr
Free in Czech (Czech ≈B2 + exams); in English: Medicine €12,500, Dentistry €14,000/yr
Things to know
🌙 Night shifts and on-call🪑 Sitting at a computer all day
Similar careers
Not sure what to choose?
A ~100-question quiz builds your interest profile and matches you with careers and universities in Europe, the UK and the US.
Take the quiz →Scales are expert estimates; tuition and admission rules are for 2026/27 from official sources — always check the university website.