Assigning Editor – Trends & Viral News

About the role

The Assigning Editor will lead story sourcing and pitching for our social and viral news desk across multiple brands. You will dig into major trending news, TikTok, Reddit and other platforms to find stories that resonate with our audience.

Key responsibilities

• Monitor TikTok and other social platforms daily to discover stories before other publishers.
• Write clear pitches and context for writers, assign stories to staff and freelancers.
• Frame stories and headlines for syndication and social platforms such as MSN, Facebook, and SmartNews.
• Track performance data and refine pitches based on analytics.
• Document discovery workflows to improve pitching across the team.
• Verify story accuracy, credit creators properly, and ensure fair treatment of subjects.

Required profile

• Experience as an assigning, commissioning, news, trending, or social editor in a fast‑moving digital media environment (or extensive self‑pitching writing experience).
• Passion for TikTok and social culture with a strong instinct for compelling stories.
• Ability to work in a high‑volume pitching environment and use traffic data to guide decisions.
• Strong understanding of ethical journalism and US culture/audiences.

Required skills

• Excellent headline writing without being misleading.
• Comfort with traffic and performance data analysis.
• Knowledge of syndication and social media distribution.