Ron Zeitlinger
North Haledon,NJ
Summary
Award winner as sports writer, reporter, layout editor and managing editor over 40-plus-year career at The Paterson News, Hudson Dispatch and The Jersey Journal.
I have worked in almost every aspect of the newspaper process starting as a part-time sports writer in 1982 while still attending college. I was perhaps the youngest sports editor in New Jersey when I was appointed to the position at The Hudson Dispatch in 1987, at the age of 23.
As managing editor, I realized and emphasized the importance of teaching interns and the young reporting staff or how to be a reporter and how a reporters conduct themselves.
I led a small team of dedicated journalists to earn the New Jersey Press Association's General Excellence Award twice in the past three years, demonstrating exceptional team collaboration and content planning skills.
Overview
27
27
years of professional experience
Work History
Managing Editor
The Jersey Journal
04.2016 - Current
- Managed a staff of young reporters and photographers for daily newspaper, The Jersey Journal, and website, NJ.com. The Journal has won the New Jersey Press Association's General Excellence Award for newspaper's under 15,000 circulation two of the past three years.
- Edited staff content for the print edition and the website, and curated photo selection for both media platforms.
- Managed social media, posting links to stories as they were posted to the website.
- Worked with reporters, assigning stories and/or helping reporters grow their own ideas for stories; mentoring them throughout the process; and ultimately editing and fine-tuning the stories.
- Along with the formulating story ideas is the responsibility of coming up with plans to illustrate the story for both the online and print platforms.
- Covering the most diverse communities in the nation, there is a specific responsibility to providing a voice to all.
- Taught that responsibility, and the importance of honesty and fairness to interns and young reporters.
- Established clear expectations for staff members, setting achievable goals that motivated them towards success.
- Provided reporting staff the resources to flourish by picking up the slack and writing many of the breaking news stories, while also teaching interns and young reporters by example.
City Editor
The Jersey Journal
04.2010 - Current
- Worked with reporters and photographers on daily stories, breaking news stories and long-form stories.
- Grew The Jersey Journal's social media presence with a focused page-view approach that garnered between approximately 100,000 and 150,000 page views a day with a staff that included a handful of reporters and photographers.
Deputy City Editor
The Jersey Journal
04.2006 - 04.2010
- Worked with City Editor to assign stories, mentor reporters on best practices and problem-solving, as well as edit stories and assign photographer and assist in managing a staff of reporters and photographers.
- Participated in ongoing professional development opportunities, staying current on industry best practices and emerging trends in law enforcement.
Night Editor
The Jersey Journal
01.2002 - Current
- Performed layout duties, headline-writing and proofing of the daily newspaper, and managed the transition from a broadsheet newspaper to a tabloid format.
- Worked with reporters and edited late-breaking stories.
Sports Editor
The Jersey Journal
09.1997 - 01.2002
- Managed a sports staff of reporters and photographers for in-depth coverage that was focused on local sports, from youth to high school to college athletics.
- Edited stories, curated national wires and laid out a daily 5- to 7-page section that included national and local sports, as well as horse racing.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Journalism And Mass Communication
Rutgers University, Newark
Newark, NJ05-1986
Skills
- Strong attention to detail
- Deadline Management
- Team Collaboration
- Planning and coordination
- Content Planning
Timeline
Managing Editor
The Jersey Journal
04.2016 - Current
City Editor
The Jersey Journal
04.2010 - Current
Deputy City Editor
The Jersey Journal
04.2006 - 04.2010
Night Editor
The Jersey Journal
01.2002 - Current
Sports Editor
The Jersey Journal
09.1997 - 01.2002
Bachelor of Arts - Journalism And Mass Communication
Rutgers University, Newark
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