Assignment Editor

Position Summary

For more than four decades, The Weather Channel has informed, inspired, and protected audiences through trusted weather and climate coverage. We are seeking an experienced, curious, and highly motivated Assignment Editor who is passionate about breaking weather news and enterprise storytelling.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Generate and identify weather, climate, and environmental story ideas for television, streaming, digital, and social platforms.
• Research, develop, and coordinate daily and long-range editorial coverage.
• Monitor weather events, emergency management agencies, government sources, news wires, social media platforms, livestreams, and emerging digital sources for breaking news and enterprise opportunities.
• Utilize AI-powered tools to assist with newsgathering, research, information synthesis, source discovery, content organization, and workflow efficiency while maintaining editorial oversight and verification standards.
• Verify information, photos, videos, and user-generated content using established journalistic standards and digital verification techniques.
• Collaborate closely with producers, meteorologists, social media producers, field crews, photojournalists, and newsroom leadership to execute daily coverage plans.
• Cook up assignments, logistics, travel, and live coverage for reporters, storm trackers, photographers, and freelance crews.
• Maintain and nurture relationships with network newsgathering partners.
• Evaluate content from news agencies, affiliates, freelance contributors, storm trackers, and partner organizations for editorial value and accuracy.
• Identify opportunities to expand weather coverage through climate, science, environmental, infrastructure, and human-impact storytelling.
• Communicate developing situations clearly and efficiently while keeping editorial teams informed of changing conditions.
• Work collaboratively across departments, contributing to a positive, team-first newsroom culture.
• Perform additional duties as assigned to support evolving newsroom and operational needs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism, Communications, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Minimum of five years of newsroom experience, including at least three years as an Assignment Editor in a medium-to-large market television station, cable network, digital newsroom, or national news organization.
• Demonstrated experience covering breaking news and live event coordination.
• Strong editorial judgment with a commitment to accuracy, fairness, and ethical journalism.
• Proficiency using major social media platforms as newsgathering, sourcing, and audience engagement tools.
• Familiarity with digital verification techniques for photos, videos, and online content.
• Excellent written, verbal, organizational, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to prioritize multiple assignments simultaneously while performing effectively under deadline pressure.
• Ability to work independently while contributing as a collaborative member of a cross-functional newsroom team.
• Flexibility to work rotating shifts, weekends, holidays, overnight coverage, and extended severe weather events as newsroom needs require.