Being an editor is never an easy job, but it may be a bit more complicated in South Africa than in many other parts of the world.

In a recently published handbook called The Extraordinary Editor, by Guy Berger and Elizabeth Barratt, testimonies from both the media’s biggest and emerging players and insight from the authors could help editors navigate through a complex media landscape, in South Africa and elsewhere.

The book is easy to read with short essays, checklists, and a myriad of in-depth “how to do everything” sections. An electronic version can be accessed for free here: http://nml.ru.ac.za/blog/guy-berger....

“South African media has faced lots of changes in the ranks of editors, and lots of change in the role of the editor. In this context, a summit of the South African National Editors Forum and media managers in 2006 thought it would be valuable to produce a book that clarified expectations and shared advice,” said Berger to RAP 21.

South Africa has changed drastically over the past decade and a half, and editors have had to adjust to each convolution. Before fifteen years ago, the South African story was rooted in the dynamic of the oppressed and the oppressors. As the story progressed, left-wing political formations and the African National Congress (ANC) were legalized, apartheid ended and the media followed each new development and grasped emergent news trends and commercial developments.

The media and the country still grapple with poverty and difficult politics. Berger added, “In addition to the global business, technology and political pressures on editors, South Africans have to engage with the issues of a young democracy still finding its way through race, crime and AIDS. That is why South African editors have to be extraordinary.”

How editors can achieve this is a long process. Time management, leadership skills, creating strong team dynamics, gathering strong content and ensuring that the final product does not sacrifice the pillars of a free and open press are some of the most important elements to grasp to becoming an “extraordinary editor”.

A compilation of what it means to be an editor starts off the book, and most agree with Elizabeth Barratt, who wrote, “Being an editor is pretty much a full-time job: seven days a week, all your waking hours.” What takes up this time is everything from labour relations, creating editorial policies, public appearances, learning new media, dealing with government and public complaints, and advancing the brand.

The book delves into each facet of being an editor with exclusive tips and points on how to better succeed. For example, a step-by-step guide to creating a business and budget is presented that could be applied to any sort of media house. In addition, how to deal in situations that are likely to arise, such as disputes over a company’s future direction, are discussed. In another section, a checklist of 38 points reminds editors of important matters when launching a paper.

The handbook is especially successful in its treatment of both adjusting for the future and ways to establish a safer working place for journalists to achieve more objective reporting. Fundamental rights of journalists and those with special equipment, such as cameras, are reiterated and what an editor should do when a journalist is in trouble is defined.

The book asks, “As an editor, do you consider the role of your media as being just to entertain, inform and make profits? Or do you feel that you as an individual, and your media also have special roles to play in promoting and building South Africa’s new democracy?” The section continues with a series of definitions that could help editors better understand their role in the media landscape and in society at large.

In regards to new media, the book continues the battle between traditional journalists and citizen journalists in a hypothetical debate between “Citizen J” and “Harden D. Pro.” This section also gives a comprehensive look at convergent newsrooms and how to get there with all the newest technology available. Though, the book doesn’t get too technical - rather it presents the array of choices (with corresponding tips) available to South African editors to revamp and open up their working spaces.

Upon finishing the book one might think being an editor is an extremely stressful job - their ideas infuse the newsroom and they oversee what information the public receives. They have to protect their employees, create editorial policies and an entire book is dedicated to doing this, just in South Africa.

At the same, this makes it one of the most exciting jobs. “Editors do have lots of fun and most in South Africa enjoy their jobs tremendously. Dealing with the stresses of business pressure and budgets, difficult politicians and journalists with flaws - and putting out media content despite all this, is part of the kick,” concluded Berger to RAP 21.