Also called: Assignment Desk Editor
Runs the newsroom's 'assignment desk', listening to police scanners and sending crews to stories.
An assignment editor monitors scanners, social media, and tip lines, then dispatches reporters and photographers to a breaking fire or press conference.
Approximate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. A bachelor's in journalism, then about a year as a newsroom desk assistant learning to track breaking news and dispatch crews.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Journalism.
Shrinking. Shrinking local newsrooms.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. AI now monitors scanners, social feeds and tips automatically, cutting desk jobs; dispatch judgment stays human.
Classes: Journalism, Government, Geography, Speech.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-3041.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.