Wake up and check e-mails for emergencies. Ok, nothing urgent. Have breakfast and get ready for work. Must hurry: have coffee appointment with a new writer in piazza della Repubblica this morning. Brainstorm ideas with her and get her feedback on the paper; say goodbye. Next stop: the newsstand for a copy of Corriere della Sera. Exchange niceties with the owner, who complains that no one buys newspapers anymore and expresses worry about the fate of the sector. I ponder his comments as I walk to the office. Is there a story there with local punch? I have noticed that many newsstands in the city centre have closed …
Get to work, turn on the computer, and answer e-mails, about 50 of them. One e-mail is from a reader who points out that a correction is needed in an article from the last issue. Great. Make the correction online and answer the reader, saying thanks. Log onto to social media channels and look for news. Check how many new fans TF has on Facebook and how many retweets we got over the weekend. Most shared article? The ‘don’t miss list’ on Twitter, as usual. The spotlight on this week’s expat from Florence also seems to have been quite a hit. See what others have already posted, schedule a few Facebook posts and tweets accordingly for the next week or so. Find at least one photo story to share on Facebook: people always like those. We got a great response from the photos of the removal of the north doors of the Baptistery.
Have another coffee and flip through the day’s edition of Corriere della Sera. Quickly scan the titles for anything newsworthy. The City of Florence is the third most followed Italian city on Twitter: now that’s good news. Flag it for the next issue. The mayor announces plans to move the camping grounds under piazzale Michelangelo and create a park named after Florentine poet Mario Luzi: I wonder how tourists will respond to that? Flag it for the next issue. Oh yes, the mayor! Note to self: send the letters we have recently received to the mayor’s office and give him a deadline for the next issue.
Now move the search to news online. Check the websites of major local and national news outlets. Read about the Queen’s illness and her decision to cancel her visit to Italy. Log onto our website to make the correction to the article we had published in print and post and tweet the correction. Almost all of the cardinals are in Rome for the upcoming conclave: flag that for news in the next issue.
It’s 11:45am and I’m late! Rush over to the Uffizi for the press conference for the first of the Un Anno ad Arte series of exhibits this year, Norma e Capriccio: Spanish Artists in Italy. (Think to self: I always love going to the Uffizi when it’s closed; no lines, no crowds, pure bliss.) Get a quote from Antonio Natali, director of the Uffizi; talk to the press officer to organize a date and time to film a short video for the web. Get all the press material, enjoy a sneak preview of the exhibit and return to the office. Have lunch in the office; there’s a heated discussion underway on the unsuccessful general elections last February, with politicians from the establishment fearing the new popular girls and guys in town, the grillini. Regardless, there is good news: Italy now has one of the youngest and ‘pinkest’ parliaments in Europe (if the ‘new’ government ever makes it to March 15, date of the first official session). What would’ve happened to Italian politics if Mayor Renzi had won the primaries? The room is divided!
Make a few phone calls to press offices to finalize the film dates and times for two web videos next week. One will be on the new show, From Boldini to De Pisis at Villa Bardini; the other will be of the recently opened Rucellai Chapel. Ask if we can interview anyone, preferably in English. Write the scripts.
Talk to Rose, TF’s events and features editor, see what articles she or her roster of writers have in mind for upcoming issues. Check e-mail again. There’s an urgent translation to do for a client. Do that and publish it online. Then get ready for an interview with the spokesperson from the Oltrarno Futuro Committee for an upcoming feature. Once done, transcribe the interview and organize all the information I have on the story. Who else do I need to talk to? Do I need more interviews or information? Perhaps a quote from a merchant in the area?
Check the time: it’s 6pm, almost time to go home. Write a few news articles for the next issue, just to get ahead. Send a couple more news articles to an intern to write. Respond to a writer, giving the go-ahead on his pitch to pen a feature on Irish artists in Florence. Quickly edit and send two features for the next issue to the copyeditor. Check to make sure nothing else is urgent and pack up to go home, exhausted. Just think: it’s only Monday. Tomorrow is another day. And there are more stories to tell.
Are you our ideal candidate?
YOU HAVE
– excellent writing and editing skills (demonstrated by providing writing samples);
– lived in Florence for at least one year
– educational or work experience in the fields of online, print or broadcast journalism;
– English as your mother tongue and excellent written and spoken Italian;
– a daily habit of keeping informed of current events, politics, art and culture in Italy and Florence;
YOU ARE
– able to identify newsworthy events and stories for our target audience and be impartial;
– able to organize, plan and publish social media content and are interested in new technologies in digital publishing;
– able to efficiently coordinate editorial content (in print and online), manage freelancers and internal staff, and stay on top of deadlines;
– able to work well with others, edit their work constructively and have your work edited;
– eager to represent the newspaper at press conferences, events and other public relations opportunities in the English- and Italian-speaking communities in Florence.
You’ve just read about a random day in my life as managing editor at The Florentine. Being an editor and journalist has always been my dream job and I can’t fathom another profession – especially in Florence – as stimulating, exciting and important to the local community. We are looking for an exceptional editor to join the The Florentine team. Are you interested in learning more about the ‘best job’ in Florence, especially for an expat? See more about our ideal candidate above and send your CV and writing samples by March 31, 2013 to redazione@theflorentine.net. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
