<p>Editors do more work such as formatting and editing other peoples' original work. Writers, on the other hand do the bulk of the creative work and if it's a good piece, their name gets more credit than the editors.</p>
<p>I’m not too informed about newspaper structure, but isn’t editor always a higher position?</p>
<p>However, being an editor will look good on resume but if you write original pieces you would be able to show colleges your original, published, work. That’s a pretty good bonus.</p>
<p>Basically, you decide what you want to do and what makes you happy. You can spin it either way.</p>
<p>Editor-in-Chief is the highest position, with other editors such as managing editor and editors of different sections of the paper below him/her. If you make editor and are really concerned about the prestige, just write articles for the paper as well. Then you can have both…</p>
<p>Don’t even think about which has more prestige. Do the one that you think you would enjoy more.</p>
<p>Usually, you would have to prove your mettle as a writer before ascending to an editor position.
Additionally, the quality of your paper should matter. Are y’all involved in conferences, state student press associations, the NSPA? Has your paper won the Pacemaker? Is your paper constantly expanding and improving?</p>
<p>Here, everyone does a little of everything. The EIC writes articles. Sometimes even the graphic designers write articles.</p>
<p>Somebody came on here & said she wouldn’t think about which has more prestige, but which one do you enjoy more? Um, neither one of these “positions” has any prestige OR cache, and neither one pays anything but peanuts. Journalism jobs have all but dried up. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) related jobs are where the prestige & $$ are. A Software Engineer STARTS OUT making 165,000 per year. So unless you’re a girl who has rich parents or you plan on marrying someone wealthy (which sounds like your backup plan) I’d RUN from the writing “profession”. My post may make you angry but trust me, if you choose that profession you will get tired of eating Ramen Noodles. And beans. Because that’s what you’ll be able to afford on your salary (I’m exaggerating a bit but you get the picture).</p>
<p>I just want to add that I have “mild” experience in both field of Journalism & STEM and what I stated above is just my opinion. But I would STRONGLY warn anyone away from the writing field. Maybe people have a fantasy vision of reporting & journalism like in that old movie “All The President’s Men”, where there are actual newspapers & you can hear the clicking of the typewriter keys. It’s a fantasy. Fast-forward to 2014 and newspapers have all but dried up and online bloggers are the new “reporters” to a certain extent.</p>
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<p>High school newspaper positions don’t pay anything at all…</p>