First-Time Editor: First 100 Days Pack

Five templates to help a new editor land well - a first-100-days plan, a team one-to-one agenda, an editorial standards and values statement, a complaints and corrections process, and a commissioning brief.

Last reviewed: 26 July 2026Next review due: 26 July 2027

Note:These are starting-point templates to adapt to your title, team, and regulator - not a substitute for your organisation’s own policies or for HR and legal advice. Editorial standards and complaints handling should reflect the code you are actually regulated by.

Who this pack is for

This pack is for journalists stepping into their first editing or newsroom leadership role - a section editor, a desk head, or the editor of a small title. The step from doing the work to being responsible for other people’s work is a real change, and the first hundred days set the tone. The instinct to prove yourself by changing things quickly is usually the wrong one; the editors who last start by listening.

The templates give you a practical spine for that period: a phased plan so you diagnose before you act, a one-to-one agenda so your team feels heard, a values statement so everyone knows what the title stands for, a complaints and corrections process grounded in the due-prominence expectations of the IPSO Editors’ Code, and a commissioning brief so work starts with clarity. Adapt each to your newsroom, your resources, and the code you are regulated by.

What’s in this pack

Five templates - copy, adapt, and use.

Template 1: First 100 Days Plan

A phased plan - listen, diagnose, then act - that stops a new editor making big changes before they understand the operation.

Template 2: Team One-to-One Agenda

A simple, repeatable agenda that keeps one-to-ones focused on the team member, their blockers, and their development.

Template 3: Editorial Standards & Values Statement Starter

A fill-in-the-blanks statement of what your title stands for and how it applies accuracy, fairness, and independence.

Template 4: Complaints and Corrections Process

An end-to-end process for logging, assessing, and resolving complaints and correcting errors with due prominence.

Template 5: Commissioning Brief

A one-page brief that pins down the idea, angle, sources, risks, deadline, and (for freelances) fee and rights before work starts.

Template 1: First 100 Days Plan

A phased plan - listen, diagnose, then act - that stops a new editor making big changes before they understand the operation.

FIRST 100 DAYS - EDITOR'S PLAN

Editor: [NAME]     Title: [ROLE]     Start date: [DATE]

GUIDING AIM: [In one sentence, what does good look like at day 100?]

DAYS 1-30: LISTEN AND LEARN
- Meet every team member one-to-one (see the one-to-one agenda).
- Read a representative sample of recent output; note strengths and gaps.
- Map the standing commitments: deadlines, contracts, key relationships, budgets.
- Learn the numbers you are responsible for and where they come from.
- Do not make major structural changes yet. Ask questions; write down what you hear.

DAYS 31-60: DIAGNOSE AND PRIORITISE
- Name the three problems worth solving first, with evidence for each.
- Draft or refresh the editorial standards statement (see that template).
- Check the complaints and corrections process actually works; fix it if not.
- Agree a small number of early, visible improvements with the team.

DAYS 61-100: ACT AND EMBED
- Ship the early improvements and communicate them clearly.
- Set commissioning priorities for the next quarter (see the commissioning brief).
- Put a regular rhythm in place: news meetings, one-to-ones, planning, reviews.
- Agree how you and your manager will measure the next 90 days.

RISKS AND UNKNOWNS: [What you still do not understand, and how you will find out.]
FIRST REVIEW WITH MY MANAGER: [DATE]

Template 2: Team One-to-One Agenda

A simple, repeatable agenda that keeps one-to-ones focused on the team member, their blockers, and their development.

ONE-TO-ONE AGENDA

Team member: [NAME]     Editor: [NAME]     Date: [DATE]     Cadence: [weekly / fortnightly]

Keep it short, regular, and mostly theirs. Take notes and agree actions.

1. How are you? [Check in as a person first.]
2. What are you working on, and what is getting in the way?
3. What do you need from me or the team to do your best work?
4. What is going well that we should do more of?
5. Development: what do you want to get better at, and what is the next step?
6. Feedback both ways: one thing I could do better for you; one thing I want to flag for you - specific, kind, and clear.
7. Actions agreed (owner and date):
   - [ACTION - OWNER - DATE]
   - [ACTION - OWNER - DATE]

Notes: [...]     Next one-to-one: [DATE]

Reminders for the editor: listen more than you talk; do not let it become a status meeting; and deliver on what you promised last time before anything else.

Template 3: Editorial Standards & Values Statement Starter

A fill-in-the-blanks statement of what your title stands for and how it applies accuracy, fairness, and independence.

EDITORIAL STANDARDS AND VALUES - STATEMENT STARTER

[A short public or internal statement of what your title stands for and how it works. Fill in the brackets; cut what does not apply.]

Who we are: [PUBLICATION] is [what you cover and for whom].

Our purpose: [The public-service or reader value you exist to provide.]

Our standards. We aim to be accurate, fair, and independent. In practice that means:
- Accuracy: we check facts against primary sources and correct errors promptly and openly.
- Fairness: we give people criticised in our reporting a genuine opportunity to respond.
- Independence: we are transparent about who funds us and about any conflicts of interest.
- Privacy and care: we weigh the public interest against intrusion, and take extra care with vulnerable people and children.
- Transparency: we are open about our methods and about our use of any new tools.

Our regulator and code: we follow [the IPSO Editors' Code / the IMPRESS Standards Code / our own published code], and for any broadcast output, the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.

How to raise a concern: [How readers complain or request a correction, and the timescale they can expect - see the complaints and corrections process.]

Owner: [EDITOR]     Version: [X]     Reviewed: [DATE]

Template 4: Complaints and Corrections Process

An end-to-end process for logging, assessing, and resolving complaints and correcting errors with due prominence.

COMPLAINTS AND CORRECTIONS - PROCESS

Purpose: handle reader complaints and correct errors quickly, fairly, and consistently.

HOW TO COMPLAIN (publish this)
- Email [COMPLAINTS ADDRESS] with the headline, date, and URL, and what you believe is wrong.
- We aim to acknowledge within [X working days] and to respond substantively within [X working days].

INTERNAL HANDLING
1. Log it. Record every complaint (date, article, complainant, nature) in the complaints log.
2. Assess. Is it about a fact (accuracy), or about opinion, tone, or emphasis? Only inaccuracy requires a correction.
3. Decide. If we got a material fact wrong, correct it promptly. If not, explain our position clearly and politely.
4. Correct with due prominence. Add a clearly labelled correction; match the prominence to the original error and correct the same medium it appeared in.
5. Preserve the record. Do not silently edit - show what changed and when, and keep the correspondence.
6. Escalate. If a complaint threatens legal action or is complex, refer it to [EDITOR / LEGAL] before responding.

REGULATOR ROUTE
If a complainant remains dissatisfied, tell them how to take it to [our regulator, e.g. IPSO], and cooperate fully with any regulatory process.

Owner: [NAME]     Review date: [DATE]

Template 5: Commissioning Brief

A one-page brief that pins down the idea, angle, sources, risks, deadline, and (for freelances) fee and rights before work starts.

COMMISSIONING BRIEF

Commissioning editor: [NAME]     Writer: [NAME]     Date: [DATE]

Working title: [TITLE]
The idea in one line: [What is the story, and why now?]
Why it matters / public interest: [Who should care, and what they will take away.]

Format and length: [news / feature / analysis / interview] - [WORD COUNT or DURATION]
Angle and must-haves: [The specific angle; the sources, data, or access that must be in it.]
What it is NOT: [Scope limits, to keep the piece from sprawling.]

Sources and access: [Named sources to reach; documents or data; any right of reply needed.]
Risks / legal / ethics: [Defamation, privacy, contempt, sensitivity - flag early for a legal read if needed.]
Images / audio / video: [What is needed and who clears the rights.]

Deadline: [FILING DATE]     Fee and rights (if freelance): [FEE - RIGHTS ACQUIRED]
Editor contact for questions: [EMAIL / PHONE]

Sign-off: commissioned by [NAME] on [DATE].

Primary sources

IPSO Editors' Code of Practice - the accuracy, fairness, and due-prominence standards behind the values statement and complaints process
IPSO - Making a Complaint - how the complaints route works from the reader's side, useful when designing your own process
IMPRESS Standards Code - the alternative regulatory code, for titles regulated by IMPRESS rather than IPSO
Ofcom Broadcasting Code - the standards that apply to any broadcast output your title produces
NUJ Code of Conduct - the professional principles that underpin an editorial standards statement

Frequently asked questions

What should a new editor do in the first 30 days?

Mostly listen. The first month is for understanding the operation before you change it: meet every team member one-to-one, read a representative sample of recent output, map the standing commitments (deadlines, contracts, key relationships, and budgets), and learn the numbers you are now responsible for and where they come from. Resist the urge to make big structural changes early. The people you have inherited will judge you first on whether you take the time to understand what already works.

How often should I hold one-to-ones with my team?

Regularly and predictably - weekly or fortnightly is common - and protect the slot rather than cancelling it when you are busy. Keep each one short and mostly about the team member: how they are, what they are working on, what is getting in their way, and what they want to develop. Take notes, agree a couple of actions, and follow through before the next meeting. A one-to-one that keeps getting bumped, or that turns into a status update, quickly loses its value.

Does my publication need a written editorial standards statement?

There is no universal legal requirement, but a clear written statement of your standards is good practice: it tells readers what you stand for, aligns the team around how you work, and gives you something concrete to point to when a decision is questioned. If you are regulated by IPSO or IMPRESS you already work to their code, and any broadcast output is subject to the Ofcom Broadcasting Code; a standards statement should reflect the code you are actually regulated by rather than inventing a parallel set of rules.

How should a small newsroom handle complaints and corrections?

With a simple, consistent process: log every complaint, assess whether it concerns a fact (accuracy) or a matter of opinion, tone, or emphasis, and correct promptly where you got a material fact wrong. Corrections should carry due prominence - proportionate to the original error and in the same medium - and you should never silently edit an article, because the record of what changed matters. Signpost dissatisfied complainants to your regulator, and escalate anything that threatens legal action before you respond.

What makes a good commissioning brief?

Clarity before work starts. A good brief states the idea in one line and why it matters now, fixes the format and length, names the angle and the must-have sources or access, and says what the piece is not so it does not sprawl. It flags legal, privacy, and ethical risks early enough for a legal read if needed, sets a firm deadline, and - for freelances - states the fee and exactly which rights you are acquiring. A few minutes spent tightening a brief saves hours of rewriting later.