Fiona Leishman
Cambridge
Summary
Dynamic News Editor skilled in team management and news agenda setting. Delivers timely news coverage across multiple platforms while fostering collaboration. Utilises data-driven insights to optimise content performance and enhance audience engagement. Adapts to evolving news landscapes with expertise in both reporting and editing.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
Assistant/Deputy News Editor
Mirror
03.2024 - Current
- Began as an Assistant News Editor with the Mirror's US team, working across the .co.uk and .com sites covering North America and the wider world for the .com site.
- Managed teams of reporters to deliver quality news and establish a strong daily news ageda covering human interest, court, crime, politics, and current events.
- Used social media, wires and systems such as Dataminr to ensure we were across live and breaking news and then covering it in the most effective way for our readers - whether that is a story that we keep updated or a live blog.
- Moved to the main Mirror.co.uk brand team in the summer of 2024 where I shifted from primarily covering the US and North America to covering the UK and wider world, helping to ensure we were setting the agenda and pushing our brand ideals.
- Interviewed sources and developed relationships to obtain exclusives on diverse topics.
- Managed schedules to ensure timely content delivery both online and also for paper deadlines.
- Used data to inform best practice for SEO and followed best guidance by working with audience teams to ensure our content is optimised across all platforms.
US reporter
Mirror
04.2023 - 03.2024
- Covered US and North America for Mirror, contributing to successful launch of Mirror's .com site.
- Engaged with sources and experts to obtain detailed insights for news articles and exclusives.
- Monitored social media and news wires to identify and report live breaking news events swiftly.
- Reported on a variety of topics, such as politics, crime, and human interest stories, demonstrating journalistic versatility.
- Covered Biden's presidency and the ongoing fallout from the 2020 election, including Donald Trump's court cases.
Assistant/Deputy News Editor
Cambridgeshire Live
01.2022 - 04.2023
- Managed brand creative oversight and coordinated with reporters to plan daily publishing, enhancing content delivery.
- Curated newsletter lists, homepage updates, social media posts, and app pushes to increase audience engagement.
- Optimised content by ensuring we were following best guidance for social media and SEO as well as optimising user experience with photo and video
- Wrote and refined in-depth features and fast-breaking news stories daily.
- Tracked key metrics and monitored performance against newsroom targets.
- Attended planning meetings to align editorial priorities with upcoming coverage and the news diary.
Newsletter Lead
South East
05.2021 - 01.2022
- Led the teams across 13 of Reach’s titles covering the South East of England to create and send out daily and specialist newsletters.
- Collaborated with audience teams and content editors to enhance newsletter content, ensuring delivery of relevant news to readers.
- Oversaw launch of multiple new newsletters, expanding audience engagement opportunities with content that resonates with our audiences.
- I also oversaw the launch of newsletters for three new sites and several of our ‘sub-brands’.
- Presented to large groups, trained teams on best practices, updated training materials, onboarded new starters, represented the region at conferences, crafted creative newsletters, and tracked performance and engagement metrics.
Journalist
CambridgeshireLive and Cambridge News
12.2018 - 05.2021
- Attained ReachPLC seniors qualification in May 2020.
- Developed brand identity and implemented SEO and social media best practices, expanding coverage and enhancing authority in Peterborough.
- Led initiative to launch PeterboroughLive as a sub-brand, enhancing service to the city and establishing dedicated Peterborough Facebook groups.
- Conducted interviews to produce emotive, in-depth pieces with a strong human interest focus.
- Covered court and inquest frequently, both in person and remotely, often following cases from the scene through to sentencing.
Education
MA - International Journalism
City University of London
07-2018
BA - English Literature with Creative Writing
Newcastle University
07-2017
Skills
- Editorial leadership
- Sub-editing
- News reporting
- SEO optimisation
- Social media
- Performance/data tracking
- Visual content creation
- Video editing techniques
- Audio editing skills
- Documentary appearances
Timeline
Assistant/Deputy News Editor
Mirror
03.2024 - Current
US reporter
Mirror
04.2023 - 03.2024
Assistant/Deputy News Editor
Cambridgeshire Live
01.2022 - 04.2023
Newsletter Lead
South East
05.2021 - 01.2022
Journalist
CambridgeshireLive and Cambridge News
12.2018 - 05.2021
MA - International Journalism
City University of London
BA - English Literature with Creative Writing
Newcastle University