‘I'm a Trouble Shooter, Diplomat and Inventor’
Martina Kix is editor-in-chief of ZEIT Campus. She rarely has a normal working day, says Kix, because something surprising always happens. She advises young people: “Go to the local editorial offices and try things out.”
Interviewer What do you actually do as editor-in-chief of ZEIT Campus?
Martina Kix: Building page plans, approving holiday requests, commissioning texts, signing off invoices, recruiting interns and talking about young journalism at Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences as a guest: I do all of this as editor-in-chief. My tasks vary; I rarely have a ‘normal’ working day because something surprising always happens. As an editor at ZEIT Campus, I was mainly responsible for writing one story per issue and editing texts by colleagues and freelance authors. As editor-in-chief, I have an overview of the entire magazine and work together with many different departments in the company, with the publishing house, the advertising department and the events department. This primarily involves strategic questions: Where is ZEIT Campus published? What other events can we invent? Which TikTok format do we want to create? So I’m a bit of a trouble shooter, diplomat and inventor – and it’s all a lot of fun.
What experience or talents should you have for the job?
Martina Kix: Curiosity about topics, people and stories. Openness to work on topics and texts. Resilience and keeping calm even in times of crisis. And you also have to be able to put up with things not working out at the first attempt, whether it’s during research or in your first job.
I did my first internship in the local editorial department of the Neue Westfälische in Herford when I was 16. Since then, the job has never been boring.
- Martina Kix
What appeals to you about your job?
Martina Kix: I did my first internship in the local editorial department of the Neue Westfälische newspaper in Herford when I was 16. Since then, the job has never been boring, because there are always new stories to tell, new topics to discover and new inventions within journalism. In autumn, for example, I accompanied pop star Julian Sommer to gigs in Germany and at Ballermann, and got a deep insight into the pop scene. We are also currently developing a ZEIT Campus podcast, which is a completely different medium. It’s always a great enrichment to accompany and witness such developments.
What are the biggest challenges in your job?
Martina Kix: It’s challenging to switch off because I enjoy journalism, reading and writing stories so much. Another challenge is the ‘digital transformation’: can we win over Gen Z as subscribers?
What has been your biggest flop on the job so far, and what have you learnt from it?
Martina Kix: My time at Bild am Sonntag; I worked there as a temp in the news department. Above all, I learned what I don’t want in journalism: shaking widows and tabloids. But frustrating experiences can also help you get ahead in life.
Martina’s tips for the next generation
Martina Kix: Go to the local editorial offices, do an internship there and try your hand at it. If you enjoy interviewing people from the rabbit breeders‘ association during the weekend and writing it up, that’s a good sign. Once you’ve gained a bit of experience, apply to the journalism schools the Deutsche Journalistenschule in Munich, the Henri-Nannenschule in Hamburg, and the Reportageschule in Reutlingen. Not only will you get a great education, you’ll also make friends for life.
Martina Kix
… has been Editor-in-Chief of ZEIT CAMPUS since 2019 and writes for DIE ZEIT. As editor-in-chief, she is making her magazine fit for the future.
Share this article via: