Keep your credibility
Credibility is vital to journalists and their news organizations. That’s not news. But it is a valuable mantra worth repeating — often. Consider this statement by Lucio Guerrero, former spokesman for Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, as reported in a New York Times story today: “Once you lose credibility, that’s the kiss of death.” Guerrero was [...]
Distinguish yourself: Three key qualities
Curiosity. Energy. Persistence. These are the most important qualities, some would say, for any journalist. They emerge this weekend in a short Q and A in The New York Times about Aaron Levie, CEO of Box.net, a company that specializes in online file storage. In the Corner Office feature, Levie is talking about the qualities [...]
Take 10 steps to better enterprise ideas
In thinking about enterprise story ideas — as master’s students are doing now in their six-week news writing boot camp at the Newhouse School — I am reminded how difficult it is sometimes to develop, as some say, “a story from nothing.” Or so it may seem. But, in fact, the beauty of enterprise ideas [...]
Try New Things: Video
Sometimes our inclination is to rule out something new based on a simple gut feeling: “I don’t like it.” Or, “I don’t think I will like it.” Or, “I don’t see the sense in it.” This came up recently in a discussion about the phone app foursquare. Some in the discussion said they weren’t really [...]
It’s all in the preparation: Video
In my reporting class, I tell a story about a painting project I did once with my father-in-law, a true handyman. I was downstairs first and eager to begin. I literally had brush in hand when he descended the stairs and called a halt. He informed me that there was at least a day of [...]
Work — and Succeed — in Teams: Video
In this week’s video we joke about how to ruin students’ spring: Tell them they have to work in teams. Except it’s not really a joke, because teamwork is — indeed — difficult. Everyone agrees teamwork and collaboration produce a better result. It is inarguable. The key is to survive it, because it does cause [...]
