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 [...]
Work from a checklist: Video
“You can check that off the list.” We say that all the time. Intuitively, we recognize that making a list, and following it, ensures that the job gets done. That it is complete — and done right. But when it comes to journalism, we are often suspicious of anything that sounds like a “formula.” It [...]
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 [...]
Getting along in the newsroom
It’s that time in the academic semester when we turn our attention to journalism issues that do not have to do with the craft of editing but, rather, with the skill of working in a newsroom. In a few months, editing students will be heading out to internships or permanent positions. They will be members [...]
Everyone must be a safety, now
I learned, and I always have passed along, that copy editors are the gatekeepers of a news operation — the last line of defense against errors being published. And then not long ago, while I was listening to an analyst describe what just happened during an NFL game, I realized that the last line of [...]
Have fun in the newsroom: Video
I was chatting with a colleague once, and I volunteered that it was important to have fun in the newsroom and the classroom. Work hard, play hard. I think that’s especially so now, when the everyday stress of the business is multiplied by all the uncertainty. My colleague responded to me: “That’s the last thing [...]
