editor on the verge

At too many newspapers reporters have been given smart phones to use when they’re out in their beats only to return to the office and work on circa-1980s desktop computers. They sit on chairs that are held together by bubblegum and Scotch tape and talk on phones that are a mix of handsets, cords and [...]

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I find it interesting that we frequently talk about context. We bemoan the lack of it and plead for its inclusion. Yet at the same time many, many, many media and/or journalism bloggers choose to use as daily blog posts their del.icio.us or other social bookmarking feeds. And in most cases, they provide these lists [...]

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While last week, I focused on tips and suggestions for reporters, this week my emphasis has been on assistant editors. And I hope that you’ve found my suggestions — personal chat rooms, online tools, postmortems, Google Groups and Ning — relevant and useful.
I’ve been fortunate to work with some great assistant editors; they’ve been writers [...]

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OK, judging from the response I received to the recent team building tech and postmortem posts, maybe it would help to step back and focus on something more personal, perhaps something that assistant editors can use to help themselves.
I know first-hand how much the computer systems at many newspapers leave you wanting something more. I [...]

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Part of the motivation behind my previous post was that I find, in many newsrooms, training has taken a real hit in recent years and when money is made available, more often then not, it’s used on the reporting, photo or design staffs. Assistant editors, all too often, are expected to just get it and/or [...]

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