Members of the 2010 GateHouse News & Interactive LEDE class have been visiting some of the company's top newsrooms to learn how they operate.
The 10 members of the LEDE class will each spend two days working with top editors, and follow an initial three-day training program at N&I headquarters in Downers Grove, Ill., and a summer of exercises where participants researched and reported on each department in their local operation. This year's program will culminate in another training seminar in the fall in Downers Grove.
Here are five questions with Stuttgart (Ark.) Daily Leader editor Lesley Valadez, who recently visited the Canton (Ohio) Repository.
Talk about one idea you brought back to your newsroom that could right away change the way you operate.
One idea I would like to bring back to my newsroom and implement immediately is a quarterly in-depth reporting project that would bring an issue to light and give a very personal voice to each story in the project. I got this inspiration from the “New Poor” project the Canton Rep is working on where they feature the trials and tribulations of people who were affected by the recent economic downturn who had never encountered a situation like this before. I believe issues of similar importance exist in Stuttgart and with proper planning and reporter cooperation, I think we can accomplish more enterprising reporting goals without putting a strain on our resources.
What did you learn about internal communication and planning strategies in a successful newsroom?
I learned that what makes the Canton Repository's projects as successful as they are is the planning process each editor has created for each of their departments. I spoke with assistant managing editor Veronica Van Dress about the length of time it took to plan the “New Poor” project. She explained that planning is the most important part of getting a project of this magnitude successfully off the ground. On the multimedia front, I spoke with assistant managing editor Scott Brown about how he schedules the design, copy and online workflow. I found proper scheduling and consistent goals are very imortant to the success of their online and print products.
What did you learn about newsroom leadership in your visit?
During my visit, I saw that editors are facing a brand new crop of challenges where leadership is concerned as reporter and editor roles begin to change with a new multimedia climate on the horizon ― and in some cases, occurring right now. I saw the differences between job expectations at a large newspaper compared with a small one and how the coaching roles and leadership decisions of editors are different because of this. I was happy to have had some experience putting on so many different hats in a small newsroom as the industry moves forward to a more multi-tasking-oriented news delivery platform. I was happy to see I could have an opportunity to tailor some of these leadership skills while I move forward with my career.
Members of the 2010 GateHouse News & Interactive LEDE class have been visiting some of the company's top newsrooms to learn how they operate.
The 10 members of the LEDE class will each spend two days working with top editors, and follow an initial three-day training program at N&I headquarters in Downers Grove, Ill., and a summer of exercises where participants researched and reported on each department in their local operation. This year's program will culminate in another training seminar in the fall in Downers Grove.
Here are five questions with Stuttgart (Ark.) Daily Leader editor Lesley Valadez, who recently visited the Canton (Ohio) Repository.
Talk about one idea you brought back to your newsroom that could right away change the way you operate.
One idea I would like to bring back to my newsroom and implement immediately is a quarterly in-depth reporting project that would bring an issue to light and give a very personal voice to each story in the project. I got this inspiration from the “New Poor” project the Canton Rep is working on where they feature the trials and tribulations of people who were affected by the recent economic downturn who had never encountered a situation like this before. I believe issues of similar importance exist in Stuttgart and with proper planning and reporter cooperation, I think we can accomplish more enterprising reporting goals without putting a strain on our resources.
What did you learn about internal communication and planning strategies in a successful newsroom?
I learned that what makes the Canton Repository's projects as successful as they are is the planning process each editor has created for each of their departments. I spoke with assistant managing editor Veronica Van Dress about the length of time it took to plan the “New Poor” project. She explained that planning is the most important part of getting a project of this magnitude successfully off the ground. On the multimedia front, I spoke with assistant managing editor Scott Brown about how he schedules the design, copy and online workflow. I found proper scheduling and consistent goals are very imortant to the success of their online and print products.
What did you learn about newsroom leadership in your visit?
During my visit, I saw that editors are facing a brand new crop of challenges where leadership is concerned as reporter and editor roles begin to change with a new multimedia climate on the horizon ― and in some cases, occurring right now. I saw the differences between job expectations at a large newspaper compared with a small one and how the coaching roles and leadership decisions of editors are different because of this. I was happy to have had some experience putting on so many different hats in a small newsroom as the industry moves forward to a more multi-tasking-oriented news delivery platform. I was happy to see I could have an opportunity to tailor some of these leadership skills while I move forward with my career.
Long term, what ideas or practices did you learn that you plan to use to build your skill set or make improvements in your newsroom?
After speaking with online special projects editor Dave Irvin, I realized I could use some brushing up on various online improvements that require some web skills I don't currently have, but can certainly learn. I plan to seek out different opportunities to learn how to develop the StuttgartDailyLeader.com website to make it more user friendly and interactive with the print product as well as beef up our First In Print offering to include expected online publication dates. As we move forward into a more interacvie digital experience for our readers, that skill set will be valuable as I can pass on that information as necessary to the Leader staff.
The memory that will stick with you the most:
The memory that will stick with me the most is how comfortable I felt in the Canton Repository newsroom and how I didn't feel at all apprehensive about asking questions or offering my opinion. I was regularly asked what I thought and I felt like more a part of the team for those two days than someone who was there to follow editors around and learn what they do. I had the opportunity to participate in a strategic planning meeting, where my ideas were well received and incorporated to the discussion. The eagerness of the entire staff to teach me about the processes they employ and the decisions they make every day was very refreshing.
