By Susan Older
Founder, Displaced Journalists & Real World Media

A former colleague from UPI posted a comment on my Real World Media blog yesterday jokingly lamenting the fact that it took him a year to respond to my commentary of March 14, 2010, regarding sloppy copy.

I responded that the issue is still relevant. As we all know, it seems to be getting worse. I can honestly say that it’s rare to find a story on the website of a major publication, one I once respected, that is free of grammatical or spelling errors.

As we all know, readers who see errors in spelling and grammar are likely to wonder whether there are also errors in reporting, quotes, and in the substance of the story.

There is another comment on the same blog post, also from a former colleague, a guy I worked with back at USA Today.

The original commentary, “The World Needs a Good Editor,” appeared on my Real World Media blog and here on Displaced Journalists.

Both comments are from journalists I respect. They both hit the nail on the head.

I think there are far too few seasoned editors in newsrooms these days; they’ve all been laid off, bought out, fired or otherwise cast adrift.

This leaves a few exceedingly busy seasoned reporters (if you’re lucky) to show young journalists the ropes, to mentor them, to teach them why perfection is not optional, to help them resolve ethical dilemmas, to teach them how to file an FOI request and why you would want to, and to help them learn to craft their stories well, keeping the readers’ needs in mind.

Gone are the pros, the journalists who’ve been around, the ones who held us accountable when we still had a lot to learn.

Remember how much passion there was in newsrooms in the old days? People cared, so much so that they were willing to fight over matters of principle.

Remember the gut-wrenching sound of a pica pole whacked on your desk just inches from your quivering hand? That’s what learning from the newsroom culture feels like.

Remember when you woke up in a cold sweat at 4 a.m. because your brain finally got around to telling you that you made a huge, embarrassing error on Page 1? That’s what learning from your own mistakes feels like.

These were the checks and balances that made our profession so great. I know plenty of young people are going to J-school these days, so there must be something about the profession that draws new recruits. I don’t mean to knock these students or recent graduates, either. I think it’s fantastic that people want to be journalists, and I think the new grads are just as smart as we were. I just don’t believe there are enough dyed-in-the-wool pros left in newsrooms to teach them well.

If you are a displaced journalist, you have probably been replaced – usually by someone who has less experience and is willing to work for far less money than you earned. However, too many of these replacements lack the education, the on-the-job training and the mentoring we received. I realize I’m generalizing, but I think this is largely accurate.

I think we all feel that it’s especially painful to see stories riddled with errors on the websites of The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, USA Today, etc.

The really sad thing is that many of us love our profession so much that we would probably work for the same wages younger journalists make if it meant a once-trusted publication could turn out perfect copy again. Isn’t it odd that they won’t hire us?

I know why our cover letters and resumes get deleted without a response. Those at the top of news organizations see us as trouble. We know too much. We have opinions and we’re not afraid to express them. We might cause trouble. We might want to take their jobs or incite discontent. We might shake things up. They can’t have that, now, can they? Working in the newsroom of a financial site for just a year in the past decade taught me that.

For the most part, I like the new era. I love the Internet and I love digital media. I think with some proper guidance, it will all shake out to be good – different, but good – much the same as we once progressed from radio to television.

Standing up for what you know to be right? That era is largely gone, along with the insistence on perfection. That was our era. This is a new one.

That’s why I started Displaced Journalists. That’s why I seek funding to create an innovative news operation bearing my existing company name, Real World Media. It would need to embody all the old fervor, fair compensation and high standards, while working as a digital operation on a digital platform. I do believe it can be done.

But back to my point: Errors sap trust. Hire some copy editors.

Nobody wants to read sloppy copy.

Here’s a reminder: Apply by April 15 at 11:59 PDT to receive a multimedia editing fellowship from the Maynard Institute at the Reynolds School of Journalism, University of Nevado-Reno.

Be part of an immersion program that will teach you the range of multimedia skills: video, audio, blogging, slideshows, tagging, databases, maps, HTML, producing stories using mobile, Web strategy, social networking and content management systems, and how they all connect.

At the Maynard Institute’s Multimedia Editing Program, classes are in-depth and hands-on and taught by leading practitioners.

Tuition for this month-long program is $6,000 and includes all sessions, housing and some meals.

If you are a journalist who works for a U.S.-based newspaper with a circulation of 50,000 or below, you are eligible to apply for one of 12 fellowships to attend the program. The fellowships are funded by a grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation. Independent journalists are also encouraged to apply.

If you do not qualify for the fellowship you are welcome to apply for regular admission to the program and must cover your own tuition.

For four decades the Maynard Institute has trained journalists of color to:

• Become savvy editors, in print and now online
• Improve copy editing & headline writing skills
• Become effective supervisors

This program has produced effective newsroom leaders of all races who promote team work, introduce & manage change, and improve the quality of journalism.

Maynard equips participants to help their news organizations build a robust online presence and strengthen the print product.

Like all Maynard programs, the Multimedia Editing Program is open to people of all races.

The program runs from June 1 to 30, 2011 @ the Reynolds School of Journalism – University of Nevada, Reno.

Participants will have time for practice, critique and improvement, giving them a working knowledge that can be applied immediately.

Apply today and upgrade your career.

Contact Evelyn Hsu, program director, at Ehsu@maynardije.org. Or Elisabeth Pinio, manager for outreach, at 510-891-9202 or epinio@maynardije.org.

The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation Visiting Business Journalism Professor’s Program will begin January 2012, with visiting professors assigned to four campuses to teach business journalism coursework during a semester in residence.
The program is designed to initiate business journalism courses and curricula at accredited journalism schools across the U.S. that do not have an established presence in business journalism but aspire to have one. Selected universities commit to coursework in business journalism that has the goal of training professionals to cover business and economic issues.

The program is administered through the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism headquartered at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, under the direction of Reynolds Center President Andrew Leckey.

Visiting professors are asked to:

▪    Commit full time to a full semester at a participating university.

▪    Teach two classes in business journalism during their appointed semester in residence;

▪    Participate in the Center’s webinars on important financial topics;

▪    Establish a mentoring relationship with a local business journalist or news outlet in their community;

▪    Help create at least one media partnerships with a media organization in the community where business journalism stories generated by the visiting professor’s class may be used;

▪    Contribute at least one article for use on the Reynolds Center’s website, BusinessJournalism.org.

Visiting professors will be provided with dedicated office space in the journalism building at the campus to which they are assigned and have IT and administrative support. They will become part of the Reynolds Foundation network and receive support throughout the semester in the form of class outlines and materials as well as guidance and mentoring.

The Center is interested in building a pool of prospective visiting professors. Applications are being accepted online at Visiting Professor Program – Professor Application.

Applicants are asked to register and create a username and password. This allows applicants to return to the application at any time before the deadline to complete the process or make changes.
Applicants also are asked to provide a statement of professional qualifications, including experience in business journalism and teaching, as well as two professional letters of reference. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.
Read more about the Reynolds’ Visiting Business Journalism Professor Program.

Editor’s note: We have plenty of members of the Displaced Journalists community who work at news operations (online or print) and  fear they won’t keep their jobs unless they  boost their digital and multimedia skills. This Maynard Institute month-long fellowship is  a great opportunity to get that training. — Susan Older

Multimedia Editing Fellowships Available

Who should apply
:

This program is ideal for editors and reporters who want to sharpen their multimedia skills, journalists who work on Web sites and design and graphic editors who want editing training.

Program Cost
:

$6,000, which includes tuition and housing and some meals.

Fellowships

Twelve fellowships to attend the Maynard Institute’s Multimedia Editing Program are made possible by a three-year grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.

To be eligible for the Reynolds Fellowship, you must work at a U.S.-based newspaper with a circulation of 50,000 or below. Journalists who work for online operations of such newspapers are also eligible to apply.

The fellowship covers tuition, housing and some meals, and includes a travel stipend of up to $500. There are no exceptions to the eligibility requirement.

Twelve fellowships to attend the Maynard Institute’s Multimedia Editing Program are available to journalists from small and medium size publications. The fellowships are made possible by a three-year grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation. 

Fellowship applications are invited from journalists who work at U.S.-based newspapers with circulation of 50,000 and below. Journalists who work for online operations of such newspapers are welcome to apply.

Since 1979, the Maynard Institute has trained journalists of color to become editors and Web site editors, helped assignment editors improve their copy editing skills, and prepared news professionals for supervisory roles. This program has produced effective newsroom leaders of all races who can promote team work, introduce and manage change, and improve the quality of journalism.

Like all Maynard programs, the Multimedia Editing Program is open to people of all races.

The month-long Multimedia Editing Program runs during summer, 2011 at the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno. The program will equip participants to help their news organizations build a robust online presence and strengthen the print product.

Instruction will be in-depth and hands-on and cover the breadth of digital media tools: video, audio, blogging, slideshows, tagging, databases, basic HTML, analyzing the success of your Web strategy, using social networking to draw more people to your site and an overview of content management systems.

Skills will be taught in segments that build upon each other. The length of the program will allow participants to do more than simply touch upon each skill. At the Multimedia Editing program, participants will have time for practice, critique and improvement, giving them a working knowledge that can be applied immediately. As always, strong copy editing skills, including headline writing for print and online, and design will be emphasized throughout the program.

Apply here.

If you have questions, contact Evelyn Hsu, program director, at Ehsu@maynardije.org or Elisabeth Pinio, manager for outreach, at 510-891-9202 or epinio@maynardije.org.

Displaced Journalists’ partner Knowledgewebb, a premier site for digital media and other helpful training, is giving us all a free webinar for Christmas. It’s Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. EST.

From Knowledgewebb.net, Nov. 17, 2010

We’ve all been there. You’re sitting in a meeting or in a conference session, and someone mentions a something you don’t know. You feel like you SHOULD know it after all this time, but at this point you’re afraid to ask for help. Things like…

“What’s an avatar, exactly? And how do I get one?”

“How do I get an email signature?”

“What’s a Google Alert and how do I set one up?”

“I don’t know the difference between Google Voice and Google Chat and all the other Google stuff my friends are using. HELP!”

“What’s this hashtag thing people keep going on about?”

Consider this Knowledgewebb.net’s holiday gift to you and yours. We’re offering this webinar free to everyone, and we’re including a digital goodie bag filled with great resources to download and try. Come prepared with all of the burning questions you have – you’ll get to ask them anonymously and you’ll get immediate answers in the second half of this webinar.

Sign up here on the Knowledgewebb site, and let your friends and colleagues know, too!

Important note:  You must have pre-registered for this free session and received a confirmation message from our office in order to participate.

By Bill Grueskin
August 12, 2010 11:11 a.m.

The Yahoo Style Guide: The Ultimate Sourcebook for Writing, Editing, and Creating Content for the Digital World | St. Martin’s Griffin | 528 pages, $21.99

If you strolled by a copy editor’s desk at any metro newsroom thirty years ago, you would have likely seen, sandwiched between the pica pole and the Carter’s Rubber Cement, a well-worn, dog-eared version of the Associated Press Stylebook. The glue pot and ruler are long gone. And now, in an age when anyone can publish instantaneously to any corner of the world, it’s worth asking whether the stylebook should be discarded as well.

One answer comes not from the AP or the descendants of Strunk and White, but from Yahoo Inc. The company recently published The Yahoo Style Guide, proclaiming it “the ultimate sourcebook for writing, editing and creating content for the digital world.” At more than five hundred pages, and with an accompanying robust Web site, it is remarkable both for what it addresses (everything from hyphenating compound modifiers to abbreviating state names) and for what it says about where journalism is headed in the twenty-first century.

Read the entire story at Columbia Journalism Review.

If you’re a staff or freelance reporter investigating issues in your state or local community, or are working on investigative stories for ethnic media, you could be eligible for a boost from the Fund for Investigative Journalism.

The fund is currently seeking grant proposals and is keen to support precisely those kinds of projects, thanks to a new $100,000 grant from Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation.

Grants range from $500 to $10,000, and the organization can also provide guidance on reporting and advice on placement, as well as mentoring with veteran journalists through a partnership with Investigative Reporters and Editors.

The fund has a Sept. 8 deadline for its next round of grant proposals. It’s accepting applications through its website at www.fij.org.

By Angela Lussier
Special for Displaced Journalists

For those journalists who have read the writing on the wall and are looking for ways to get out of traditional newspapers and into Web-based writing, now’s the best time in the history of the Web to do so. Journalists who follow market and business trends know that, but the way they are currently doing it is often missing the mark.

The traditional resume template is no longer a sure-fire way to get your foot in the door, particularly with technology and Web-based companies who have the cream of the crop from which to select. Now, more than ever, journalists need to differentiate themselves and show their worth, rather than just talk about it.

The top six tips for getting noticed:

1. First, throw out everything you ever knew about traditional resumes. Start thinking in terms of telling your professional autobiography. What does that look like? Think headlines, compelling leads, a bio, not bulleted skills lists. As a matter of fact, don’t use any sort of template, just create something that reflects your accomplishments, your personality, and your vision. This is your anti-resume, and it will give any employer in any industry a true snapshot of who you are and what you want, not just another rambling ho-hum list of the usual job descriptions, dates, and names of companies.

2. Yes, listing all the jobs you’ve held is important, but what’s most important is showing employers why they should hire you instead of the 75 other applicants with the same skill set, the same job titles and the same job duties. The fact that you’ve been a staff writer at the same paper for four years is impressive, but what did you write? Who did it touch? What happened as a result of your stories? What sets you apart from other staff writers? Are you good at getting state troopers to talk? Do you have a knack for portraying victims in a way that preserves their dignity, yet touches readers’ hearts? Your anti-resume should answer these questions.

3. As a professional storyteller, you should be using your resume as an opportunity to tell your story. Turn your resume into a scrapbook/portfolio of stories, photos and slideshows you’ve shot, edited or produced. Pick a theme for the book that truly represents what you stand for, or that represents your beat, and start compiling your best stuff. Have you won any awards? Include those too.

4. Include testimonials from co-workers as well as bosses. You can’t really ask a source or anyone you’ve covered for a reference, but you can go back to some particularly moving or significant stories and follow up on what has happened since you wrote the story. Include that along with your original clip. Has your reporting resulted in any new legislation, or action by city officials? Then tell the story of how! We can all toot our own horns all day, but when you can back up your words with facts, they mean more.

5. Don’t be afraid to get creative. A lot of writers are so used to being objective with their news stories that they’re afraid to show their true selves when it’s appropriate to do so. Well, the story you’re telling this time is yours. How do you want to be viewed? Give your reader or employer the opportunity to get to know you through reading your anti-resume. The #1 purpose of this is to get you the interview. Make it compelling enough that the person reading it wants to pick up the phone and schedule a time to meet you right away.

6. Editors have their pick of the best of the best. So, even if you choose to stay in traditional media, you’ll still need to stand out. That means being a double or triple threat — able to write, shoot video and photos, and produce Web pages or podcasts. So get your real name as a domain name and create a website. Your site should look, read and sound like what you are capable of producing. If you can pull an editor into the site, they’ll know you can pull readers in, too. Take time to learn some basic programs and the basics of design, layout, and both still and video photography. If you haven’t had a chance to produce a Soundslides project, then do it. The demo program is free and the result will show an editor that you can edit and produce. Can’t think of a slideshow to do? Then do one about yourself. Be creative. You get one shot, so don’t waste it.

Finally, target your prospective employer. Don’t just create the same package and shoot off links to 100 papers. Pick two or three papers, sites or employers you’d really like to work for and study them. Do they use a lot of photos? Features? Hard news? Alternative formats? Video? Soundslides projects? Then customize your offering to reflect that. Spend quality time on two or three potential prospects, not hurried time on 100. It WILL make a difference!

Angela Lussier is a Creative Career Consultant and owns 365 Degrees Consulting in Springfield, Massachusetts. She is the author of the Seth Godin recommended book, “The Anti-Resume Revolution” and a speaker at TEDx. Ms. Lussier offers anti-resume writing tips, helps clients discover their target job, and inspires them throughout the job search with creative solutions and personal marketing ideas.

By Amy Webb
CEO, Knowledgewebb

Knowledgewebb is pleased to partner with Displaced Journalists to offer community members a deep discount on its annual membership dues. Knowledgewebb offers hands-on training, self-directed courses, ongoing webinars and more for professionals working in publishing and small-business communications.

Need pointers on how to edit an audio podcast? Want to brush up on Flash as a storytelling tool? Curious about augmented reality? Knowledgewebb was created as a support resource for people working in all areas of media who are trying to reinvent themselves and reinvigorate their careers.

To kick off the partnership, Knowledgewebb will conduct a free webinar at 2 p.m. EDT August 5. The online seminar “10 Steps to a Tech-Savvy You” is designed primarily for displaced journalists, stay-at-home entrepreneurs, seasoned academics, C-level corporate managers and retirees. Think of it as a digital media makeover. It will help you explore the critical websites, social networks and gear you need to survive in an increasingly digital world. Knowledgewebb will also offer a free primer on how to manage information overload. As always,  attendees will receive notes, worksheets and a list of recommended tools.

Knowledgewebb has been featured on MSNBC, FOX and NPR, as well as in Entrepreneur Magazine, as the go-to website to learn digital skills.

Space is limited and past webinars have filled up rapidly, so check out the technical details and book your reservation now. After you reserve your virtual seat, Knowledgewebb will email you a link that is unique to you. It cannot be shared with others. You must be pre-registered for this free session, with a confirmation email, in order to participate.

We have more than 200 lessons and webinars in our archives, with more added each week.

Recent additions:

• 3 Tools to Make Interactive Maps
• Your First Facebook API
• Monetizing Your Website, Part I of a series

And don’t overlook your access to our custom curriculum service, our expert answers to your questions on our forums, and a career coach as part of this dynamic community. We’re the first training site to offer a badge system, which makes learning a bit more interactive, and a lot more fun. (Hint, you’ll be rewarded with badges as well as points, which are used to earn real-world swag like Knowledgewebb gear, iPads and more throughout the year.)

Best of all, there’s never an additional fee for a course – your annual membership is an all-you-can-learn deal.

The regular price is $129, but your relationship with Displaced Journalists means you can sign up for just $89 (US) – that breaks down to .44 cents per lesson. Just use the discount code DISPLACED (all caps) in your cart.

We welcome you to our community!

By Holly Kerfoot

“Dead man walking!”

The feeling that this should be shouted in the newsroom when I pass by has faded, as have the murmurs of sympathy from those who – for now – will be keeping their jobs.

What remains is the uncertainty.

You see, I work on a copy desk that is being phased out. In April, we learned that Media General had decided to eliminate the 18.5 positions on the Winston-Salem Journal’s desk and split its work between “consolidated” desks in Tampa and Richmond by the end of October. We were told that five positions will be available for those who would consider moving, and the company presented its layoff-compensation package. As of mid-June, we have heard no more, except that plans are moving ahead, though more slowly than expected.

And so we follow the routine, do our jobs, and wonder.

The waiting, oh, how it wears on my soul. I have experienced waiting before, when I turned in my two-week notice and looked forward to a new job. But this is different. I look ahead and see nothing, because how can I plan when I have no idea of what the future will bring? I’d like to think I’m a shoo-in for one of the consolidated jobs, but there is no way of knowing. My 30+ years of experience may price me out of their market. I’d take the job, if it were offered, because at age 53 the bird in the hand definitely is worth more.

I have considered other fields of work – maybe something in health care – but that requires time and money for schooling, and I wouldn’t make what I earn now.

There are in-state jobs involving editing that I probably could do, but some of the expectations frighten me. The level of fear surprises me, too, and I realize the ways in which this forced change has demoralized me.

Some days, I feel some of the old excitement about what new and interesting twist fate will bring me. If I don’t get a job with MG, perhaps another paper will hire me. When I was a child, my family moved frequently, so I like exploring new towns (even if moving is a pain).

But some days it is as hard to be optimistic as it is to really care about the tasks at hand.

And so I plug along, and I wait.

– Holly Kerfoot has worked as a news copy editor at the Winston-Salem Journal in North Carolina for 11 years this go-around. And she has been laid off by its parent company, Media General, before. She was a novice copy editor at the Journal when the afternoon paper, The Sentinel, was closed in 1985.