Excellent Editors

Charlotte Observer reporters say a good editor:

1. Motivates and encourages; shows enthusiasm.
"Reporters see you as a partner in producing great stories, not as a schoolmarm ready to catch their errors. When a story idea or draft isn't clicking, you can help turn it into something better, rather than being quick to write it off as a flop. When you have to torpedo a bad idea or point out bad writing, reporters know it's coming from a foundation of respect."

2. Cares about making a story better; has the skills to make it better; has an ear for writing; understands individual styles of different writers.
"A good editor knows how to make a story better. That means a lot more than deleting unnecessary sentences or making a story clear or rearranging paragraphs. A good editor has the skill, knowledge and writing experience to read a story, digest it, think about its direction, scope, goals, tone, voice and character development and then figure out which of those need to be improved to make the story the best it can be."

3. Is honest, honorable, candid without being a jerk.
"... Has a conversation where they just brainstorm. They enjoy interacting with reporters and value the sometimes-untidy process of developing ideas. They treat reporters like intelligent human beings, not just production drones."

4. Is trusting and can be trusted.
"It means a lot to know that your editor thinks you are up to the job, and listens to you." "When you resolve a problem with a reporter, you don't talk it up elsewhere."

5. Is patient; cool under pressure.
"Won't rush through line-by-line editing..." "Knows when to panic – and when not to." "When reporters come into the office, editors give them a few minutes to get organized before hounding them with questions."

6. Praises.
"We all like to pretend that we don't need an occasional compliment, but we do."

7. Is an advocate for reporters.
"Believes the writer's success is the editor's success."

8. Has good ideas.
"A good editor sets the tone for the paper, or a section." "Able to articulate what they're looking for in a story before the reporter starts interviewing.

9. Has a sense of humor.
"They use it to break the tension that can develop when reporters and editors sit down at the terminal together. There's nothing worse that sinking your heart into a story, only to have the first person who reads it react with a dour attitude and a big ol' frown."

10. Is flexible and accessible.
"Not wedded to their own beliefs about the right way of doing things. They listen."
"You're not there only for work and the annual review, but for lunch or the casual conversation. Reporters don't have to make an appointment to bounce a story idea off you or bring up a concern. Think of it as cultivating sources on a beat... a good editor should know what's going on with the staff before there's a crisis."

11. Doesn't surprise a writer with a lot of memo-mode notes in a story; always checks before making changes.
"ALWAYS reads a story start to finish - sometimes more than once -- before making suggestions or memo marks... They NEVER type 10 inches of comments in memo mode a the top of the story then pop the reporter a message telling him or her to take another look at the story."
Michael Weinstein (The Charlotte Observer)

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A good editor:

1. Has the technical skills of a wordsmith plus the tangibles of a good journalist and the intangibles of a good leader.
2. Has a positive "storyside manner" by respecting writers.
3. Edits confidently but judiciously.
4. Edits in the writer's voice.
5. Knows when not to edit.
6. Has vision to see beyond the computer screen, to envision excellence and help devise steps for achieving it.
7. Treats both the details and the big picture.
8. Serves as a resource for ideas and sources
9. Runs interference.
10. Makes others' ideas and copy better not worse.
    

Carl Sessions Stepp (University of Maryland/American Journalism Review)

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• Good editors follow a priority list that puts readers first, the people who work for them second and everything else last.
• They carve out uninterrupted time in the schedule for meetings with reporters.
• When a reporter comes up to ask a question, they turn away from the monitor and look at them.
• They don't rely on e-mail to get across a point they're trying to make about a story; they get out of the chair and go tell the reporter.
• Good editing takes a lot of talking.

Where do you find these people?
Choose those reporters or copy editors who consistently make deadline, who argue over wording changes in their stories but do so intelligently and gracefully, who get along with co-workers. Look for people who show respect for others by accommodating the copy desk when a trim is needed, complimenting the designer when their story gets nice display, keeping the graphics department up to speed on changes needed in charts.
How do you train for these skills?
Want to train for a relevant skill? Concentrate on time management -- not the kinds of training the dayplanner companies will offer, heavy on multi-colored labels. Train folks on how to cope with real-life time problems, like a clingy but talented reporter who can never answer a question in less than 10 minutes, or how to recognize an impending crisis -- say, four stories about to miss deadline, a reporter who is begging for advice, a copy editor who wants to discuss a fine point of style and an angry reader on the phone, all happening at once -- and quickly, politely and efficiently prioritize and deal with them.
John Kroll (The Plain Dealer)

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Very good editors are those who know

• How to edit.
• And how to work with people, including coaching them.

• Great editors have open mind and admit their own mistakes.
• Great editors have clear vision, but leave the details to their staff.
• Great editors communicate that vision.
• Great editors are respectful.
• Great editors sweat the details.
• Great editors inform their staff about what is going on with the paper.

John Russial (University of Oregon)

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The two worlds of the excellent editor:

Word-keeper
1. Keep the language lively
2. Police the true meaning of each word
3. Protect the language (especially from doublespeak and cliches)
4. Mean what you write: Conclusions must equal facts.
5. Make time to write. Yes, editors need to write.

Editor as trainer
1. Keep your hands off the keyboard: Read the entire story before editing
2. Sail each story through a sea of questions
3. Talk before, during and after the story is written
4. 1 + 1 must always = 2 in everything you do
5. Get out of the newsroom.
Tom Silvestri (Media General Inc.)

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Suggested readings:
"Caught in the Middle" by Sharon Peters of the Northwestern Media Management Center is a study of editors and their problems. In it, she surveys newsroom managers, middle editors, and writers about what makes a good editor.
Editing for Today's Newsroom: New Perspectives for a Changing Profession (Communication Textbook Series) by Carl Sessions Stepp of the University of Maryland/American Journalism Review.
Jeff Price

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I have been an editor at several levels, including a department head and AME in a large metro paper's newsroom and editor of a smaller paper with a news staff of about 25. I've spent the last seven-plus years as a reporter. From the varied perspectives I've experienced, two abilities distinguish the best editors:

1. Recognition of the editor's place. Many editors reached their mid-level or upper-level editing perch because of their accomplishments as line editors in chasing the news or handling copy or motivating reporters. Then they celebrate their promotion and keep acting the part of a line editor, stifling the chance for new line editors to grow. You see the same thing with department heads who ascend to such jobs as managing editor. The best senior editors know that one of their most important jobs is to develop other editors, and they do that by staying out of the way and resisting the urge to put their fingerprints on every story.
2. Understanding that next year's paper is more important than tomorrow's paper. Of course, you have to make sure that tomorrow's paper gets out, and you have to uphold your standards for tomorrow's paper. But tomorrow's paper is essentially the job of the line editors. The mid-level and upper-level editors need to help the staff and the paper grow: through training, through creation of opportunities, through patience with people who are learning, through assessment of strengths and weaknesses, through planning to serve your readers better, through establishing a vision for the newsroom (or the desk) and by inspiring the staff to follow the vision.

That's not as specific as you asked, but I'll give an example: The best senior editor I ever worked for was Dave Witke, who was managing editor of the Des Moines Register for several years. I was a young line editor who was in charge of the city desk on a Sunday. A grain elevator exploded in Western Iowa, and I couldn't reach the city editor or Dave at home, so I just took the initiative to send a reporter and photographer by plane to the site. I saw Dave Monday and said I hoped I hadn't overstepped my authority or blown his budget. He told me, "I've never regretted sending a good reporter after a good story, but I have regretted not going after a good story." He praised our coverage and sent the message loud and clear: The news comes first here. That helped me grow as an editor and gave me confidence to make future decisions without looking over my shoulder. And it helped me be a better senior editor later on.
Steve Buttry (Omaha World-Herald)

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We have lots of resources we cite at API, including getting to know your own style better by using a self-assessment tool such as the Myers-Briggs type or DISC profile.
If you have a specific topic, I can probably get you some names or information from previous seminar sessions. You're probably familiar with Linda Cunningham's presentation on Newsroom Leadership, she does sessions on "Coaching Yourself in the Newsroom," "16 Tips on Handling the Boss," and "Top Ten Ways to Build Personal Power." (Linda Grist Cunningham, Executive Editor, Rockford Register Star)
Books I can recommend include:

• Managing Up: 59 Ways to build a Career-Advancing Relationship with Your Boss, by Micheal S. Dobson and Deborah Singer Dobson
• Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change, by William Bridges
• Learning to Lead: A Workbook on Becoming a Leader, by Warren Bennis & Joan Goldsmith

All three are in workbook-style and include assessment and goal-setting exercises.
Mary Lynn Martin (American Press Institute)