Last Updated: December 29, 2000
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An American Editor
Jeannine Guttman
Birthday: Jan. 11, 1955
Hometown: Ardmore, Okla.
Self-portrait in adjectives: Impatient, incessant, introspective,
headstrong, passionate, big-hearted.
Pet peeve: Reporters and editors who say, “We already did that
story. We did it four years ago.”
Most dangerous story: I don’t think the right word is dangerous.
But the most pivotal story for me was an interview with an Iowa man who
had AIDS. This was at the very beginning of the epidemic and I knew that
naming the man would make him, his wife and three small children outcasts
in his hometown. My editor dismissed my reluctance, saying I was “being
soft.” The story ran, the man was ostracized and his family had to move
out of Iowa. I’ve never again fallen for the “being soft” trap.
Best interview and why: I covered the Pope’s visit to Monterey,
Calif., and was assigned to the reporting pool in the church. Initially,
I thought it would be a static event, a pretty straight story on what the
Pope said. Then I noticed a group of nuns in the first few rows. They looked
different from other nuns I had seen during my childhood years in the Catholic
Church. I walked up to them and asked if I could speak to them. Turns out
they were cloistered nuns from the nearby convent. Some hadn’t been out
of the convent for decades. They had received a special papal order to
leave their convent to hear the Pope speak. Suddenly, I went from having
a routine story to a phenomenal story. I was able to tell the story of
the Pope’s visit through their unique perspective. I use this story with
my staff to show that you always have to use your imagination and curiosity
as a journalist. Those two traits will always lead you to great stories.
My newspaper’s strength: We are connected to our communities
and to our readers. Our readers see the newspaper as their newspaper. And
indeed it is.
My trademark expression: Cool beans! (Don’t ask.)
Behind my back, employees say: “Doesn’t she ever go home?”
I wish I were a leader like: Margaret Chase Smith.
My most difficult time as a leader: Leading the news staff through
the sale of the newspaper in 1998. It was not clear who the new owners
would be for more than six months. The newsroom was rife with rumors and
worries. I took a lot of guidance and solace from fellow editors around
the country who had been through a sale situation. I received tremendous
support from the ASNE family of editors. In the end, I decided that I wanted
to look back at that time and, no matter what happened, be proud of the
role I had played and the leadership that I had shown. I set out to do
just that, to stay the course for my staff and for the newspaper. Ultimately,
there was a happy ending to this saga because The Seattle Times Co. bought
the newspaper. I have counted the sale period as the most trying time,
and one of the greatest learning times, I have had as an editor.
Tips on leadership: Be fair, be respectful, listen and remain
open-minded. If you think you have an immediate answer, wait and seek out
additional facts and opinions. There are very few immediate answers. You
are not expected to know everything. You are expected to weigh everything.
What I worry about most is: The erosion of journalistic credibility
and the rise of a news-as-entertainment culture.
