Last Updated: July 28, 2000
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Institute for Journalism Excellence
Thanks, Oregonian, for making me a better coach
By Merlin Mann
Continuing to learn, refreshing my skills, breaking out of ruts, becoming
a better professor.
These phrases come to mind as I review my experiences of last summer,
when, as a fellow in ASNE’s Institute of Journalism Excellence, I was employed
as a copy editor at The Oregonian in Portland.
I felt fortunate to be at this first-class organization, an improving
newspaper under Editor Sandy Rowe where good journalists are treated well,
but I discovered later that all the ASNE Fellows had similar fortunes.
Each of us was looking for a rich learning experience — and found it.
At the Oregonian, I was eager to get involved and learn. I edited my
full share of stories. I attended news meetings, met and interviewed reporters,
editors and the publisher. I attended seminars by staff members and conducted
two.
I e-mailed stories to myself — before and after editing them — and have
used them as examples. I was introduced to the relaxed, reader-friendly
writing style the Oregonian uses.
Several experiences have popped up in class discussions during the school
year.
My worst moment came with an error left in a story I edited — prompting
a printed correction. Copy desk chief Jerry Sass called it my baptism and
helped me overcome the shame of it: a professor making such an error. Later,
however, I caught an error at the proofreading stage that likely would
have required a correction. So I counted my record as 1-1 in corrections.
Looking back, the summer’s defining moment came on Day Two. I sat through
a routine news meeting taking notes like a sophomore on the Oregonian’s
commitment to readability. At one point, managing editor Jack Hart announced:
“This will make a good read on the bottom of Page One”; about another story,
he said: “This may not be big to us — but readers like these.”
I had chosen the Oregonian primarily because of Hart, a well- known
writing coach and the primary editor of Rich Read’s 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning
series on the Northwest’s french fry connection to the Asian economic crisis
of 1998. And I wanted to learn more about coaching writing — the human
side of editing I’d heard about but hadn’t witnessed. I met Hart at a first-day
reception and mentioned my interest.
After the next day’s meeting, Hart was discussing the upcoming Sunday
edition with editors. I waited for him to finish, but I had no agenda.
I was returning to the copy desk but wanted to thank him.
Hart looked up and said: “So you want to learn about coaching writing?
Follow me.”
Inside his office, Hart handed me the rough draft of an in-depth feature
by Tom Hallman, a 1999 ASNE national writing winner and two-time Pulitzer
finalist. I read the story, Hart’s comments and a note asking Hallman to
meet the next day. I was pushy enough to get myself invited as they discussed
the direction and intent of Hallman’s article.
What an introduction to coaching writing: an open window into the writing
process of two top-flight professionals. Over the next few weeks, I saw
multiple versions of the article before it was published.
This first-week experience turned out to be only the first of several
opportunities to exchange ideas, work and learn. In the end, I received
far more than I could have dreamed possible.
Mann is an associate professor of journalism at Abilene Christian
University in Texas.
