Q: If you work for a p.m. paper and are applying for a spot at an a.m. should you mention that you have written stories on deadline?
Nichole
A: I seldom hear of editors at morning papers who think there will be any problem with reporters from afternoon papers making the transition. Although U.S. news cycles favor a.m.’s, there is still plenty of quick work that must be done to hit a p.m.’s deadlines — especially on news that happens late at night or early in the morning.
If you’re concerned or have run into this question, anticipate it smartly by including some clips in your package that clearly show how you responded to breaking news (leads that say, “This morning,” for example), or by attaching an explanatory note or two to items that required quick turnarounds.
The obstacle for reporters who want to make a move that means a cycle switch have far fewer problems than journalists who want to step from weeklies to dailies, where the deadline question DOES come up often.
Incidentally, according to figures compiled by Editor & Publisher, the number of a.m. dailies in the United States doubled from 334 in 1946 to 686 in 1996. The number of afternoon papers fell from 1,429 to 846.
