MONDAY, MARCH 20, 2006
Keeping the Faith
My recent column, "
Leading through Uncertainty,"
looked at the unique challenges faced by newsroom leaders at the Knight
Ridder papers that are not being retained in the McClatchy acquisition.
I wrote from experience, having led a newsroom through five -- count
'em, five -- changes of ownership.
I heard from
Mizell Stewart, the managing editor of the
Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal,
who told me he felt I'd reflected "
the story of my life these days."
Mizell has taught with us at Poynter, and I know he's a terrific
teacher. That's why I asked if he'd agree to an e-mail Q & A. It
provides an insight into a proud newsroom facing yet another challenge,
and how Mizell and other managers are determined to
'keep the faith."
Jill Geisler: Journalists are accustomed to the stress of deadlines
-- but this uncertain situation is an entirely different breed of
stress. How are you, as a leader, helping your people deal with it?
Mizell Stewart: Most of all, we are focusing on doing great
journalism and planning ahead for special projects that won't see the
light of day until the summer and fall. Just this week,
Beacon Journal
reporter John Higgins wrote
a powerful two-part series raising
questions about disciplinary procedures at a local university. A
promising graduate student was accused of selling drugs on campus but
was acquitted by a jury. A university disciplinary panel kicked him off
campus anyway and took away his scholarship. Broke and despondent,
the
student shot himself on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
The series prompted
outrage from readers and supporters of the university, and those
disciplinary procedures are now under review. The victim's brother
e-mailed John to express his appreciation and to say that for a brief
moment, his brother was alive again. To play a role in providing that
kind of comfort to a family and a community is deeply, deeply
satisfying.
|
Mizell Stewart,
Akron Beacon Journal |
Second, we are not sitting on our hands, waiting for the next shoe to
drop. Our publisher, Jim Crutchfield, made it clear last week (Monday,
March 13) that he intends to make the
Beacon Journal a better newspaper
when the deal is done than it is today. Everything we are doing in the
newsroom is oriented toward that goal. Two groups of
Beacon Journal
staff members have begun work on important initiatives that are crucial
to the newspaper's future. One group is working out the details of
creating a unified design desk. The second is working to combine our
sports and news copy desks.
Third, I'm having a lot of individual and small-group conversations
with staff members -- "How are you doing?" goes a long way in times
like this, even if I or my colleagues don't have all the answers. One
sports writer joked that he's found the perfect accessory for my
still-barren office: one of those "take a number" contraptions that you
see at the deli counter, because people are always in here talking.
Finally, I try to lead by example. Immediately after last Monday's
announcement, I left the newspaper building to sign the closing papers
on my new house. One reporter looked at me like I was crazy. Later, I
asked him what he would think about his own future if he learned that I
postponed the purchase and instead spent the afternoon updating my
résumé. He got the point.
As a newsroom leader, what are some of your greatest fears right now, and how do you handle them?
I can honestly say that I'm not afraid of what comes next. A
big part of that is because I've been in this situation before, when
Knight Ridder sold the
Tallahassee Democrat and the
Detroit Free Press
to Gannett. As editor, that meant I had to clean out my desk in 30
days.
God has a way of helping you put things into perspective. Two days
after the deal closed, I was in the newsroom of
The (Biloxi, Miss.) Sun
Herald, helping
Stan Tiner and his staff publish in the wake of
Hurricane Katrina. Working alongside people who lost everything and
still got the newspaper out enabled me to put aside my own fears and
focus on doing everything I could to help them.
Speaking of God, I've learned, over the past several months, that faith
can sustain us through the worst of times. The Bible says that God does
not give us the spirit of fear, but of power and of a sound mind. That
says it all for me.
The Akron Beacon Journal holds a special place in Knight
Ridder history. How do you honor that distinction while dealing
with the reality of business decisions that leave the paper, for the
moment, in limbo?
Depending on your perspective, our current situation
represents either limbo or opportunity. I believe we have an
opportunity to show what we can do -- and to demonstrate what
Beacon
journalism is all about. The Knight family saw opportunity in Akron,
and used this city and this newspaper as a base upon which to build a
media empire.
John S. Knight wouldn't have used limbo as an excuse to do less than his best. Neither shall we.
Newsroom humor, bizarre as it can be, sometimes gets us
through tough times. Who is keeping people smiling through the
pain -- and how?
Gallows humor is a staple here. Today, it's represented by a
coffee can on a newsroom file cabinet labeled "Buy the
Beacon Fund."
I'm keeping my contribution in interest-bearing accounts right now!
What question have I missed?
The easiest thing to do when facing this kind of uncertainty
is to hunker down. The hardest thing to do sometimes is to stand up and
lead. Leadership starts with communication. My boss, Editor Debra Adams
Simmons, ended the week with a memo to the staff that acknowledged the
uncertainty and frustration. More importantly, though, she highlighted
the best journalism of the week, outlined steps the newspaper's
leadership were taking to communicate with employees and thanked
everyone for their spirit, their focus and their hard work. It was the
perfect way to end a tough week.
Mizell Stewart worked at the Beacon Journal from 1994 to 2000 as a local news assigning editor, metro editor and assistant managing editor. He then moved to the Tallahassee Democrat,
another Knight Ridder newspaper, as managing editor. He was promoted to
editor in 2003 and left that newspaper when it was sold to Gannett. He
was then a Knight Ridder "loaner" at The (Biloxi, Miss.) Sun Herald
for five weeks in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. From October to
February, he was in his "own personal limbo," working from home as a
consultant for the KR corporate news staff. He rejoined the Beacon Journal one month ago as managing editor -- and, he says, "(Thankfully,) I knew exactly what I was getting into!"
Posted at 3:11:27 PM
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