Otterblog

I got the following email question late Monday:

How many of the stories do you actually read before they go to print?

First, let me assume that this is not a subtle dig at my work ethic.

The answer is it depends on what I’m doing that day. On occasion, I fill in for other editors while they are on vacation or assigned to a project. In those instances, I’ll read a lot of stories. From a supervisory standpoint, myself and the executive editor manage the newsroom, but it’s not feasible or practical for one person to read everything before publication. On a typical day, I may be personally involved with anywhere between half a dozen to a dozen stories—from sketching out how to approach a topic to the writing and the graphics etc. I try to read the stories that I think are most significant and most complex.

If nothing else, having a third or fourth set of eyes—and hopefully a fresh set of eyes—on a story is very helpful.

Some of you might be familiar with a concept called the Stockholm Syndrome. It sort of means that the kidnapped start to identify with the kidnappers. Editors and journalists have to guard against a similar type of effect while working on a story. We can become too familiar with a topic and that can alter how we present a story, what we include or what we think can be left out.