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College of Communications Training prepares journalists for editor’s role
During the first Penn State Institute for New Editors, Dr. Douglas A. Anderson (left), dean of the College of Communications, meets with Gene Foreman (center), Foster Professor in Communications at Penn State and director of the institute, and Timothy M. Williams, executive director of the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association. photo by Dave Shelly University Photo/Graphics College of Communications faculty members R. Thomas Berner (left), professor of journalism and American studies, and Dr. W. Bradley Thompson, assistant professor of communications, provide new editors with a refresher course on press law during the Penn State Institute for New Editors. Gene Foreman, Foster Professor in Communications at Penn State and director of the Penn State Institute for New Editors, outlines the role of editors in today’s newsroom in a session on “Conquering the Bureaucracy.”	A partnership uniting Penn State’s College of Communications, the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association and the Pennsylvania Society of Newspaper Editors is helping prepare the next generation of editors for Pennsylvania’s newsrooms.   Gene Foreman, Foster Professor in Communications at Penn State and former deputy editor and vice president of The Philadelphia Inquirer, directed this first Penn State Institute for New Editors. Twenty-five up-and-coming newsroom managers from throughout Pennsylvania attended the four-day program held last summer. The institute offered instruction and practical exercises presented by experienced newsroom managers and Penn State faculty members. The goal was to help editors develop the skills for managing today’s newsrooms and becoming coaches to their staffs.   Participants developed personal action plans and learned about such topics as reporting and editing strategies, libel, privacy, ethics, leadership and morale-building.   Timothy M. Williams, executive director of the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association, said, “This type of seminar has been badly needed in Pennsylvania. To compete for new blood—and keep the talent it has—the newspaper industry must realize the importance of grooming future leaders. We should encourage supervisors and staffs to see promotions as an opportunity for true professional growth, not just as a rung on the salary ladder.”   John A. Kirkpatrick, editor and publisher of The Patriot-News and Sunday Patriot-News in Harrisburg and president of the Pennsylvania Society of Newspaper Editors, added, “The number of balls a line editor must keep in the air keeps growing. There is budgeting, planning, coaching, change to deal with and meetings to attend. And, of course, covering the news. Penn State’s move to take the lead in providing training for new editors couldn’t be more welcome or timely. It is a wonderful opportunity for newspapers in general and Pennsylvania newspapers in particular.”   Foreman, who spent more than 25 years managing The Philadelphia Inquirer’s newsroom operations before joining the College of Communications faculty in 1998, said Penn State will offer institutes for journalists each year. Next year’s institute, to be held May 21–24, will have simultaneous training for supervising editors and for copy editors. The College of Communications organized the Institute for New Editors with assistance from Continuing Education’s Conferences and Institutes. An outreach program of the College of Communications Dr. Eve Stryker Munson, assistant professor of communications at Penn State, focuses on issues of fairness in newspaper reporting during the Penn State Institute for New Editors. Dr. Ford Risley, assistant professor of jounalism and professor in charge of the journalism program at Penn State, talks about “How Editora View their Jobs: The Historical Perspective” during the Penn State Institute for New Editors. photos by Dick Ackley—University Photo/Graphics