This article appeared in the ASNE Small Newspapers brochure.
My first journalism job after college was with a small newspaper. A very small newspaper.
I started as editor of the Warner Robins (Georgia) Enterprise, a weekly owned by a real estate tycoon. Not only was I editor, I was also senior writer, intern reporter, feature writer, food writer, editorial writer and ghost writer for the publisher’s column.
I wrote so much copy that I decided to stretch my byline to make the staff seem larger. On some stories I was “Karen Brown,” my first and married names. On others I was “Lavette Fitzgerald,” my middle and maiden names. Stories with less potential as clips for future job searches were written by Lavette.
In addition to writing, I was the photographer when the circulation guy wouldn’t take pictures. At about 2 a.m. on production night, I became typesetter when the real typesetter’s husband called her home.
What did I learn?
- I learned that I should have paid attention to my college classes in design and headline writing. In school my mind was only on writing, but now I searched my notes and memory for pointers on page makeup and copy editing.
- I learned to write quickly and on a range of topics. I covered business openings and city council meetings, but also stories of individual success or family distress, as well as the ever present, “Kitchen of the Week.”
- I learned to respect all jobs in the production process because, at various times, I had to do each job.
- I learned to respect all the people I worked with. We were a small group working in a compact office. If dissension broke out and someone stormed out, chances were I would have to finish that job. I was committed to peace and goodwill by respecting all.
- I learned that there is a thin line between editorial and advertising, but sinners can always find redemption with excuses about the bottom line.
- I learned to talk past differences. Warner Robins, with nearly an all-white establishment, awoke to find the Enterprise’s new editor was a 21-year-old black woman with an Angela Davis Afro. I needed their stories. They like seeing their names in print. We talked.
- I learned I needed to know about the community to avoid errors or just looking silly. The library and conversations with townspeople were my shortcut to learning the history and culture of the place.
- I learned that my labor in a small market provided an opening to a larger newspaper. For me, the next step was the Macon News.
- Most of all I learned to appreciate the small newspaper that gave me a chance to learn and grow while practicing the craft I love.
Years later I taught journalism students who shunned small papers. They expected to start at a leading daily, or at least a mid-sized newspaper. Some laughed when they learned of openings with smaller papers. I frowned and told them they would probably end up tossing burgers instead of reporting news. Then I would recall the production night of the Warner Robins Enterprise. My students didn’t know the experience, the challenges, the fun, that they were missing.
