[This information was originally prepared for a Poynter Institute seminar, “Training the Trainers,” held Oct. 8, 1997 in San Diego, Calif., and may not be republished without attribution to the author and to the Poynter Institute. It is based on the author’s experience as a supervisor, trainer, critic and mentor of copy editors who design at the St. Petersburg Times and other papers.]
This is a seven-part web document encompassing the following topics:
1. Introduction, including a look at the goals of the copy editor who does layout and some goals of the trainer and how they conflict
2. In my ‘ideal newsroom’ …
3. Questions the trainer should ponder (and possibly ask) when reviewing the copy editor’s layouts:
4. Characteristics of a good trainer
5. A few things the copy editor deserves to understand about graphic design fundamentals
6. Resources and ideas for the trainer
7. Advice for cynics
Director of Visual Journalism, The Poynter Institute
CONCLUSION: ADVICE FOR CYNICS ONLY
While this discussion isn’t meant to have all the answers for every newsroom, I hope it provides guidance for many different types of situations. One participant in a Poynter training seminar replied that “this seems like a nice system, but what about the ‘jerk’ that I have to deal with in my newsroom?” Well, every trainer thinks he is the only one who has to deal with a “jerk,” and that these jerks are unique and unmoveable. I asked this trainer to step back, reconsider some of our discussion, and ask himself, why is this person acting like a jerk:- Is this a copy editor who refuses to follow design style? The problem may be the lack of a stylebook, lack of enforcement, or lack of understanding about how adherence to style will affect the performance review.
- Is this an artist who shows potential but just produces “tacky” designs? Then maybe a mentor is needed who will provide closer guidance only on special design projects, or maybe the larger goals and mission of the paper overall haven’t been clarified.
- Is this a city editor who is trying to inflict his favorite typefaces on the metro front? Sure sounds like the lines of authority aren’t clear. All three of these scenarios would be prevented in the newsroom described under Section 2 of this essay. True, this is an idealistic description, but not unattainable if you are brave enough to push the right conversations in your newsroom.
Feedback
Feedback on this document is greatly appreciated, especially on the discussion points raised throughout. Please e-mail reason@ poynter.org with suggestions for additions or revisions, or call 813-821-9494 ext. 296.
