Five editors in chief worked together to lead a staff of more than 50 at North Central High School in Indianapolis. Adviser Tom Gayda wrote the article “Teamwork key to staff unity” in the Adviser Update by the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund about his decision to have five editors and how it benefited the staff.
Gayda said in his article that the decision to choose one editor was difficult, so he gave the top five candidates the position. Here’s how they managed and some advice from each editor, as reported in the article:
Share the power and communicate.
“Five editors often leads to five different opinions on every issue. Although we may differ in private, we try really hard to present a unified front to the class. We have learned how important it is to function as one rather than five individuals.”
“So, when a staff member asks a question to the groups of us, the best way to avoid one of us giving an answer contrary to the other editors’ opinions is to talk ahead of time. Communication is key to controlling a large staff with a group of leaders.”
Deal with controversy.
Connor Swarbrick said:
“It is our responsibility to cover pressing issues, even if that means dealing with criticism and complaints from those who wish we wouldn’t.”
The editors made sure reporters were equipped with the resources they need to cover the story well and made sure all sides of the story were covered.
“We can never compromise our integrity, our fairness, or our thoroughness.”
Update content and medium.
Isaac Hook said: Make the content exciting and fun. “Often we present material in a quick read or question-and -answer format.”
“We recently made the decision to begin posting content on Facebook…. Any student with an account can preview upcoming issues and view extra content, in particular photos which did not find their way into a normal issue.”
Make the online content interactive, allowing feedback and posting reader surveys.
Build and manage your staff.
Spencer Hegewald said:
Focus on teamwork
