Finding a Good Editor: A Make-or-Break Component of Your Writing Experience

I can't emphasize how important this is when you're first entering the field. A good or bad editor can make or break your decision to continue in journalism. That's why it's vital to try to start your career under an intelligent and encouraging editor who will ignite the talent and skills within you, instead of stifling them.

Think about it in terms of teachers or professors. Ever take a great class but had a terrible teacher? It makes the whole experience awful, and even makes you hate a subject you used to love.

It's the same concept in journalism. But unlike in school, where you couldn't pick your teachers, you can pick your editor when you get out, at least to a point.

Mac McKerral, professor of the School of Journalism & Broadcasting at Western Kentucky University, provided great insight on what makes a great editor and how journalists can work to maintain a strong relationship with him or her. He has spent more than 25 years as a journalist and journalism educator and has been a reporter and editor at newspapers in five states.

I met McKerral at an SPJ conference, where he gave a seminar on this topic. While attending, I frequently found myself shaking my head in complete agreement with what he was saying. We ended up talking a lot at the social that night, and I was impressed with his down-to-earth approach to journalism.

Here's some traits of a good editor, according to McKerral:

-LISTENS MORE, TALKS LESS
-Believes in his/her writers
-Helps people discover things rather than telling them
-Asks questions that don't provide defense mechanisms
-Always remains open
-Sets high expectations
-Encourages them often
-Leads by example and practices what he/she preaches
-Is always honest
-Shares successes and failures
-Constantly challenges his/her writers
-Asks good questions and acknowledges strong responses
-Gives praise, praise, praise

Also, his Tangerine Rule was a concept that I was amazed at, because I believe it whole-heartedly. McKerral stated that any great editor will follow the Tangerine Rule. It says:

"Lead people to the point of success while all the while making them believe they reached that point by themselves."

Wow. Awesome stuff.

Another tremendous piece of advice McKerral gave was to make sure that your editor was a journalist for many years, so he/she understands what it's like to be in your shoes.

-Kim Hartman