Fundamentals at the core of doing good work
Jeff Light, publisher and editor of the San Diego Union-Tribune, started off his talk reminding the 200-or-so students and instructors of the fundamentals, of the first-order rules.
- Always write the headline first. It focuses the mind.
- Always go to the scene of the crime.
- Spell the names right. Be accurate in every detail.
- Tell it straight.
These fundamentals, he said, help us do a good job of finding out what’s really going on.
“Listen to the voice of people who have something to say about it. Be open-minded about presenting all the points of view in a favorable light.”
As a former investigate reporter, he should know. Mark Witherspoon, editorial adviser at the Iowa State Daily, said it was precisely this background that made his talk interesting.
“The first thing I was impressed with was that Jeff Light was an investigative reporter that is now publisher of the San Diego Union-Tribune. That doesn’t happen that often,” Witherspoon said.
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