I think you’re right. I think many at the bottom or middle would resist my ideas as much — or more — than those at the top. I do think it’s a shame, though. Because I truly believe we could make a better product if we weren’t splintered in so many directions.

The redundancy fear is very real, so people hold tightly to their status-quo-driven turf.

The thing is I do believe that if we as an industry could let go of all that and think in a new way, we’d produce a better product. Reporters might be annoyed to help write a headline, but eventually might feel empowered. Copy editors, at least many of them, may enjoy being able to blog or write as well as edit.

I do know that when people love what they do and are really charged up about it, it shows in the work. (And when they aren’t, that shows, too.)

But, then I may live in a dreamworld.

– Gina

Sounds like an interesting study. I do agree. It’s hard to change ingrained patterns that work, although I’d argue they are working less well now.

Thanks for the insights.

– Gina

I like the spirit behind your post, but I wonder whether reporters, editors and other newsroom staff would really embrace the model you’ve put forth over the long term. In my experience as a copy editor, I can tell you that sometimes the last thing a reporter wants to worry about is contributing a headline or cutline his or her article. You say your reporter friends are kidding when they talk about working for a “paragraph factory” but are they? The pressures to turn out copy are relentless, so I don’t see how reporters are going to find the time to be a part of every step of a story’s process when they’re up against another deadline. And I can also see other staffers — copy editors, page designers — becoming very suspicious of collaborative efforts as the first step toward redundancy.

Anyway, I’ll post more about my work on the blog now that summer is here and I’m not teaching.

Carrie

Thanks. I’m still an optimist, but some days it gets harder to be. — Gina

I wish I could be more optimistic that the former can prevail over the latter, but I also think your master’s thesis notion is stronger than ever.

Now that I’m out of a newsroom I can resume being the heretic I’ve always been; the reality for so many who remain is to accept heavy micromanaging, passions be damned.