Editor & Publisher

Anna Douglas, 33

Deputy Managing Editor, The Charlotte Observer (a Mcclatchy newsroom)

Education: Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication, Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the news industry?

Don’t ride the highs too high or the lows too low. (I sometimes have to give this advice to myself!) Early career journalists truly have more choices today than ever regarding how and where to work. If you’re finding major or constant problems in your role, speak up and ask for help from a mentor with more experience and your boss. Be ready for feedback about what you may have to work on personally. Take that seriously. Think ahead

of time about your ideas that could offer solutions and communicate them. From there, embrace the hard things that come with advancing your career, but ultimately you need to make decisions that best support your happiness. No one is in charge of that except you. Help others around you who may need your support as much as you can. I love to see people lead from wherever they are — no matter their job title — and I believe this can profoundly affect newsroom culture.

What is the most difficult lesson you’ve learned as an editor?

It takes a great deal of stamina and working with intention to truly engage with each person on your team in a way that meets their individual needs. What works for one person on your team may not work for another. It’s one thing to manage or edit content and another thing to be a consistent coach and leader. Both are demanding, and each is essential. As an editor,

I’ve sometimes underestimated what it takes to be prepared to pull this off. Of course, I’ve learned that its effort and time well spent. I’ve also learned a lot about myself in the process. Knowing my own habits and triggers and prioritizing self-care regularly are critical in order to give my team my best every day. The lesson learned for me was to add more reflection and intentionality wherever possible. It wasn’t easy, but I learned that purely white-knuckling the job wasn’t enough in the long run.

E&P’S 25 UNDER 35

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2023-02-01T08:00:00.0000000Z

2023-02-01T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://editorandpublisher.pressreader.com/article/281938842055451

Editor and Publisher