For whom should I work?

It must be nice to be able to choose your place of employment ...

 

djm, the biggest problem today is newsroom positions have been cut back so severely that editing and/or providing feedback for younger reporters has gone the way of the dinosaurs.

Unfortunately, it's all about cranking out copy, posting/tweeting it ASAP, and eventually slapping together pages as quickly as possible.

As stupid as this sounds, if you really want an editor to give your story a good read and provide you with suggestions for improving your writing, ask he or she to do so after deadline. That's about the only time people can think in a newsroom anymore.

 

That's a great point. I've seen it, too.

Maybe part of it can be traced to staff reductions. There just aren't enough bodies to do everything that needs to get done. So it leaves editors with less time to sit down with reporters and go over stories, provide feedback, etc. I used to try to do that with the younger writers. Now, instead of doing 3-4 pages per night, maybe you're doing 6-8, plus phone calls, updating a web site, social media nonsense, corporate paperwork, etc. So the actual editing and feedback part falls through the cracks and things suffer.

 

djm, just to clarify, are you looking for a new job because you're currently without one, or because you want to change from a current job? If the latter, and your only reason for wanting a change is to get better feedback or coaching about your writing, I would suggest reconsidering. As others have pointed out, places offering that kind of thing these days are few and far between
There were times, particularly early in my career, when I was frustrated about the lack of feedback from my bosses. One thing I would suggest is asking co-workers and/or editors something like, "Does that lead in my story work? I liked it because of this reason, but I didn't know if that was too cliche or not." In other words, sometimes you need to initiate the feedback process instead of waiting for someone to start it for you. I don't know; maybe you've already tried that and it led to nothing.

 

In my defense, I said it's not JUST editors. I think there are several ways to get better, and talking to those who are accomplished in the field doesn't hurt.

 

I know that my editors aren't going to have time to give me much feedback, so what I do is follow the writers I admire on Twitter and read their content and recommendations. Reading people like Dan Wetzel, Wright Thompson, and Dana O'Neil have made me better.

 

I'm guessing the editors might be able to help.