What does the editor do?
I get that question a lot … from readers, from co-workers, from my boss.
And so I selected a day – Monday – and made a list of the work-related things I did that day.
I’m not sure Monday was a typical day in this editor’s life. But I’m not sure there is a typical day.
So for what it’s worth …
The day began about 9 a.m. from home, with the never-ending task of reading and responding to e-mail.
It ended about 11:30 p.m. from home, with the never-ending task of reading and responding to e-mail.
I received 87 e-mails on Monday, not counting who-knows-how-many captured by the spam filter, which I only check about once a week. About half the e-mails were probably sent to every news organization in New Mexico; the rest were aimed at me.
Here’s a sampling:
* A reporter was unable to punch the time clock because she started the day on the road. And so I gave her a punch.
* The managing editor in Portales let me know of his plans for covering a political forum on Monday night. We’re getting ready to partner with an Amarillo TV station and I send them a daily budget of stories that might be of interest.
* The advertising department needed to make two changes to the special section “Our Towns,” which goes to press at 8 a.m. Tuesday. I broke the news to the designer, who only cried a little.
* Someone reported two Clovis basketball players have been nominated for a national all-star team. I said thanks for letting us know.
* Someone complained we don’t have enough coverage on Clovis basketball. I said we’re doing the best we can.
* Columns arrived from Argus Hamilton, Don McAlavy and Glenda Price. I posted Hamilton online, forwarded McAlavy to a managing editor and saved Price for later.
* Two readers pointed out errors in Sunday’s papers. We corrected stories on our Web sites and in Tuesday’s papers in Clovis and Portales.
* The business manager passed along financial numbers from January. The newsrooms were almost 2 percent under budget. I knew that crackdown on office supplies would pay off.
* A reporter scheduled to begin his new job Monday at the Quay County Sun in Tucumcari e-mailed to say he’d changed his mind — he would not be coming to work for us after all. I broke the news to the personnel director and the publisher. The Quay managing editor only cried a little.
But I did a lot more than read and respond to e-mails on Monday.
* I arrived in the office about 10:30 a.m. and received a pleasant summary of the morning from our administrative assistant: Nobody called in sick, nothing was on fire and nobody wanted to sue us.
* I talked with a fellow board member of the Panhandle Press Association about the PPA Hall of Fame. I’m in charge of the event this year and, since the ceremony is about a month away, figured it’s about time to get started.
* I talked with the Clovis managing editor about “Our Towns” and personnel matters. We have four jobs open at three properties, and only one candidate.
* I participated in a series of spirited discussions – with staff and another department head — about overcoming adversity and taking care of business. Pretty vague, I know, so let’s just say we don’t always get along, but we hardly ever hit each other.
* I proofed Tuesday’s Opinion page in Clovis and edited a story about money that seems to be missing from the Curry County Fair. I always edit the Opinion pages, but the managing editors do most of the editing for news stories; I get involved when news stories are controversial – otherwise I read them online like everybody else.
* I attended a meeting of department heads in which I learned we have a new vacation policy. New hires can take the time they’ve earned after six months instead of having to wait a year.
* I wrote a Web log item (not this one) about a letter from a prisoner at the Curry County Adult Detention Center.
* I talked about personnel with the Quay County Sun managing editor, the publisher and the personnel director. News and advertising leaders are having a difficult time finding workers in the north country and we need some original ideas.
* I talked with Clovis and Portales staff about Tuesday’s Page 1 stories – municipal candidate debates, Air Force woes, missing money in Curry County and candidate profiles.
* I left the office about 6:30 p.m., and worked on a Web log item (this one) from home.
* I wrote items for the online “Editor’s Notebook,” which appear at 6 a.m., 7 a.m., 8 a.m., 9 a.m., and 10 a.m. weekdays. I write one or two items each Saturday and Sunday.
* I returned to the office about 10 p.m. to review proofs for “Our Towns.” I found five or six typos, asked that we switch two photos, and questioned a reporter about the number of Allsup’s convenience stores in Clovis. The managing editor said we called every phone number published to verify accuracy. I was done by 10:45 p.m.
Every couple of hours during the work day, I also check our five Freedom New Mexico Web sites for the latest stories, comments left by readers, and for any new reader blogs or photos that may have been posted. No drama on Monday, but sometimes I have to remove content when it’s considerate inappropriate (by the publisher or by me).
So now you know what the editor does … at least that’s what he did on Monday.
Well that answered that question for me. For my part, I’ll strive to be more concise and less verbose in my comments.
Who was that spirited discussion with?
I miss those.
I’m glad I wasn’t the lucky one that got to call all the Allsup’s in Clovis. Here in South Carolina all the gas stations are called Kangaroos. Have yet to see a live one.