Surround yourself with smart people and listen

Many aspiring journalists as well as media executives could benefit from listening to Katharine Weymouth, The Washington Post's publisher and CEO of Washington Post Media.

'You don't have to be the smartest person in the room,' she told more than 70 people gathered at Poynter Institute on May 20 to kick off  The Edge of Change Colloquium for women news leaders. 'You have to surround yourself with the smartest people and listen.' Keep in mind the smartest people, may not always look, act or even process information like you, and that's the beauty of diversity.

When asked about work/family life balance, the working mother of three said, 'There's no balance. You are flying by the seat of your pants.'

In a conversation with Poynter's President Karen Dunlap, which will be aired later on C-Span, Weymouth  said the demand for news and the ability to get news is greater than ever.  The days of newspapers  being 'toll booths' are long gone.  'We have to have a smaller cost structure and experiment with new platforms' such as iPhones and podcasts, she said.

'Our biggest competition is the Blackberry,' said Weymouth.  'I'm so ADD that I sit a red light and think,  'I'm bored, I better pull out my Blackberry.' It's ridiculous. ‚ We've got to think about our readers and give them compelling content,' said  Weymouth, who was named after her late grandmother and former Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham, also shared that she reads 'a shocking amount on my iPhone.' She said the iPad is so new that she and others are trying to figure out its impact on online advertising and business models.

Indeed, the female publisher on iPhone and the iPad are signs of the changing times.  The fact that the Poynter colloquium attracted more than 70 women from around the nation who have instigated and created change in the journalism and media industries over the last quarter century also speaks volumes. Many of their stories are captured in the book titled 'The Edge of Change: Women in the 21st Century Press,' which was  edited by June Nicholson, Pamela Creedon, Wanda Lloyd and Pamela J. Johnson.

Mei-Mei Chan, president/ publisher of the News-Press Media Group in Fort Myers, Fla., is part of the sea of change.  Chan, who has worked as a reporter, editor as well as vice president of circulation and advertising, said she appreciated Weymouth's authenticity. 'We're not in the ivory tower‚ We will make mistakes.'  

Chan said she didn't agree with Weymouth's comment that if you give 100 percent and more, others will tap you for more opportunities 'You have to be an advocate for yourself,' said Chan.' You have to brand yourself.'

While some participants expressed concern about retention, pay equity and pipeline issues, Geneva Overholser, director of the University of Southern California's Annenberg School of Journalism, said,  'I'm filled with hope and excitement for the future. ‚ We have the opportunity to do reporting that's not so cynical. We have an opportunity to tell stories that haven't been told.'
Amari Castillo, a University of South Florida graduate and a St. Petersburg Times correspondent,  tweeted during the conference and represents the next wave of talent.  'I was not aware of the history of the older generation of women journalists,' she said.  'That's not in any course I took. I will not be afraid to be an aggressive reporter. ‚ I'll be more fearless.'

To hear and see more voices from women news leaders, go to http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=183545.

Dorothy Bland is the journalism division director and a professor at Florida A&M University.  She is a McCormick Fellow, an award-winning journalist and former newspaper publisher who also is featured in The Edge of Change: Women in the 21st Century Press.

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