Lisa Ling took home a pair of signature awards this summer: The L.A. chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association presented her with the V3 Visibility Award, while non-profit Shelter Partnership honored her Our America episode “The Lost American Dream” for tackling the topics of poverty and homelessness.

Ling’s willingness and expert ability to let interview subjects guide the story is what has made the OWN investigative reporting series so compelling. In just two seasons, Our America has put a human face on a wide variety of subjects — faith healing, swingers, gay Christians, heroin addiction, modern polygamy and more — that in lesser hands would have quickly devolved into sensationalism. The program has also managed to generate real-world impact: During the August 21 special two-hour season finale, Exodus International leader Alan Chambers admitted that her earlier report about the organization forced him to change his attempts to “de-gay” men and women.

Yet, for a 24-year veteran like Ling, sparking such change is more than just a career coup — it’s a personal mission. “People are feeling very challenged in this downward spiraling economy, and so many feel their voices are not being heard,” she explained. “Our program is trying to give a voice to people who would otherwise not have one.”

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Position: Executive producer and host of OWN’s Our America
Resume: Began her career as a correspondent for nationally syndicated teen show Scratch when she was 15. Became senior war correspondent for Channel One News, where she did extensive international reporting. Named co-host for The View in 1999 and helped the show win its first Emmy. Left in 2002 to return to international reporting. Host of National Geographic‘s Explorer and correspondent for ABC’s Nightline and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Co-authored the bestselling book Somewhere Inside, about her efforts to free her sister Laura from the clutches of the 2009 Pyongyang incarceration. Debuted Our America on OWN in 2011.
Birthday: August 30
Hometown: Sacramento, CA
Education: University of Southern California
Marital status: Married
Favorite TV shows: The Daily Show, Game of Thrones
Guilty pleasure: Online shopping
Media idol: “Oprah… of course”
Last book read: “Fifty Shades of Grey… JUST KIDDING! Lulu in the Sky by Leong Eng”
Twitter handle: @lisaling

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Our America continues your long association with Oprah Winfrey. What is an example of an interviewing or research technique you have learned from her?
There is perhaps no better listener than Oprah Winfrey; that’s why she’s such a terrific interviewer. Even when she’s not on television, she looks you right in the eyes and waits to hear your opinion or thoughts on whatever the issue may be. Both Oprah and one of my previous bosses, Barbara Walters, are truly exceptional listeners and that makes all the difference.

A recent episode of Our America focused on the lives of men who did prison time for crimes they did not commit, as well as one man on death row whose daughter is trying to clear him. How do you determine which topics you’ll focus on?
The beautiful thing about Our America is that there is never a shortage of topics. We attempt to explore the diversity and the complexity that comes with being an American.

“OWN is hands down the best place I’ve ever worked.”

Together with the production company that produces Our America with me, Part 2 Pictures, we are constantly pitching stories. Our process is a very collaborative one, but ultimately the green light comes from OWN. The network is also constantly suggesting topics for us to tackle. While many of our stories have been quite hard-hitting, we try to balance each season with a combination of topics that are challenging, and some that are a bit lighter. My prerequisite, however, is that, whatever the topic, it will inspire conversation and thought. I think that we are more evolved as people, the more we know about one another.

You have a great ability to gain the trust of your interview subjects and make them feel comfortable on camera. What are some key elements that all on-camera hard news interviewers should respect?
I think the reason we’ve been successful with getting people to give us interviews is because they know that Our America is a show that will not exploit or sensationalize their stories. It takes a lot of courage to share some of the things that people share with us. At times, people will tell us things they’ve never even told their closest friends or family members. We take very seriously the need to responsibly tell people’s stories. Knowing that our objective is to treat everyone we encounter with dignity has made people feel a lot more comfortable than they might feel doing other shows. We believe in being respectful and, in turn, that respect is always reciprocated.

NEXT >> So What Do You Do, Lola Ogunnaike, Freelance Journalist and TV Personality?

Throughout your career and now for Our America, you travel a great deal. How has technology affected your job? Does the fact that everyone, whether they’re in the media or not, is “reporting” on issues through Twitter and other social media platforms changed what you do?
Instant access to information via technology has made my job a lot easier. I am not a breaking news reporter, so I generally don’t have to act immediately if breaking news happens. But, when I am in the field and need info, it helps tremendously to be able to access any amount of information necessary. I admit that I am a bit of a Twitter junkie. I really love being able to be connected with the people who watch Our America. Instant feedback and being able to interact with viewers is an extraordinary thing. This past season, I live-tweeted during almost every episode and I had so much fun doing it. Twitter is truly revolutionary.

It seems like cable channels such as OWN and HD Net have really provided a fertile, new home for investigative journalism. Do you have complete freedom as to what to cover? And how different is your OWN environment from when you were doing reports for Nightline or National Geographic?
I am so lucky to work for OWN. It is the most creative freedom I’ve ever had in a job and I am so incredibly grateful for that. I also have a great deal of respect for the OWN executives who oversee our show. We really operate in such a collaborative way, and I love it. I’ve never felt pressure to do anything about which I have felt uncomfortable. OWN is hands down the best place I’ve ever worked.

“I had a great time as co-host [of The View], but I don’t regret for a second where I went from there.”

I had an incredible experience when I first started working for National Geographic in 2005. I worked with producers and executives who were passionate and collaborative. Years later, however, I’ll just say that male ego interfered with the process. So, I went to OWN and couldn’t be happier. I still contribute to Nightline when I can, and I’m thrilled that it’s performing so well in the ratings. I think the fact that Nightline is doing so well is a testament to the fact that people are hungry for good, strong storytelling.

What is an example of a topic you ultimately rejected for Our America, and why?
Neither Oprah nor I will cover hate groups. Giving people who express hatred toward people a platform of any kind, even if it’s critical, is not something that we will do.

What are your thoughts on all the changes in hosts The View has gone through, and do you ever miss being on the show?
Given how long the show has been on air, there hasn’t been that much change. I had a great time as co-host, but I don’t regret for a second where I went from there. The only time I really miss being on The View is during election seasons. It really is a terrific forum in which to discuss politics in a serious but entertaining way.

How did your sister Laura’s 2009 experiences in North Korea change your outlook on investigative reporting in dangerous areas?
Actually, what happened with Laura has made me more defiant than ever about the need for solid journalism. The fact that Laura was illegally apprehended and held for so long for wanting to report about the horrific things that are happening to North Korean refugees was just tragic. We need journalists to uncover truths. It’s never more important than now.

NEXT >> So What Do You Do, Lola Ogunnaike, Freelance Journalist and TV Personality?

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Richard Horgan is co-editor of FishbowlLA.

Sometimes, a job you took with even the highest of expectations can morph into a completely untenable situation. Leaving that job might be the best idea for both your career and your health. But how can you tell a bad situation from just a really bad day? Below, workplace experts share five signs that it might finally be time to quit your day job.

1. You take the stress home.

Long work hours are one thing, but constant stress is another. If you’re living with work stress at night and during the weekends, it might be time to give yourself a break.

“When you feel depressed or like your stomach is in knots on Sunday night as you prepare for the work week, this is a sure sign you need a new direction,” says Tiffani Murray, an HR consultant and author of Stuck on Stupid: A Guide for Today’s Professional Stuck in a Rut. “Any job that’s a detriment to your health is not a job to hold on to.”

Temporary fix: Keep work at the office by turning off the iPhone when at home, and not working weekends unless it’s a requirement. While you’re at it, use your vacation, personal days and lunch breaks, too. Sometimes, just giving your brain a break will do the trick.

2. You’ve hit a professional ceiling.

Not having opportunities for future advancement should make you think twice about the job you have now. “It’s time to move on whenever you find you’re doing the same thing in your role as you were doing two years ago, with no opportunity to challenge yourself,” says Mary Lee Gannon, president of StartingOverNow.com.

Lauren Still, founder of the consulting firm Careerevolution, agrees. “It’s time to quit when you’ve outgrown your role and there’s no opportunity for additional professional learning and development.”

Temporary fix: If you’re stuck in neutral at a small company, consider the growth path at a larger company, or ask yourself why you feel so stuck. Have you asked for more challenging duties or just expected them to be given to you? If it’s the latter, it might be time to schedule that performance review with your boss. Having realistic professional aspirations is key to staying motivated.

3. You’re in a toxic work environment.

How do you know when a work situation is truly toxic? “I would define a toxic environment as one that is highly political, where deception, back stabbing and un-merited favoritism become the norm rather than the exception,” says Caroline McClure, a veteran recruiter and principal at ScoutRock. “This can become the culture of an entire company, or simply within your own department.”

Bottom line: This is a job, not Survivor: Office Space. If you’re being abused or unfairly disregarded, it may be time to hit the high road.

Temporary fix: If the problem is just with a single co-worker and not the entire corporate culture, keep a good record of what the offensive colleague did and when. Then, bring it up to your direct supervisor or human resources department, offering specific examples. If you’re wondering about your legal options, know that a “hostile work environment” only occurs in very specific cases to very specific kinds of people. But, if you’ve got nowhere to turn, it may be best to at least start looking at opportunities in other departments or companies.

4. The company’s in trouble.

In short: Don’t be the last sailor on a sinking ship. Mary Hladio, a veteran HR consultant and president of Ember Carriers, says, “If you’re worried about layoffs, it’s a good idea to begin on an exit strategy.” Hladio’s warning signs of corporate failure include hiring freezes, budget cuts, missed financial projections and multiple restructures.

Basically, the moment you start seeing leaks, begin looking at other boats.

Temporary fix: If your industry is known for its ups and downs (ahem, media pros), it could just be that the company is struggling through a transition. So, keep things in perspective before you bolt.

5. You think you might get fired.

Whether it’s your fault or out of your control, a tarnished reputation means you should be looking for clean slates elsewhere. There are usually hints your job’s in jeopardy—recognize them to get out first.

For example, be on alert if your boss asks you to train a back-up person. “This is frequently code for, ‘I need to make sure someone can do your job before I fire you,'” says Roberta Chinsky Matuson, author of Suddenly in Charge: Managing Up, Managing Down, Succeeding All Around.

Other signs things are not looking so swell for you: bad performance reviews, being relieved of responsibilities, a sharp decrease in interactions with your boss and new job postings that sound suspiciously familiar.

Temporary fix: Unfortunately, there isn’t one for this situation. Once the boss has warned you multiple times or you spot the above signs of a pink slip, it’s best to just start heading for the door. Whether you leave a bad situation immediately or wait to have another job in hand, always keep your eyes open, your hopes high and your resume fresh. You deserve a job that’s right for you.

Once upon a time, anyone worth his word count knew that to be a journalist — a really credible, respected journalist — he would have to score a byline on the pages of an actual newspaper or magazine. Jessica Bennett is part of the vanguard eagerly changing that dynamic, and the executive editor position she’s settling into at Tumblr is a keystone in the new media movement.

Recruited from her spot as writer and editor for Newsweek, she says that her new position as a Tumblr griot of sorts is a natural fit for her and a logical transition for the company considering its explosive growth.

“I think there was so much interesting stuff happening within Tumblr and almost a culture rising out of it that they wanted to somehow capture that in a journalistic sense,” Bennett explained. “So, my job is essentially being a correspondent and editor for the Tumblr community. It’s hard to explain and it sounds very journalism-from-the-future, but it’s finding ways to pull out the really fascinating narratives and trends and issues that are coming out of Tumblr.”

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Name: Jessica Bennett
Position: Executive editor, Tumblr
Resume: Spent seven years as a writer and editor at Newsweek, covering social issues, gender and sex and appearing frequently on-air. Has written cover stories on teen bullying and sexism in the media, and has been honored by the Newswomen’s Club of New York, the New York Press Club and the Society for Professional Journalists. Left in March 2011 to launch Storyboard, Tumblr’s editorial arm. Remains a contributor to Newsweek/Daily Beast.
Birthday: September 3
Hometown: Seattle
Education: B.S., journalism, Boston University
Marital status: Single
Media idol: Nellie Bly and Nora Ephron
Guilty pleasure: Clothes, “which is hard when you have a tiny NYC closet.”
Favorite TV shows: Girls, Mad Men and Homeland
Twitter handle: @jess7bennett

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What are your specific duties? Were your tasks and goals set in advance, or are you adding things that need to be done along the way?
It varies from day to day. The position has evolved a bit, and a lot of it is kind of figuring it out as we go, but it’s not that dissimilar to what I did when I was at Newsweek. I am constantly looking for good story ideas, I’m doing a lot of editing, I’m assigning features, I’m writing, I’m producing video and just overseeing all of the stuff that goes out on Storyboard, which is our editorial site.

So, all of your creative ideas come from the Tumblr community?
They’re loosely related. For example, we did this big piece about how fandom has changed in the Internet Age based around One Direction, the UK boy band, who is huge on Tumblr. It was the kind of feature story you’d read in a newsmagazine, but not so Tumblr-specific that it couldn’t be digestible to a mainstream audience. So, a lot of the ideas I come up with I’m getting from being on Tumblr and monitoring what’s happening on there. If Tumblr were a digital city, then we’re covering the ideas and themes coming out of that city like a reporter from The New York Times would be covering New York City.

“If Tumblr were a digital city, then we’re covering the ideas and themes coming out of that city like a reporter from the New York Times would be covering New York City.”

At traditional media outlets, layoffs abound and positions are being eliminated at an alarming pace. Yet, many new media companies are still unproven. Did you have reservations about leaving the stability of an established company for one that is still finding its footing?
Well, “stability” is not a word I would generally use to describe Newsweek or any print magazine in this age. So, no, I didn’t have any hesitation. It’s a new thing and it’s exciting to be part of something that doesn’t exist yet in the journalism world. We’re literally creating this as we go along. It enables me to do things like travel or take on big stories, because budgeting is less of a concern. It’s kind of liberating in a way. It’s a start-up, so you never know what could happen but, honestly, I feel a lot more secure. It’s exciting to be part of something that’s new and growing instead of something that’s shrinking, which is happening at every major media outlet now in the print world.

Is syndicating content the wave of the editorial future? What does that say about journalism as a whole, if what you see on Storyboard is also picked up on MTV News and New York magazine, for example?
I think that that kind of goes with our model at Tumblr and most of the models in the media age, which is about collaboration and sharing content that is good and creative and worthy and not so much about hoarding things. I remember in the print days, we used to hoard the best content for the magazine. It took years to break out of that, even at Newsweek, so we could be posting things online and understanding that there was as much value there as there was in the print publication. At Tumblr, we want to share as much content as we possibly can. We’re not touchy about it as long as people are crediting it. For us, it’s really about getting the stories out, not so much about taking credit for anything.

NEXT >> So What Do You Do, Richard Lawson, Senior Writer for The Atlantic Wire?

Do you think that makes it challenging for each outlet to develop its own voice?
No. I feel like as long as you’re staying true to the brand, collaboration can only be beneficial. We’re still developing our voice, very much, so a lot time has been spent bringing a new magazine voice to it. But, for a lot of the publications we’re been partnering with, our voice still works. I think that’s part of being a good journalist: being able to adapt your voice for different publications and making it work for many outlets.

Many writers are being taken to task for “lazy journalism” that involves half-hearted fact-checking, plagiarism and flat out making up sources. In your opinion, what’s a root cause for this issue, and what types of checks and balances are in place at Storyboard to avoid those kinds of instances?
We have a staff of three, so we’re not pretending to be The New Yorker by any means. But we’re trained journalists and we treat Storyboard with the same journalistic rigor and ethics that we would any other publication. I mean, based on [Newsweek‘s August 27 cover story], we now know that Newsweek does not have fact checkers. We never had fact checkers when I was working there. It was really up to the reporter to be thorough in their reporting, so we do the same thing at Tumblr. The editorial department can’t monitor everything on Tumblr itself. That would be insane. But we certainly edit everything on Storyboard and make sure it’s up to our standards.

“It took me years to realize that the invisible, objective, non-brand I was taught to be in journalism school is a thing of the past.”

Tumblr has gone from pledging no advertising on its site to embracing it. How does the new business model affect what you do?
It doesn’t right now. There are no ads on Storyboard, so we’re not catering to a certain advertising audience. The advertising model is so new [that] we’re still tweaking it and seeing how it’s going to evolve. But as far as advertising models go, I think it’s really creative and interesting to see the way Tumblr has approached theirs. It’s the one place where you’re not being bombarded by teeth-whitening ads. To be an advertiser on Tumblr, you also have to be a creator on Tumblr, even if it’s a brand. I’m like the last person to say I enjoy advertising — I do not — but some of the advertising that’s been featured on Tumblr has been really good and thoughtful.

How, specifically, can someone get these cool, new positions when many have not been created yet? Should people just pitch themselves as editors to social media sites, turn themselves into social media “gurus,” or look for open positions?
First, understand that journalism is changing and embrace it. A lot of companies are creating positions like this. I saw one on Kickstarter, and Facebook is starting Facebook Stories, which is essentially a version of what we’re doing. So, I think we’re going to see more social media and tech companies telling the stories of their users. Second, brand yourself. It took me years to realize that the invisible, objective, non-brand I was taught to be in journalism school is a thing of the past. And, lastly, I guess I’d say just know how to tell a good story. High-quality writing, compelling narratives — they’re harder than you’d think to find, especially in an age where the Web is saturated. Also: pitch me stories!

NEXT >> So What Do You Do, Richard Lawson, Senior Writer for The Atlantic Wire?

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Ten years ago, I was just another fresh-off-the-bus kid from the Midwest looking to make it big in New York publishing. Today, I’m still gainfully employed, I’ve transitioned from print media to online media and I’ve even managed to escape New York, which is as close to a success story as you’re going to find in this heartbreaker of an industry.

Looking back on my resume, it strikes me that every job I’ve held over the last decade has left me with an important lesson, most of which I learned the hard way. So, for the benefit of those who are starting out in their writing careers, I figured I’d share my accumulated wisdom and save you all some trouble. Let’s begin___

1. Great Internet writing is both an art and a science.

Editorial Assistant, MaximNet (August 2002 ___ February 2004)

My first gig out of college primarily consisted of HTML coding, mixed with some low-impact entertainment writing. One day, I was assigned to interview System of a Down vocalist Serj Tankian, who let me fire questions at him for nearly an hour before his publicist threw in the towel. I spent the next two days transcribing our entire conversation, before submitting it as my article, virtually unchanged.

Shortly after I turned in the piece, my boss called me over and explained the principal irony of writing for websites: Although there’s a nearly infinite amount of space at your disposal, attention spans are lower online. Most Internet users will simply click a headline that grabs their eye, scan the first two paragraphs for the important points, and then click away to the next shiny object. And, according to Rob Weatherhead, head of digital operations of MediaCom, endless blocks of text are the biggest eBuzzkill of all.

“When a user lands on a page, you have three to five seconds to make your impression and convince them to stay,” Weatherhead explained. “So make your content easily viewable in length, and sign-post it with sub-headings and bullets, so that readers can understand the key points you are making. Long, wordy paragraphs and a lack of sections can turn people off. Readers need to pick out the key topics and be enticed to read more.”

“Even if you’re happy at your current position, building relationships outside of your bubble could lead to job offers that will give you leverage if you’re overdue for a raise.”

In other words, your writing needs to be as concise online as it does when you’re dealing with physical limitations like magazine page-counts and newspaper column inches. In fact, it needs to be even sharper nowadays, since you’re competing with 140-character tweets and two-word memes. The Internet may allow writers unlimited freedom, but if you want to hold your audience’s attention, you__?ll have to earn it.

2. If you’re not fending off job offers, you’re doing something wrong.

Assistant Editor, Associate Editor, Giant (February 2004 ___ September 2006)

When I joined the launch staff of Giant, it was a witty and affectionate entertainment bimonthly aimed at young, culturally obsessed males (nerds, basically). Two years later, it was an “urban,” “aspirational,” “luxury” title run by entirely different management. One by one, my original crew successfully jumped ship until I was the last man standing, spending my days at a magazine that would otherwise never find its way into my bathroom. I had no exit strategy. I hadn’t bothered to network at media events, create a personal website to showcase my past work or reach out to other writers and editors who I admired to start a dialogue. I was stuck.

“The best way to not only advance in your career but also create new relationships is to pursue professional-development opportunities,” said Charles Purdy, senior editor of career site Monster. “Classes and workshops related to your profession are great places to meet people. The teachers are often experts who are still working in the field, and the other students and attendees will be professionals like you. And, of course, there’s the side benefit of learning something new.”

Even if you’re happy at your current position, building relationships outside of your bubble could lead to job offers that will give you leverage if you’re overdue for a raise. Just don’t be shady about it; publishing is a small world, after all.

“Always be positive and enthusiastic about your current employer,” Purdy recommended. “And talk to your boss about your networking activities: ‘I met so-and-so from Company XYZ, and we talked a bit about how our companies are similar. Here’s what I learned.'”

NEXT >> The Biggest Mistakes Journalists Make in Social Media

3. It could all go away tomorrow, so plan ahead.

Senior Associate Editor, Stuff (October 2006 ___ August 2007)

Just when I was beginning to despair, I was hired by a men’s magazine editor who I’d interned for in college. I came into the job with long-term plans for the kinds of features I’d be writing after I got my feet wet and of how I could steadily progress up the editorial ladder. Ten months later, I was laid off. It was business, not personal. But I wasn’t ready for it.

Luckily, I found my next job before my severance pay and unemployment benefits ran out, but it could have been a disaster — like, a moving-back-in-with-your-parents kind of disaster. The lesson I learned here was a practical one: Don’t live paycheck to paycheck. Unemployment can strike at any time, so if you don’t have enough cash in the bank to cover a few months’ worth of expenses, do whatever it takes to adjust your lifestyle so that you can create a financial cushion for yourself.

“All other things being equal, the job will go to the person who brings the most to the table.”

According to Claire David, manager of member services for Freelancers Union, you should also become very familiar with your employment agreement at the start of any new writing gig, so that there are no nasty surprises when the axe comes down.

“If you’re on a contract, it matters whether you’re being paid as an independent worker, or if you’re being paid on a W-2,” David said. “If you’re a W-2 employee, you likely qualify for unemployment. If you’re not, there really isn’t a safety net. And misclassification — being classified as an employee when you’re a freelancer, or vice versa — can impact everything from taxation, to access to company benefits, to specific employment protections, like the right to file a wage claim if you don’t get paid.”

4. Do more than just write and edit.

Managing Editor, CagePotato.com (October 2007 ___ present)

Starting a blog is easy, which is why so many people start blogs. But rising above the noise and finding an audience that shows up every day? Well, that’s a bit harder. When I was hired to launch a mixed martial arts news site in 2007, I quickly learned that creating great content is just one part of the equation. To make sure that your words aren’t swallowed up in the vast sea of the Internet, you also need to be a social media director, an SEO expert, a traffic analytics wonk and a marketing guru. (Coming up with million-dollar advertising and product ideas once in a while doesn’t hurt, either.)

Being multi-talented — and having a working understanding of all the factors that go into building a successful entertainment brand — means that there’s more than one reason for people to hire you. All other things being equal, the job will go to the person who brings the most to the table. But keep in mind that “skill sets” and “added value” are no substitute for actual writing ability.

“There will always be a demand for people who can think straight and then put those thoughts in writing in a way that makes sense,” said Mark Remy, editor-at-large for RunnersWorld.com. “Being SEO-savvy, or a social media expert — those are all good skills — but, if you can’t write or edit, I’m not going to hire you, period. Any time I see young people who actually can write and edit, I tell them not to worry. They have a future in publishing, whether it’s in print or digital or some technology not yet invented.”

Encouraging words — but just to be safe, you might as well learn Photoshop.

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Ben Goldstein has written for the New York Post, Time Out New York, MensFitness.com, Maxim, Fight! Magazine, and BloodSweatandCheers.com. He can be reached at bjgoldst@gmail.com.

When Dana Wolfe left Nightline in 2001, she was in a pretty good place professionally. During her 12-year tenure as a producer under Ted Koppel, she’d already racked up five Emmys and interviewed everyone from Henry Kissinger to Salman Rushdie.

“After Nightline, I took literally two months off, thinking I was going to take a year off,” she recalled. “I had two young children; I thought I should drive in the carpool, plant my own garden and put photos in albums.”

But after a stint as an independent media consultant, Wolfe unknowingly got recommended to run the stateside version of The Rosenkranz Foundation’s popular Intelligence Squared live debate program, and found herself thrown right back into the fiery newsroom environment, albeit in a different setting.

How did your experience as a producer for Nightline prepare you for producing debates?
I was highly influenced by Ted Koppel, who always tried to make Nightline a forum for civil discourse. I remember working, way back when at the Madrid Summit, where I used to see the Israelis and the Palestinians talking to one another, and that was never done publicly until then. At Nightline, I was always involved with all of the big town meetings around the world — that usually involves bringing two sides of a topic together to try to come away with some common balance. This idea of distinctive division and a passion for story telling is something that seems to be a thread throughout my career.

“If somebody cannot articulate their views in a way that you understand them, the rest of the public is not going to be able to either.”

When you work for the best, you strive for the best. Ted was such a good listener. I’ve learned that the better the listener you are, the better the product you’ll end up with. My first day on the job at Nightline I interviewed someone and I got off the phone, wrote up my notes and I didn’t understand what the person had said to me. I spoke to the senior producer at the time and he said, ‘If you don’t understand them, and you want to put them on the air, how is the audience going to understand them?’ That was a big takeaway for me. It sounds kind of small, but if somebody cannot articulate their views in a way that you understand them, the rest of the public is not going to be able to either.

Let’s play devil’s advocate for a minute. The Web is full of debaters (or what many might call haters) who like nothing more than adding snark or picking apart someone else‘s article. How are the Intelligence Squared debates different and why are they necessary?
Today’s media are full of one-sided debates and partisan rants and name calling and punditry. We try to avoid all of that, both with our format and by bringing intelligence to both sides of these issues so the audience can make up their own minds. We have a vote at the top of our evening asking, for example, ‘How do you feel about this proposition?’ Then the audience sits for a live, hour-and-45-minute debate and they hear both sides of the discussion. They hear one side pick apart the other’s side, but in a very thoughtful way that isn’t sound bites. After the debate, when people vote again, there’s proof that Intelligence Squared brings a compelling argument to change people’s minds. We ask them to put their feelings aside and tell us how they think these debaters did with their content and their presentation. Many times, people vote against their instincts just by being able to listen and say, ‘I may not agree with it, but the other side did a better job of presenting their argument.’ That’s where we can add something to all the different media platforms.

NEXT >> Hey, How’d You Land a TV Series Based on Your Atlantic Article, Kate Bolick?

How do you generate the questions the moderator will ask, and what can writers take away from that in terms of the interviews they conduct?
I’ve been fortunate to work with very smart people, and two of those very smart people in journalism, who don’t need questions written for them, are Ted Koppel and [Intelligence Squared moderator] John Donvan. They do their homework. Our director of research pulls together all of the current research on any topic and what the specific debaters have to say about their topic — we look at YouTube videos, we read their books, their articles, we see where they’ve been quoted — and we provide all of that to our moderator. We arm Donvan with the best research, but it’s up to him to be able to take that research and make it understandable on stage. If the debaters get caught up in technicalities, he’s there to bring it back to help [the audience] understand. If they say something factually incorrect, it’s up to him to say, ‘Well, that wasn’t really the case and let me tell you why.’ Having a strong moderator, someone who can digest the information, someone who does their homework and listens is key.

What makes for a successful debate?
We deal with power players who may be resistant to talking about important issues. It takes a lot on my part to get some of these people on stage, but it takes a lot of guts on their part to agree to it. People debate with us, because they recognize that there is an opposing view and they want to explain to their opponent why their point of view may be right, but the best debaters have always been the ones that listen to the other side. They don’t have to agree in the end, and the audience can take away what they would like, but if they’re listening to one another, then I’ve done my job.

I would also add that when Donvan realizes that somebody, a former politician for example, is resorting to their three talking points over and over again, that’s when he’s at his best. He pulls them out of that and pushes them to go beyond the barrier they’re used to. That always makes for great moments in an evening. That’s also what differentiates Intelligence Squared from some of the banter program one-on-one discussions that are in the public domain.

“Today’s media are full of one-sided debates and partisan rants and name calling and punditry. We try to avoid all of that.”

The New York Times has called Intelligence Squared “a salon for movers and shakers, writers and thinkers.” What can writers take away from these debates?
I think the point that Robert Rosenkranz wanted to make with bringing Intelligence Squared to the U.S. was to show that, in this day and age of a very divisive media, each side has a respectable point of view, and they can be on a stage together in a public domain without shouting at each other. Intelligent discussion can lead people to thinking differently on critical issues of the day. Our debates are not going to make news every time, but they show that there’s a level of discussion on hot-button issues of the day that individuals are willing to have on a stage even if they personally dislike one another. If a writer can pick up on some of those nuances, then they can take away something. It may not be for an immediate story but for a future story, and they can relate back to it when the hard news part of it comes.

Wolfe’s Tips for Crafting Stories with a Compelling Argument:
1. Make it interesting. “We do this in our debates at the top of the show. Our moderator, John Donvan, describes something unusual or interesting that isn’t common knowledge about each of the debaters, that ties into the topic we’re debating.”

2. Research your topic in foreign outlets. “Reading articles from other countries in other languages helps you understand both sides of an issue. That’s the way people come to new ideas or change the way they think.”

3. Give the back story. “Don’t assume your reader knows everything about the topic you’re writing about. Give them as much info as you think they’d need to understand the full story, warts and all.”

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Maria Carter is a freelance writer in Atlanta.

Earlier this spring, veteran journalist Richard Prince marked the 40th anniversary of his landmark efforts against discriminatory practices at the Washington Post with a reunion of the so-called “Metro Seven.”

The seven African-American “Metro” section reporters filed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint against the Post in March of 1972, charging the paper with “denying Black employees an equal opportunity with respect to job assignments, promotional opportunities, including promotions to management positions and other terms and conditions of employment.” Although the EEOC voted against pursuing the case and the “Metro Seven,” for financial reasons, did not take it to federal court, their actions were credited with triggering a similar complaint by female Post employees, which was settled in 1980.

Today, Prince remains a champion of diversity in the media. Just a few months after the “Metro Seven” event, he marked the 10th anniversary of his three-times-a-week “Journal-isms” column for the Maynard Institute. Mediabistro recently caught up with Prince via telephone from his home office in Alexandria, VA to revisit some highlights from a remarkable and still robust reporter’s life.

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Position: Diversity issues columnist, The Maynard Institute
Resume: Started at the Star-Ledger in New Jersey in 1967 before moving on to the Washington Post and, in 1979, joining the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester. Chairs the diversity committee of the Association of Opinion Journalists and moderates the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) listserv. Founding editor of Black College Wire.
Birthday: July 26
Hometown: Roosevelt, NY
Education: Undergraduate degree in journalism, NYU
Marital status: Single
Favorite TV show: Mad Men
Guilty pleasure: People (as in individuals, not the magazine)
Media idol: “Not idol, but I am definitely an admirer of Nicholas Kristof, the New York Times columnist”
Last book read: The Promise: President Obama, Year One, by Jonathan Alter
Twitter handle: @princeeditor

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When and how did you begin your illustrious journalism career?
My first full-time job was in Newark, New Jersey at the Star-Ledger. I was working there while I was in school in the mid 1960s on the weekends and in the summer. I was there when they had the Newark riots in 1967. I was still in school, but I was covering it. There were three black journalists there; one of them was an editorial aide. And one of our assignments was to get the mood of the black community at that time, in the summer of 1967. In the middle of our taking the temperature, the riots broke out. So, we were able to do a piece that looked at why the riots happened. When I graduated, I went to the Washington Post, and not long after [the Newark riots] there were riots in D.C. after the Martin Luther King assassination.

What was it like to be part of the “Metro Seven”?
It was a harbinger of other such cases that took place at other publications, including Newsweek and The New York Times, regarding not only black journalists, but women journalists, to both increase the numbers of these groups and equalize the pay scale. We never went to court, but after our efforts there was another case at the New York Daily News that did.

I think a lot of it was institutional racism. That is, too much of ‘We’ve always done it this way.’ If it hadn’t been for the climate that led to the riots, I wouldn’t have had either of those two jobs [at Star-Ledger and Washington Post] probably. It was just the unrest in the black community and the Kerner Report, which came out in 1968 and generated a lot of media coverage about two nations, one black and one white. And, at the time, the media was one of the big contributors to this, because of its lack of diversity. So, it was very gratifying to play a role in that whole transition.

“The biggest issue for African-African journalists is probably the same as it is for all journalists: the implosion of the print newspaper world and being employed.”

What led you to create “Journal-isms”?
It began in the early 1990s as a print column for the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) newspaper, which is now a magazine, called the NABJ Journal. I was co-editor of that, and we had a column that we created to sort of be a repository for all the stuff that couldn’t be a complete story. We called it “Journal-isms” after the name of the publication.

That ran until about 1998, and in 2002 Dori Maynard, the president of the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education, asked me if I would write a column for the institute, because she was dissatisfied at the time with Jim Romenesko’s column for the Poynter Institute. He was the only one aggregating media news — it was called “Media Gossip” at first before he went to Poynter — but he didn’t have much about people of color, and she thought those issues deserved to also be reported on.

What kind of traffic does “Journal-isms” receive?
It mostly depends on what other reporters and organizations link to it, and, when we talk about the lack of diversity in the media in general, it’s also true about the lack of diversity in media columns. In other words, “Journal-isms” does not get linked to by a lot of the predominantly white news sites. We’re not on their radar screen and we’re not important to them.

Just like the Maynard Institute, which was started in 1977, my focus is multicultural: African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, Native Americans. And one of the institute’s founders also is the late Leroy Aarons, who worked at the Post in the 1970s and later went on to found the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association. So, my column is about all those groups.

NEXT >> So What Do You Do, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Film Producer and Bestselling Author?

As the moderator for the NABJ members’ listserv, what discussion topics do you find these days to be flashpoints?
The biggest issue for African-African journalists is probably the same as it is for all journalists: the implosion of the print newspaper world and being employed. Overriding that is, of course, the issue of diversity. The whole nation is changing and becoming browner, and the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE) has the goal of making the proportion of people of color on newspaper staffs parallel to the proportion of the United States population. But, instead of racing towards that parity, we’re actually shrinking from it and becoming less diverse. And that’s what on people’s minds.

We’ve found that the Internet is just as segregated as the mainstream media. Though it provides many new opportunities for bloggers and such, that doesn’t equal full-time employment or the ability to pay your rent. Then there’s also the fact that some of the major online media presences are segregating African-Americans and Hispanics within their own website.

“An undergraduate degree in journalism gives you a leg up in terms of the contacts that you make.”

When did you stop copy editing for the Washington Post?
They eliminated my copy desk in 2008. All newspapers are looking for ways to economize and the Post was no different. In fact, some places are now doing without copy editors completely. The Denver Post, for example, did the whole Aurora shooting story without any copy editors, which was amazing. I still believe in copy editing, and Journal-isms is copy edited. You can tell when blogs are not copy edited, and I pride myself on Journal-isms being thoroughly copy edited.

From your vantage point, what is an example of a regional newspaper doing a really good job of using the Internet?
The one that comes to mind is Q City Metro in Charlotte. It’s an African-American focused, Web-only operation, and it does a very good job of sticking to its articulated core values, which are “Accuracy. Excellence. Integrity. Innovation.”

If someone asks about whether to take journalism as an undergraduate degree focus, what do you tell them?
I would say, yes, do it, because I got an undergraduate degree in journalism. Primarily, it gives you a leg up in terms of the contacts that you make. That’s how I got that first job in New Jersey. I was at the Society of Professional Journalists, they were having an induction ceremony, and the editor of the Star-Ledger came to the ceremony. We struck up a conversation, and that started me on the path to that first job. In fact, that’s also how my next job at the Post came about. They had a reporter call the journalism department at NYU and sort of say, “Who do you have?”

NEXT >> So What Do You Do, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Film Producer and Bestselling Author?

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Nothing better represents the holy grail of social media achievement than working for Twitter. And, for Mark Luckie, becoming the site’s manager of journalism and news is just the latest in a line of sweet social media gigs.

The author of The Digital Journalist’s Handbook held positions at Los Angeles Times, EW and Center for Investigative Reporting before selling his uber-popular blog 10,000 Words to Mediabistro’s parent company, WebMediaBrands, in 2010.

Now at Twitter, Luckie says he’s working to take the No. 2 social media platform in the world (and how we use it) to even higher echelons of greatness, including making it easier for us to integrate audio, video and graphics into the stream of conversation. And, while Twitter is increasing the prominence of non-text multimedia, Luckie says it all comes back to those basic 140 characters.

Let’s go back a little. How and why did you first launch 10,000 Words?
There was one camp that was speaking about online journalism in general but not really talking about the technology that affected it, and then there was the other camp that was talking about technology but not talking about it in a way that journalists could understand and process it. So, I saw the need for that, and really wanted to fill that void for journalists like me who were just beginning to understand technology and wanted to hear about it in a way that spoke to them, that was simple, and most importantly, that they could take something away from it and then go on to do great things in journalism.

“The most important trait beyond technology is being able to communicate with people.”

You scored the ultimate coup for many bloggers, and that is getting big enough to be bought out. Was it always your intention to eventually sell 10,000 Words, and how can other bloggers make their sites attractive enough to do the same?
It was never my intention to sell the blog. I thought about it in some of the later years, but I really felt like I wanted to keep control of it. I was thinking about advertising first, but I didn’t want to be beholden to advertisements and making certain numbers of pages views. But there came a time when the blog grew bigger than what I could do myself. It was getting tons of traffic, tons of page views, and getting shared everywhere, and I wanted to do more than what I was currently doing. The great thing about Mediabistro is that it allowed me to hand it off to a group that could take it to that next level that I couldn’t do by myself.

If anything, the things I prepared for in the sale was to make sure that I knew who my audience was, to look at the numbers. What are my pages views? What are my uniques? What is my bounce rate? What is my social media presence? How many Twitter followers do I have? How engaged are they? These are the questions that I asked myself, so I knew my self-worth before moving on and presenting the blog to WebMediaBrands.

You have to think of your blog as a business if you want to take it to that next level. So, you need to understand what is the product that you’re selling, who can you pitch it to, and not just say ‘This is my baby. This is something personal for me,’ but also understanding that this is a [viable product] to other people. But you have to understand that value first.

NEXT >> Hey, How’d You Get Everyone Buzzing About #codeyear, Zach Sims?

You then became social media manager for the Washington Post. Besides using social media, obviously, what’s one skill or trait that someone needs to succeed in a position like that?
I think the most important trait beyond technology and all of the data skills and that good stuff is being able to communicate with people. If you don’t know how to communicate with people, or you don’t know how to foster conversations, keep those conversations going, understand what people want, I think you sort of do yourself a disservice. Anyone who’s in that world can tell you that it starts with really great communication skills. Part of even the managerial role — learning how to communicate with people inside the newsroom as well as Washington Post‘s readers in the social media space — that sort of really grew my knowledge and my ability to tell a story through social media.

Now, you’re at Twitter. What does a manager of journalism and news do exactly?
It’s working with journalism organizations to come up with creative ways to use the platform beyond just the basics. I think a lot of journalism organizations really understand how Twitter works, but how do you take it to the next level? How do you create some great engagement? So, coming up with those ideas myself, working with journalism organizations to do so, and working with them to roll out products that we’re working on, like expanded search and our Twitter Cards. There are a lot of things that journalism organizations want from Twitter, and I’m sort of like the inside man who’s working on behalf of journalists to say, ‘Hey this is what journalists need to be able to do their jobs on Twitter.’

What creative uses of Twitter have you witnessed coming out of the digital journalism community that made you say, ‘I wish I had thought of that!’?
I have that reaction all the time. I actually keep a list of all of the great things that journalists and non-journalists are doing in the Twitter space. I love live chats. I love that journalists have taken on conducting live chats with readers with no sort of interference or handling by the company itself. I love taking hashtags and taking them to the next level, really ask questions via hashtags. BET’s 106 & Park, in particular, is really good at fostering conversations with hashtags and not just sort of attaching them at the end. I love what The Wall Street Journal is doing in terms of pushing graphics through Twitter, realizing that Twitter is not just a text community. That’s what it was when it originated, but now there is so many media that you can share via Twitter and really take advantage of.

“There are tons of ‘gurus’ out there, but you have to be the one that’s done something different to separate yourself from the pack.”

What sort of new products will Twitter be rolling out in the near future to help us produce and share our content and engage with audiences better?
Those new products are coming, and I have seen what they are, and I can tell you that they are amazing. I just can’t tell you what they are, because we are still working on them, but you are seeing some of them roll out already like the Twitter Cards and a new iPhone app. I guarantee you that they are working on various things that are just really, truly amazing that are going to transform the news.

Putting on your futurist hat, how do you see Twitter impacting journalism in the next two to three years?
I think journalists are becoming much more sophisticated in the way that they use Twitter. It isn’t the purely promotional tool that it used to be, when journalists would just sort of [push out links] and sort of wait for an audience to come to them. But what we are seeing now and what you’ll see much more in the future is journalists engaging around content, using it as a reporting source, using it as a way to engage with readers and engage with sources versus just listening to them. Some journalists are lurkers, sort of watching from the sidelines. And that’s okay, but I think you’ll find a much more engaging experience if you actually interact with people via Twitter. The more people do that, the more value they get from the platform, so you are going to see much more of that in the future.

Luckie’s Tips for Getting a Social Media Job
1. Know how to sell yourself to companies… “Really push yourself out there and say ‘I’m really talented at social media. Here’s what I have to offer.’ You should have a portfolio and be sort of promotional and let people know how great you are.”

2. but back it up with a strong portfolio. “Talk the talk and walk the walk. Have some really great engaging social media profiles. Some people say ‘I’m a social media guru;’ then, you look at their Twitter feed and it’s just a bunch of links. So, it’s really about showing ‘What’s different about me? What am I doing on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram? How am I using the ecosystem of social media to really propel my message or the message of others?'”

3. Don’t be just another social media “guru.” “Get out there and take the time to build out your ideas, because people are looking for innovators; they are looking for people who are doing things differently. There are tons of ‘gurus’ and ‘mavens’ out there, but you have to be the one that’s done something different in order to separate yourself from the pack.”

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Jennifer Pullinger a freelance writer in Fairfax, Va. Visit her at www.jenniferlpullinger.com and on Twitter @JLPullinger.

In the world of celebrity journalism, few stars are rising faster than that of Celebuzz editor-in-chief Dylan Howard. Count the scoops: Justin Beiber’s scuffle with a paparazzo, the Desperate Housewives feud, and let’s not forget that leak of Community star Chevy Chase ranting on show creator Dan Harmon. It was Celebuzz who posted the recording online — five months later, Harmon was canned.

Yet, Howard says the BUZZMEDIA site will continue to make waves not just for its original reporting, but for the way its stories are covered. He says declining sales for typically negative tabloid stories show that users are hungry for more in-depth coverage of their favorite stars, and Celebuzz also has plans for a live video webcast beginning later this summer.

“This represents a substantial investment in the site and our people. Our users will also be a central part of the programming we produce, too,” the native Australian told us by email. “This is not just a Web-only operation. We are evolving into a full multimedia, multi-platform operation and will be broadcasting content from two new, state-of-the-art studios, one on the Sunset strip and the other in the heart of Manhattan.”

Watch out, TMZ. There’s a kinder, gentler outlet in the building.

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Name: Dylan Howard
Position: Editor-in-chief, Celebuzz
Resume: Cadet reporter for The Geelong Advertiser, covering sports. Entertainment reporter at Reuters Television in New York City and on-air reporter at the Seven Network in Australia. Senior executive editor of Radar Online and Star magazine. Recruited by BUZZMEDIA to lead Celebuzz in March. Taught television journalism at Monash University in Australia. Regularly appears as a celebrity and justice pundit on HLN’s Jane Velez-Mitchell, Dr. Drew and Fox News’ Justice with Judge Jeanine. Four-time L.A. Press Club and National Entertainment Journalism Awards finalist.
Birthday: January 19
Hometown: Port city of Geelong, located in the state of Victoria, Australia
Education: Bachelor of Arts in journalism and politics from Deakin University
Marital status: Single
Media idol: “Too many to name.”
Favorite TV shows: The Good Wife, Scandal, Revenge and The Newsroom
Guilty pleasure: Real Housewives. “So bad, it’s good television.”
Last book read: Bruce Guthrie’s Man Bites Murdoch
Twitter handle: @dylanshoward

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How did you obtain your biggest scoops?
Like any news organization, we don’t comment on sourcing. That said, one thing I would like to mention… it’s not just about the scoop at Celebuzz… If you look at the audience, users are traversing from site to site each day. It is our mission at Celebuzz to be the site where they become squatters.

How will we do that? We must provide the most comprehensive coverage of the top 40-plus stories each day that are being aggregated by our rivals. I want our stories to go beyond the headline. That sounds jingoistic, but there’s method behind it. When you look around the Web, the top showbiz stories are all covered the same way, packaged like Associated Press copy. For instance, when Jason Trawick became a co-conservator for the affairs of fiancée Britney Spears in April, not even The Washington Post explained what is a co-conservatorship. I don’t know what a co-conservator is, or what it does. If I am asking the question, I bet the 21-year-old college student in Missouri who reads our site is too.

What will make Celebuzz successful is putting these stories into context, often through the use of expert analysis. With that post, we will be dialing a lawyer into the post via Skype for a live chat to dish the 411. Because of that, our readership will extend well beyond the 9.6 million unique readers we had in April, as measured by Google Analytics. We’re on the way, but we’re not there yet.

“It is our mission at Celebuzz to be the site where readers become squatters.”

Parent company BUZZMEDIA has been described as a “kinder, gentler TMZ,” managed by several people who used to work with Harvey Levin. Are there certain kinds of celebrity stories that you will not touch, no matter how many hits might come from them?
I have a voracious appetite to want to break big stories. Therefore, any exclusive that comes across my desk, it would be remiss not to take a serious look at it. But, like any news organization, there are considerations that are made behind-the-scenes. That said, we are more People than Radar when it comes to reporting a so-called scandalous story. Take the recent allegations swirling around John Travolta, as one example. We all covered it, but not in the explicit and tawdry detail that others, like Radar, did.

Again, it comes back to depth. As we add key editorial personnel to our newsroom, our readers will see a noticeable change in how Celebuzz covers such stories. For example, with the benefit of a features desk, I would have commissioned a writer to investigate how Travolta could survive the scandal in Hollywood, or a narrative on the man whom the most serialized tabloid figures turn to in times of crisis, famed lawyer Marty Singer, or a piece that answered the question “Will the scandal hurt Travolta’s career?” These were the questions we were all asking. Celebuzz will therefore provide answers.

Does that make us a “kinder and gentler” TMZ? It certainly makes us more authoritative, and, even though I admire Harvey Levin and what he has been able to achieve with the TMZ brand, I don’t view the site as a competitor to Celebuzz.

NEXT >> So What Do You Do, Janice Min, Editorial Director of The Hollywood Reporter?

You’ve cultivated some great sources in Hollywood. What are the keys to gaining the trust of a high-powered publicist or someone close to a celebrity?
Publicists are important and sources can lead you to the pot of gold, but finding a path direct to the source can often be the most rewarding route. Case in point: Charlie Sheen.

As Sheen embarked on a 24/7 roller-coaster ride of tirades and rants, I was the one journalist who was actually there, documenting the scandal as it happened. Indeed, it’s often forgotten, but before he spoke with the Today show, Piers Morgan Tonight, Dateline, TMZ, the Howard Stern Show, 20/20 aired its special and he took to UStream, Sheen sat down with Radar for a no-holds barred interview.

Being that close to the epicenter of a story was a remarkable. To understand how I landed it, we need to go back to October 26 of 2010, when Sheen was hospitalized after an incident with a high-class escort. After a little research, I hit gold, sourcing Sheen’s phone number from another source. When I called his cell phone, his personal assistant Rick Calamaro, told me Sheen wouldn’t be commenting. Unperturbed, I sent Sheen many more text messages, offering him that time-honored reporter’s standby: a chance to put forth his side of the story. Eventually it paid off and I got replies from the man himself.

Our unlikely pairing continued through text message conversations over the next few months. When Sheen was rushed to the emergency room suffering ‘severe abdominal pains,’ 24 hours later he turned to me to break his silence after it was announced his bosses had persuaded him to check into rehab. Going straight to the source can deliver dividends; if not, at the very least, it gives you a good story to tell your pals at the pub.

“I’ve seen a number of American-born journalists in Hollywood who have a fear of hard work.”

Does Celebuzz.com ever pay sources for stories?
As a principle, we believe payment should not be made for interviews or information. I think it is dangerous and undesirable to pay people to make serious and often unproven allegations against anyone. Money should not be a motivating factor in someone telling his or her story. However, I believe there are occasions when we are justified in paying a licensing fee for photographs, documents or video. In that scenario, we are no different than network news divisions, Entertainment Tonight, TMZ or even People, who like us, license photos from various agencies every day. Overall, though, we are able to break news based on the strength of our staff and the size of our audience.

You are the latest Australian journalist to find major success in Hollywood. In your opinion, what makes, proportionally, so many Down Under-bred journalists skilled at this side of the business?
Regardless of what went wrong in the practice of journalism at the News of the World, Rupert Murdoch’s footprints are still all over journalism in Britain and Australia. He shaped a lot of journalists’ careers, including this one. If you’re an Aussie working in journalism here, there’s a fair chance you worked for Murdoch there. Most of these titles have a dense concentration on celebrity-based scoops and populist news. From the outset, it was drilled into this young journalist that, to sell newspapers, you need to break stories. Therefore, it became part of my DNA. With the exception of a handful of rogue Brits, the Murdoch empire has produced a prodigious number of news breakers, who incidentally, do it the right way.

The other thing is hard work. I’ve seen a number of American-born journalists in Hollywood who have a fear of it. It staggers me. Recently, I’ve had people apply for jobs, go through the process, be selected for employment, and then when finite expectations are outlined, they bail. [Americans are] clock watchers, too. I used to sit in the newsroom waiting for the paper to hit the presses to ensure my stories were updated to the minute. No editor likes staffers who clock off at 5pm. We are in a 24/7 news cycle.

NEXT >> So What Do You Do, Janice Min, Editorial Director of The Hollywood Reporter?

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Richard Horgan is co-editor of FishbowlLA.

Ever flip through your favorite magazines and notice the same bylines in every issue? Like, a writer who penned a Brett Favre profile for GQ also has a feature in Vanity Fair the same month, or that A-list writer who seems to get every cover story for Esquire, Essence and O.

Well, while it might appear that top editors and writers have a secret club where they’ll only work with each other, the truth is no one starts his career writing for Rolling Stone or New York. The five veteran scribes we spoke with say it takes years to build up a reputation and the trust of mega magazines ___ and once they got to the top, there are several key things they did to stay there.

“If you haven’t read three to six issues, you’re not ready to pitch.” — Aliya S. King

King’s ascent in the freelance hierarchy is a unique one. The contributor to Vibe, Essence and Latina (just to name a few) started off her professional career as a teacher. King eventually decided to focus on her writing career and has three books to her name, including the 2008 Faith Evans memoir, Keep the Faith.

Often doling out advice to aspiring freelancers on her website, King’s first piece of advice is a simple one. “Before you even think about sending a pitch to a new magazine, make sure you have done your homework ahead of time,” said King. “If you haven’t studied the magazine for three to six months, you aren’t ready to pitch the magazine and you’re probably not going to have success with it.”

While there’s no consensus on how to pitch, most of the veterans we spoke with agree that new freelancers or those pitching an outlet for the first time should err on the conservative side by including as much detail as possible. “I don’t do informal pitches,” said King. “And sometimes, I’ve worked as an editor as well, and I’ve never appreciated someone sending me an email saying, ‘Hey, I’m thinking about writing a story about this. What do you think?'”

“Pay attention to formatting.” — Daniel Duane

Daniel Duane, contributing editor for Men’s Journal, contributor to Bon App_?tit and New York Times Magazine, and author of several books, followed a similar approach by hitting the newsstands and buying any magazine that he was interested in writing for. “I think there were a couple of years where I probably subscribed to 15-20 magazines at any time,” he said. “It’s not like I read every word of every one, but every single one that came, I read the table of contents, looked at the format of the stories and thought about the format. You want to be able to develop that feel.”

“You will have communicated something neat, which is I get it. That alone is a big success, just to show that you’re really paying attention.”

Duane says that paying close attention to the details could be considered a win, even if an editor passes on your pitch. “Let’s say you finally got an editor at Islands magazine to actually pay attention to your pitches. You’ve been calling them, and you sent them emails, and you finally sent an email with some pitches. You have their attention for the moment and here’s your great Orkney Islands pitch, not knowing they are about to do an Orkney Islands double issue.” Although they will likely pass on your idea, he says, “you will have communicated something neat, which is I get it. I totally get your magazine and I totally get what you’re looking for. That alone is a big success, just to show that you’re really paying attention.”

“Focus on producing quality copy on a consistent basis.” — Mike Sager

Dubbed the “beat poet of American journalism,” Mike Sager entered the freelance magazine world in 1984 after working at the Washington Post. The 2010 winner of the American Society of Magazine Editors’ National Magazine award for profile writing is a writer-at-large for Esquire, a former writer-at-large for GQ, and former contributing editor for Rolling Stone.

Yet, Sager is probably best known for his Rolling Stone feature on the late porn star John Holmes and his role in the 1981 Wonderland murders. Instead of worrying why he was only getting $2,000 from Rolling Stone for a story that took him eight months to complete, Sager focused on making it a great story.

“You have to think about every piece being as amazing as you can make it,” he explained. “I don’t get to always choose what I do, but I just think I’m going to kick the ass of any assignment that I get because I got it and my name is going on it. Then the money follows.”

The money truly did follow for Sager as his piece on Holmes served as the inspiration for a pair of Hollywood blockbusters in Boogie Nights and Wonderland. “Over time, that $2,000 has translated into a lot more, but at the time, that’s not what I’m thinking about. At the time, I’m thinking about the work.”

“Don’t pester editors that much.” — Anthony DeCurtis

If Anthony DeCurtis has learned anything about staying power over his 30 years as a freelance writer, it’s the importance of being likeable. “One thing I do is I don’t pester editors that much,” said the Rolling Stone regular, University of Pennsylvania English professor, and author of several books, including Rocking My Life Away: Writing About Music and Other Matters. “If I have an idea that I think is good for them, whether I’m going to be doing it or not, I’ll just pass it along to them. I just try to be as cooperative and reliable as I can be.”

Sager agrees. “Don’t give them any more reason to hate you than they already have,” he said, quoting one of his mother’s favorite sayings.

Remember, you’re selling more than just your words. “The cost of a story to a magazine is only partly the check they are going to write you,” said Duane. “It’s also what you’re going to put them through. Work to be low maintenance.”

“You have to think about every piece being as amazing as you can make it.”

“Have diverse ways that you’re getting paid.” — Kelley L. Carter

Nearly two years ago, Kelley L. Carter’s world was turned upside down. USA Today laid off the Emmy Award-winning entertainment journalist, leaving the longtime newspaper reporter to ponder what her next move would be. “Freelance for me was not supposed to be a career; it was supposed to be something to do in the interim until I got my next full-time job,” said Carter. Before she knew it, Carter had received enough phone calls from editors at MTV.com, ESPN.com, Ebony and Jet and was doing better financially than she was as a full-time newspaper employee.

If you want to avoid chasing paychecks, she says, find outlets with various payment schedules. “Fortunately, I have a couple of people that pay me direct deposit. Some pay direct deposit once a month. Some pay every week. And then I still get paper checks mailed to me too, so I’m never necessarily reliant on one form of money to come in at one particular time,” she explained. “That’s what has made this whole thing on the financial side of it less of a headache.”

And if you’ve been consistent with your work and feel you’re due for a pay bump, ask for it. Freelancers with beaucoup bylines know that many editors will make exceptions (or fight for) those writers they feel are worth it. “Some editors are so protective of their budgets,” said DeCurtis. “There’s always money around. You can shake it out of people. The more established you get, the easier it is to have those conversations. It never hurts to bring it up.”

“Find the story that only you can write.” — Aliya S. King

King is an advocate of sometimes dialing down expectations and writing the story that fits you. “Find a story that only you can write,” she said. “Maybe it has something to do with where you’re from, or something to do with an artist you have a relationship with, or something to do with something that you’re particularly well equipped to write about.”

Duane had a recent conversation with a former college basketball player turned writer who was looking to stand out in his pitches. “I said, ‘There’s your subject,'” he recalled. “First of all, there has to be some great personal essay he can tell about his four years, some game that was heartbreaking to lose. That’s a world that that guy knows and we are interested in. A lot of us have areas of interest or passion that we don’t even realize we have or even occur to us.”

Part of what gives the veterans we spoke with such longevity is they’ve carved out a niche. For King, DeCurtis and Carter, it was music and entertainment. For you, it might be women’s health or college football. Write what you know, be consistent and easy to work with, and it might be your byline in all the books.

NEXT >> 7 Things They Don’t Tell You About Freelancing

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Marcus Vanderberg is co-editor of FishbowlLA.

While Spike Lee was preaching purity and Tyler Perry was telling Spike to go to hell, there was another black filmmaker quietly making waves. T.D. Jakes, the man Time dubbed “America’s Best Preacher” turned his influence as senior pastor of Dallas’ 30,000-member megachurch The Potter’s House into serious box office clout with films like Jumping The Broom, which surprised Hollywood insiders by landing at No. 3 during its first week of release.

Yet, even with his success in and out of the pulpit, the preacher and philanthropist says he still has much work to do. With his highly-anticipated films Winnie and Sparkle on the way, Jakes spoke with Mediabistro about bringing diversity and spirituality to Hollywood, how to sell your first script, and what it was really like working with the late Whitney Houston.

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Name: Bishop TD Jakes
Position: Pastor, author and film producer
Resume: Began his ministry in a small church in West Virginia in 1979 before relocating to Dallas, Tx. and founding The Potter’s House. Author of over 30 books, including two New York Times bestsellers and Woman Thou Art Loosed, which was made into a film in 2004. Launched a line of greeting cards with American Greetings in 2007. Producer of the films Not Easily Broken (2009), Jumping The Broom (2011), Woman Thou Art Loosed on the 7th Day (2012), and the upcoming Sparkle and Winnie Mandela biopic, Winnie. Named “America’s Best Preacher” by Time in 2001, called “perhaps the most influential black leader in America today” by The Atlantic in 2006, and included on Ebony‘s “Power 150” list in 2009.
Birthday: June 9, 1957
Hometown: South Charleston, W.Va.
Education: B.A., M.A. and doctorate in religious studies from Friends International Christian University
Marital status: Married
Media idol: Sidney Poitier
Favorite TV show: Starting Point with Soledad O’Brien
Guilty pleasure: Twitter
Last book read: The Speed of Trust by Stephen Covey
Twitter handle: @BishopJakes

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You produced Whitney Houston’s last film, Sparkle. What was your experience working with her, and if you could say something to her today what would you tell her?
My experiences with her were very positive; I can say that. I did not know her prior to her involvement with Sparkle. I certainly knew who she was and I loved her music. I was a great fan of some of the movies that she had done in the past. Both Debra Martin Chase and myself, who worked together as producers on Sparkle, were just thrilled that she had come on board. She performed professionally and effectively and delivered, I think, a very believable role playing the mother character in Sparkle, so that was all wonderful.

As it relates to what I would say to her today, wow, that’s a really hard question because there’s so much that I do not know about her personal life. I don’t know anything other than what I’ve read. I’ve never been in a personal setting with her. I have learned to read with some skepticism information that is filtered about a person through media, because sometimes it gives us a warped perception of who they really are. We all make mistakes and choices.

“The impression [Whitney Houston] left with me is that she was swinging upward, regaining her sense of who she was.”

I can say that the impression she left with me is that she was swinging upward, regaining her sense of who she was, that she was trying to really get her life back together and I, like many Americans, was rooting for her, that she would be able to do that. My personal thought was that Sparkle would be the beginning of many more films and opportunities for her to come, because I thought she was really rebounding, and I was shocked and hurt and disappointed that her life was cut away so soon.

How did you first get involved in film production, and what were your goals when you first started?
I kind of stumbled into it. I started out doing gospel musical plays that toured a circuit throughout the U.S. [Casting director] Reuben Cannon saw a production that we had done and wanted to do a movie that was inspired from the play, and I thought, “Wow! That’s exciting.” So, we did what we thought was going to be a made-for-television production of Woman Thou Art Loosed that we entered into the Santa Barbara Film Festival and won the film festival’s award. We ended up going on limited screens for an independent film, and it did very well for a week; it was only on 400 screens. So, that kind of stirred a meeting between me and Sony Pictures, and Michael Lynton, who is the CEO of Sony Corporation of America and chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, offered me a first-look deal that Sony would be willing to fund the movies that I wanted to produce, and a relationship was born.

As a pastor, is it a requirement for you that your films have a spiritual component?
Not necessarily. I mean, Sony is a business, and they want me to do films that are true to who I am, and they want to be able to benefit from my following. And my following knows that, though I am a pastor, I like to talk about a lot of diverse issues. Now, many of the films will have a faith component to them because that’s who I am, and other films will just have a good message that is universal, that anybody could use. I like to do both things because good wisdom and good truth is something that transcends our spiritual beliefs and background.

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What criteria do films or screenplays have to meet before you get involved as a producer?
I think it has to be something that has a message that I think it is important that would be of interest to my constituency, and then we’ll take a look at it. We’re looking at a film now about Winnie Mandela, and I thought it was interesting because it brings to screen some very interesting things about Nelson Mandela and about South Africa, a country that I’m very passionate about. I try to do diverse things. I don’t like to be pigeonholed where it’s all comedies, or it’s all suspense or murder or what have you, but I just like to do a lot of diverse things that are entertaining and yet edifying…

I looked at [Winnie] and thought it was interesting, thought it was intriguing, have a great deal of love for South Africa, and I decided to be a part of it. The fact that Jennifer Hudson plays the lead role and Terrence Howard plays Nelson Mandela also helped in that decision, because I think they’re both very good actors and performers, so we went with it.

Tyler Perry has gotten a lot of praise and flak for his work. What do you think about the controversy over his films and his TV shows?
You know, I don’t think that there really should be any controversy. I think there is room in the industry for a lot of expressions. Every other type of director/producer produces a wide array of different types of products… For instance, Jackass might not be a film that I would want to go see, but people go to see it without causing controversy. And you don’t see other producers like Steven Spielberg saying, “Well, that’s not authentically a movie, because it’s not something of the artistic quality of what I would do.”

People are very diverse, and they go to films for different things. Some people go just to be entertained and to have a good time, and some people appreciate the artistic quality of the film. And I think serving the audience of people, the demands of the people, is what all businesses thrive on: supply and demand. Obviously, there is a demand for what [Tyler Perry] produces or he wouldn’t stay in business.

“You don’t see producers like Steven Spielberg saying, ‘Well, Jackass is not authentically a movie, because it’s not something of the artistic quality of what I would do.'”

George Lucas was very vocal about the resistance that he got trying to make Red Tails. How much truth do you think there is in the idea that Hollywood doesn’t want to make films with an all-black cast anymore?
Well, I think the real issue is that Hollywood wants to make money, and they don’t always know what they don’t know. They think that, if it’s only a certain type of film, that’s the only thing that people will respond to. And every so often a movie will come along, like The Color Purple or other movies, that transcends all barriers and reaches all people, and people who live in glass offices with their heads stuck down in computers don’t always have a good pulse beat on what’s going on in the world today. I don’t know whether it is so much about race — that could be a factor in it — but I think more times than not, it’s the presupposition that profit only comes through doing certain stereotypical ideologies about people that are absurd, that really don’t fit. No community is monolithic, and the more diversity we have in the marketplace, the better reflection of our society the art emanates.

Why do you think that people of color maybe don’t get in a position to actually make the films or head their own studios?
Well, I think what we have to do is stop waiting on other people to catch the vision to tell our stories, and we have to tell our own stories, and tell them in the way that we want to see them, and then let others catch up with us. I think all people have to do that. If you have something that you want to put out there, you may have to do it yourself to get it out there, and a lot of times people don’t have the funding to do that or the business acumen, more times than not. Really, if you have a good idea and a good script and a good cast, funding is not that hard to come by. There are people out there who will fund good films. That’s something that I have experienced. Red Tails got done. You know, it didn’t get done through a conventional way, but I think more and more films are being done in nonconventional ways, and that’s exciting to me.

“Really, if you have a good idea and a good script and a good cast, funding is not that hard to come by.”

What are your tips for breaking into Hollywood and selling that first project?
Patience. The old adage is it’s not what you know but who you know. I think that’s very, very important. There are a lot of people who know the “what” of it but don’t know the “who” of it. Everything advances through relationships, and the better you build strong relationships, the more opportunity you’re going to have. My second counsel is don’t start the relationship with an ask, because people really don’t gravitate toward people who only get to know you because they want something. So, get to know people because of who they are and what they’ve done and how you admire them, and then over time to be able to interject an idea or a thought. It’s far more permissible to a friend than it is a stranger in a 10-minute meeting.

What do you wish someone had told you in terms of filmmaking when you first began?
Well, I’m still learning. I think the biggest thing that I’ve learned so far is not to be afraid to think outside of the box, not to always color within the lines as it relates to what Hollywood has seen before. For example, The Blair Witch Project was shot on a very small budget and made an incredible amount of money. It’s not always the stereotypical ideas of what works; sometimes you can do something that’s out of the box and very nontraditional and the public has a strong response to it. The thing that you cannot ignore is what the public has an appetite to consume. No matter how fantastic you think the script may be, if no one thinks that but you or a small modicum of people, then you’re not going to be able to get the resources that you need to be successful.

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Jeff Rivera is a GalleyCat contributor and the author of Effortless Marketing.