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I’m working on a book right now about Florida’s historic hotels, motels and inns, and let me tell you, the nostalgia that comes with that reporting is fascinating to dip in and out of on a regular basis. I felt that again last week when I sent Tom Huang a few questions for this week’s edition of this newsletter.
The flavor of that specific nostalgia: newsrooms. Like, physical newsrooms and the things we’ve lost, since a lot of people aren’t working full time in them anymore.
I only worked full time in a newsroom for five years before my second job took me hybrid, and I’ve been some version of that ever since. I love everything about being remote/hybrid, particularly the space it opens for more people to participate in journalism. But as someone who works with both newsroom leaders and early-career folks, I also see a lot of people struggling to connect and advance from a literal distance.
Huang, assistant managing editor for journalism initiatives at The Dallas Morning News, has been thinking about this, too. In his six-week virtual seminar ([link removed]) , which runs from May 7 to June 11, Huang will take on a number of topics, including navigating your newsroom. We chatted via email about hybrid work specifically and what reporters and editors need to do to make that situation a good one.
You can learn more about his seminar, Reporter’s Toolkit, here ([link removed]) . The deadline to apply is April 28.
(If you need an extra dose of this, you can revisit ([link removed]) my piece from last year on the photographer who visited old newsrooms in Kansas. There’s abundant wood paneling.)
Kristen Hare: I remember my first newsroom job, the phones ringing, the election night buzz, the miserably watery coffee. The early-career folks I work with now are in very different situations. What do you think are the biggest advantages and disadvantages for young journalists and hybrid newsrooms?
Tom Huang: There are huge advantages. A lot of newsrooms are hybrid now, where journalists work in the newsroom for part of the week and remotely for the rest of the week. That gives folks more flexibility with their schedules, and by and large, people are just as productive if not more in the hybrid setting.
Another advantage young journalists have, that I didn’t when I was coming up, is access to a lot of powerful digital tools. These tools help reporters access people and data and public information quickly. These tools help reporters connect with audiences, whether through social media or listening tools like Hearken. And analytic tools help them understand what stories are resonating with readers.
One more positive development is, in many newsrooms, we’re more willing to be open about mental health issues. I don’t think that’s true in every newsroom, but I see change coming. The younger generation is much more comfortable with talking about mental health and burnout, and the impact that trauma reporting can have on our folks.
One big disadvantage: The hybrid setting can make it harder to train, develop and mentor younger journalists. I’m not saying we should go back to being in the newsroom five days a week. I’m saying we need to be thoughtful and intentional about how we develop younger journalists.
When I was a young reporter, I learned how to do my job by watching the veteran reporters around me and getting daily coaching from my editors. Call it an apprenticeship model. How do young reporters grow and gain confidence in a hybrid or virtual setting, where we’re not consistently working side-by-side? It’s not impossible, it’s just harder.
Hare: What can they do to make sure they're getting what they need to be good or become good at their jobs?
Huang: There’s nothing to replace hard work, focus and commitment to build your reporting and writing skills. So I’ll start with that.
I think it’s also important, and I’m like a broken record on this, to be proactive and assertive in finding good mentors. These mentors can be in your newsroom or across the industry. We’re all busy, so don’t take it personally if it takes a few tries to connect with someone. And once you find good mentors, invest in your relationship with them. It’s like all relationships — don’t just go to your mentor when you need something from them.
Beyond that, I encourage young reporters to join cross-departmental committees that are trying to make the newsroom a better place, whether it’s through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion; or developing an in-house training initiative or mentoring program; or trying to build a strong hybrid culture. Working across departments is a quick way to meet other journalists across the newsroom and learn how important decisions are made.
I’m also a big advocate for joining national or local journalism associations that offer support and networking opportunities and training programs. In my own case, I joined the Asian American Journalists Association nearly 35 years ago, and the organization has transformed my life and career, helping me see how I could be a newsroom leader and how I could help others across the industry.
Hare: Any advice for editors and managers, many for whom I'm guessing this is also a whole new world?
Huang: I think, as editors and managers, many of us can be nostalgic about the old newsroom — that magical place where smart, strong, crazy personalities worked together for a common cause. But we need to accept that we’re never going back to that old newsroom (if it ever really existed). At least not on a daily basis. The sooner we accept that, the sooner we can create something new. So my advice is to look forward and not hold onto the past.
We need to let go of our past success and admit that we don’t know everything. The way things worked, the things we did to be successful — all of that is out the window now. We’re walking forward, through the unknown, just like everyone else. So let’s not pretend otherwise.
As leaders, we need to focus on communicating and coaching and building relationships. That’s really hard in a turbulent industry, and many of us were never all that good at communicating in the first place. But I believe that’s the way forward through all of this uncertainty.

A few more things to share:
* My colleague Kerwin Speight will lead the hybrid Poynter Producer Project ([link removed]) in early June. The deadline to apply is April 14.
* Apply for the nine-month Editorial Integrity and Leadership Initiative ([link removed]) . This fellowship "for public media journalists will strengthen news leadership and ethical decision-making skills.” The deadline to apply is April 22.

That’s it for me. I get to spend a couple days this week with Poynter’s phenomenal Women’s Leadership Academy. A warm hello to the Local Edition subscribers who are here with me in person and to all of you who’ve been through this program.

😘
Kristen
Kristen Hare
Faculty
The Poynter Institute
@kristenhare ([link removed])

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