(My enemies might, too, but I don’t really know them — so far I’m failing at the old adage to keep them closer.) Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. My name is Barbara Allen, but my friends call me Bob. (My enemies might, too, but I don’t really know them — so far I’m failing at the old adage to keep them closer.) That parenthetical should indicate to you that I love to work with words, and have been doing so for more than 25 years. The other thing I love is working with journalism students.  I spent 12 years covering local news in my home state of Oklahoma, learning the ropes and cutting my teeth — two cliches I would run a red pen right through if you were my student. I then took that experience to my alma mater, where I spent the next decade of my professional life, first as an adviser to the student newspaper and later as an adjunct professor and director of student media. I came to Poynter in 2018 to serve as the editor of poynter.org, where I honed my skills (OK, I might let them get away with that one) and learned a ton about the national journalism landscape. Now I’m in the brand-new position of director of college programming, serving college journalism’s professors and students.  Each week I’m going to provide insight into that national journalism scene, along with some ideas I think you might find interesting and useful, including topics for class discussions. Whatever role you’re in, I’d love to hear from you. We are only as strong as our sourcing, and I like a lot of sources, so step up (no) and ping me (nuh-uh) so we can make hay while the sun shines (are you kidding me right now?). What I meant was: Let me hear from you. I want to help you do your job, connect you with resources and brag on your accomplishments. And I promise to limit clichés so you don’t take points off.  Helping you to get it right, BARBARA ALLEN is the director of college programming for Poynter. She spent 12 years in local media before transitioning to academia, where she spent a decade as a student media advisor, journalism professor and director of student media. © All rights reserved Poynter Institute 2021 801 Third Street South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 If you don't want to receive email updates from Poynter, we understand. You can update your subscription preferences here or unsubscribe.