Metro Editors Group Forms Following API Seminar

For Immediate Release

RESTON, VA--Metro, city and news editors now have their own professional organization--the Society of Metro Editors--to rely on for support and training. The national group was formed in September by several editors who attended an American Press Institute seminar for city and metro editors in early 2005.

"It started as an off-hand comment walking out the door of API, and the more we talked about it, the more we thought a forum for ongoing conversation with people who do what we do would be useful," said Monica Markel, SOME's president and deputy metro editor of the San Antonio Express-News.

The seminar moderator, API's associate director Mary Glick, planted the seed by suggesting the need for such a group, pointing to two other professional organizations--the Society for News Design and the American Society of Sunday and Feature Editors--both of which took root out of API seminars.

SOME will focus on examining trends in local news coverage and readership, and providing a professional forum to serve frontline local news editors.

City, metro and news editors have the most stressful jobs in the newsroom, said Markel. These editors are managing up and down and dealing with the daily news rush, she explained. Many are senior writers who have been promoted into editing jobs without much management training.

SOME will provide an interactive online community at its Web site, www.metroeditors.org, where editors can post questions and receive immediate feedback. Questions might range from how a news desk handles its vacation policy to whether the paper checks paid obituaries for accuracy.

"It doesn't have to be weighty journalist issues," said Michael Griffin, a SOME vice president and former city editor of the Orlando Sentinel. "Some of the biggest problems managers face can be daily issues such as vacation policies," said Griffin, who is now the Sentinel's deputy editorial page editor.

SOME will advise API in the development of editor training seminars, particularly the City and Metro Editors seminars, Feb. 19-24, 2006 (for metro markets) and Sept. 17-22, 2006 (for community markets).

In the longer term, SOME would like to set up a job listings exchange on its site, said Markel, because the city and metro editor positions are some of the hardest newsroom jobs to fill with experienced help. SOME also would like to establish awards to recognize outstanding metro section content so editors can see how their coverage stacks up.

Anyone who is a city, metro or news editor (including assistant editors) and is responsible for the local news staff of a newspaper or its online counterpart can join by logging onto www.metroeditors.org.

About the American Press Institute

The American Press Institute is an independent educational center for providing skills-training and leadership development in the news industry, offering myriad seminars, online training and on-site programs for newspaper professionals. API houses the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism, which offers a nationwide forum and educational opportunities for improving the quality of American business journalism. API is also the home of the Media Center, which conducts research, educational programs and symposia and facilitates strategic conversations and planning on issues shaping the future of news, information and media. Visit API online at www.americanpressinstitute.org, or call (703) 620-3611.

Media Contact:
Lisa Rabasca
American Press Institute
11690 Sunrise Valley Drive
Reston, VA 20191-1498
(703) 715-3322
lrabasca@americanpressinstitute.org