NLA presents a new start, a new day

By Bailey Cline

For new and seasoned journalists, the News Leaders Association presents a clean slate, a chance to build an organization from the ground up, said panelists on Tuesday at the NLA Conference luncheon presentation.

“It is a chance to craft a journalism organization from scratch,” said Nancy Ancrum, Editorial Page Editor of the Miami Herald.

She suggested expanding the description of news leaders in the industry to include news-seeking people, those not regularly affiliated with journalism. Ancrum said this step is necessary for news organizations to survive.

The organization hopes to focus more on identifying tomorrow’s leaders and make it easy for them to connect to each other and to advocate for the First Amendment.

Sewell Chan, deputy managing editor of the Los Angeles Times, emphasized maintaining and updating core journalistic values, such as questioning and truth-telling. “We have to stand up for values that transcend our time and space,” Chan said.

Diversity also plays a role in the changing industry by including different perspectives. Newsrooms are more diverse now compared to 50 years ago, Chan said. 

Despite the stress and intensity of today’s media environment, Ancrum and Chan say they continue to have a passion for their work.

“Some days it will feel a little daunting, overwhelming and exhausting,” Chan said. “Leadership can be lonely, but I think it can be fun because we don't know how the story will turn out… that’s what makes the challenge so exciting.”

Bailey Cline is a senior at Ball State University studying Journalism and Telecommunications. She graduates in 2020. You can reach her at bacline@bsu.edu or on Twitter @BaileyCline.