Aspiring editors must inspire, not just instruct. Learn how to foster a creative environment and lead your newsroom to success.
To maximise impact, editors should transform news meetings into inclusive, agenda-setting hubs where staff feel inspired to take creative risks. You need to ensure that journalists arrive eager to pitch original ideas rather than dreading a routine chore.
Maintaining this energy requires editors to balance a fast-paced meeting with dedicated time for story development and treatment. Editors must create a culture where staff are eager to pitch ideas.
The checklist below is based on the MHM article ‘Tips for editors to motivate journalists‘ which features suggestions from senior newsroom editors. We suggest you read the article before applying the checklist below.
Essential actions for motivating your team
- [ ] Invite every person to share ideas: During news meetings, ask each journalist for their thoughts one by one. This ensures that the most confident people don’t do all the talking.
- [ ] Build confidence in others: Help new journalists feel safe to take risks. If one of them suggests something that does not work, do not make them feel foolish. Instead, explain what they can improve next time.
- [ ] Encourage regular contact with the public: Remind your team to leave the office and talk to people on the street. This helps them find stories that truly matter to the audience.
- [ ] Promote intelligent reading: Encourage your team to look closely at newspapers, blogs, and websites to find new angles on existing stories.
- [ ] Ask for evidence: Ensure that every story idea is based on facts rather than rumours. If a journalist has a good idea but lacks the facts, give them time to find the proof they need. See ‘Fact-checking and adding context‘.
- [ ] Give praise openly: Start your meetings by highlighting what went well the day before. If a reporter did an excellent job, tell the whole team so they can learn from that success.
- [ ] Lead by example: Do not just sit behind a desk. Occasionally, go out into the field and work alongside your reporters. This shows that you understand their hard work.
- [ ] Support personal interests: If a journalist has a deep interest in a specific topic, such as health or the environment, allow them to cover it. People are more motivated when they care about the subject. See ‘Specialisms in journalism‘.
- [ ] Be a humble leader: Treat everyone with respect and be willing to admit when you have made a mistake. A leader who is part of the team is much more inspiring than a boss who stays apart from it.
A great journalist is a motivated journalist. By supporting your colleagues and valuing their ideas, you will help create a newsroom that is full of energy and which produces original stories.
