A New Chapter in a Reporters Life

Rosemary Goudreau is from Tampa and was the editorial page editor of The Tampa Tribune but got laid off about two months ago. She used to be the managing editor of The Cincinnati Enquirer and reporter for The Miami Herald.

On Jan. 14, Goudreau spoke to professor Gil Thelen Critical writing class. She started talking about her background in reporting and editing. Goudreau said a good editorial tells people about something they didn’t previously know. “Having something to say moves people internally,” said Goudreau.

According to Goudreau, one the pitfalls of writing editorial, opinions or columns, is that people sometimes don’t want to be told what to think. When writing and trying to convey your own opinion it is recommended to omit the word “I” and use the word “you.” “It gives the readers a call to action,” Goudreau said.

Goudreau said when writing an editorial the journalist is supposed to write the institutions voice. The key factor is to find a connection between the newspaper and readers. Even though the writer does not share the same values of the newspaper the writer has to voice the opinion of the owners and majority.

Goudreau elaborated about the difference between a reporter and a columnist by the following example:

Sports Reporter Vs. Sports Columnist
The reporter tells exactly what happened during the game and states all the facts.
The columnist writes about his/her point of view about that same game while adding some facts.

She said that in most ocassions the newspaper will send both a reporter and a columnist to cover the same game.

While Listening to Goudreau speak, I felt very uneasy because she got laid off even though she has a lot of experience. I am appalled that a newspaper who had an asset in their company, decided to terminate someone’s career. It makes me realize that all media is going through a new faze that no one can predict what is going to happen.