Last month fashion blogger Alexis Barton of SameChicDifferentDay.com made an important announcement on her website and social media channels. This particular announcement wasn’t about a new line of designer duds or about fall fashion trends. Last month Barton announced that she was going back to school.

Barton is now attending a graduate program in community journalism at the University of Alabama. The program, “encourages students to think critically about the role news plays in community and to explore new ways to serve communities through the evolving practices of journalism,” Barton says. And she believes this program is the next step in her journey as a digital storyteller. 

Barton has maintained her popular style blog for three years.  Her personal style tips also have been featured in The Birmingham News, Skirt.com, Life and Style PR and on WBHJ 95.7 JAMZ. Barton has appeared on ABC 33/30′s Talk of Alabama, CBS 42′s Wake Up Alabama and a number of other television programs. Barton has been named a 2013 Role Model by the Girls Scouts of North-Central Alabama and this year was named a Birmingham Trailblazer by The Birmingham Times. She has worked with the Council of Fashion Designers of America, H&M, Girls Inc., Macy’s, Belk, and many other non-profits, businesses and brands to help make the world a more stylish place. 

But Barton has more to do and she believes education is the key to unlock the doors she wants to strut through in style.

As a journalist have you ever wondered what questions should be asked?

Late last year during a community dinner organized by the University of Alabama I shared a table with AL.com reporter Ben Flanagan and musician Jake Gordin.  The purpose of this dinner was to discuss ways to revitalize downtown Tuscaloosa. But during the meal I, a journalism student at the University of Alabama, also received a lesson in good reporting.

Flanagan, who had interviewed Gordin about his band Electric Moon in the past, had all of the right questions for Gordin and his music

So, what exactly do artists and musicians want to be asked?

“You get straight to the pertinent questions,” Gordon said to Flanagan. “You don’t want to hear annoying questions. People don’t really care about who my musical inspirations were.”

Sometimes we may fall guilty to asking a question just to make sure that we have enough to ask. Just because we have enough questions, it does not mean that we are asking the right questions. As an interviewer, if the question does not really spark your curiosity, why ask it? If you are about to interview a musician, there may be a little curiosity about who they grew up listening to, but if it is not pertinent to the subject of the interview, it should be avoided.

To some, that sounds simple enough; avoid pointless questions and get straight to the point. The person being interviewed, however, should also be as engaged in the interview as you are.

“An interviewer’s first and only priority should be the subject,” Flanagan said. “In an artist’s case, they put their souls into their work, and if you think it’s worth sharing with your community and readers, you owe them the very same effort in finding what drives someone to reach that emotional and artistic expression.”

If a musician has an upcoming show it would be appropriate to ask about the show, but a creative mind is always thinking of something new. Although questions about their concert are important, consider their future plans, too. What’s next for them? From an artist’s standpoint, they are excited to promote themselves and tell the world about their latest creation. Give them a chance to shine.

A person is giving their time for the interview; the least we as journalists could do is prepare for it.

Research is critical when preparing for an interview. Researching before the interview saves the journalist time and it might even spark questions that you never considered asking.

Not only does it give you more fuel for an interview, it might also answer some of your questions. Many people might get exasperated with answering the same questions, so carefully consider what is to be asked.

After all, you never want to be the journalist who frustrated your subject to their breaking point during an interview.

Ariel Worthy, a Birmingham native, is a junior at the University of Alabama. When not in class writing, she can be found writing her own short stories, reading poetry, cooking, looking up natural hair blogs or watching The Big Bang Theory and Boardwalk Empire. Follow her on twitter @airreeulll.

As a student journalist at the University of Alabama, whenever I hear an accomplished journalist speak to an audience, the same question burns in my mind each time: What do I have to do to get to your success? Leonard Pitts Jr., a Pulitzer Prize winning writer with Miami Herald, recently spoke to students and others at the University of Alabama. Pitts offered sage advice that all journalists should take along with them on their path to success.

“Read, then write.”

The best way to learn about writing is to examine how others do it. Skills and inspiration won’t come from a two-hour seminar. The inspiration that comes from studying the work of other journalists will give you the courage to write in the style that you have developed.

“Writing well requires persistence.”

The ability to write well does not have a shortcut. There is no copy and paste when it comes to writing. You must be willing to put in the time. Understand that writing is rewriting.

“Most pieces that you read of mine, I’ve read them 20, 21 times,” Pitts said.

Develop patience so you will take the time necessary to read and rewrite your work.

“Good enough is not good enough,” Pitts said.

“Spell check is a stupid tool.”

You must be your own editor when it comes to your work. Remember, spell check does not know the difference between “their” and “there.”

Don’t be afraid to be a reporter.

During Pitts’ talk, one audience member asked, “Where have all of the journalists gone?” Everyone wants to be a columnist, but not a news reporter, the attendee explained.

“We’ve gotten less into the news business and more into the punditry business,” Pitts said.

Pitts blamed broadcast journalism for this problem. It gives a false narrative in which there is nothing we can agree about.

Report what matters

When watching TV news, how much of it is news that is important for you to know and how much is inspired by stimulating pictures?

“I think about this every time there is a story about someone who loses control of their car and drives into an empty building,” Pitts said.

The security camera catches it, and the news shows the footage several times and then slows it down for you.

“That’s a completely useless story,” Pitts said.

Inform!

Media have a lot to account for in this country, but they must not misinform. Media can also give an inaccurate picture of certain demographic groups.

“People don’t realize that the street crime in this country is down to almost record levels.” Pitts said.

He went on to say that many in the media are more interested in selling a story than giving news. That is what we as journalists have to get back to: reporting real news and being less of a pundit, Pitts said.

Media must not forget our purpose: to give the news and let others form their own opinion.

Ariel Worthy, a Birmingham native, is a junior at the University of Alabama. When not in class writing, she can be found writing her own short stories, reading poetry, cooking, looking up natural hair blogs or watching The Big Bang Theory and Boardwalk Empire. Follow her on twitter @airreeulll.

I must admit that when I decided to attend University of Alabama’s (insert the name of the panel discussion) I wasn’t too sure what to expect. I was hoping the discussion wouldn’t turn into a debate about whose race is right and whose is wrong.

The University of Alabama was caught with egg on its face when its student paper, The Crimson White, published a story about Greek segregation. UA’s Mallet Assembly organized a march to protest the segregation and the story quickly grabbed national attention. In response to the outcry, the sororities finally integrated and last month four black girls and two other minority girls accepted invitations (or bids) to join historically white sororities.

The Capstone Association of Black Journalists (UA’s chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists) recently hosted a panel discussing the role journalism played in integration. The panel included Catenya McHenry Ashford, who covered the march for Reuters.com, Jamon Smith, a reporter for Tuscaloosa News, Mazie Bryant, The Crimson White’s editor-in-chief and Stephen Dethrage, a reporter for AL.com.

Fortunately, this panel discussion did not turn into a great race debate, but instead offered lessons that I, a student journalist, found quite valuable.

Speak up!

The University has had its share of racist moments and black students and faculty have come out and complained about it, but this time it was white students who spoke out about it.

Smith laments the fact that for years complaints from minority students about segregation within the school’s Greek system were ignore and that change didn’t happen until white students began to speak out.

“Why is it when a white sorority came forward, things got done?” Smith asked.

Nonetheless, Smith is glad that change has come and hopes it’s here to stay. Smith hopes this year’s integration isn’t a temporary fix to get the media off the school’s back.

Bryant sees the story as a lesson in the importance of speaking up.

“Don’t be afraid to question things,” she said. “This story would not have come out if people weren’t willing to talk about it.”

Having a named source is what made this story different from the others. Having an anonymous source can sometimes make a story less credible, so having a girl willing to put her name out there gave the story life.

Be fair.

Bryant, who is a member of a historically white sorority,  was commended by the other panelists for removing herself from the story and letting the reporters take the lead. Her job was to be sure the paper was being fair.

“[The CW] had to make sure that everyone was given the opportunity to voice their opinion and defend themselves,” Bryant said.

Have a thick skin.

Regardless of how fair you are, however, when you speak up on an issue – especially one as touchy as race – you can expect backlash.

“We had a lot of offensive comments on AL.com,” Dethrage said.

Bryant received criticism as well.

Many alumni felt the story should be left alone. Dethrage explained how his father, who used to be in a fraternity, thought so.

“There is always going to be someone weighing on what you’re writing about.” Dethrage said.

That’s no reason to stop.

And that is the most important lesson I took away from this talk:  As a journalist you have to be willing to go there and when you do, don’t turn back. Keep moving forward.

Ariel Worthy, a Birmingham native, is a junior at the University of Alabama. When not in class writing, she can be found writing her own short stories, reading poetry, cooking, looking up natural hair blogs or watching The Big Bang Theory and Boardwalk Empire. Follow her on twitter @airreeulll.

On September 15, 1963, six children’s lives were ended when the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church was bombed. As an eleven-year-old, photographer Dawoud Bey saw images of Sarah Collins, the sister of one of the four little girls. The artist credits these photographs as the inspiration for The Birmingham Project.

Fifty years after this tragedy, Bey’s The Birmingham Project recently opened to the public at the Birmingham Museum of Art. In this exhibit, sixteen diptychs portray Birmingham natives the ages of the bombing’s victims when they died alongside community members who are how old they would be if they were still alive.

For me, the most resonant part of the exhibit was the video component. On the left was footage of four familiar and safe spaces – a barbershop, beauty shop, lunch counter and schoolroom. That footage was juxtaposed with a video of the route from the four girls’ neighborhood to the Baptist church, and closes with a panorama of the church’s façade. This video is shot from a car’s backseat, making it a child’s view of the drive.

The power of this exhibit is in the space between the pieces. Each set of artworks is slightly separated, giving the observer the chance to study each individually, then to pull away and contemplate the meaning of the piece as a whole.

For writers, getting caught up describing the minute details of each artwork in an exhibit can be a major sticking point. However, thorough preparation can be the best remedy for a variety of common mistakes in writing about art.

Read the press releases. Galleries and museums hire many employees with backgrounds in art history. Reading their writing can help you shape yours to describe a certain exhibit.

Search for other articles about the artist. Chances are that you’re not the first to write about this exhibit. Find writers you like and pull out passages you like. These can serve as your inspiration.

Read the artist’s biography. His or her personal background can be used as an interpretive lens for the artworks you’re writing about.

Search the exhibit’s catalog. If someone’s written about the totality of the exhibit, summarizing this information can serve as a great introduction to your article.

Be genuine. If you really and truly don’t know what to say, be genuine. Including a sentence like “Many people may be left speechless by this exhibit. Considering its inspirations, this reaction is not surprising.” Be sure to follow up by documenting who or what moved the artist to create.

Ask for help. Hitting roadblocks is natural, but learning from them or asking for help can teach you new skills, and possibly win you a new editor or mentor. The worst thing that will happen is that you stay stuck.

Don’t be afraid of crappy first drafts. Get it on paper. If it sucks, rewrite it. Repeat until it meets your standards. Then turn it in.

Do you have any other tips on writing about art? Leave them in the comments. 

Dawoud Bey’s The Birmingham Project will be on display through Dec. 2, 2013 at The Birmingham Museum of Art, 2000 Rev. Abraham Woods, Jr. Blvd. For more information call 205-254-2565 or visit artsbma.org.

When she isn’t writing, Clair McLafferty can usually be found nerding out on programming, cocktails, physics, comics and movies. Some of these interests spill over into her writing at clairmclafferty.com and on to her Twitter feed @see_clair_write.

Last week I had the opportunity to return to my alma mater, the University of Alabama, and give a talk to students in the communications department. This event was hosted by the Capstone Association of of Black Journalists (CABJ), UA’s chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). I was honored to speak at this gathering because not only am I a graduate of of Alabama, but I was once president of CABJ.

The CABJ faculty adviser who asked me to address the students asked that I simply share with them three things I wish someone would have told me when I was in college. Believe it or not, that was quite easy for me to do. I know exactly what I wish I could go back and tell my younger self.

“Don’t be afraid to leave home or to go back.”

I grew up in Birmingham and like most folks from Alabama I spent my teen years talking about how I couldn’t wait to leave. And I did. First in short spurts, doing an internship at The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., the summer of 2002 and then returning to Louisville the following summer for an internship with the city’s Associated Press bureau. Then in 2003 I moved to California for grad school. I went to UC Berkeley for my master’s and I spent some time in Seattle doing an internship at The Seattle Times.  After I graduated from Berkeley I went back to Louisville to work as a full-time features reporter. (You probably noticed the Louisville theme. Yes, there was a boy involved. Yes, he’s now my husband.)

So I left home, just as I had hoped, but each time I had the opportunity to leave home I was completely terrified – especially when I went to California and to Seattle because I was so far away from home and I knew no one there when I arrived. I found the woman I lived with in Seattle on Craig’s List!

But it’s OK to be scared. In fact, my life’s mantra is a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt who once said: “Do one thing every day that scares you.”

I grew so much as a person and as a writer when I was away from home, so I believe that everyone should be willing to leave home. But I also think that you shouldn’t be afraid to go back.

I moved back to Birmingham in 2009 and I spent my first couple of years back thinking I’d made a huge mistake. But within the past year I have realized that it was one of the best decisions I could have made, which leads me to the next piece of advice I would give my younger self:

“Things may not turn out the way you planned, and that’s OK.”

I spent my teen years not only hoping to leave Birmingham but also dreaming of starting my own magazine.

I wanted to be a media maven.

I had it all planned out. After studying journalism in college I would move to New York and soon get hired at Essence where I’d work my way to the top to become editor-in-chief like my idol Susan L. Taylor. Then, after I’d made my mark, I would start a magazine of my own.

But after grad school my magazine dreams were deferred.

My plans to live in New York faded once I fell in love with and married a man who preferred living in a smaller city. I snagged a features writing gig right out of grad school, but as the print journalism industry began to suffer, as magazines folded and newspapers laid off staff, the idea of starting a magazine became laughable.

As things started to get rough at my paper in Louisville I started looking for a Plan B. When I was in graduate school I taught communications and poetry classes to undergraduate students and absolutely loved it. So I decided I would try teaching full time and I moved back to Birmingham to do that.

Even though I love teaching and I grew to love Birmingham I wondered if I’d made a mistake. I missed writing and Birmingham hardly seemed the ideal place for an aspiring media maven.

But it was in Birmingham that I started See Jane Write Birmingham, a networking organization for local women writers, bloggers and journalists.  I doubt an organization such as this one would have been very special in a place like New York, but in Birmingham, the residents embraced my idea. I hosted panel discussions, workshops, and networking events and people showed up!

In Birmingham, I also became fascinated with blogging and building online communities. And then finally it hit me: I could start an online blog-style magazine.

And on July 1, 2013 this website was born.

I am convinced that See Jane Write Magazine could have only come to be in Birmingham, in my hometown.

So that’s why I say one shouldn’t be afraid to leave home or to go back.

“It really is all about who you know.”

People say nice guys finish last, but I say that’s a lie.

See Jane Write – both the organization and the magazine – have been possible because of all the connections I have made since I moved back home.  I had to start from scratch because I had never lived in Birmingham as a working adult. But I did and still do some sort of networking daily.

And because of these connections when I have See Jane Write events, people show up. When I needed sponsors for the See Jane Write Magazine launch party, a dozen businesses signed up to help out.

People support me because I’m not a jerk. They help me because while See Jane Write does offer something valuable I work to let people know I value them as well — not just as writers or bloggers or business owners — but as beautiful human beings.

In addition to my teaching job and the work I do with See Jane Write, I also freelance for a number of local and national publications. I even have a regular gig with USA Today. But I didn’t get any of those freelance jobs because the editors were impressed by my fancy Berkeley degree. I got them because of people I met during internships, during my full-time reporting job in Louisville, or through See Jane Write. I got them because I’m not only a good writer, but I’m a good person to work with.

There is no need to step on others on your way up. Be kind. Be yourself.

Andre Natta moved to Birmingham in 2004 to work for Main Street Birmingham, a predecessor of the economic development organization now known as REV Birmingham. A year later Natta started a personal blog he called Dre’s Ramblings, but soon realized that his blog wasn’t simply an online journal telling the stories of his life; it was telling the stories of Birmingham. Looking to sites like Gothamist in New York City, Gapers Block in Chicago, and Pegasus News in Dallas-Fort Worth, in 2007 Natta launched The Terminal, an online hub of information about the city of Birmingham.

Natta has garned a number of awards and opportunities thanks to his work with The Terminal. The site was the first non-mainstream media site to place for four consecutive years in the al.com/The Birmingham News’ readers’ poll Birmingham’s Best. The Terminal was also included in a list of 100 promising community news sites found by Michele McLellan during her fellowship of the Reynolds Journalism Institute.

“I’ve personally had opportunities to be a participant in the Reynolds Journalism Institute’s Hardly Strictly Young symposium, and present at the Online News Association conference when it was in Boston, and the first two years of the Block by Block Community News Summit in Chicago (attending all three years) in addition to conferences in Memphis and Chattanooga, Tenn.,” Natta says. “The fun part about presenting is the chance to learn from everyone else who’s in attendance.”

Natta’s work with The Terminal also led to The Digital City, a monthly column on technology in Birmingham that Natta has written for B-Metro Magazine since its launch in 2009.

In May of this year Natta started contributing to the Poynter Institute’s Regret the Error blog, which reports on media errors and corrections and accuracy and verification trends in journalism.

“Craig Silverman, the blog’s creator, has been focusing on his role as director of content at a startup called Spundge for more than a year now and was looking for someone to help hunt down the corrections and post to the blog,” explains Natta, who met Silverman at Hardly Strictly Young.

Silverman asked Natta to take on the job and Natta was more than happy to help.

“It’s been a beneficial learning experience for me,” Natta says. “I get to spend about two hours a day reviewing corrections and clarifications posted by news organizations across the country and around the world. It’s broadened what comes to mind when thinking about potential focus areas for the site. It’s also helped me improve my writing skills while getting critical feedback. I’m hopeful it will continue in some form and potentially lead to more writing opportunities.”

Natta recently relaunched The Terminal, making various changes to the site.

“The first significant change was to narrow the focus of the publication to be specifically about the city of Birmingham and its built environment,” Natta says. “It sounds limiting but it’s actually quite freeing and seeks to help visitors and readers understand why something is happening and how different things happening in different parts of the city affect each other. It also gives us a lens to look through when crafting pieces and projects for the site that makes it easier.”

The Terminal will also include more videos and written pieces will be longer. “I’ve realized I want to make sure we say what needs to be said instead of worrying about space limitations,” Natta says. “It is digital, after all.”

These days Natta also is busy working on a new project.

“I’m in the early stages of developing a project that would make the site more of a hub than ever before – one that serves not just The Terminal, but all of our local media outlets while serving as a resource for educational purposes,” Natta explains. He’s busy working on a site plan for 2014 and hopes to hire a sales associate soon. These efforts, Natta says, will help The Terminal “evolve into a different type of media organization – one more research driven than people believe possible.”

It’s about people, not pageviews

When Natta started The Terminal in 2006 he spread the word about his site in a number of ways.

“We leveraged word of mouth early on, using Myspace as a major communications tool,” Natta says. “There were also monthly mixers, partnerships with local cultural institutions, and a lot of sitting in coffee houses and bars just talking with people. Word of mouth was the most useful tool to grow The Terminal – that and an incredible group of contributors early on.”

Natta doesn’t deny that social media networks continue to be an effective way of reaching people, but he believes it’s important to step away from the computer too.

“At the end of the day, most of these social networks and websites are just digital spaces where we tend to act as we would offline,” he says. “We wanted to serve as a way people could connect on issues, regardless of opinion, and so I focused on figuring out how to connect with folks where they were most comfortable. I can’t measure the impact of a piece by pageviews alone; I’ve learned more about folks reading the site offline in conversation than I ever would just sitting behind a screen and not living a life.”

Natta offered advice for others hoping to launch sites like The Terminal in their towns.

“Look for those who don’t currently have a voice, or a specific void that needs to be filled,” Natta says. “You can’t be all things to all people, so I’d make sure you weren’t trying to overextend. You do want to test the limits of your comfort zone though, otherwise you won’t know what’s possible.”

Natta added that it’s also important to be willing to learning new things and open to criticism.

“I’d also reach out to those already operating sites, even if they’re in the same city,” Natta says. “Sometimes you’ll be surprised that all you needed to do was ask.”

Hi final piece of advice is simple, though something too many of us forget to do: “Most important,” he says, “have fun and be you doing it. If you can’t be you, what’s the point?”

Carla Jean Whitley knew she wanted a career in magazines when she was only 10 years old. But she started her journalism career in newspapers, working at The Tuscaloosa News, The Cullman Times, and The Birmingham News – all Alabama-based publications.

“I can’t say enough about how valuable my newspaper experience was,” Whitley says. “I had a chance to write, copy edit, line edit and design.

Still her magazine dreams were alive and well.

“When I heard there was an editorial opening at Birmingham magazine, I compiled my materials in 10 minutes flat,” she says. “I had interned at the magazine, and in the process I fell in love with city and regional titles. I always thought, ‘If I could get THAT job, I’d be set!’”

Whitley’s first day as associate editor of Birmingham magazine was Dec. 1, 2006, and she became managing editor on July 9, 2009.

“As I approach the seven-year mark at the magazine, I am so lucky to say that I’m working in my dream job,” Whitley says.

We talked to Whitley about her thoughts on the future of journalism, on her plans to write a book, and much more.

SJW Magazine: Why do you think Birmingham magazine continues to survive at a time when many print publications are folding?

Whitley: We’ve got nearly 52 years of history on our side. The magazine was launched in December 1961 by the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (now the Birmingham Business Alliance), and over time grew into the consumer publication it is today. However, I don’t think success is all about that longevity. The magazine has evolved with the community, and we constantly work to ensure our coverage reflects the metropolitan area we cover.

City and regional magazines have also been something of an anomaly during trying times. Although no publication is immune to economic and industry changes, these types of titles have held strong across the nation. Perhaps it’s because we offer readers an intimate experience with the cities they call home. In any case, I’m grateful to be part of it.

Why do you still believe in journalism despite the state of the industry? 

I believe journalism is a changing—certainly not a dying—industry. And while the pace of that change seems to have accelerated in recent years, I don’t think change itself is new. Heck, I remember designing pages by hand and marking photo crops with wax pencil when I was a high-school yearbook editor! And of course, that’s all digital these days.

But at its heart, I believe journalism is storytelling. Stories, whether fiction or nonfiction, news or features, bring us closer to other people. They give us insight into our communities and neighbors. Stories shed light on government activity and on opportunity for improvement in any realm.

Speaking of stories, we heard you recently landed a book deal. Tell me more!

Several months ago a reputable independent publisher contacted me about the possibility of writing a book. I was flabbergasted. Who doesn’t want to receive that email?! We began a conversation about what might appeal to me and their demographic. They focus on historical books, and I was kicking around ideas with the Alabama editor. We landed on an Alabama music-oriented topic, and now things are off and running.

I have begun research for the book, and will begin interviews this month. It will be a fairly quick turnaround; my manuscript is due in April, and the book is scheduled to be on shelves in July. Right now, I’ve set aside a few hours every Tuesday night for book work, but I expect the pace to increase over time. The first step is breaking through the mental block of “oh my gosh, I have to write a book!” I think I have done that and am now in the “let’s get ‘er done!” phase. I’m looking at the project as 13 feature stories rather than a book. I know how to write a feature; writing a book is overwhelming!

It’s also quite a juggling task. I’ve got my full-time work at Birmingham magazine, of course, and that takes center stage in my writing life. But I also freelance a bit and teach at the university level. And then there’s my non-writing life! This fall is going to be a balancing act, but I’m excited about all that awaits.

(Whitley will be documenting her writing and publishing adventures at PostScript, the blog of Birmingham-area shop Church Street Coffee and Books.)

What advice would you give to a woman hoping to have success in the magazine business?

Start writing! Seek every opportunity you can for improvement. And reach out to the editors you would like to work with. I’m always happy to grab coffee with a potential freelancer or someone who is hunting for a job, whether we have an opening or not—and we typically do not. There is so much wisdom to be gained by merely talking to people whose careers you admire, and most people I know offer that help freely.

Yes, that does mean you can ask me out to coffee. My email is cwhitley@Bhammag.com, and I’m usually fairly flexible!

Birmingham-area readers, you can meet Carla Jean Whitley and other editors of Birmingham-based publications at the See Jane Write Meet the Press Media Mixer presented by Hamer Law Group. This is an invitation-only event. Invitations will be extended to See Jane Write members and sponsors. For more information email seejanewritemag@gmail.com.

In the interest of full disclosure I should tell you that this week’s Man of the Hour, Edward Bowser, is my husband. He’s also the behind-the-scenes copy editor for See Jane Write Magazine and is paid only in hugs and kisses. But those things have nothing to do with why I’m featuring him on the website this week.

With nearly 10 years of experience in the newspaper industry, Edward (sorry I can’t refer to my husband by his last name) has plenty of wise words to offer on the world of journalism. He started his career as a copy editor at The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky. , where he worked for eight years. Edward then worked in advertising for a few years. It was during that time that he discovered the power of social media while serving as the agency’s community manager. Last year Edward returned to his first love – newspapers. Today Edward is a community engagement specialist for The Birmingham News and AL.com.

Edward will join other editors on Aug. 22 at our Meet the Press Media Mixer set to be held in Birmingham, Ala.

SJW Magazine: What exactly is a community engagement specialist? 

Edward: My role of community engagement specialist can be broken down into three main components: 1) I’m a part of the Birmingham News’ editorial board, where I weigh in on key issues around our city and nation. I also focus a lot on issues that specifically affect the young professional community. 2) I help manage the AL.com’s social media channels, using Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus to share our writers’ stories and stimulate positive conversation. 3) I work as a community ambassador, organizing and attending that help bridge the gap between the newsroom and community.

It combines my three major passions – editorializing, social media and community service – into one role. I enjoy every minute of it.

 What are the keys to writing good opinion pieces?

The No. 1 rule for writing a good op-ed is to have an informed opinion. Everyone has an opinion, but backing up your statements with hard facts and engaging writing will make an impression on readers. Your op-ed also needs to be clearly focused. Stick to one topic and ride it all the way through. Meandering muddles your point.

Do your research, stand firm on your position and write in a clear and engaging manner. Whether or not your readers agree with your position, those tips will help them broaden their thinking.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to write opinion pieces for an online publication but they’re afraid to receive negative comments?

When it comes to opinion writing, negative comments come with the territory. And in this era of online anonymity, that has only increased. But if you’re truly passionate about your topic, you can’t let naysayers rattle you.

As I mentioned earlier, it’s important that you do your research and support your line of thinking with solid facts. That way, when the haters come a-calling (and they will), you’ll have a solid foundation to stand on. When critics attempt to pick apart my work in the comments section, I literally copy and paste paragraphs from my own column to refute their claims. They almost always back down (likely because they didn’t even finish reading the column before they started complaining). Believe in what you write and stand by it.

Remember, you don’t write op-eds to get cheers. You write them to offer a fresh perspective on an important topic.

What is your response to people who think journalism and newspapers are dying? 

Journalism was born from the human desire to know more about the world around us. That curiosity and thirst for knowledge will never die. However, technology is evolving at a rapid pace and the world of media is rapidly attempting to catch up. Sure, the way we consume media is changing, and along with that change, we’ll stumble a bit to find our footing. But as long as we’re guided by the basic principles of journalism – accuracy, the pursuit of truth, and serving as a moral compass – good journalism will survive no matter what device delivers our news.

Birmingham-area readers, you can meet Edward Bowser and other editors of Birmingham-based publications at the See Jane Write Meet the Press Media Mixer presented by Hamer Law Group. This is an invitation-only event. Invitations will be extended to See Jane Write members and sponsors. For more information email seejanewritemag@gmail.com.