Comments on: The keepers of institutional knowledge http://merandawrites.com/2007/04/26/the-keepers-of-institutional-knowledge/ curious by nature, journalist by trade Fri, 21 Nov 2008 05:13:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.5 by: NewsCat http://merandawrites.com/2007/04/26/the-keepers-of-institutional-knowledge/#comment-2057 Mon, 04 Jun 2007 21:32:08 +0000 http://merandawrites.com/2007/04/26/the-keepers-of-institutional-knowledge/#comment-2057 Coming from Jay Rosen's Press Think your post reminded me of my (brief) days working for a small 6-days-a-week newspaper in rural Ohio. While the managing editor was someone who left a big city paper and took a paycut to move back to his original home town (he was usual) the rest of the newspaper was staff by "big city kids" from Cleveland and Columbus (I was from out-of-town as well). The thing about institutional knowledge is that I think it's something you just have to absorb as it happens. I don't know if there's a "rushing" process. If your precessor had been there before you started that would have helped but he or she couldn't have downloaded his or her store of knowledge directly to your brain. However there's something to be said for having someone on staff who knows more about the town than you. For example, the police beat reporter (who'd been there four years) had been the government reporter before and walked me through a city council meeting. The most important thing he showed me was to show up 1/2 hour early to the city council offices before the bi-weekly council meetings. Why? Because if I didn't the "unofficial" city council meeting would happen right then before the "official" meeting started. Essentially I was there to babysit the city council so they didn't make every decision in private. It was a good tip to have. Not that I got any stories from it, but at least I learned something that I probably wouldn't have picked up on for a while. Coming from Jay Rosen’s Press Think your post reminded me of my (brief) days working for a small 6-days-a-week newspaper in rural Ohio. While the managing editor was someone who left a big city paper and took a paycut to move back to his original home town (he was usual) the rest of the newspaper was staff by “big city kids” from Cleveland and Columbus (I was from out-of-town as well).

The thing about institutional knowledge is that I think it’s something you just have to absorb as it happens. I don’t know if there’s a “rushing” process. If your precessor had been there before you started that would have helped but he or she couldn’t have downloaded his or her store of knowledge directly to your brain. However there’s something to be said for having someone on staff who knows more about the town than you.

For example, the police beat reporter (who’d been there four years) had been the government reporter before and walked me through a city council meeting. The most important thing he showed me was to show up 1/2 hour early to the city council offices before the bi-weekly council meetings. Why? Because if I didn’t the “unofficial” city council meeting would happen right then before the “official” meeting started.

Essentially I was there to babysit the city council so they didn’t make every decision in private.

It was a good tip to have. Not that I got any stories from it, but at least I learned something that I probably wouldn’t have picked up on for a while.

]]> by: Charles on… anything that comes along » What a swell Independent leaving party that was. Sort of. http://merandawrites.com/2007/04/26/the-keepers-of-institutional-knowledge/#comment-1373 Wed, 02 May 2007 10:30:45 +0000 http://merandawrites.com/2007/04/26/the-keepers-of-institutional-knowledge/#comment-1373 [...] Meanwhile the Indie will hire in some more people (one hopes) and they’ll try to figure it all out. Accidental link: if you want to read what it feels like for a junior reporter trying to work out where the institutional memory all went, see Meranda’s blog; she’s just started working at a paper in Lafayette, Indiana (no, it’s nothing to do with the Indie). Read her post, and how it feels coming in: [...] […] Meanwhile the Indie will hire in some more people (one hopes) and they’ll try to figure it all out. Accidental link: if you want to read what it feels like for a junior reporter trying to work out where the institutional memory all went, see Meranda’s blog; she’s just started working at a paper in Lafayette, Indiana (no, it’s nothing to do with the Indie). Read her post, and how it feels coming in: […]

]]> by: Katherine http://merandawrites.com/2007/04/26/the-keepers-of-institutional-knowledge/#comment-1355 Mon, 30 Apr 2007 22:52:02 +0000 http://merandawrites.com/2007/04/26/the-keepers-of-institutional-knowledge/#comment-1355 Your story reminded me of myself in 1979 when I got my first job 400 miles away from home at a small, daily newspaper. I knew nothing and no one, but I was eager. The beat reporter whose job I took left before I was hired and everyone at my paper seemed too busy to help me. So I sought the institutional knowledge elsewhere; I went to the people in my beat. Of course, they all gave me their perspective, but it helped me figure out who the players were and how things connected. I spent a lot of time taking sources to coffee picking their brains. They seemed thrilled to give me their version of the "truth" and they seemed thrilled to think that they were the ones swaying and shaping my opinions of their school board. Having talked to so many of them from so many different sides of the story (union members, teachers, board members, secretaries, etc.), I believe I got a really great view of this beat. In my case, this institutional knowledge came literally from the institution itself. It may not be as objective as the information you'd get from your fellow reporters, but if you have the time, there are lots of people in your beat who'd love to bend your ear. Good luck to you. Your story reminded me of myself in 1979 when I got my first job 400 miles away from home at a small, daily newspaper. I knew nothing and no one, but I was eager. The beat reporter whose job I took left before I was hired and everyone at my paper seemed too busy to help me. So I sought the institutional knowledge elsewhere; I went to the people in my beat.
Of course, they all gave me their perspective, but it helped me figure out who the players were and how things connected. I spent a lot of time taking sources to coffee picking their brains. They seemed thrilled to give me their version of the “truth” and they seemed thrilled to think that they were the ones swaying and shaping my opinions of their school board.
Having talked to so many of them from so many different sides of the story (union members, teachers, board members, secretaries, etc.), I believe I got a really great view of this beat. In my case, this institutional knowledge came literally from the institution itself. It may not be as objective as the information you’d get from your fellow reporters, but if you have the time, there are lots of people in your beat who’d love to bend your ear.
Good luck to you.

]]> by: Get online and adopt and oldie : Andy Dickinson.net http://merandawrites.com/2007/04/26/the-keepers-of-institutional-knowledge/#comment-1351 Mon, 30 Apr 2007 16:31:14 +0000 http://merandawrites.com/2007/04/26/the-keepers-of-institutional-knowledge/#comment-1351 [...] But the impact isn’t just on those leaving. Those new to the game suffer too. Paul picks up on a post by ‘new’ journalist Meranda Watling Thing is, the industry is being flooded with “kids” like me. Bright-eyed and ready for anything, willing to take everything on and to become an expert on whatever you put on the budget with our name beside it. Willing to learn. If there’s someone there to teach us. [...] […] But the impact isn’t just on those leaving. Those new to the game suffer too. Paul picks up on a post by ‘new’ journalist Meranda Watling Thing is, the industry is being flooded with “kids” like me. Bright-eyed and ready for anything, willing to take everything on and to become an expert on whatever you put on the budget with our name beside it. Willing to learn. If there’s someone there to teach us. […]

]]> by: Innovation in College Media » Blog Archive » Conley: Failing to learn, failing to teach http://merandawrites.com/2007/04/26/the-keepers-of-institutional-knowledge/#comment-1345 Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:27:35 +0000 http://merandawrites.com/2007/04/26/the-keepers-of-institutional-knowledge/#comment-1345 [...] Our focus here is helping the next generation of journalists train for the future. But part of that means understanding what’s going on with the current generation of journalists. Paul Conley sums up the major tragedy that’s taking place: failing to adapt. Go read what he wrote. If you’re like me, you’ll cringe at some of the quotes, and weep at the results (read more via Meranda Watling). [...] […] Our focus here is helping the next generation of journalists train for the future. But part of that means understanding what’s going on with the current generation of journalists. Paul Conley sums up the major tragedy that’s taking place: failing to adapt. Go read what he wrote. If you’re like me, you’ll cringe at some of the quotes, and weep at the results (read more via Meranda Watling). […]

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