Did two nice seminars today … first one on ethics with role playing and debating right/wrong ways to do things. Crowd was more animated and funny that I would’ve expected for a gang of copy editors. It’s nice to be surprised. Nutgraf: Obey the inner voice telling you “we can’t put this in the paper.”
Met Jeff Herman, now on the desk at the St. Louis Post Dispatch. He and I worked together at the Tampa Trib back in the old days. Still the nicest durn guy you ever met.
Let’s see, what else: John Rains of the Fayetteville Observer did a nice job on covering the bad ways we cover firearms. Remarkably apolitical for such a charged issue. Nut graf: Avoid loaded language and learn your terminology.
Cool moment: had an awards give-away thing at which the Houston Chronicle’s editor mentioned he’d been to my blogging seminar. Headline awards went to the staff the L.A Times, and my ol’ copy chief Brian Throckmorton’s staff was runner-up. Brian’s the only guy on earth who I know could beat me in a headline writing contest. Of course I never enter contests … not to cast any aspersions on the winners this year (really, I mean this) but I saw the results and said to myself I can win this thing (provided Throckmorton has an off year — he’s a boss now so my odds are better).
Gotta go socialize some more, be back later. Hope to have more fun pictures, and this time I’m getting names!