AAJA Fellows Attend AAJA/New York Times Business Training
AAJA Staff Report
Usefulness, singleness, clarity.
That’s how Ahn Do describes her experience meeting and debating with top decision-makers at the New York Times.
Do was one of five AAJA members who participated in a three-day business fellowship hosted by The New York Times Nov. 12-14, 2003.
The first business fellowship program was held July 13-16, 2003 at the St. Paul Pioneer Press, a Knight Ridder paper. Learn more.
Inaugural Year
It was the first year of the joint AAJA-New York Times program, which is geared to journalists who want to explore moving to the business-side of the industry, and to business-side veterans who want to move beyond the boundaries of their departments. The fellowship included round-trip airfare and lodging.
“The goal was to give the fellows exposure to the business side of a major media company, and we did this through small workshops led by our senior executives, ranging from our publisher, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., to the men and women who run departments such as advertising, circulation and marketing services,” said Joan V. Motyka, director of employee relations at the New York Times.
Stimulating Learning Experience
Participants in this year’s AAJA/NYT Business Fellowship were Anh Do, cultures columnist and radio host, The Orange County Register; Leslie Guevarra, deputy managing editor, San Francisco Chronicle; Vindu Goel, business editor, San Jose Mercury News; Sharon Prill, director of interactive media, The News Tribune; and Lorena Blas, features copy desk chief, The Baltimore Sun.
“Participating in the AAJA/NTY Business Fellowship was one of the most interesting and stimulating learning experiences I have had,” said Prill. “The Times was so wonderful about sharing strategies, answering a million questions, and helping our group to gain greater insights into how a multimedia company is managed on a daily basis.”
Staff Development
The fellows had meetings with the leaders of various business units, such as new business development and News Services, plus luncheons and dinners with other key people.
In addition, the fellows participated in a morning workshop focused on how the Times trains its leaders and develops its staff. The fellows also received advice on career planning and resume writing from the Times recruiting manager.
“The discussions were rich and the fellows asked incisive and thought-provoking questions,” said Motyka. “Each session went over its allotted time, which signaled how engaged both groups – the fellows and the Times people talking to them – were.”
Direct Access
Do said she found it refreshing to have direct access to business folks – from the publisher to senior vice presidents and vice presidents.
“I'm grateful that they gave us an intimate view of how a big multimedia company operates, branding the quality of its journalism and moving with fluidity,” she said. “I thought the pace of back-to-back interviews worked out well, giving us a glimpse of the strategy executed in circulation, marketing, advertising and recruiting.
“As journalists, we need to better understand our targeted audience, how to reach them and how to expand to grow our operation,” said Do.
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