Make sure the columnists have a sense of humor
BOB KERR of The Providence Journal offers this:
I generally write three kinds of columns.
1. My favorite is the small story that wouldn't otherwise get in the newspaper. It usually begins with a call from someone who knows someone who's in an unusual situation or doing something that's a little bit out of the ordinary.
The job at its best is going out and talking to these people, and sometimes having to convince them that what they're doing or going through is worth sharing. The column I always point to as an example came about as the result of a call from the family of a man who walked in front of an Amtak train in South Kingstown, R.I. They wanted me to read the diaries he had kept for years.
So we sat around the kitchen table and went through these incredibly painful and starkly illustrated recollections which led up to the memory of being molested by a family member at an early age. I'm still amazed when I think about it that that family would share something that personal with a stranger. I
I think it's also a great example of the place The Providence Journal still holds in Rhode Island. This kind of column has always been the most worthwhile because I think it connects people in a way the other columns don't. It also makes for some incredibly enjoyable experiences.
2. Then there is what I call my smart-ass commentary columns. This is me being incredibly witty and insightful and not doing any real work. The most recent one of this genre was probably the one about the state representative who drained part of the Pascoag Reservoir in Burrillville, R.I. to force the state to buy it from him. I did drive to the reservoir but other than that it was just sitting back and opening fire. It was fun and got the predictable heavy reaction, but it is not what the job is about. I don't think I can afford to do many of those. Their value is in the obvious point of view. Their danger is in making me more the center of attention than I should be. One step further down the column ladder and I start writing about taking out the trash and walking the dog.
3. The third variety is columns that play off the news. The columns on a recent proposal to build gambling casinos in Rhode Island are among these, although the line between these columns and the smart-ass commentary is sometimes very thin. I have at times written on national and international stuff — Clinton as an embarrassment, Princess Di as the object of too much attention -- but that is indulgence that should not be enjoyed more than once a month.
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