Editors give insights into news business

What happens when you bring together 10 University of Idaho journalism students, 18 of their Washington State University counterparts and five editors of The Spokesman-Review for a weekend?

Savannah Cummings (left), a UI junior from Sandpoint, and Gary Crooks, associate editor of the S-R's editorial page, demonstrated the easy-going atmosphere during lunch on Sept. 23. They were two of the participants in the X-Treme Editing workshop, a two-day intensive course in the news business. It was created by Steve Smith, the newspaper's editor since 2002.

After two successful workshops at Steve's alma mater, the University of Oregon, Steve offered to replicate the program on the Palouse. He brought with him four of his top editors: Crooks, Ryan Pitts, Addy Hatch and Jim Allen. They led sessions at the Idaho Commons on newsroom leadership, opinion and commentary, local news, and copy editing and design.

The workshop opened with a Friday night dinner at the University Inn, with UI students mixed among their WSU counterparts and an editor at each table. After dessert, Steve led a provocative ethics exercise based on his paper's coverage of allegations of abuse of power by the late Jim West, former mayor of Spokane. The discussion demonstrated why the paper's handling of the controversial story earned an award from the University of Oregon for its thoughtful consideration of the ethical issues.

UI students relished the opportunity to ask questions of the pros in an informal setting. "It was a great way to hear real-world experience from people willing to talk candidly about the nitty-gritty of journalism as a profession," one wrote on in a critique. John Irby, associate director of the Murrow School at WSU, found similar reactions from his students. Thanks to Steve and his crew for a stimulating weekend.