Military Editors

We, as editors, consider ourselves the enemy of jargon. How often do we get caught up in our own? A recent entry in freelancer Karen Swim’s blog, Words for Hire, highlights a mistake I’d be likely to make even after more than (mumble twenty-five years mumble) before the keyboard — dealing with a client who doesn’t know the difference between proofreading and editing.

In our effort to be understood, we may try to speak the language but if we incorrectly apply a term we may not get our hoped for results.  When providing someone with instructions, it is important to be clear and give detail. When receiving instructions, it is equally important to ask questions, and confirm mutual understanding.Karen Swim, May 2009

Case in point: When I was new to the environmental center (but not to writing), I couldn’t understand what my bosses meant by “media.” To them, the media wasn’t news, but the water, soil, and air — each a medium in which contamination might occur. Even the term “multimedia” brought a very different image to their minds than it did to mine.

That’s where being new, and being a reporter, helps. Both the newbie and the journo are supposed to ask ignorant questions. We never want to look dumb. But when we are most certain in our knowledge, we are most at risk of embarrassing ourselves.

People are more patient than you think; use basic communication tools, such as replying with a paraphrase of the client’s request, asking the same question in different words, or simply admitting your ignorance. A negative reaction (especially when interviewing for a profile) might provide some useful insight into the character of your subject.

A final thought: experience strikes both ways. You get a sense of what you don’t know and you learn how to ask the right questions. But you do carry an agglomeration of facts that may obscure the valley between knowledge and assumptions.

If you’re a newbie at a certain subject, it helps to see what others consider best practices. Example: my relationship with Twitter. I already know its value as an alert medium for my job. I also know effective tweeting* requires an entirely new skill set, and outside apps to make the most of it. Here’s a resource I’ve begun to mine for ideas:  The Shorty Awards - The best producers of short content on Twitter.

*”effective tweeting”? Is this what language is coming to? Sounds like a treatise on the courtship of warblers.

There may yet be hope for publishing in the physical world: Reinventing the Magazine: Publications That Push the Boundaries of the Print Medium - WSJ.com

The phone I was using to liveblog the WPAS isn’t happy with the software any more. Could be operator malfunction. In any case, I’ve lost two posts and don’t have much hope for more. Go see Lindy Kyzer’s notes a couple of posts below.

Deputy CIO G-6 Mike Krieger. Called the social media vs. security concerns not a problem to overcome but a “polarity to manage.” Really comes bearing olive branch but very diferent approach to info. We need people like this in government - willing to work together but rooted in the regulations.
No solutions yet but offered collaboration.
CPA idea for a “4th” network is the solution they are converging on.
Removable media still virus poison.

SMA Kenneth Preston - year of NCO. Told President Obama his biggest concern is stress on the force. Described life for Soldiers in 8th year of GWoT. 15-12 deployment, lean sustaining base, transformation movement, strained relationships. Still high retention because they believe in the importance of the mission.
How are we preping them for success? Personal relationships with the Soldiers in the armies we support in Iraq and Afghanistan. Preston asked us to capture these stories I assume to reinforce and validate their commitment to the mission.
Shout-out to guard and reserve. Applause. Balance means reserve and active units have same capabilities in a modular force.
Year of the NCO goals:
- recognize legacy
-inform public of the value of nco for Army and as employee-leader
-enhance capabilities. NCO making more critical decisions
Preston asked us to promote younger leaders to interact with the media.

This site’s editor isn’t the only one blogging, tweeting or othewise covering the Worldwide (I’ll stick to the SFW name for the conference). Lindy Kyzer is liveblogging the conference on the Army’s official blog, Army Live. She’s also tweeting at http://twitter.com/USArmy. OCPA-New York is also twittering the conference at http://twitter.com/ArmyNYC. Someone from IMCOM-Korea is tweeting at http://twitter.com/imcomkorea. Anyone else blogging or tweeting?

Cell-phone notes from the Army’annual gathering. Not only is social media an issue - it is the issue, overwhelmingly. Most questions for the Chief of Public Affairs and Secretary of the Army deal with it. There’s much frustration in the perceived disconnect between security concerns and the Army’s information engagement needs.

Later…

Former CNN Pentagon reporter Jamie McIntyre doesn’t blame his former status on economy but on new media realities. No bitterness. “Great run.” Prefered to spend money on conversation than depth.

Tom Curley, CEO,AP. challenge for communication pros (such as AP) is to get paid. The organization hired anthropologists to study how people consume news. Found out second but no answer on the money question. AP is going to Google to demand payment and rights protection (something like RIAA demanding digital rights management). Probably will be as successful as other industries’ attempts. Good quote: “We’re concerned about weaponized information.”

Secretary Geren gets the best quote of the day: “If you let the secret service determine how the President spends his time, the president would never get out of the basement of the White House. … We accept risk in every decision we make.”

Check this post on Mashable: The Beauty of Internet: 4Chan Founder Sweeps Times Most Influential List.  Know when someone’s gaming your system, be ready to adapt, and admit it.

For the record (and IMHO): I will almost always change “stated” to “said” in a news release. “Stated” calls attention to itself: Did the author intend to convey tone of voice? Does he/she mean the speaker more authorative than Joe Sixpack? that speaker is a statesman? Joe Friday* states. The rest of us talk. “Said,” on the other hand, is practically transparent to the reader. It simply -uh- says someone is moving lips and vocal cords. It doesn’t connote anything, the reader expects it, and it doesn’t require someone to spend a split-second to try to figure out why the speaker “stated” something rather than merely saying it.
(A note I sent to another writer whom I have been editing for several weeks. I’m concerned this advice might be too basic for the field at large, but I’ve seen some ……. loose writing lately, and I think a handful of my rants might help. At least I’m arrogant enough to think so. Let me know…..I mean, whether it is helpful or not.)
*Character in Dragnet, a TV show that was old when I was young.