Protocols

There are a few times in my life when I wished I had a nice, clean list of detailed protocols laid out for me in black and white. Unfortunately, nerve-wracking uncertainty usually pushes out any semblance of security.

So I am completely in favor of protocols in the newsroom. Not only do they save time by avoiding unnecessary phone calls and hand-wringing, but they create a sense of order and fluidity in a business that's infamously chaotic.

Also, coming from the point of view of a green journalist who lacks the self-assuredness of a veteran, I'm sometimes gripped with the need for external affirmation. It's wrong until someone else says it's right. That's slowly fading as I gain experience and confidence, but one slip-up and it's back to kindergarten. Along the same lines, for anyone who is new to a news organization, every day that goes by with fewer questions asked than the day before is a small victory. Protocols help with the transition process for new employees. When I had an internship at a magazine a few years ago, the first thing they handed me was a list of their style and production protocols. Needless to say, that paper was a wrinkly mess by the end of the summer, since magazines diverge greatly from typical AP style, and most even have trademark style elements specific to that magazine.

But even further down the road, protocols are something to look to when you encounter a new problem or a sticky situation that you're not sure of. There may be something to be said for figuring it out yourself, but to me protocols seem like a safe bet all around.