By MICHAEL PERRY
Cincinnati Enquirer

	WORKSHOP

Before his "team" left to cover the 2004 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Long Beach, San Francisco Chronicle sports editor Glenn Schwarz spent some time talking with Metro reporter Meredith May about her dog, which she owned for 14 years.

On the third day of the Trials, one of the Chronicle deputy sports editors received a call from May: Her pooch was at the veterinarian, who thought the dog was dying.

"Don't tell Schwarz," one deputy told the other deputy. "He'll have her on the next flight home."

Schwarz did make the offer.

May declined to return early. As it turned out, her dog wasn't terminally ill. But when she got back to San Francisco, the first thing she did was thank Schwarz for being understanding and taking seriously her personal dilemma.

"That's my philosophy about getting the most out of your folks," Schwarz told fellow sports editors. "I want to emphasize the human side. That's something that's often overlooked."

His story came during the 2005 APSE workshop: "Care and Feeding of a Writing Staff."

Schwarz shared his thoughts in Orlando along with Dan McGrath (Chicago Tribune), David Meeks (New Orleans Times-Picayune) and David Sell (Colorado Springs Gazette).

David Manning / David Manning Photography Dave Sell of the Colorado Springs Gazette,left, and Glenn Schwarz of the San Francisco Chronicle, both former beat writers, offer suggestions for working with a writing staff.

"Be available," McGrath told his peers. "You have other responsibilities, but few, if any, are as important as being available to the staff. That three or four minutes can really make a difference."

A sample of the collective advice:

• Set the tone for the staff and create a positive working environment. "Be enthusiastic," McGrath said.

"Be cheerful. Even if you get chewed out by the managing editor for missing budget or missing deadline, take one for the team. If you feel good about what you're doing, (the staff) is more likely to feel good about what they're doing."

• Put your staff in a position to succeed.

• Find a niche for each member of the staff.

• Be open and honest with reporters while being positive. ("Great job. You made deadline. You nailed the lede. But you forgot the score!")

• Stick up for writers publicly, critique privately.

• Help reporters prioritize which stories to work on and which to let go.

• Help reporters learn how to write for A1. "That should be the goal, not the burden," Sell said.

• Be passionate about what you do and compassionate about how you do it.

Sell, for example, refused to let his Denver Broncos beat reporter attend the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis because the reporter's wife was pregnant and due to deliver during the combine.

Meeks surveyed reporters and learned that what they want most from editors is time, trust and thinking.

"Reporters value your opinion," he said. "When they turn in stories, they are waiting to hear what you think about it. Writers say editors talk to (them) about everything but writing."

During his June 2004 anniversary meeting with Times-Picayune publisher Ashton Phelps (who, by the way, has a meal once a year with each newsroom department head), Meeks was asked: "When was the last time you sat across from reporters for one-on-ones?"

Not for an annual review. Just to talk.

Meeks returned from that meeting with a new goal.

"I started right away. I met with 42 people, one at a time," he said. "I journeyed to bureaus as far away as 40 miles. ... It takes a lot of time — that's why people don't do it. But you will learn something if you do."

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