Henninger Consulting

  • Home
  • About
  • Clients Say…
  • Gallery
  • Ed’s columns
  • Ed’s Blog
  • Helpful Hints

Readers want you to decide

December 20, 2017 By Ed Henninger 2 Comments

12.21.17: Readers want you to decide

AS AN EDITOR and designer, you’re faced with many decisions–in each issue.

Do I play this photo…or that one? What’s my lead story? Should I jump that piece on the school levy? Have I overplayed/underplayed that article on the Christmas parade? Did I do justice to the photos of the high school scholarship winners?

Yes, many decisions, but it’s your job to make them.

Don’t waste your time second-guessing yourself, asking over and over again if you did the right thing. Make your best decision, given your experience and your effort to be fair, balanced and a servant of your readership.

Your readers expect you to make those decisions. They want you to decide what the best story is…what the best photo is. They trust your judgment. They respect you. They want you to decide.

And…they’ll occasionally disagree with a decision you’ve made.

It’s OK. That’s how it works.

From more than 50 years ago, the words of Sgt. Klein come back to me from a sweltering summer day at ROTC camp.

“Decide!” he said. “Decide right…or decide wrong. But, dammit, decide!”

Yes. That’s how it works.

Filed Under: Helpful Hints Tagged With: decisions, Henninger Helpful Hint, top photo, top story

Comments

  1. Lynne Hummell says

    December 21, 2017 at 2:34 pm

    Thanks for this, Ed. I needed to hear it today. And I need to pay attention to it and stop worrying about the details.

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

    Reply
    • Ed Henninger says

      December 22, 2017 at 6:57 am

      You’re welcome. At times, we all need to be reminded of the frank but friendly bond between the reader and the editor.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Exclusive Programs

  • Francis A. Henninger Grant
  • A License to Print Money
  • FasTrak
  • PowerWeek
  • SelectDesign

Comprehensive Services

  • Newspaper Design
  • Seminars & Workshops
  • Staff Training

Ed’s Books

  • Henninger on Design
  • 101 Henninger Helpful Hints

The Freebie

  • Click Here

Exclusive Programs

  • Francis A. Henninger Grant
  • A License to Print Money
  • FasTrak
  • PowerWeek
  • SelectDesign

Comprehensive Services

  • Newspaper Design
  • Seminars & Workshops
  • Staff Training

The Freebie

  • Click Here

Before & After

  • A Redesign Case Study

Ed’s Books

  • Henninger on Design
  • 101 Henninger Helpful Hints

Copyright © 2018 · eleven40 Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in