My First Job ...

Ricardo Pimentel, columnist, The Arizona Republic, Phoenix

Ricardo Pimentel

My first job was as a night police reporter at The San Bernardino (Calif.) Sun. No. 1, I learned I didn't want to be a police reporter. Other useful lessons: Don't be the person in the newsroom who always says, "No, I can't." Be the person who says, "Yes, I can, and I'll bring you back a story better than the one you assigned." Be this person, and the freedom to pursue stories you want to pursue comes as a matter of course. I, of course, learned the need for accuracy, fairness and balance. But I also learned that editors are suckers for good stories, that willingness to work is rewarded and that office politics is better left to other people. I learned that the right mentors can teach you a lot and help you get where you want to go.

My First Job archive

Ronnie Agnew, executive editor, The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Miss.

Caesar Andrews, editor, Gannett News Service, Washington, D.C.

George Benge, news executive, Gannett Co., Inc.

Peter Bhatia, executive editor, The Oregonian, Portland

Michael Chihak, publisher and editor, Tucson (Ariz.) Citizen

Bill Church, executive editor, Star-Gazette, Elmira, N.Y.

Don Flores, executive vice president and editor, El Paso (Texas) Times

Karla Garrett Harshaw, editor, Springfield (Ohio) News-Sun, and senior editor, Cox Community Newspapers

Bennie Ivory, executive editor, The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.

Sherrie Marshall, executive editor, The Macon (Ga.) Telegraph

E.J. Mitchell, managing editor, The Detroit News

Ricardo Pimentel, columnist, The Arizona Republic, Phoenix

Africa Price, managing editor, The Jackson (Tenn.) Sun

John Quinn, senior advisory trustee, Freedom Forum

Mark Russell, assistant managing editor, The Plain Dealer, Cleveland