The First Chipster to Become a Managing Editor
A one on one with Martin Reynolds

By Jamaal Johnson
Special to chipsquinn.org

Posted: Oct. 26, 2007

Jamaal Johnson: How does it feel to be a managing editor in your home city?

Martin Reynolds: It feels very rewarding… There is a lot of pressure at times; I didn’t realize at the time what it would ultimately mean. It’s rewarding, but I’m still learning as I go.

Martin Reynolds Age: 39 School: San Francisco State University Hometown: Oakland, Calif. CQ internship: Summer 1995 at The Oakland (Calif.) Tribune. Current job: Managing Editor, The Oakland (Calif.) Tribune Read the CQ story when Reynolds was named managing editor in 2006.

Q: I've been hearing a lot of talk about diversity in the newsroom. When will this actually occur?

A: When more people of color are in a position to hire.

Q: What is the main criterion that stands out when you look at an applicant?

A: Colored people. We need more diversity. The journalism industry has done a better job over the years of supporting organizations such as the Maynard Institute that promote diversity. But with news organizations trying to figure out how to survive and remain profitable, diversity has become a luxury. I would argue, frankly, that if the ethnic press has blossomed it is in large part because ethnic communities have increased in size and are frustrated that mainstream news organizations are not maintaining connections to the community. I will argue that diversity is more important now than it has ever been, and the demographics of Oakland bear that out. It is not same city it once was; we need to reflect frankly about who our citizens are. If I were to speak to the bigwigs at APME or ASNE about their strategies, then I would say you need to do quite the opposite of what you’re doing. You need to invest more now in diversity than you ever have because of the changing demographics.

Q: What are the key skills or qualities an aspiring journalist should have or try to acquire?

A: Good writing and reporting skills, of course. Be willing to write with a voice; don’t write “generically.” Also, go out of your way to learn new technology skills: Flash, audio recording and video recording software programs; learn some html coding. Anything that has to do with the Internet at this point will be wise to learn.

Q: What advice do you have for journalists as the newspaper field evolves?

A: Hold on to your hat. What will remain as constants are good reporting skills and knowing how to get information and tell a good story.

Q: Are there any strategies that can persuade younger audiences to pick up a newspaper rather than get their news online?

A: No. The strategy is to be where they get their news. It doesn’t really matter where they read us as long as they read us. We don’t necessarily need to have them pick up a paper to receive the information they desire.

Q: Why has journalism changed?

A: The world has changed. I don’t know if the fundamental principles have changed, but the amount of competition has changed, as have the information sources and people’s habits.

Q: What made you want to become a journalist?

A: What inspired me was the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. I was writing for The Reporter at Samuel Merritt College in Oakland, just sort of having this stance of writing for mass media. I didn’t really know if that was the career I would choose. When the quake happened, I was living in West Oakland. I went to the site and did a first-person piece on the aftermath. The story got in the paper and from then on I was hooked.

Q: Whom did you look up to when you were an intern?

A: There were definitely various figures, teachers like Erna Smith, hard-driving instructors like Roland De Wolk. Reporters like the Tribune’s Harry Harris, who sent me on my first stories, as he did you. People like Charles Jackson, a former editor here. There are various mentors now: Michael Days, editor of the Philadelphia Daily News, and Greg Moore, editor of The Denver Post, both African American men at large metropolitan papers. And Dori Maynard, the daughter of the late former Tribune publisher Robert C. Maynard. She has played a really big role with her support, guidance and advice.

Martin Reynolds with Crime Reporter Harry Harris. (Photo by Laura Oda/The Oakland Tribune).

Q: The newsroom seems to be slowly depleting in Oakland.

A: News organizations are contracting, there is no doubt about that. But in this consolidation, there are going to be more people coming to the Tribune newsroom. There is an (additional) editorial page editor, the multimedia reporters are here and we have a new editorial writer who is here a few days a week. There are more people here now than there were when you interns were here. That’s the good; the bad is that it’s still not what it once was. I looked at a picture the other day of the Tribune the year before I started. There were a good 30 people in the newsroom and even then they were talking about how the numbers had dwindled.

Q: Chauncey Bailey, editor since June of the weekly Oakland Post newspaper and your colleague, was murdered in August. How did the Tribune manage to report and write so many quality articles around this tragic incident?

 A: That’s what we do. We may have a small staff, but we are lean and mean and we have a group of committed journalists. Not only did we have the Chauncey incident but also a quadruple family murder-suicide in Berkeley. I would argue that we did a good job on that. The Tribune is very good at covering and following breaking news, especially in our town. It’s a competitive and quality bunch, and they do a good job. I would put them against anyone in the Bay Area. Our biggest challenge is resources. Often, there are not enough of us to keep the pedal to the metal because there is a natural need to take a breath after a while.

Q: You gave several print and broadcast interviews in connection with Bailey’s murder. What was it like being on the receiving end of the questioning – perhaps it was easy for you because you’re a musician used to performing?

A: It was my first opportunity to be the spokesperson for the paper. It was a little nerve-wracking. I would be lying not to admit it, even with my performance background; it’s a different kind of performance. There was concern about being out there at a time when people were getting killed for being a journalist, including my colleague. It was exciting, but also scary and humbling. I grew from the experience.

Q: Would you like to say anything about the safety of journalists on American soil following Bailey’s death?

A: You have to keep your wits about you. You have to understand the magnitude of the story you are working on. Don’t think that your press credential is going to be a Teflon vest for what may befall you. With that said, you still have to be fearless. But don’t be stupid.

Q: So, you’re into music.

A: Not into music anymore. I’m too busy running a newspaper. I make beats and write rhymes and perform.

Q: I guess you are the multitasking superhero—how do you balance work, music, and family?

A: I have a very understanding and accommodating fiancée, who is in nursing school, a great family-support system in my parents, a bunch of aunts and uncles, and a great village of friends.

Back to Top