Each Monday, we’re giving readers a chance to get to know the media a little better.
With a little flair.
Our goal is to give readers some insight into the work and work style of area journalists, and get to know a little bit about the person behind the byline. Start your week off with an online networking opportunity through our Media Monday blog post.
This Week: Berit Anderson, Crosscut
Berit Anderson is Editor at Crosscut.com, a Seattle-based online news organization dedicated to the creation of a thriving and livable Northwest. Read by 160,000 Northwest leaders and residents each month, Crosscut analyzes political, business and cultural news and trends and identifies solutions to local problems in these areas.
Berit was formerly community manager of the Tribune Company’s Seattle blogging network. Her work has also appeared in YES! Magazine and on the Huffington Post, Geekwire and Q13Fox.com. She occasionally contributes news segments to KBCS 91.3 radio.
She formerly served as Communications Director at Strategic News Service, a weekly newsletter that predicts global trends in tech and economics, and Future in Review, Strategic News Service’s annual conference which brings leaders in those fields together to identify and solve global problems.
Q: What’s your favorite story you’ve done in the last week?
A: As an editor, I spend most of my time planning our content and working with writers on their stories. This week, I loved Knute Berger’s series about the history of Seattle urban agriculture and Bill Schrier’s analysis of why the Washington state healthcare exchange was such a success while the federal exchange flopped.
Q: What skills do new journalists need?
A: Tenacity, dogged curiosity, a strong moral compass and optimism. You can teach good writing. Personal character is harder to come by.
Q: If you weren’t working at your current job, what would you be doing?
A: Working in genetics. Its role in solving problems like climate change, bacterial outbreak and world hunger will be enormous and folks like Craig Venter and Leroy Hood are working on incredibly exciting solutions in those areas.
Q: Finish this sentence: “A good PR person …”
A: Knows why the outlet they’re pitching to would be interested in their client and can explain it succinctly.
Q: What hidden talent or skill do you have that viewers/readers don’t know about you?
A: I love writing songs — melodies and lyrics — on the fly. Sometimes my boyfriend and I sing them back and forth to one another. He, very kindly, pretends to enjoy this.
The PR Pro Takeaway: Berit was a recent participant in the BusinessWire media roundtable. Great insight here for new journalists and other PR Pros alike. Follow her on Twitter @berit_anderson.