For this week’s Meet the Media, we’d like you to meet Elisabeth Kramer, managing editor at ParentMap.
- How did you find yourself as the managing editor at ParentMap?
I started as a freelancer at ParentMap. I wrote exactly one article (this piece about Gig Harbor) before I had the good luck of hearing they were hiring an assistant editor. I threw my hat in the ring and was lucky enough to be hired. That was just about two years ago, and I’ve been working on the content team ever since.
2. Which of your stories are you most proud of?
I’ve had the good fortune to write several stories that I’m proud of at ParentMap. The one that pops to mind first: What to Do When Your Child Sees Porn on the Internet. That story was one of our most popular last year, which tells me that we really tapped into a concern that families are facing. I like to think that article actually helped readers going through really difficult situations.
3. What is your favorite thing about your job?
I really admire the women I work with (my team is all female editors). They’ve taught me so much about editing and writing but also about parenting. They remind me of my own mom, who worked full-time while I was growing up. You don’t realize it when you’re a kid but this parenting thing? It’s tough and I greatly respect how the women I work with pull it off with such humor and style.
4. What is your interview style?
I like it best when an interview is a conversation you just happen to be writing down. A skill I’m always working on improving: active listening. Am I really hearing what my interview subject is saying or just rattling down a list of questions?
5. What do you look for in a story?
How relatable it is for readers. Put another way: What will they leave this story with? Is it a new piece of information? A new skill to apply to their lives? A funny anecdote to share with friends? What are we adding to their lives by publishing this story?
6. What is your day like at your job?
I view my role as managing editor as making sure that my team is set up for success, whether that’s making sure a certain editor has what she needs to focus on an important story or rejiggering deadlines with a freelance writer to make sure he can get the work done well. Doing that means a lot of email, phone calls, and meetings, particularly as we’re a remote office.
7. Who do you most look up to in the journalism industry?
I’m a big Ann Friedman fan. I’ve followed her newsletter for years (it’s such a treat for my Friday afternoons!) and listen to her podcast on and off. I really admire how she’s taken her talents and used them to tell interesting stories in whatever medium makes the most sense for that particular piece.
8. What is your favorite news outlet?
I’m not sure if she’d identify as a news outlet but I always click on and read at least a half-dozen of the links included in The Ann Friedman Newsletter every week. I’m also really intrigued by the work of outlets like The Evergrey that focus on hyper-local community news.
9. Fill in the blank:
- If I am not reporting, I am… reading.
- If I could interview anyone, it would be… Chrissy Teigen.
- My favorite thing about Seattle is… KEXP at Seattle Center (seriously, they have an awesome space for working and the coffee is A-plus).
10. What is your guilty pleasure?
My Nintendo Switch.
Check out our last Meet the Media where we spotlighted Samantha Pell, a reporter covering high school sports at The Washington Post.
Want to be featured in a Meet the Media? Email ofuller@feareygroup.com.