So says Bob Baker, a deputy metropolitan editor at the Los Angeles Times who's created a Web site to help reporters and editors improve their craft.
The site, http://www.newsthinking.com , recently joined my bookmarks after I spotted links to it on several Web sites I've featured recently at Suite101.com.
The core of Newsthinking is Baker's weekly L.A. Times newsletter on writing. Every Monday morning, he posts a column offering tips on a wide range of topics. Among the recent editions of "Nuts and Bolts" -- 40 ways to improve collaboration at your paper, the 17 worst cliches in the news biz (if we can banish "If they build it...," I'll be a happy man), and six questions to ask yourself before you type an anecdotal lead.
Baker has 31 years of experience in journalism, including 23 at the L.A. Times. He's served as writing coach at the Times and as "journalist in residence" at the University of Southern California. He's also the author of "Newsthinking," a textbook designed primarily for college students and young journalists.
In addition to his L.A. Times newsletter, Baker's Web site features a nice Q&A section, where he fields queries from visitors. He also offers a small but solid collection of journalism links. Be sure to click around Newsthinking; the quotes sprinkled about the site make for entertaining and inspiring reading.
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