08Feb

My Super Bowl LX report is not what you might expect, but it’s original

A multicolor pen (red, black, blue, green ink) rests on its side against a white background. The bottom half is blue, with a black border separating it from the top half, which is white and has a pocket clip and a hole at the top for a necklace chain or lanyard to run through.

I thought some of you might like to see what old-school scribbling was like for me back in the day, as they say.

01Feb

Some professional news for you: I have decided to move on

Note with the word UPDATE placed on a computer keyboard.

I’m leaving The Athletic and The New York Times Company. The decision is mine. My last day will be Feb. 2.

05Jan

So anyway, I’ll probably have some work news for you soon

Work from anywhere. Rear view of young woman, female freelancer in straw hat working on laptop, keeping arms raised and celebrating success while sitting on the tropical sandy beach at sunset.

Believe it or not, my job update wasn’t the biggest news of January 2021. And as hard as it is to believe, it’s now five years later.

24Dec

You might as well go to a mom-and-pop store

The inside of a Costco warehouse shows thousands of items but still only a small part of the overall inventory there. The warehouse is huge.

Focus on what will keep you employed and keep your news organization relevant — and in business. Let go of the rest.

10Dec

Due to? Because of? Don’t sweat it, my favorite grammarians say

English colorful flashcards of conjunction words on white background.

I’m here, with professional assistance, to give you one less worry as you work your way through copy or your writing.

09Dec

Not to brag, but I can’t think of a copy editor who can match my skill set

A fully opened Swiss Army knife, or pen knife or multipurpose knife. It's red.

Some thoughts on my career on the ninth day of limbo between my disability leave and my return to work.

29Sep

Press conference? News conference? Are we really sweating this?

Press pass ID card icon. Journalist visitor pass, vector illustration.

Somewhere along the way, someone in my line of work decided we can’t call it a press conference anymore. News conference, they insisted.

25Sep

You are not inside your subject’s head, but if so, maybe only to the extent they want you to be

Against a light blue background, an illustration of a human brain, darker blue in this case, has chains and a lock on it, and the lock is unlocked.

Voice-of-God reporting is a problem in American journalism. The stakes aren’t as big in sports as in politics, but I have examples to share.

20Oct

People ask me if I miss it. I think they are surprised when I say no

Baton Rouge, LA - February 2023: Tiger Stadium, home of LSU Football on the Louisiana State University Campus.

Almost 100,000 people yelling, there to watch modern gladiators. I was there to witness and tell the story. People wonder if I miss it.

13Oct

Pro tip: The more you make the job about style, maybe even grammar, the easier it will be to lay you off

There are worlds where style and grammar are everything. This is not about them. This is about where there’s so much more editors must do.

CarlyJDubois.com

Tag: journalism

My Super Bowl LX report is not what you might expect, but it’s original

Some professional news for you: I have decided to move on

So anyway, I’ll probably have some work news for you soon

You might as well go to a mom-and-pop store

Due to? Because of? Don’t sweat it, my favorite grammarians say

Not to brag, but I can’t think of a copy editor who can match my skill set

Press conference? News conference? Are we really sweating this?

You are not inside your subject’s head, but if so, maybe only to the extent they want you to be

People ask me if I miss it. I think they are surprised when I say no

Pro tip: The more you make the job about style, maybe even grammar, the easier it will be to lay you off