March 30, 2022
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Press Freedom
Every story competes for attention and must earn its readers by making a clear promise to deliver relevant information. Headlines may hook us, but ledes draw us in, and nut grafs keep us.

As journalism changes, this is constant: Readers must know what’s at stake in a story and why it matters to them (or should).

This hour-long, hands-on workshop for reporters and editors will demonstrate how to make those stakes clear by:

  • Deconstructing the difference between ledes and nut grafs
  • Identifying common mistakes in crafting nut grafs
  • Offering solutions that help an inclusive community connect your journalism to their lives

Registration is open for this program, which will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET Friday, April 15, on Zoom. Registration is $25. Tickets for National Press Club members are $20.
Do you occasionally (or often) hear a little voice that whispers, “Today’s the day they figure out I don’t really deserve this job?”

People refer to it as “imposter syndrome.” Actually, the two graduate students who pioneered this field of study back in the late ’70s dubbed it “imposter phenomenon” – because it isn’t some diagnosable illness, it’s a feeling that happens to us, even the most accomplished, from time to time.

Even though the chances are slim that competent people are going to “blow it,” I hear from plenty of them who wish they could quiet that pesky voice of self-doubt.

So, here are four tips to help:

  1. Tell your story to yourself. What’s the overarching narrative of your work and life so far? You have a story. Remind yourself of it.
  2. Beware of needless comparisons. High-achievers often worry that they’ve peaked and it’s all downhill from here. When others win awards, get job offers or promotions, they may reflexively wonder if they could or should be doing the same. Don’t let the lives of others trigger self-doubt. 
  3. Take positive feedback to heart. We often shrug off or downplay compliments. It could be humility, a perfectionistic streak, or a feeling that people are just being kind. Promise yourself you’re going to savor the good stuff more than ever before. Thank people for their praise. Listen carefully to what they’re saying rather than finding ways to deflect it.  
  4. Don’t turn mistakes into monsters. Mistakes – even small ones – can trigger IP. We overreact to our everyday errors or bad calls, and we let it overshadow everything else we’ve done. Take mistakes seriously, of course, but if you’ve messed up and fessed up, don’t let the situation define you. Determine why it happened, why it won’t happen again, apologize to those affected.


-- Jill Geisler, Bill Plante Chair in Leadership & Media Integrity at Loyola University Chicago and Freedom Forum Fellow in Women’s Leadership

Get more career advice: Read Jill's columns | Watch Manager's Minute videos
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This newsletter is written & edited by the National Press Club Journalism Institute staff: Beth Francesco, Holly Butcher Grant, and Julie Moos. Send us your questions and suggestions for topics to cover.

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The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press, and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire a more representative democracy. As the non-profit affiliate of the National Press Club, the Institute powers journalism in the public interest.