On this occasion: A signal from the ideal editor-in-chief
The Tamedia Board of Directors has entrusted the leadership of the *Tages-Anzeiger* to two editors-in-chief. A dual leadership structure has rarely proven successful. In this case, however, it might work. Guest commentary by Karl Lüönd, freelance journalist and author.
Question to Radio Yerevan: What is the difference between an editor-in-chief and a nuclear reactor? Answer: In principle, there is no difference! The problem of final disposal has not been solved for either.
For former editors-in-chief, "life afterwards" - for whatever reason they may have become "former" - is difficult. The role of editor-in-chief clearly carries too much social prestige to let it go and swap it for a journalistic job without management responsibility. Anyone who was once editor-in-chief and no longer is or no longer wants to be, for reasons other than age, needs an explanation. The position is not only given too much weight by those affected, but also by the environment.
What does an editor-in-chief actually do? Only romantic journalists still believe that they wield the noblest of pens and are therefore busy with content from morning to night. (And only the romantics among publishers therefore choose the person who can write most beautifully as editor-in-chief). Editors-in-chief are managers with an intellectual background. They have four core competencies: Firstly, they exercise budgetary authority: They decide on the allocation of resources to the individual departments and functions. Secondly, they are personnel managers, i.e. they fill the positions in the editorial department, take care of personnel development, training and further education, junior staff and sometimes also the morale of the fighting troops. Leadership and social skills are therefore essential. And they take care of the content - which is closely related to point two, human resources - and therefore decide what goes into the paper - not so much as daily active paper makers, but rather arbitrarily, namely as mediators in conflict situations. Above all, however, it is about implementing editorial values in everyday life and defining content guidelines. And it's true: editors-in-chief do write, and some of them do it well and with pleasure. But the way things are today (and the way meetings tend to last), they mainly do it in their free time or when normal people are asleep.
No, the editor-in-chief is in no way a "normal person" or a "normal manager". He draws on the entire alphabet of the professional world. He is a stimulator, motivator, ambassador, budget specialist, coach, dealmaker, tamer, lecturer, hand-holder, commentator, marketing man, mediator, personnel manager, psychologist, strategist, tactician - and because of this wealth of tasks and with increasing disillusionment, he is increasingly in danger of ending up as a cynic. In times of austerity and saturated markets, acrobatic skills are also required, as the balancing act between willingness and ability is becoming increasingly difficult. In other words, what is needed once again is the egg-laying wool-milk sow, capable of flying, self-feeding and dioxin-resistant ...
Seen in this light, the decision of the Tamedia Board of Directors last week regarding the appointment of the head of the Tages-Anzeiger is entirely understandable, although it can also be seen as a tactical calculation (divide et impera). It raises concerns that dual leadership has only rarely proved successful in the journalism market, which is full of strong but easily offended egos.
Fortunately, the two colleagues who have been affected are so different that they have a fair chance of working well together, especially when it comes to reinventing the Tages-Anzeiger to some extent as a more compact newspaper that is cheaper to produce. Res Strehle is the best editor I have ever experienced: a stimulator, promoter and mover who draws on a huge pool of knowledge and expertise and who has the gift of accompanying a production or a team without appearing to be an overseer or know-it-all. Markus Eisenhut has the reputation of being an organized, assertive editorial manager, a robust, pragmatic kind of pusher and, like Strehle, also equipped with economic expertise. If the two don't get into each other's hair, they can achieve some of their goals.
They are wished luck. You may need it.
For former editors-in-chief, "life afterwards" - for whatever reason they may have become "former" - is difficult. The role of editor-in-chief clearly carries too much social prestige to let it go and swap it for a journalistic job without management responsibility. Anyone who was once editor-in-chief and no longer is or no longer wants to be, for reasons other than age, needs an explanation. The position is not only given too much weight by those affected, but also by the environment.
What does an editor-in-chief actually do? Only romantic journalists still believe that they wield the noblest of pens and are therefore busy with content from morning to night. (And only the romantics among publishers therefore choose the person who can write most beautifully as editor-in-chief). Editors-in-chief are managers with an intellectual background. They have four core competencies: Firstly, they exercise budgetary authority: They decide on the allocation of resources to the individual departments and functions. Secondly, they are personnel managers, i.e. they fill the positions in the editorial department, take care of personnel development, training and further education, junior staff and sometimes also the morale of the fighting troops. Leadership and social skills are therefore essential. And they take care of the content - which is closely related to point two, human resources - and therefore decide what goes into the paper - not so much as daily active paper makers, but rather arbitrarily, namely as mediators in conflict situations. Above all, however, it is about implementing editorial values in everyday life and defining content guidelines. And it's true: editors-in-chief do write, and some of them do it well and with pleasure. But the way things are today (and the way meetings tend to last), they mainly do it in their free time or when normal people are asleep.
No, the editor-in-chief is in no way a "normal person" or a "normal manager". He draws on the entire alphabet of the professional world. He is a stimulator, motivator, ambassador, budget specialist, coach, dealmaker, tamer, lecturer, hand-holder, commentator, marketing man, mediator, personnel manager, psychologist, strategist, tactician - and because of this wealth of tasks and with increasing disillusionment, he is increasingly in danger of ending up as a cynic. In times of austerity and saturated markets, acrobatic skills are also required, as the balancing act between willingness and ability is becoming increasingly difficult. In other words, what is needed once again is the egg-laying wool-milk sow, capable of flying, self-feeding and dioxin-resistant ...
Seen in this light, the decision of the Tamedia Board of Directors last week regarding the appointment of the head of the Tages-Anzeiger is entirely understandable, although it can also be seen as a tactical calculation (divide et impera). It raises concerns that dual leadership has only rarely proved successful in the journalism market, which is full of strong but easily offended egos.
Fortunately, the two colleagues who have been affected are so different that they have a fair chance of working well together, especially when it comes to reinventing the Tages-Anzeiger to some extent as a more compact newspaper that is cheaper to produce. Res Strehle is the best editor I have ever experienced: a stimulator, promoter and mover who draws on a huge pool of knowledge and expertise and who has the gift of accompanying a production or a team without appearing to be an overseer or know-it-all. Markus Eisenhut has the reputation of being an organized, assertive editorial manager, a robust, pragmatic kind of pusher and, like Strehle, also equipped with economic expertise. If the two don't get into each other's hair, they can achieve some of their goals.
They are wished luck. You may need it.
