Deb Parker, the editor for the Norman Transcript, describes her job as having a small title that carries a lot of duties and responsibilities. She first began her career in journalism as a mailroom attendant, inserting inserts into the paper so that she could pay her way through college. "We still had to sort everything by hand in those days," said Parker. She has worked all over the country for various newspapers, accumulating nearly 35 years of experience. As she listed off the names of the newspapers she has worked for, she stutters trying to remember some of their names. She laughs when she admits that, "the only thing I haven't done is run the press."
"People think that newspapering is dying," said Parker with a serious tone audible in her voice. Parker assures that it is not dying, but evolving and growing. Digital formats and digital presentation platforms are where many publications are directing their business. The core of the publication is still being recognized as the newspaper, but other avenues of communication such as social networking sites, blogs, and websites help readers to receive their information. Normantranscript.com is their official site that features both local and national news, blog links, a local entertainment magazine, and a community living guide for readers who need news fast.
As an editor, "I supervise, I direct, I guide," said Parker. Another aspect of her job is to help mentor and share her 35 years of experience with those who are new to the profession. "I try and keep them from making some of the same mistakes that I made when I was first starting out," said Parker. She describes one of the first pieces she did as a journalist as looking as if it were, "bleeding," because her editor had marked so many things in red pen. "I learned to be my own editor," said Parker, "and I kept that paper as a reminder to myself to work harder."
"The mini skirt method," said Parker, "is how I learned to write crisp and clean news stories." News writing is short and tight, just like a mini skirt. Her advice to aspiring writers is to read. "Read anything that you can get your hands on because it's the only way to excel in this field," said Parker.
"Ultimately what we do is try and make our paper better today than it was yesterday," said Parker, "and tomorrow we will do the same, try and make it better than it is today." In order to make that happen you have to have ideas and a free exchange of conversation. When reading off some of the upcoming news pieces that she has on the agenda, she admits that local news stories about upcoming events and weather reports might not be very sexy, but to their readers, it is important information.
"We inform, we educate, we entertain," said Parker, "that’s what newspapering does. That's what journalists do." Though she admits to having no interest in moving up past her position as editor, she says that as long as she is able to successfully guide a newsroom and help put out a good product that tells stories and informs people, "then I'm pretty happy."