News-Record.com

Christie Tatum is president of the Society of Professional Journalists. She started her professional career as a reporter at the News & Record. With the help of the inimitable Ed Williams, a longtime reporter and editor here -- you know him now as our wine columnist --she has compiled an 11-point list of lessons for journalists. (Via Mindy McAdams.)

Journalists and writers ought to dig into Christie's post and take its lessons to heart. I've learned from it. It is a wonderful foundation for a journalism course. Read it.

From Point 2, and I do this solely to embarrass Ed:

Ed is a great guy who can be a huge pain in the you-know-what when your copy is in his hands. I remember nights when he made me cry -- unintentionally, I'm sure -- and question my decision to enter this field. He poked, pushed and prodded me to do my best work. Always. No exceptions. No questions asked.

While none of this may sound like much fun to you, I look back at my days working with Ed as some of the most interesting and rewarding of my career. I grew and grew as a result. I have had the privilege of working with some of the nation's best editors, and I can assure you that Ed Williams is among them. Every journalist in the country would be lucky to have his or her copy sent even once through his wringer. I know I was.