Warren Watson is the director of the J-Ideas high school initiative at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. He is also an associate at the American Press Institute, a past president of the Society for News Design and was co-chair of The American Editor Committee in 2004-05.

DENNIS RYERSON, EDITOR OF The Indianapolis Star, spends his days as a juggler, balancing the needs of the main print edition, while fortifying an ever-evolving package of other print and online products.

Such is the routine of the American editor in late 2007.

“Our Senior Editor/Visuals, Scott Goldman, has led our efforts,” says Ryerson, “to provide a clean, contemporary, well-organized, tightly packed newspaper. We’ve got a relatively new printing press and our reproduction is fantastic. We provide good variety in our presentation so we can offer readers something new each day.” An Iowa native with broad newspaper experience, Ryerson, the top news executive on one of the Midwest’s largest newspapers, says the paper has improved across the board, from editorial pages to headlines.

Those improvements carry to the online environment where the Star has pioneered a social networking Web site for moms, has one for pet owners and is about to roll out a new site for entertainment, nightlife, dining and other cultural events aimed at 18-34 and “active” older people.

Ryerson approaches the challenge by integrating all into one staff.

“The model of distinct, separate online and print operations doesn’t work for us. Each must reinforce the other so we can expand our reach and the depth of information we provide. Every person in our operation is aware of our online goals and how they can contribute to those goals,” said Ryerson.

“We are using the Web to supplement our print report in ways that support our goal of being the most complete source of local information in our community. We’ve a good start, but at this point we need to do much, much more.”

Q: What are the most important issues facing an editor of a metropolitan daily newspaper in 2007?

A: Finding a way to protect our First Amendment obligations and provide rewarding and stimulating content that educates, entertains and enlightens at the same time that we reallocate resources to providing more types of content to more groups of readers on a variety of platforms.

Q: What skills does the journalist of tomorrow need to possess?

A: Traditional skills/attributes: Passionate curiosity and a strong interest in community service and advocacy for those without advocates. The ability to make complex issues understandable. Skepticism balanced with fairness and of course, high standards of ethics. Strong knowledge of the history of and necessity for a an independent news/information media and its role in our system of self-government. The ability to understand consumers of news and how their lives intersect with the public/cultural life of the community at large.

New skills/attributes: An awareness of changing technology and how that can work to improve goals related to the above traditional skills, including providing communities with more, not less, information. A recognition of multi-media’s role and in many cases the technical skills to tell stories through multi-media techniques. An appreciation for the fact that consumers no longer will stand for our wasting their time with ponderous writing and boring presentation that fails to provide the information they are looking for.

Q: Newspapers are using readers as never before in developing content. You have embraced blogs, citizen journalism and other methods of feedback in The Indianapolis Star. Elaborate on why this is important.

A: A couple of reasons: Readers want to be part of the news, and we now can involve them much easier than ever before. Good journalists always have focused stories on impact, using broad sourcing. The Web is excellent at reinforcing both goals. Involving readers ensures better accuracy and balance.

Q: Many believe that popular attitudes toward the First Amendment and openness in government have weakened. Why should we care about the First Amendment and governing in the sunshine?

A: This is a more critical issue than ever before, as you suggest. Our work is special in part because of how we can illustrate mis- mal- and nonfeasance and other government issues. Readers know that through us, they have an advocate. Our special role as an advocate is eroded each time somebody puts another lid on some area of access.

Q: What are your personal priorities for the next year?

A: I need to find more time for myself and my family, take up something new – sailing, mastering the art of video editing – and in general find a way to recharge.

Q: How do you maximize staff effort at a time of budget tightening?

A: Few of us do all that we need to do, but in general the goals are: Reinforce good performance even more, make sure we aren’t writing the boring 12-inch story when the information can be provided in an infographic or other form, providing only what the reader needs to know, and plan, plan, plan. Editors of smaller papers with more limited staff know all too well that critical work won’t get done if you’re not planned well in advance. Choose fewer targets but go after what you pick really, really well.

Q: Your staff has developed something call Data Central. Tell us about your uses of databases and what that means to the reader/viewer?

A: This is part of building our role as the complete source of community information. Newspapers of course have traditionally been a place for news of record. When I started out, some of the best-read items were police logs, building permits and the like. We now have the opportunity to post a huge amount of information online, information that reinforces our reporting, information that people can use to improve their lives, information that can help them feel safer and live healthier lives. If we don’t get in on the ground floor and provide as much of this information as we can, somebody else will.

Q: Where will you be going on your next vacation?

A: No plans at the present. Ideally and probably someplace in South America – Peru or Nicaragua.

Q: When you were 10, what did you want to do when you grew up?

A: I wanted to be a physician.

Q: So, how did you discover journalism in the first place?

A: I had a nerdy interest as a child in what then was called “current events.” I also loved reading and did well in English. I grew up on Iowa rental farms where we worked very hard and had little if any time for vacations and off-farm play. Farm life bored me intensely. I yearned for something different and felt a sense of freedom in exploring things different from field and livestock chores: history, diverse cultures, science, geography, performing arts, anything other than farming. I think that coming from a modest background, I felt incredibly sympathetic for those without means and who weren’t given a fair chance to succeed. Put all of that in a box, shake it out, and it was a recipe for journalism.

Q: If you were to compare The Star to an automobile (make, year and model), what might it be? And why?

A: My comparison and that of readers would differ; I’d like to think we were a tightly packed, responsive, somewhat restless machine with a lot of new technology able to do things a couple of years ago wouldn’t have been imaginable - something like the car I drive, a silver blue Lexus IS 250.

Q: What will The Star look like in 10 years?

A: Nobody knows. The Star won’t be just The Star. We’ve renamed our organization The Indianapolis Star Media Group, which better fits the broad array of information products we now provide. The core likely will be more of a baby-boomer paper, probably more compact than it is now and one part of a media operation that includes a whole bunch of different information products. Our main focus will be digital delivery of interactive information in forms I can’t begin to imagine today. *