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Emily Tsao


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The new continuous news editor of DallasNews.com writes a few thoughts about change and keeping pace in the ever-shifting news-delivery world.

Emily Tsao joined our chapter 1 1/2 years ago when she left her daily beat reporting position at The Oregonian to become an assistant features editor at The Dallas Morning News. Since January, she has been the continuous news desk editor, helping bridge The Dallas Morning News with its Internet counterpart, DallasNews.com.

She stopped for a few minutes to answer some questions about the swirl of change around her and staying in-step. Her main piece of advice for journalists of all ages: "Be flexible and have an open mind."

Please briefly describe your background.
I have had a passion for journalism since I was a little kid and have worked on school newspapers since the fifth grade. I was on the student staff of AAJA Voices in 1994 and a professional volunteer on the project for many years. I worked as a reporter at The Associated Press and The Oregonian for about 10 years. I came to The Dallas Morning News in 2005.

How different was editing for a weekly section from reporting for the daily sections?
Coming to Texas was a big change for me. I had moved from Portland to Dallas. I was moving from reporting to editing. I was moving from daily news deadlines to weekly features deadlines. There was a lot to adjust to - and I embraced it because I was looking for change and the opportunity to try new things. I also received tremendous support and guidance from the leadership at the newspaper, and they provided me an extremely smooth transition.

How long were you working your job before you learned it could be eliminated?
I had been at the DMN for almost a year when I learned of the buyouts. (I was actually at the AAJA convention in Hawaii when I got the news.)

How did you feel initially when you heard the news of buyouts at the newspaper?
The news was not surprising. In the past few years, several major newspapers have announced layoffs, buyouts or staff reductions. At the same time, you hope for the best.

How different is your new editing job from your previous position?
I transitioned back to breaking news, so the pace is completely different. When I worked for the AP, we were still writing mainly for newspapers. In the new job, I'm writing and editing for the Web and we are competing with other Web sites. That means the pacing is even faster. There are also more elements to a story. We're not only thinking about words and photos, but also video, surveys, chats and other multimedia features that give our readers a complete Web experience.

What do you think is the future of newspapers?
I don't think I am saying anything new here -- the industry is going through a transition period. But at the end of the day, there will always be a place for good journalism.

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