Loth's panel was part of Women Reaching for the Top, the IWMF’s leadership training series. The two-day workshop was funded by the McCormick Tribune Foundation and held in collaboration with the Center for Public Leadership at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Carole Simpson, ABC News anchor and an IWMF board member, moderated the panel, which, in addition to Loth, included Coleen Marren, news director of WCVB, the ABC affiliate in Massachusetts; Jane Christo, general manager of The WBUR Group, and Karla Vallance, managing editor of electronic publishing at The Christian Science Monitor.
Flexibility Crucial
Coleen Marren said that flexibility is crucial to a career in the media. “In a lot of local television, you have to move to get ahead,” she said. Marren moved to various broadcast positions throughout New England before arriving in her current post. She urged journalists to find and rely on mentors for career advice. When Marren was breaking into television, most of her mentors were men, she said, but she now mentors many younger women in the field.
The panelists agreed that a career requires sacrifice. For example, Loth said that she had opted not to have children. “I think it would have been very difficult to have the career path that I’ve had, had I had small children at home,” she said. She added that most of the senior women editors at The Globe are single or don’t have children.
“People should know there are limits and do what they are comfortable doing,” said Jane Christo. “What having it all means for you is what makes you happy. And sometimes making you happy is not being married, not having children.”
Seek Balance
Carole Simpson said that women in the media need to make sure that they have balance in their lives and make time for themselves. She also stressed the importance of having a supportive spouse, noting that she has seen many divorces in the broadcast industry. “If you are going to have a career in this industry, which is very taxing, it takes a lot out of you. You’ve got to find the right mate,” she said.
Answering a question about women’s longevity in television news, Colleen Marren provided the example of Natalie Jacobson, an anchor at WCVB in Boston. Jacobson has been with the ABC affiliate for more than 30 years. “In local news, you really need to understand and work with the community … you are more valued if you do,” said Marren.
Most panelists agreed that standing up for yourself is necessary if you want to be successful. “I think it’s important to be assertive because people can be passed over and not noticed,” said Jane Christo.
The two-day program included a presentation on gender and power by former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell, who is a visiting professor at Harvard. It also included interactive sessions on assertiveness and self-promotion, career mapping, conflict resolution, communication in the workplace, managing relationships and risk-taking.
March 2003