Fault Lines Chapters VIII and IX

Chapter 8: Bridging the Generation Gap

'What's 'in' and what's 'out,'' Marquita Smith asked interns and new staff during a workshop at The Virginian-Pilot.  Smith is Virginia Beach city editor at the paper and a Fault Lines trainer.

'I learned that MTV has been out; that MySpace was out compared to Facebook,' Smith said. 'Who knew?'

Smith began the session with a profile of Generation Y, also called Millennials-people born from 1977 to 2002:

'We discussed perceptions about the group - that they are lazy and like to play too much.' Smith said. 'Most of the perceptions were really negative -- that they are the 'microwave people;' that they are spoiled. '

The group talked about those perceptions and how it made them feel when they come into a workplace and others perceive that they have no work ethic. 'They can turn out a good story in 45 minutes,' Smith said. 'Part of that is because they have facility with the computer they are used to working quicker so they are playing longer.'

Smith said that though their 'lenses' are different from those of their co-workers, they still have value. 'They know a lot that we do not know and we do not give them much credit,' she said. 'They work differently from the way the boomers do.'

When the discussion turned to Generation Y's perceptions of older people, the answer was enlightening. 'They see us as workaholics, demanding, too serious, and not very bright about technology,' Smith said. 'One said some people are just so stiff and need to loosen up a bit. This group does not understand (the older generations') intensity or passion.

'It was an interesting way to talk about managing people and Fault Lines, to get the discussion there and then move into the content. It was a great setup for helping us see our blind spots.'

Smith, a Tennessee native, started working at the Virginian-Pilot in 2001. She said that once younger and older employees can acknowledge their own blind spots, they can learn from each other.

'I am still learning from the longtime employees about the history of the region,' she said. 'Some things they know because they were here. It is one thing to read about it an event, and another to ask someone who was here and who walked the streets.'


Chapter 9: Building Databases, Performance Evaluations

The Virginian-Pilot uses Fault Lines in other creative ways. Reporters and editors have constructed a database 'rolodex' of sources that includes fields for entering the source's race, age, gender, occupation (class), and where they live (geography). It's on a shared drive in the newsroom for all staff to access so reporters and editors can include fresh voices in stories.

What's more, the company promotes a diversity initiative, called 'Leveraging Difference.' Managers include it as a measure of self-evaluation on their performance reviews. For instance, Smith incorporates Fault Lines into her self-appraisal to help gauge her success in developing diverse sources to create more slice-of-life stories.