{"id":95623,"date":"2021-03-16T16:57:01","date_gmt":"2021-03-16T21:57:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=95623"},"modified":"2021-03-16T17:17:19","modified_gmt":"2021-03-16T22:17:19","slug":"editor-focuses-on-growing-a-gender-focused-newsroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/editor-focuses-on-growing-a-gender-focused-newsroom\/","title":{"rendered":"How the 19th\u2019s EIC grew a gender-focused newsroom"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Bryce Jones<\/strong>
\nMedill Reports<\/em><\/p>\n

When Andrea Valdez stepped off of the flight that brought her to San Francisco in March 2017, the first thing she noticed was the overcast sky and the chill in the air \u2013 after spending most of her life in her native state of Texas, that wasn\u2019t something she was used to. In addition to leaving behind her home, she said goodbye her parents, Ray and Lydia, older brother, Philip, husband, Beau, and her job as web editor at Texas Monthly<\/a> to make her first major career change in a decade, stepping into the role of editor at Wired.com<\/a>. She packed two suitcases, thinking she would secure a real place to live in California, but ended up living out of those suitcases in various rentals for the two years she spent there. \u201cThe whole experience was strange,\u201d Valdez said. \u201cBut I wouldn\u2019t change it for anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a self-described person of routine and habit, Valdez was sad to leave Texas Monthly \u2013 her dream publication since graduate school \u2013 but she felt being there for so long had limited her worldview. The transition to Wired pushed Valdez out of her comfort zone in almost every aspect: the physical move, managing a large team, running the site for an international publication. All of this, combined with her desire to lead with grace, heightened the feelings of imposter syndrome she\u2019d dealt with throughout her time as a journalist. Valdez would often ask herself, \u201cAm I doing as well as I can?\u201d<\/p>\n

Almost four years later, Valdez, 37, opened up while Zooming me from her home in Austin, Texas, about how she still internally battles this anxiety. Some days are harder than others due to the pressure of working as a leader in such a high-intensity field. (Sometimes she even longs for the job she had in college where she made dog treats.) However, she has persisted with tenacity \u2013 graduating from Medill in 2006, working her way through editorial ranks and landing at one of the highest positions in the journalism world: editor in chief of a new newsroom called the 19th<\/a>. Named after the amendment, its mission is right in line with her feminist values. And being a woman of color in an industry where white men dominate<\/a> at the top speaks to the barriers she\u2019s pushed through.<\/p>\n

Abby Johnston, a three-time colleague of Valdez (whom she proudly referred to as her \u201cwork wife\u201d) and deputy editor of the 19th, understands those feelings of insecurity, saying it\u2019s common among women in the industry. She remembers Valdez calling a lot when she started at Wired, expressing how invested she was in proving she was the right person for the job. But Johnston has full confidence in Valdez\u2019s abilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor anyone who knows Andrea, it\u2019s like whatever position she is given, she is going to be the right person for it because that\u2019s the kind of person she is. She\u2019s such a hard worker. If she\u2019s given a task of any kind, she\u2019s going to throw 1,000% into it.\u201d<\/p>\n

After just over two years in California,<\/strong> Valdez received an opportunity to make her way back home: an offer to be the editor in chief of the Texas Observer<\/a>, a nonprofit news organization with a focus in local politics and culture. While she only stayed in that position for eight months, it was a role that in a way foreshadowed what was to come \u2013 telling stories of politics through the lens of gender.<\/p>\n

In the fall of last year, former Texas Tribune<\/a> editor in chief and CEO Emily Ramshaw (BSJ \u201903) approached Valdez about starting a digital publication that would focus on gender, politics and policy. The more they discussed and planned, the more Valdez\u2019s excitement grew. On Jan. 27, 2020, the website had its \u201csoft launch.\u201d A little over a year later, its Twitter<\/a> account now has over 68,000 followers.<\/p>\n

Because the 19th is so young, Valdez stepped into the position of not only leading a newsroom but also making it her own. There was no luxury of reading archives or asking previous editors for help or advice.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the pros is you get to craft it yourself, and that\u2019s really exciting and thrilling,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s not every day you get an opportunity to do that. But one of the challenges is you have to craft it yourself. The thing that makes this such a wonderful opportunity is also what makes it a challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

And the pandemic posed another challenge: Valdez hasn\u2019t met the bulk of the nine editors and reporters she manages in person yet. For her day to day, she focuses on creating a good culture and keeping morale high. She and her team get to know one another through Zoom happy hours and share recipes and photos of family on Slack.<\/p>\n

The official launch date arrived in the midst of lockdown in August, something the 19th originally reassessed: Is now the right time? But eventually they came to the conclusion that it actually underscored their mission \u2013 COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted women. And for Valdez, \u201cevery issue is a woman\u2019s issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

That statement is at the core of the 19th and Valdez\u2019s vision for it. She wants to tell stories readers wouldn\u2019t find anywhere else but are sitting in plain view, with a sharp focus on gender. \u201cAmerica\u2019s first female recession\u201d was the first story published after the August launch, a fact Valdez easily recalled. She explained with genuine passion that the pandemic has led to the first time women have had a larger economic downturn than men since 1948.<\/p>\n

To tell these stories, Valdez focuses on being human-centric. Having grown up in the magazine world and being part of the specialization at Medill, Valdez believes it\u2019s important for everyone to see themselves reflected in journalism, especially those from underrepresented or underserved communities. Being Latina, she\u2019s able to bring that value to the 19th, and being a Texan makes it even more meaningful to her. \u201cThe only thing more important than being a Texan,\u201d she said, \u201cis being a woman.\u201d<\/p>\n

When she was younger, <\/strong>Valdez didn\u2019t know what she wanted to be. She just knew she wanted to read. Encouraged by her dad, who she deemed a \u201cchampion of reading,\u201d throughout her childhood she frequented her neighborhood library in Houston. It smelled like books, and her mom had to laminate her brown-and-white library card because she used it so much. Eventually, she was old enough to graduate from the children\u2019s section to the bookshelves that held the young adult novels. Later on, that passion led her to major in English at the University of Texas at Austin.<\/p>\n

Valdez\u2019s interest in women\u2019s rights has always been in the back of her mind, but it likely bloomed during her time in undergrad, spurred by \u201cThe Feminine Mystique\u201d by Betty Friedan. In addition to learning about feminism and gender equality, taking a class in Chicana studies while at UT \u2013\u00a0seeing women represented in Mexican culture and how they\u2019ve been written and talked about \u2013\u00a0was also formative for her as a Latina, opening her eyes to the importance of intersectionality.<\/p>\n

Although she had a love-hate relationship with Texas growing up (as teenagers usually do with their home state), Valdez didn\u2019t leave until after she got her bachelor\u2019s degree in 2005, when she decided her passion for telling stories was leading her to journalism. So she applied to Medill.<\/p>\n

The morning Hurricane Katrina made landfall, Valdez packed her car and put 1,100 miles between her and her hometown. As she drove north toward Evanston with her parents, gas prices rose and traffic thickened. It felt ominous, and leaving her new fianc\u00e9e was hard, but Valdez felt ready to tackle the year. And she had a clear goal in mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was a girl from Texas,\u201d said Patti Wolter, one of Valdez\u2019s professors at Medill. \u201cShe wanted to work for Texas Monthly magazine, and she definitely had a sense of what the path to the job is.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Wolter didn\u2019t meet her until her third quarter; Valdez said the only thing she knew upon arriving at Northwestern University was that she wanted to find a way back to Texas. Her transition to graduate school was also a transition to journalism \u2013 she worked at a small magazine during undergrad, but even with that experience, it was hard not to feel like an imposter. Throughout her time at Medill though, Valdez found her niche and a group of friends. She recalls the way the professors in her selected specialization of Magazine, such as Wolter and now-Dean Charles Whitaker, talked to her was one of the first times she was treated like a full-fledged adult.<\/p>\n

During Quarter 3, she and 18 other students worked together to develop a publication, which they named Hyperlink Magazine, for their Magazine Publishing Project. Valdez took over the role of the marketing research head, and Wolter said that although there were always conflicts during that project, she was respected by her classmates and was \u201cthe adult in the room.\u201d Looking back, Valdez said that experience taught her the importance of a good concept and understanding your audience. Overall, being a graduate student strengthened her resolve in journalism.<\/p>\n

The year went by quickly, Valdez referring to it as a \u201cnice adventure.\u201d She graduated in 2006 and secured a job as a fact checker at Texas Monthly, headquartered in Austin \u2013 just two and a half hours from her hometown.\u00a0Wolter recommended Valdez to Evan Smith (MSJ \u201988), the editor at the time, something she doesn\u2019t do unless she truly means it. \u201cHere\u2019s someone I think will hit the ball out of the park,\u201d she remembers thinking.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was elated,\u201d Valdez said. \u201cI felt very fortunate and very happy that not only did I get a job in journalism, but that I got a job that brought me back to Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Texas Monthly defined Valdez\u2019s early career, as she worked her way from editorial assistant to editor of texasmonthly.com over the course of about 10 years. But at the start, she wanted to try writing.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s evident how thankful Valdez is to her previous editors for giving her the chance to do so; she expressed more than once how generous they were to her. Titled \u201cThe Manual,\u201d Valdez began a column about none other than how to dress, walk and talk like a Texan. She wrote her first story about how to buy boots.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the first time I was published in a magazine where I was like, \u2018Oh my gosh, I can\u2019t believe they published my name!\u2019\u201d she said with a laugh. \u201cI will admit, I didn\u2019t know what I was doing, and the story was really cruddy, and it needed a lot of editing. But I learned a lot from that first experience. The second one I turned in was \u2018How to brand a calf,\u2019 and I remember I just felt so much more comfortable. I felt just much more equipped to write a second piece.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just going through the process once, working through it with her editor, helped raise her confidence enough to keep going with the column. Eventually, Valdez turned it into a book<\/a> of the same name. Despite her anxiety, she did something not many people can say they\u2019ve done.<\/p>\n

In the summer of 2011,<\/strong> Valdez was running the Texas Monthly website, and Johnston was 21 years old and working at the publication as a web editor intern. Although they didn\u2019t work together much, she looked up to Valdez \u2013 her first impression was that she \u201cwas a badass.\u201d<\/p>\n

Valdez describes falling into the position of editor of Texasmonthly.com \u2013 she wanted to edit, and that was the only editing job open she felt qualified for. \u201cI wasn\u2019t good at it, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

But Katy Vine, the executive editor at Texas Monthly, was able to watch Valdez move through the ranks and always thought she was a fantastic talent. \u201cI [was able] to see her in that capacity [as web editor], and that was really interesting to watch her just grow and come up with more ideas and start to run the show,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Determined to excel, Valdez worked long hours to figure out what it takes to run a publication\u2019s website and essentially built the foundation for everything she knows now \u2013 editing, leading a team, building a website, navigating the inner workings of digital platforms. Being at a smaller newsroom gave her the luxury of trying different things and doing it all, which gave her the ability to take those skills to a larger publication.<\/p>\n

Being at Wired.com was the most formative professional experience Valdez had. The Conde Nast publication garners 64.5 million unique users<\/a> on its website worldwide. After being at Texas Monthly for 10 years, Valdez felt challenged in her role of editor and sometimes even overwhelmed. But she was able to learn tech policy while managing a digital team of 30 people, and she only left when she found an opportunity to, once again, return to Texas.<\/p>\n

Despite her tendency to doubt herself, Valdez has the ability to make those around her feel comfortable. In the opinion of Vine, it\u2019s not the fact that she\u2019s good with copy that sets her apart. It\u2019s her enthusiasm, grace, calming nature and the way she obviously loves being around other people (you can tell by the way she greets her writers with a smile and genuine excitement, Vine said) that make her special.<\/p>\n

When Valdez started at Texas Monthly in 2006 as a fact checker, she and Vine worked on a few stories together that got intense. Once they were reporting for an article about sex education, and right before deadline they got a call from a source wanting to retract some of his quotes, claiming he didn\u2019t say them. They had to go back through the audio to prove he did, and throughout the whole situation, Valdez remained chill, simply letting out a laugh and assuring Vine that everything would be OK. \u201cShe was a trouper,\u201d Vine said. \u201cShe thrived on that adrenaline without getting grouchy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s always the person you can call and say, \u2018Hey, this is what I\u2019m going through right now,\u2019\u201d Johnston said. \u201cShe\u2019s [that person] for me more than she needs to be. A lot of editors in chief are not as accessible as [Valdez]; there\u2019s sort of this separation \u2013 you can\u2019t have your meltdown to the editor in chief. But with [Valdez], no matter what she\u2019s doing, she makes room to talk things through and be there for her people.\u201d<\/p>\n

As editor in chief of the 19th, Valdez employs these values. \u201cWriters need help and need you [the editor] to be a partner,\u201d she said. The team has plans to expand coverage to areas like education after focusing on the election and its aftermath. But the overarching focus and goal will always be to champion gender equity in political journalism. More specifically, to tell stories that ask: Does policy champion equity, or does it disrupt equity? Valdez\u2019s passion empowers this work, and her graciousness and work ethic make her a leader to others.<\/p>\n

She may not admit it, but Johnston will: Everyone who has worked with Valdez anticipated she would end up somewhere she would call the shots.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe has just been able to prove everyone at the 19th what an incredible person she is, and what an incredible editor and leader she is,\u201d she said. \u201cGetting to watch everyone else learn about her and understand how she is reminded me that she\u2019s a very special person. It reminded me how lucky I am to know her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bryce is in the magazine specialization at Medill. You can follow her on Twitter at <\/i>@BryceKJones.<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Bryce Jones Medill Reports When Andrea Valdez stepped off of the flight that brought her to San Francisco in March 2017, the first thing she noticed was the overcast sky and the chill in the air \u2013 after spending most of her life in her native state of Texas, that wasn\u2019t something she was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":754,"featured_media":95624,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[452,28,4892],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95623","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beyond-chicago","category-general-interest","category-winter-2020"],"yoast_head":"\nHow the 19th\u2019s EIC grew a gender-focused newsroom - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Medill alumna Andrea Valdez joined the 19th as editor in chief after climbing the journalistic ladder at Texas Monthly and Wired.com.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/editor-focuses-on-growing-a-gender-focused-newsroom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How the 19th\u2019s EIC grew a gender-focused newsroom - 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