Jack Hart, managing editor of The Oregonian, uses this questionnaire to gather information before coming to a newspaper for an editing workshop.
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Next month I'll be coming to the XXX to conduct a two-day professional development workshop for editors. We'll concentrate on how editors can help writers do their jobs.

You can help me do my job. Please give me a candid assessment of your relationship with your editor. At least four other writers will be doing the same thing, and none will be identified by name. So you'll be anonymous, and honest answers won't damage your relationship with your boss.

I'll use the collective response from all five writers as the basis for a conversation I'll have with your editor while I'm in XXX.

For each question on the attached performance inventory, circle the response that best describes your relationship with your editor. Give me any additional observations you have in the space provided. Then put the completed questionnaire into the attached envelope and drop it in the mail.

The whole thing should take about 10 minutes. Please mail your response by XXX.

Thanks,
Jack Hart

Questionnaire to gather information for an editing workshop

Editor's Performance Inventory

For each of the first 50 statements, participants are asked to answer from 1 - 5: 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree somewhat, 3 = well..., 4 = agree somewhat, 5 = strongly agree.

A. My editor ...

1. takes time to talk with me when I feel the need.

2. helps coordinate my work with other parts of the newsroom, such as photo, graphics, the library and so on.

3. does a good job of getting good play and support for my work from senior editors.

4. solicits my opinions before deciding on a story assignment.

5. motivates me to do my best work.

6. understands the way I work and adjusts his/her own style accordingly.

7. gives good advice on collecting and organizing information.

8. makes allowances for my idiosyncrasies.

9. gives me the space I need to do the job my way.

10. makes me feel good about my work.

11. is a comfortable person to talk with.

12. takes time to meet with me away from his/her desk.

13. gives me undivided attention when we talk.

14. consults with me before making major changes in my copy.

15. explains why he/she has made changes to my copy.

16. listens to my story ideas and follows through on them.

17. understands what I'm trying to say.

18. remembers to follow through on our unfinished business.

19. respects me as a professional.

20. gives me a fair share of his/her time.

21. takes a couple of minutes to talk with me after I get back from an assignment and before I start writing.

22. encourages me to try different approaches to stories, even when they're chancy.

23. praises my work in a way that makes me feel proud.

24. knows good writing when he/she sees it.

25. gives me articles, books or other written information that is helpful to me in my job.

26. never embarrasses me by criticizing my work in front of others.

27. gives specific writing advice that I can actually use when I'm at my keyboard.

28. gives me assignments that challenge me to keep learning new things.

29. challenges my assumptions in useful ways.

30. sets realistic deadlines.

31. keeps up with changes in the news business.

32. knows enough about my beat to give good advice.

33. consults with me on deciding how long a story should be.

34. gives me fast feedback when I turn in copy.

35. talks to me about the quality of my work almost every working day.

36. asks me to do the cutting on an overlong story.

37. is clear about story assignments.

38. doesn't change his/or her idea about an assignment after I've already put a lot of work into the original idea.

39. makes it clear that he/she wants me to succeed.

40. sometimes invites me to participate as he/she edits my stories.

41. knows how to explain what's wrong with my stories.

42. likes his/or her own job.

43. keeps me honest by correcting me when I deserve it.

44. has a sense of humor.

45. can see things from my point of view.

46. helps me find the focus of stories I'm reporting.

47. often reminds of what readers are likely to need or want.

48. keeps me informed about what newsroom managers are talking about and doing.

49. has good story ideas that I can get enthusiastic about.

50. often kicks stories back to me with good suggestions for how I can improve them.

B. The most important thing you should understand about my editor is that he/she:

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