Elinor Tatum’93 publishes the nation’s
oldest continuously minority-owned newspaper. She learned the business
by editing the campus student newspaper, The
Hill News. As both a campus journalist and a student government
senator, she learned how organizations work. . Going on tour as a
member of the Laurentian
Singers, she learned how to handle new situations. In these and
many other pursuits at St. Lawrence, she learned great people
skills.
This all came in handy when she joined the The
Amsterdam News, the oldest
continuously-published black newspaper in New York City, a year after graduating. “I
learned how to juggle a schedule, get access to people, meet deadlines and manage
others, all of which I do now,” says the head of the nation’s oldest
continuously minority-owned newspaper; she is ultimately responsible
for every aspect of the paper’s operation.
Among other fond memories of St. Lawrence, Tatum cites studying for finals at
a nearby scenic waterfall; going to Ottawa, Canada ’s capital, for coffee;
and writing a paper on St. Lawrence’s first graduate for a history course
that taught her to use primary sources – another critical skill for a journalist.
Her sorority sisters have remained among her closest friends, she adds.
When asked what advice she would give aspiring journalists, Tatum says, “Gain
as much experience as possible. Get involved in college publications.
Get an internship. Find
a small-town weekly or neighborhood paper to write for. Acquire bylines.” Her
own career is an example.
