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60 | GRAVITAS MAGAZINE GravitasMag.com make their community stronger, especially in government coverage. Sometimes people don't have enough time in their lives to pay attention to what government is doing, they find it boring, or they are not able to associate it with their regular lives. But government is taking your money and doing things with it without your authority, so it's really important to let people know what is happening. Sometimes government is doing things it shouldn't be. It was important for me to try and make sure people understood what their leaders were doing. Did you have a mentor? I feel like I've been able to learn a lot from many important editors I've had over my career. I had one editor early on in my career as a manager who told me that if you remember to praise people liberally when you have to criticize them, it makes it a little bit easier for them to understand. You've been in journalism for more than 25 years. What is the state of the industry when you first started to today, and what has changed from your viewpoint? Obviously, it has changed tremendously. When I started in newspapers, there were lots of different kinds of media but newspapers were a big part of people's lives. Over time, especially with the rise of the Internet, people are getting their news in many different ways. at's affected how we do our jobs. How do you stay competitive as a news organization? One key thing to remember is that while anyone can publish something now on the Internet, not everybody has credibility. One thing we value very highly is our credibility and our ability to do real reporting, offer real facts and tell great stories to people that they know they can trust. at was true when we started and needs to remain true. When I started in newspapers, you would go out and report your story all day and then come back to office, write, turn it in at 6 p.m. and it would appear in the paper the next day. at would be the first time anyone knew of your story. Now you go out, report and immediately post online, then post frequent updates, and hone the story for the print audience. It's a very different rhythm. We still have the best journalists, I believe, in any medium. Even though we are smaller than we used to be, we have the best reporters and the best editors, and the largest staff to cover news. e difference is we are doing it with much more urgency and around the clock. Was the managing editor position something you always wanted? I have never really been a person who had the "I want to be in 5 years or the 10 years" title. I did know from an early age I wanted to be an editor. I liked helping to set the agenda. I like working with people and coaching them. ere were opportunities for younger people to advance in Tampa when I first started. After I did, my goal was to continue to find jobs where I was challenged and would do good work. I was very fortunate all along the way to have terrific bosses that gave me more responsibility and allowed me to grow. Unexpectedly at the end of 2013, the managing editor left to take another job. I thought I was ready for it and interested in helping lead this organization. Last June, I got the job. What was it like to be named the head From left to right: Lake Tahoe, a favorite destination where Jennifer and her family vacationed for one of their annual family reunions. Jennifer with her family at Epcot. At the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Jennifer was the editor in charge of the Metro Section, leading and organizing the local news coverage.