December 4, 2025
As a former adviser and director of student media, Barbara Allen has pretty much seen or heard it all when it comes to the relationships and power dynamics that can emerge inside college newsrooms. Friends may have to critique each others’ work. Newsroom colleagues develop crushes on each other. And so it goes. But a college newsroom is still a workplace, and certain rules must still apply—as Allen recently explained to about 60 collegiate student journalists and their advisers at MediaFest25 in Washington, D.C. The conference took place in mid-October and brought together students and professionals from the College Media Association, the Associated Collegiate Press and the Society for Professional Journalists. (You can see her entire presentation here.)
Allen spoke about the importance of basic principles, including:
- Integrity and accountability: Be honest, trustworthy, and own your decisions. When you mess up (and you will), admit it quickly.
- Clear communication: Articulate your vision, listen actively and make sure everyone knows what’s expected.
- Emotional intelligence: Understand your own emotions, empathize with others, and know your strengths and weaknesses.
- Strategic thinking: Think beyond today’s deadline. Build relationships, empower your team and focus on the bigger picture.
She also reviewed three key ingredients that she thinks make life a whole lot easier inside the student newsroom. Here is a summary of what she said:
Rule No. 1: Have and use an employee handbook. It protects your credibility when someone challenges a decision, because it demonstrates that decisions are not arbitrary. Don’t already have an employee handbook? Check out this Google Drive folder with examples to create your own.
Rule No. 2: Be consistent and fair. Apply the same standards to everyone, every time. Yes, even to your best friend who’s late with their story. Consistency is also part of how you build credibility.
Rule No. 3: Communication solves (almost) everything. This means hard conversations and uncomfortable moments. Allen tells student journalists to communicate early, often, and to everyone.
Allen talked about how hard it can be to hold friends accountable, how important it is not to cross-talk or share gossip as a leader, and the importance of having a network of friends to can count on outside of the newsroom. She also heard concerns from students, many of which reinforced the importance of communication and being able to separate professional from personal relationships.
During the conference, Allen also shared information about CELM’s mission and resources, sharing links to our website and distributing information about what we do.
Barbara Allen is a journalist, consultant and trainer with a 25-year track record in scholastic journalism, student media, and local reporting who writes a weekly newsletter about college journalism education. Before launching her own agency, she spent six years at Poynter as an editor, adjunct faculty and program director.