Aaron Elson: On Copy Editing & World War II Oral History

05/25/21 • 55 min

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by 40-year copy editor and World War II oral historian Aaron Elson.

Aaron talked about his long career in newspapers, emphasizing his role as a counselor of wayward commas about their place in sentences, protecting the English language, and writing headlines

He also talked about his work compiling more than 600 hours of oral history of World War II and the books and podcasts he’s created from that. Aaron his written multiple books and hosts a podcast: War As My Father’s Tank Batallion Knew It. You can learn more about him at AaronElson.com.

Thank you for listening. Please rate and review if you can. Stay safe and stay well.

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by 40-year copy editor and World War II oral historian Aaron Elson.

Aaron talked about his long career in newspapers, emphasizing his role as a counselor of wayward commas about their place in sentences, protecting the English language, and writing headlines

Thank you for listening. Please rate and review if you can. Stay safe and stay well.

Previous Episode

Steve Novotney, Lede News (West Virginia)

On this episode, Mark Simon talked to Steve Novotney, a 30-year journalism veteran who co-founded Lede News to cover the Upper Ohio Valley in West Virginia.

Steve talked about his background in baseball, print media, and radio talk shows and all that led him to his current position as publisher and podcast host. Steve talked about the decline of local news and how his online newspaper intends to fill it. He gave examples of his coverage, including a photo essay in which he took pictures of 26 bridges around the state in an effort to alert governor Jim Justice to maintenance issues.

Steve is very much an old-school journalist trying to show that old school still plays in the digital age.

For more information on Steve and Lede News, check out this feature by John Miller.

Thank you for listening. Please rate and review if you can. Stay safe and stay well.

Next Episode

Carol Robidoux: Manchester Ink Link & a Lesson in Entrepreneurial Journalism

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Carol Robidoux, the founder and publisher of the Manchester Ink Link, a news website serving Manchester, New Hampshire and its surrounding community.

Carol talked about her path to her current role and explained what’s in a name – both the name of the website and her self-appointed title of Chief Instigating Officer. She also discussed what a news organization can do to reflect its community, and how a collaborative organization of multiple media outlets can be a gamechanger for the community.

Carol also saluted multiple other organizations that have helped her along the way and told a story of how a piece of advice from journalism professor Bob Cole changed her life.

Thank you for listening. Please rate and review if you can. Stay safe and stay well.