News

<< back to Spring 2005 news

Elsen shares Washington Post experience

By Greg Eckstrom
Eckstrom wrote this story for his Jl MC 202 Intermediate Reporting and Writing for the Mass Media class with Assistant Professor David Bulla.

Bill Elsen, who worked for The Washington Post for 34 years, discusses resumes with journalism and mass communication senior Ryan Smith on Jan. 28 in the Seminar Room. Elsen is currently working as part-time editor at Presstime, the monthly magazine of the Newspaper Association of America, and as a career development director and editor for reznetnews.org, an online newspaper produced by Native American college students. During his visit, Elsen spoke to several classes in the Greenlee School. Courtesy photo by Alison Sickelka

Bill Elsen, a former copy editor for The Washington Post, traveled amid a hectic schedule to Iowa State Jan. 24-28 to lend his expertise and knowledge to Greenlee School students.

"I know there’s a need for somebody who’s been in the business to drop in and just kind of bring that outside approach in,” said Elsen, who has held numerous positions during his career including executive sports editor, sports copy editor, director of recruitment, metro staff writer, assistant foreign editor, night news editor and night city editor.

His employment with The Washington Post lasted 34 years before he retired in March 2004.

Journalism has been Elsen’s vocation and passion dating back to his high school career.

After working for his high school paper as a reporter and an editor, Elsen had the experience to obtain a job at a daily newspaper before heading off to college at Vanderbilt University.

"By the time I got to Vanderbilt, I had three and a half years of experience writing high school sports," said Elsen, who was born in South Bend, Ind., grew up in Washington, D.C., and attended Gonzaga College High School. “I thought I wanted to be a sports writer, but gradually I had other things.”

Upon entering the military in 1967, Elsen was sent to Vietnam where he became a reporter for the military publication Stars and Stripes.
"Stars and Stripes was basically the first real serious reporting that I had done,” Elsen said.

After Vietnam, Elsen got a job at The Washington Post as a copy editor in the sports department. Eventually, he obtained a position as one of two directors of recruiting, where he was in charge of hiring individuals to work at the paper.

During his visit to Iowa State, Elsen gave lectures to classes.

Elsen emphasized the importance of effective interviewing skills in his lectures, as well as encouraged students to seek editing positions after graduation.

Elsen also met with individual students to discuss resumes and journalism careers. Student response was positive as Elsen’s final-day schedule was completely booked.

Elsen’s visit to Iowa State is just one of many campuses Elsen plans to visit in the upcoming months.

Besides working as an editor of an online newspaper and as a contributing editor of a monthly magazine, Elsen has been traveling to schools and conventions, sharing his knowledge of journalism.

"Word of mouth is being spread, and I have to not get too crazy traveling,” Elsen said.

<< back to Spring 2005 news

 

Page Design: Seth Erickson, Greenlee Web Team
Last updated: February 28, 2005
Comments: webteam@jlmc.iastate.edu
Copyright © 1996-2002, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. All rights reserved.
URL: http://www.jlmc.iastate.edu/