Virtual Expert: Mike Wilson

Mike Wilson of Farm Futures magazine placed first in the Personality Profile category in the 2005 AAEA Writing Awards Program.

The planning stage: Please give some background on why you chose the story topic that won your award. What gave you the idea for that topic? What were your goals when you began to plan the story?

The editors were putting together the story list for the first re-launch issue of Farm Futures, which had been dormant for six years. We wanted to establish with our readers the editorial focus: management, marketing and strategic decision-making. Our goal is to write for, and about, farmers who are interested in these topics. We made a decision that this issue should include a profile of a successful manager. Based on past experience I called Dave Weber, an Illinois farmer well known for his management savvy. My goal was to give readers an inside perspective to Weber's mindset as he went about the business of making decisions for his farm.

The fact gathering stage: How did you choose the people to interview for your story? What were your primary sources of information? Did you use the Web? How and where did you conduct interviews? Did you do the interviews face-to-face, phone, or email, and which is best? How did you get information and good quotes from your sources? How did you determine whom to interview, and when did you know that you had done enough interviewing/researching?

I chose Dave Weber based on brainstorming sessions with our other editors. We felt Dave would be the best source for a profile in the re-launch issue of Farm Futures. I asked my colleagues who had interviewed Dave in the past if they could give me some ideas; these tips helped immensely with the interview. I conducted two telephone interviews with Dave, plus several follow-ups on e-mail. The best way to handle any interview is face-to-face, but that was not possible in this situation. I would only use the Web for background. Since this was a profile, I put myself in the readers' shoes and tried to determine if I had answered all the questions I might have about this person.

The writing stage: Why or how did you choose the story lead? Did you outline the story or organize the general flow ahead of time, before you began to write? What writing style did you choose, and why? How many re-writes did you do? How did you choose sidebar stories? Did you have an editor or colleague review your story, offer suggestions, look for holes in your reporting? How do you check facts?

I had heard from a colleague that Mr. Weber had an interest in painting. I was intrigued at the idea of making a connection between his painting interests and his love for spreadsheets. After the interviews I realized I could make that connection into the lead. I usually outline these kinds of profiles in my head in advance for interviewing purposes; later on, the outline changes after the interviews are completed. As for writing styles, we generally follow the Wall Street Journal formula.

The story was re-written three times with additional suggestions from colleagues. The sidebar developed naturally after looking through my notes; I realized there was a set of tips that could be brought out and highlighted separate from the profile itself. As always, we fact-check the story with the sources to ensure accuracy.

How did you begin your career? What advice do you have for those just graduating in ag communications? What does it mean to be a member of AAEA? How do you maintain a high standard of ethics in your writing and your career?

I began my career as an associate editor with The National Future Farmer magazine. This is the publication of the FFA, which later became FFA New Horizons. This was an excellent opportunity to travel and meet many young people and farmers, and hone my writing skills in an independent work environment.

The AAEA is an important part of my professional life. Most of my good friendships came from AAEA connections. I really enjoy the networking and fellowship as well as the professional improvement opportunities.

I think the ethics question is driven by an intuitive desire to do the right thing on behalf of the people you serve, namely, your readers, and the publication(s) you work for. You want to be honest, accurate and fair in your work because at the end of the day, you must earn the trust of your reader if you expect them to have any faith in the information you provide them. A publication is only as good as the words printed on its paper (or in cyberspace), and the trust and loyalty those words instill in its reader.

Any other advice for young people considering a career in ag communications?

The agricultural communications field is unique in that it allows you to work in an environment with like-minded people interested in agriculture, something that benefits everyone. As long as you don't expect to get rich, you're in for a satisfying, meaningful career.