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Michael Days, MA '76

What do you do, and how did you get your job?
I'm the editor of one of the most engaging newspapers in the country. Because we sell most (97 percent) of our papers on the street, we spend a great deal of time focusing on the front page because for many of our readers it makes the difference in terms of whether they'll pluck down 60 cents to buy the newspaper, or not. The street-sale nature of the news makes the staff very market savvy and quite business savvy. It's an exciting place to work. I'm editor now because the recently retired editor, Zack Stalberg, took an interest in me years ago and basically groomed me to be his replacement.

What's your favorite memory from the J-School?
When I attended Missouri in the mid-'70s, we were still in the era of writing stories on typewriters; most were actually electric. At the time, George Kennedy was the city editor, and he struck terror in most of us. Deadlines were not to be missed, regardless, no excuses. He didn't mind strolling down the aisle and ripping the paper right out of the typewriter in mid-sentence. It was mortifying then, but a valuable lesson that now brings a smile to my face.

What is your best professional lesson learned at the J-School?
You have to play to your strengths. In a town where it seemed like everyone had been interviewed by at least one Mizzou journalist daily, people were hesitant to take the time to talk. I learned then that there are usually two ways to get people to open up: you can bully them, or you can charm them. Bullying just didn't work for me, so I learned to turn on the charm, as much as necessary. It usually worked.

What is one thing you wish you had done while in the J-School?
I should have stayed longer and taken photography classes, broadcast courses, more finance and management and psychology courses. The one thing you realize when you're fully entrenched in the working world is that school was quite a luxury, quite a treat, and you never really have the opportunity to explore so many different disciplines in such an intense way. I'm not sure now why I was in such a rush to complete my master's. Missouri's J-School is a very special place.

What is your best advice to those interested in media?
Be prepared to work across a lot platforms - print, broadcast, online - and whatever else emerges. Read, write, challenge yourselves and your friends. Take career chances, and expect the best.

How important is it that you are African-American and editor of a major newspaper?
When I was starting out in the late '70s, there were not a ton of black journalists working at mainstream newspapers, or radio and TV stations either, for that matter. Most of us were in our 20s, so when we gathered, usually at functions like National Association of Black Journalists, the conversation would be passionate and intense about how to marry our blackness and the journalism. I never believed there could be and should be a dichotomy. So I've always gone about my career striving to be the best journalist while being quite comfortable in my own skin. I think just being a real, authentic person has helped me be a good journalist and a good leader. In that way, I'm very proud to be the editor of the Daily News who is also an African-American.

What does the Missouri School of Journalism mean to you?
Quality. Real world experience. Enduring pride in the fact that I'm an alum of the best journalism school on the planet. I've always felt that my time at Missouri prepared me to "do battle" wherever I have worked.