I appreciate your column on this subject. I'm due with my first child at the end of april and I don't have as much freedom.

Although I work for a radio news network for some reason we're too small to get FMLA so i have to take short term disability. Not only that I'm expected to take only 6 weeks.. perhaps it's because all my superiors are men..

But I'm also worried because I'm a young journalist with only one year of full time work under my belt. I'm not aware of many freelance opportunities for broadcast reporters if I were to somehow get more time to stay at home.

Thanks again for writing about this important topic. I wish people would realize how much women can do for their companies if they're given some time to take off and relax and come back revitalized.

First, M, stay encouraged -- and know that you're about to assume a role and gain management experience that easily trumps the importance of any hoity-toity title a newsroom can dream up. Executive blah, blah, blah? Whatever.

Second, know that I couldn't agree with you more: Decent parental leave is darned important, and the time and resources it sucks out of a newsroom are nothing, absolutely nothing, in the grand scheme of a career. When a journalist has demonstrated talent, energy and profound commitment to his or her work, well, call me crazy (because we all know how hormonal I am right now ... Snort.), but I think the smartest management strategy is to develop creative and innovative ways that let a person continue working.

Here's the catch: Way too many managers don't want to make the time to be innovative and creative. They also have these goofy notions running along the lines of, "If I can't see you, you must not be working." I could go on and on about similarly kooky logic, but I'll spare you ...

Indeed, the circumstances you describe are difficult. But they aren't impossible to surmount. It is possible to be a great parent and a great journalist simultaneously. I wish I had some magic formula to dish -- but the best I can do is share some of my experience and a few suggestions (Help me out here, parents -- and newsroom managers! I'm sure you've got plenty of other things you could recommend for M.):

Think broadly about your abilities. Yes, you're collecting a paycheck for being a radio broadcast reporter, but don't forget that the skills you have could translate easily into any number of newsrooms. Think online. Think newspapers/weeklies/trades/alternatives. Think television. You're more than a radio news reporter -- and you shouldn't hesitate to try something new if the newsroom you're working for doesn't meet your expectations.

Don't wait until the last minute to discuss these matters with your supervisors. Well before taking my first maternity leave, I met with my editors to discuss ways I might be helpful to the newsroom while I was away. That, I believe, built some trust. I wrote occasionally (even cranked out a feature about how to make baby food), contributed to the paper's reporting occasionally and sent e-mails about interesting things I'd found out in the community. (Side note: Parenthood has made me a better journalist. Because of my children, I have tapped into social and community circles I never would have otherwise ... The paper has benefited as a result.) My level of activity suited me just fine -- and also helped my editors see that I could be counted on to work from home after my return from leave.

Don't worry so much about your level of professional experience. Sure, you could worry yourself into knots about this, but what's that going to accomplish? Focus on what you can do, what you want to do -- and make those things happen. Just as you can pigeonhole yourself as a "radio reporter," you can psyche yourself out of decent opportunities because you're selling short your abilities.

Thanks much for writing, M. Am hoping other working parents will chime in. And as more things occur to me, I'll certainly post them here.

I received these comments from a former SPJ national president, who also has observed that some journalists feel pressured to stifle their emotions where matters of pregnancy and parenthood are concerned:

"I was at an IRE conference years ago, and they had put together a panel of female journalists on work issues. It was a tear-jerker then. I remember one woman telling a story about how she had a miscarriage, spent 15 minutes in the bathroom, then went right back to her desk (fearing that male coworkers just wouldn't understand if she couldn't meet a deadline or took time off).

The panel included some heavy hitters and then well known writers like Edna Buchanan. Probably a good topic for SPJ's upcoming national convention ..."

I work for Bloomberg, and have for more than seven years. My radio producer is on a leave now, after having had her first child in late November. She is due back April 1.

Here are the key elements of the written policy:
Bloomberg will provide family/medical leave to eligible employees requiring time off for the following reasons:
o To care for their newborn child or for the adoption or foster placement of a child (within
12 months of the birth, adoption or placement).
o For their own serious health condition, including pregnancy and on-the-job illnesses or
injuries, which makes them unable to perform the essential functions of their job (referred
to as "medical leave").

Employees, who have been employed at Bloomberg for at least 12 months and have actually
worked at least 1,250 hours during the 12-month period preceding their leave, are eligible to receive up to 12 weeks of family/medical leave in a 12-month period (measured from the date an employee's
first family/medical leave begins).

Employees who wish to take intermittent or reduced schedule leave may, at Bloomberg's discretion and unless prohibited by law, be transferred to a position for which they are qualified and for which they will receive equivalent pay and benefits, which may better accommodate such leave.

Employees are not required to use any of their paid time off during the leave.

Employees taking leave to care for a newborn or newly adopted or foster-placed child who require additional leave for this same purpose may at the discretion of Bloomberg be granted an additional 4 weeks of unpaid leave time, unless state law requires otherwise, immediately following the exhaustion of the initial 12 weeks of paid leave.

-- We also have a specific parental leave policy --
Bloomberg is committed to supporting parents when they welcome a newborn, adopted, or fosterplaced child into their home. Under this policy, eligible employees are provided with time off so that they can care for and bond with their new child.
Short-Term Disability Leave for Birth Mothers – Full time employees who have just given birth may be eligible to receive up to eight weeks paid leave while on pregnancy disability.
1 Birth mothers and their health care providers will be required to provide complete medical evidence to support disability claims. These weeks of paid short-term disability leave run concurrent with any family/medical leave approved time off for which you may be eligible.
Additional Parental Leave - Employees who wish to take additional leave to care for a new child may do so (however, such leave will be unpaid. All weeks of parental leave,
whether paid or unpaid, run concurrent with any family/medical approved time off for which you may be eligible.

These policies are clearly spelled out in a policy guidebook presented to every new employee. The policies are reviewed or revised each year.

As of now, I am unaware of any on-site child care benefits. The Washington, D.C., office does NOT have any special place for children of working parents.

I worked for the Kansas City Star and also found myself having two babies in two years. I returned in 1997, after my second leave, to a bad evaluation. I was marked down because my production had fallen off. My story count was the second-highest in my bureau so I couldn't figure it out. I also applied for a different reporting job (kind of a lateral move to a bureau closer to home.) I didn't get it, and one reason given was that I had "lost my energy level."
  I refused to sign my evaluation. I told my editor that I had been on maternity leave six months of the last two years and comparing my story count to someone who'd been there 24 months wasn't fair. Even so, my count was great. So what gave? My wonderful editor agreed that the evaluation was wrong. It wasn't he but those above him (all males) who had changed it. I stayed at the paper another three years and did great work, but I never felt supported. I tried to work out a job-sharing arrangement but was shot down.
  Finally in 2001, as my older child was getting ready to go to kindergarten, I felt I had no other choice but to leave. I needed more flexibility and I couldn't get it. I made my reasons known, but I remember that the day before my last day one of the managing editors was in our bureau. He told me the paper would miss me but that he understood I wanted to be with my kids. Not entirely true. I did want to be with my kids, but I wanted to work, too.
  Interestingly, the paper now has one part-time reporter. He's a man who decided he wanted more time with his kids but wanted to work. He got what he wanted, but I know of several women there who have not been able to recieve that benefit.

Thanks so much, K, for sharing your story.
You raise an interesting issue that has long bugged me: heavy emphasis on story counts as a means of evaluating job performance. That's a lazy way to measure a journalist's work. Might reflect quanity, but it sure doesn't reflect quality.
Early in my career, I worked for a newspaper where the managers decided in secret to count reporters' bylines. Their covert work was blown when one of them left a memo lying around the newsroom. The whole mess angered me so much that the next day I sat down and cranked out six 9-inch stories (in keeping with the paper's design). That was 54 inches of copy banged out in just under eight hours. Much of it was absolute drivel -- I think I even wrote about a city ordering an extra snow plow -- but my editor was delighted. He was slotting those stories  as fast as I could file them.
When finished, I simply told him that I was aware of the byline counting, had delivered work I wasn't particularly proud of -- but that I wanted credit for cranking out those stories. I'll never forget the look on his face. Am pretty sure I made my point ...

Christine,
I heard you speak when I brought a group of student newspaper editors to the SPJ event at UW. You were inspiring and truthful. I was only disappointed I didn't get to chat with you in person.
First, I LOATHE the concept of "Mommy Wars." It's a false choice that presumes dads are distant and inconsequential.
That said, this is an important topic in our industry, which is a bit of a dinosaur in this respect.
When I was pregnant with my first child seven years ago, I took a job as an editorial page editor at a small daily. I had a rough pregnancy and was incredibly ill. My boss allowed me to work from home and I was able to get much more done--so much nicer to puke in the privacy of one's own bathroom. I continued that through five years and a second pregnancy until I left the newsroom for academia.
The key for me was to prove myself before my child arrived.
Communication, often the bosses' biggest concern, was never an issue- think about how many times we e-mail someone in the next cubicle.
I worked twice as hard to show my dedication,  I was proud of the work I did and I was able to be home with the kiddos until the youngest went to preschool.
I continued to receive excellent evaluations, won some awards and made the job work. Luckily, I had open-minded bosses who were willing to take a chance on something different and it worked for me professionally. Personally, I was stretched to the absolute limit, but that was my choice.
When a colleague at another paper became pregnant, she called me and we brainstormed how to make her editors see the light. She was skeptical, but they went for it and now she is working from home, too.
The more we can share success stories, the more newsrooms will recognize the value of flexibility-- whether it's extended leaves, working 4/10s, job sharing or some other creative idea.  

Thanks so much for this post, Carolyn! And thanks, too, for accompanying students to that recent workshop at the University of Washington. I was delighted to be in Seattle.
We do, indeed, need to share some success stories and to provide ideas that will help expectant parents thrive in a newsroom after baby arrives. Please encourage the friend to whom you've referred to consider posting here. Would love to read her perspective. Ditto for any other journalist-parents you know.
As for your criticism of Mommy Wars: I don't track with some of the thinking contained in that book. Some of it is very sad to me (For example, some of the contributors make clear that they didn't seriously consider staying at home with their children because they feared being financially dependent on their husbands -- and up the same creeks their moms paddled when their dads split for younger trophy wives).
But there are pearls of wisdom generously scattered throughout the book, no matter the woman's perspective. Three of my favorites:

"I also realized that I needed to work in a job I felt more passionate about. My time had suddenly become more precious; I measured acutely what I was getting out of work." -- Ann Misiaszek Sarnoff, longtime media consultant serving Viacom, Nickelodeon and VH1. Now chief operating officer of the Women's National Basketball Association.

"I had recently left the Boston Globe so I could devote more of myself to parenting ... and (ludicrous as it sounds in hindsight) I was actually considering taking on the book project.  I was thirty-five, suffering with this notion that if I didn't do this book thing RIGHT NOW, TODAY, THIS MINUTE, the opportunity may never come again! I would lose out! Be left behind! Even worse: Waste my talent!! Shirley (a mentor in journalism) listened, paused briefly, and said: 'You can write a book when Fiona's in college.' I had never considered that. I was still operating in the imperative. The concept of you could do that later, that there will be time later had literally never occurred to me." -- Lois R. Shea, journalist, former Globe staff writer, winner of the 2004 Public Radio News Directors' award for commentary

"Each month, it was my responsibility to see that the magazine was perfect: no typos, no grammatical mistakes, no errors of logic or omission. When you spend your days aggressively seeking out imperfection, you begin to see it everywhere: in the bedspread that's askew, in the lawyn that's mowed haphazardly, in the A-minus that should have been an A. Before we (my family) could heal, I would have to learn to turn off my relentless drive for finding flaws. I would have to understand the truth in those weary platitudes: 'It's not the end of the world.' 'Everyone makes mistakes.' I strove to loosen up." -- Sandy Hingston, senior editor, Philadelphia magazine

While I don't disagree with any of Carolyn's points, I think it's important to realize that until you know firsthand what it's like to have management shut doors in your face, it's difficult to imagine it.

  I should have known that my paper wouldn't be very supportive. There were signs. Long before I had my first baby, when I was still a young community reporter, I interviewed for a night cops job. During the interview, the male editor questioning me asked if my husband would have problems with me working nights. I was so taken aback by the question that I couldn't quite formulate an answer. I think I stammered something about it not really being any of my husband's concern, etc. I always say I never experienced sexism until I went to work for the paper.
  However, in the 1980s at my former paper, when the women about 15 years older than I were having babies, management allowed job-sharing, part-time work, etc. I don't think the guys in charge liked it much; there were just too many women wanting flexibility to say no to them. And now that many of those women are in management, it would be nice if they'd lobby for changes. When I was trying to strike a deal, I consulted many of the women who'd come before me at the paper, looking for pointers. I found sympathy but no real effort to help with the cause. I got a lot of, "Good luck. Hope it works out for you." I felt so alone. That's why I finally left.
  I don't like the concept of "Mommy Wars," either, because I think it divides women. We need to stick together. Yet I must say that I think when the male reporters I know have wanted some flexibility for their families, they've received it. I can't explain why this is.
 

I've enjoyed reading everyone's comments. It's definitely giving me some hope! :)

I think for my radio network, part of the problem is that we're a small operation and no one seems to realize that even when one reporter (we're a total of 3) is on vacation we still manage to get all our stories in for the day.

I know for a fact I could do this job out of my home, but I'm trying to figure out how to bring this topic up. Do I do it now? Right before I go on maternity leave? When I'm about to come back?

I'm also going to try to find other ways I can use my talent as you advised. I'm just so nervous because as I said I'm a young reporter and I always hear things like, "Once you leave the journalism field, it's impossible to get back in, especially with less than 5 years experience."

Also on a side note...
Christine, I was wondering if there is anyway we can form a journalist group through SPJ for moms? Whether they are working or staying at home, just a sort of support group where we can share advice and tips, and perhaps great job/freelance opportunities in the journalism field for mothers.

~M

Hiya! I see a baby stirring, so I know my time to respond is limited! :) Forgive the numeric bullets!

1. My advice is that you bring up the concept of working from home before taking leave. That's what I did -- and that's what I noted in Carolyn's post as well. Come right out with it. In a professional -- and cordial -- manner, challenge your supervisors to TRY something different that really might improve the station's journalism. Carolyn also rightly pointed out that one reason editors/producers wig out about such arrangements is that they fear you'll not communicate with them RIGHT. WHEN. THEY. NEED. YOU. Build trust now. Disappearing for several weeks (your deserved leave) and then trying to convince your supers at the tail end of that time away that you can swing this isn't likely to work ...

2. About your worry concerning your professional experience: You can do whatever the heck you set your mind to doing, dude. Sharpen your skills. Stay on top of current technology. Understand the economic dynamics of this industry. Work your professional contacts. Stay involved in SPJ -- and be a darned fine advocate of journalism. You won't want for work. Promise.

3. I love your idea about creating some sort of helpful resource for parents -- not just the mommy set -- working in journalism. Why don't we let this thread suffice for now? I'll add a new category to my blog, and start rearranging the posts. Tell your friends with kids to check it out ... Then, perhaps, we'll be well on our way to building that meaningful support system!

K: I have been dumbstuck by the attitudes I have seen in newsrooms like that. I'm certain they exist. The bitter irony is that it would be a heckuva story if reporters were writing it about another company...I wish I had any ideas for solutions.
M:  I suggest that if you are pitching the idea to your bosses, be clear about the system you have set up. Phones, messages, software, a dedicated work space, whatever they need to make them comfortable and feel as though you are immediately accessible. I had a system where I operated my work computer remotely from home, so I had access to all the page-design and other programs. If someone had been standing in my office, it would have looked like there was a ghost at the keyboard. I chose to have a nanny here at home three hours each morning so I could work in my home office or go in if I needed to. It just ensured I never missed my noon deadline.
See if your bosses are willing to do a test run before the baby comes then dazzle them with how much you get done from home. Good luck and feel free to contact me off list: cenielsen1@comcast.net

Many thanks to At-Large National Director Molly McDonough (a mom of two who works for the ABA Journal in Chicago) for calling my attention to a 2005 Poynter Institute Work-Life Balance Survey. It's enlightening -- and also depressing in some respects.

Let's do more to change the toxic newsroom environments that drive talented journalists out of the business. Ideas?

I was talking to a fellow journalist (who's also a mom to be) and what we realized is that the whole issue with being a reporter is that the business expects a lot out of you.

We are expected to be agressive and outgoing at all times. We are expected to be working our way to the top. We're expected to be on call 24/7 in case of breaking news, and we're expected to make our job our life.

I believe this is one of the main reasons why it's hard to stay in the profession. If you make the choice to raise your family on a more predictable schedule, instead of working odd hours or not knowing when you'll get home... you're ostracized. You're treated as though you really don't care about being a journalist, because if you did, you'd tough it out.

I apologize for constantly bringing up my own dilemma, I don't want to keep boring you. But this is my main fear, because I've come to the conclusion that my job CAN be done EASILY from home, I'm afraid they will just get rid of my position if I tell them this before I leave.

As I mentioned earlier, my position is not covered by FMLA because we're too small, and so I was told my job wasn't guaranteed when I got back from disability but that "we're sure management isn't going to give your job away".

In that sense if I even hint at the possibility of trying to work from home I'm positive my job will be gone in a snap. But at the same time I'm trying to figure out my own contentment once I go on maternity leave. Will I be happy at home trying to find other opportunities? Or will I want to get back to my job? I guess all I can do is wait and see.

Thanks to everyone for your advice. I just hope I can still be part of SPJ even if I'm a stay at home mom :)

~M

Well, M., here's my two-cents on your should-I-work-at-home, should-I-stay-at-the-office dilemma. When I had my first kid (and the second since they were only a year apart,) I had been a reporter for five years. I was pretty young. I had the same debate with myself that you're having, and I stayed at the office until the oldest was almost 5.
  I think I made the right decision for myself at the time because I needed to do some more growing as a journalist, which I did. I worked my tail off. Luckily, my spouse had a more flexible job, and my kids were in a great daycare where I felt they were cared for very well. I always felt good about their daycare situation, which made my decision to stay easier.
  However, I will say that I worked myself to the point of mental exhaustion because I wasn't getting much support from my workplace. Taking time off for a sick child was frowned on. Snow days were terrible. The one thing I was able to do was negotiate an 8:30 to 4:30 workday with no lunches and for a time I worked four days a week, but for that I only lost my benefits. I actually worked more hours, I think, to be able to be as productive as I was working five days a week. But I guess that arrangement made me feel less guilty.
  I realized after four years, though, that it ultimately wasn't working for me and *I* needed to be with my kids more. I don't know if I would have appreciated them as much if I had never returned to work after maternity leave.
  I realize you're in a tough situation. Maybe you could convince your bosses to let you work from home on a trial basis. If it doesn't work, you'll come back. Or maybe you even could take the baby to work with you a few days a week, if you've got a lot of time in the office. At least while the baby is young that might work.
  About 18 months after I left the paper I had a third child. I was free-lancing. I, of course, interviewed people over the phone and worked with a baby on my lap all the time. Now I work with a 4-year-old clamoring for my attention. It's frustrating, but no more so than having an editor standing behind your chair, looking over your shoulder as you write on deadline! At least I can district this critic with the occasional Wiggles video.

  As for changing the toxic environment, I think we who want it to change need to band together. We need to support each other and talk about these issues in public. We need to celebrate those who are supportive of parents in the newsroom and tell their stories. I think it would be a great thing to have a panel on this topic at the SPJ convention.

Thanks so much, Christine, for getting this discussion going. It's an issue I have been dealing with since my baby was born almost two years ago.

I quite my last newspaper reporter job to go freelance a few months before I ended up getting pregnant (how did that happen?). It was difficult to build up the number of publications as my freelance clients for the first year.

When my baby hit nine months and then a year, I was really ready to go back to work but still only half-time or about that. Though I have several years of experience, it has been impossible to find any newspaper or even magazine jobs for a part-time employee or job-sharing employee at mid-career. I find a few jobs that are very low pay and for more junior writers, but nothing more meaningful or exciting to get me out of the house.

Actually, my previous employer came up with a kind offer to hire me back for an interesting editing/reporting job at 24-32 hours a week. But, as a small publication, they couldn't pay much, and from my experience, I know I would have worked the top end of the hours if not more. So, it didn't work out.

Luckily, my freelance assignments are increasing and regular, but it would be so wonderful to have a stable 20-25 hour a week journalism job instead. It seems like the only way to do that is to have worked previously at a big publication, who knows your value and is ready to hire you back under new terms.

Unfortunately, if you have not worked at a big publication before getting pregnant, your chances at getting job flexibility are very slim.

Sorry this was so long, but just wanted to contribute something from a different perspective.

Tanya

It's wonderful to hear stories such as yours and it give me hope that things are changing for the better. Unfortunately I did not have such support during my difficult pregnancy and early mommy days.

Ten years ago, in the 7th month of a excruciatingly painful pregnancy, I was scheduled to work weekend cops in June in 100-plus-degree Phoenix. Give me a break!

When I begged off that shift, for legitimate health reasons, I was told by a senior male editor that I "obviously" couldn't handle my job anymore and that if I didn't cover cops--as well as my several other beats and editing jobs--I would be demoted.

I immediately went to human resources and was told the editor had seriously compromised the company legally and that I could immediately go on Family Medical Leave Act.

Instead, I worked part time until my early c-section delivery. I extended my maternity leave to three months.
Upon returning, my immediate female supervisor tried to help me as much as she could. But the same male editor, who ultimately was the boss, degraded my talents and pushed me to the brink of a nervous breakdown, despite that I was winning awards and other accolades for the paper.

I worked a few more years, but the stress built until I just couldn't do it anymore. My family was suffering. I wasn't allowed to telecommute. I wasn't allowed to work part time. It was all or nothing, and I was made to feel like a failure for finally deciding it was best for my children if I stayed home. I haven't worked for 7 years, and I miss it every day.

That poor excuse for a boss? Of course, he climbed the corporate ladder and landed a high-profile job at the bigger paper across town. I couldn't help but notice that his wife (also a journalist) suddenly stayed home when they adopted children.

Am I bitter? You bet. But at least I know I'm a better parent and a still better journalist than that bastard.
It's a shame that his anti-mom attitude didn't appear on his resume. He's not only a poor excuse for a man, he's a poor excuse for a journalist who should know better.

Wow, V., I so relate to your experience. And I miss reporting, too. Free-lancing is a poor substitute. But I hope that some day, when my kids are grown, I'll still have a lot of good working years left. That's what I'm hoping.

Tanya and V! Thanks for sharing. VERY interesting observations and experience you've relayed here.
Newsrooms indeed can be ridiculously backwards-thinking places. So, why work in those that don't work for you? I'm convinced that a journalist's creativity and determination to pound the pavement will result in big professional satisfaction.
Am curious: Perhaps we could do everyone a favor by sharing some leads and possibilities -- even seemingly long shots -- here. I'm going to do some research, develop some ideas and start posting relatively soon. Perhaps those of you who are contributing to this thread could join me?

hope I'm not too late to chime in!

I feel like many of the challenges we face as parents are converging along with developments in the industry.. and hopefully "when the dust settles" it will help rather than hurt us. I'm talking about not only the work/family balance, but also freelance issues, and the need to learn & keep up with new technology (all the more challenging for freelancers since we don't get on-the-job training.)

No matter how cooperative your boss - daily news by nature is not compatible with parenting. At least not in daily television news where I have the most experience. You canNOT leave work when school calls and says your child is sick or hurt.. or has a dentist or doctor appointment. Even with after-care, pickup time is 5:00 or 5:30.. but the news isn't over until 6:30. And if you're out on a  live-shot, you might not get back for another hour or more. if you must leave, it's as if you never came to work at all. You can't come back and finish up later and the way most local newsrooms are staffed, there's no one available to pick up your slack.

What would be great - but not likely - is if newsrooms could use us for longer-term stories & projects that don't have a daily deadline.. so we could continue to practice journalism but work more normal hours when our kids are in school. I realize there are problems with this , ie smaller news organizations don't "invest" in non-breaking news and it might not be fair to non-parents who want those assignments. Maybe the multimedia realm will offer the possibility. For me it would be worth a sacrifice on the salary side.

CPK, interesting idea about the more "normal hours" that could be extended to journalists who need them -- and not only for childcare. It's frustrating that newsrooms aren't more creative about staffing.

Like you, I'm betting that a more 'round-the-clock, tech-savvy approach to news production will spur some interesting changes. As news organizations figure out that they need to deliver information when and how people want it, they're likely going to need to rethink their org charts and the structures of their newsrooms.