By Brandon Brinkley | RU School of Communication

The most difficult part of transferring from print to digital media is moving beyond 125 years of print-based thinking, according to Carole Tarrant, editor of The Roanoke Times.  ”Don’t stay frozen in time,” she told students and faculty Monday night. Journalists must be able to do more, she said. They need to adapt to changes in media delivery and consumption.

Tarrant was the opening speaker for Communication Week. This year marks the third year of the event, which brings professionals to Radford to promote a better understanding of current thinking in advertising, journalism, public relations, media and communication. Events run through Friday.

Her talk began later than scheduled because of severe traffic delays; part of Interstate 81 southbound from Roanoke was closed. Most students and the faculty in the audience waited, however, and some followed and Tarrant’s progress through her Twitter updates.

Tarrant says the Times has a larger readership than most believe. It is estimated that the paper reaches about 200,000 people each weekday and 250,000 on Sundays. The paper also reaches people online through roanoke.com.

The Internet allows consumers to obtain their news from home without waiting for the delivery of the print version. This luxury creates more work for journalists, she said. Tarrant said The Roanoke Times employs around 90 journalists.

Tarrant understands the transition from traditional to digital journalism. She is the editor of The Roanoke Times and has been a journalist for more than 20 years. She has worked for newspapers across the nation.

She was recognized with the 2011 Mimi Award for coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings.  This award is special to her because the tragedy occurred close to home.

Tarrant offered advice to students beginning their careers as journalists in the digital age. Her first tip? Stay flexible. Journalism is a large field and is continuing to grow. Online journalism is opening many new jobs, and this means more opportunities. Tarrant has seen great journalists lose their job because they were not flexible.

Investing in yourself is another necessary step. Tarrant advises aspiring journalists to read. Subscribe to The New Yorker to understand how online news and print news work. The more a journalist understands about the business, the more valuable they will be for a company.

Ambition is important in any field of communication, she said. Tarrant encouraged students to “find someone to mentor you while you are learning the field.” Students should study the work of other journalists. Learning from the writings of other journalists helps because they could be future competition.

Tarrant also said students should think like entrepreneurs, because every job has a business side. Entrepreneurs understand how business works, and students should as well, because this knowledge helps you become well-rounded. She highly encourages students to ask question about the business side of their field.

One point of advice is for students to listen to what professors say. The professors know what they are talking about because they have first-hand experience. The advice they offer is only going to help students land their “dream job.” She instructs students to “soak it up,” because students eventually graduate and move into the job market.

The introduction of online journalism has created new jobs such as a day-side copy editor. The copy editor has traditionally been an evening job because editing was done once all stories had been written and given to the editor. Now the copy editor must be available all day because news is published on a 24 hour cycle.

Another job that has been created recently is the community content editor. This editor regulates the content that comes from the public. This position is important because there can be thousands of stories that are sent in regarding any particular topic, and someone has to filter these and decide what is most important.

The Roanoke Times is adapting to the digital age. The paper recently released a version of the paper that is compatible with the iPad. The Apple product has taken over the tablet industry and the Times is adjusting with the industry.

Consumers asked for a digital form of the paper, and Tarrant and others were happy to oblige. The newspaper is continuing work on different forms of information delivery.

The development of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs continue to change the field of journalism. But writers and editors still have to use their skills. “You have to think before you tweet,” Tarrant said.