Staff reflections - Iron sharpening iron

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Thursday, August 12th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Myrna Brown.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard.

And now, more anniversary memories from our WORLD Radio Team. First, from our European correspondent.

JENNY LIND SCHMITT: This is Jenny Lind Schmitt. For most of my early life, I was an NPR junkie. But when my kids were small I stopped listening as much, because so many stories were inappropriate and from a worldview that conflicted with a biblical one. So we got WORLD magazine for our news, and when each issue arrived our kids fought over who got to read first.

In 2011, we were living in a small Swiss village, and my husband, Manu, had a long commute. One day he came home, eyes wide. He was so excited he could barely get the words out, “It’s like a Christian NPR!” He’d seen the advertisement for the new podcast in the magazine and listened on his drive home. So I listened and I remember thinking, “I have found my people!” Soon we all became The World and Everything In It junkies. My kids sang along with the jingle. And the podcast became an important link for the whole family to our American culture and our Christian worldview.

Even then, I began dreaming of WORLD reporting on stories of what God was doing beyond U.S. borders, the stories that I was seeing around me. I had no idea then that I would get to play a part in that, but it is such a privilege.

PAUL BUTLER: I’m Paul Butler. Before coming to WORLD, I’d been pretty autonomous. I didn’t really have someone looking closely over my work as I produced features for a national Christian network—so I thought that I was at the top of my game.

Then I started at WORLD as a freelancer in 2014.

The Presidential Library system began in 1939...

My first editor was Joseph Slife. He was always kind, but every script would come back with lines and lines of changes, suggestions, deletions. It used to drive me nuts. I’d stew, convinced that I didn’t need an editor—but as I wanted a more regular position with WORLD, I didn’t argue—at least not out loud.

My next editor was Susan Olasky. Each script for her seemed to have even more edits and suggestions. And I got even more defensive. I’m embarrassed now about how often at first I’d argue over some of those decisions. But as I really wanted a job with WORLD, I’d always give in, at least on the outside.

I was slowly learning what makes WORLD so unique. Every piece of copy, every script, every article is read by, and edited by at least one other person. And I freely admit that each piece my editors touched turned out to be a better piece...everytime.

That still holds true for me. Today I’m the features editor for The World and Everything in It, and I’m the executive producer of WORLD Radio. Yet, every script I write, I still send to another editor, Leigh Jones. And everytime, she makes it better. And I don't argue too much.

It reminds me of a couple verses from Proverbs 27. Verse 6: Faithful are the wounds of a friend. And verse 17: as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. I thank God for all the editors at WORLD. They are faithful friends, and I’m a better editor because of them.

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