Daryl Bell, The Philadelphia Tribune

At the time of this interview, Daryl Bell was a columnist and City Editor at The Philadelphia Tribune, America’s oldest daily newspaper serving the African American community. 

Do you edit copy in your role at the Tribune?

I edit copy every day. I try to work with our writers intensely. I try and coach them. Sometimes I give them good advice, sometimes that advice isn’t the greatest. Sometimes you have to be hard, sometimes you have to be soft. It all depends on the writer, what they’re doing and the angles that we’re trying to make. It’s a very challenging position. Many writers have egos. Everyone has an ego. Sometimes, when you’re writing, you think, “My copy is perfect I shouldn’t have to do anything to it.” That’s not necessarily true. And sometimes there can be some disagreements. But I am open to any suggestion if you think your suggestion is better than mine. I’m not wearing blinders. I like the fact that they do come to me, especially when there is a problem, and we try to find a solution.

Are there some common issues that you often encounter with writers?

Wordiness is a big problem. Sometimes you can write a sentence in five words, but you’re writing it in 10 words. Sometimes when you’re writing a paragraph, you’re not getting the essence of what you’re writing. As a writer, I believe every word counts. Whatever you’re doing, you should go towards that goal of it making sense. Being critical as a writer is difficult. You can be blinded a little bit by your own words. You just have to step away and come back and see what you’ve written and say, “Hey, you know, that’ll work.” It’s the same thing being an editor. You have to be able to compromise.

How did the Tribune respond to AP’s decision last summer to capitalize Black?

The capitalization of the word Black has always been a Tribune policy, so that’s nothing new for us. It has been new for the Associated Press because they’ve never adopted it. Because we’re a niche publication and it caters to the African American community, it has always been our standard to capitalize the word Black.

What can the industry do to make sure more people of color are in editorial and managerial roles, not just at publications designed specifically for Black readers but publications in general?

Having a Black voice is very important in any industry. I don’t care if you’re in Duluth, Minnesota, where there aren’t many Black people. You don’t know what someone else is feeling. We have white reporters and editors here, so we’re not totally blinded as to not knowing the issues of the white community. We’ve tried to get everyone in this because we’re all here for just a little short time. In the immortal words of Rodney King, “Can’t we all just get along?”

— Chris Kennedy '22