Christina Amoroso
Executive Editor at Bustle
What was your path to becoming an editor?
I started at the New York Post as a feature reporter and writer, and early on I had a great boss who thought I’d have potential as an editor, and she gave me an opportunity to get my feet wet and see how I liked it. I started with smaller projects, editing a weekly career section, helping other editors with stories — and eventually worked my way up to deputy features editor, where I helped assign and edit our daily features section. Working at a daily newspaper allowed me to try so many different things, I got opportunities by age 25 that would have taken me years longer had I started as an assistant at a monthly magazine.
How and when did you learn to write? Do you think writing can be taught?
I went to journalism school, which taught me the basics of writing and reporting, but on the job experience is where I learned how to apply those skills in a practical sense. My first few years at the NY Post is where I learned the fundamentals of reporting, writing, and how to structure a piece. Writing can be taught if you have an editor who doesn’t just rewrite a story for you. Ideally they give you notes or sit with you as they edit your piece to understand their thinking. It’s important for an editor to explain where they’re coming from when delivering notes to a writer; don’t just say, “I don’t like this lede/source/sentence.” Ask what about it doesn’t work? What would you like to see instead? Are there solutions you can suggest to the writer so they’re not stumbling in the dark?
Who are your biggest inspirations within the space?
Our competitors — there are a lot of smart and witty women’s publications and editors, and I think the competition is healthy and inspires us to work that much harder to land that juicy story first.
What is your brand’s mission? Who are you seeking to impact?
Bustle is unapologetically mainstream and we pride ourselves on delivering first class service for curious women: the entertainment highlights everybody’s talking about, the life issues nobody’s talking about, and great style under $100, alongside spotlights on rule breakers and underreported feminist issues. Our approach is inclusive and accessible, our content is intelligent and well informed, and we’re optimistic and don’t take ourselves too seriously.
What is the most challenging aspect of maintaining your particular brand’s voice?
Good writing takes time, and time isn’t a luxury we often have working in digital media — so remembering to tell yourself to take a step back and not rush through a story is really important. Sometimes I go over stories three or four times before giving it back to a writer to ensure we are staying true to our brand identity.
How has COVID affected your editorial strategy? What is something you’ve learned from this new normal?
Since the news is changing every day, listening and responding to our readers has become even more important than ever. How can we give them smart, authoritative answers to the questions they’re asking right now about this pandemic and how it’s affecting their lives? What worked a day ago, a week ago, a month ago may no longer resonate, so really staying attuned to data is key. And laser-focusing on what we do best — lifestyle service and sharing people’s experiences. Readers might not come to us to read about the symptoms of COVID, but they will click on a story on Zoom game night ideas or why women are experiencing deep feelings of impostor syndrome as a result of working from home and trying to juggle their family life and other commitments.
What do you think will be the greater impact on journalism?
There’s so much information to sift through, and I hope people will realize that quality, fact-based reporting with a unique perspective is more important than ever, whether it’s an investigative story that peels back the curtain on an underreported issue or a fashion or lifestyle piece packed with deep, meaningful service.
What feedback have you gotten from your readers that is new/different than before?
Even with so much happening in the world, a lot of people are also looking for some levity and escapism. So we’re always working hard to strike that balance with new and different content.
What are you currently reading?
Samantha Irby’s great new collection of essays, “Wow, No Thank You.” Bustle recently published a profile on her and I added her book to my reading list the second I finished editing the piece!
How important is it to have mentors during this new journalistic landscape? Can you describe your ideal mentor relationship?
You don’t have to force a mentor relationship. I think there’s a lot of pressure, especially on younger women, to actively seek out mentors early in their careers. I think that’s misguided; you don’t have to go up to someone and ask, “Will you be my mentor?” My most meaningful connections in the business came about organically. I think 99% of the time you’ll naturally gravitate toward the people who you feel will best guide you, lend sound career advice, and help you plot your next move. And it’s not a one-size-fits-all relationship — you might have a “mentor” who’s a crackerjack writer and editor who can help you ideate, someone else who might really know the ins and outs of content strategy and audience acquisition, and another who has a firm grasp on emerging revenue streams or can lend management and more general career advice.
Knowing that news breaks on social media, whether it's a new government policy or the latest celeb pregnancy announcement, how does your team use social media to report on the story?
We’ll often use social media as a springboard to brainstorm larger ideas that’ll travel further than a basic news post that everyone else is covering. If we see oil prices crashing below $0, for example, can we talk to women who work in this male-dominated industry to hear how they’re being affected? If we notice that boomers aren’t taking social distancing seriously, is there an influential millennial writer we can find via Twitter who can write a voicey op-ed on why boomers do, in fact, need to care?