Contributed by Cherie

With Tina Brown’s recent comments (see video below) on the fact that women ruling the primaries is a “blow to feminism” because in her opinion many of the women who won races are “against so many of the things women have fought for for a long time,” I thought it would be a good time to feature as our weekly recommended interview, an interview with her conducted last year on the one year anniversary of the launching of the Daily Beast.

A journalist, magazine  editor, columnist, talk-show host, and  author of The Diana Chronicles, Tina Brown was originally known as the editor of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker before moving to co-found in 2008 the online site The Daily Beast, which is a combination of original journalism and celebrity gossip with a blog-like approach. Brown describes the site in these words: “We’ll be smart and opinionated, looking to help cut through the volume with a keen sensibility. We’re aiming for a curious, upscale and global audience who love politics, news and the media world.”

One year after the launch of the site, Brown talks about the transition from print to online and the future of magazines and newspapers in light of such transition. She also discusses whether The Daily Beast will incorporate a pay model and interestingly does not mention The Huffington Post as a major competitor but rather prefers to call her competition “co-opetition” given the meritocracy that rules the web. Now that’s why they call her strategic.

Click Here for the Interview

Interviewed by Cherie

Self, Glamour, Prevention, Time Out and Family Circle are just some of the magazines that Maridel Reyes has worked for and contributed to, but when she took up a position as National Editor of an online newsletter and website, she traded interviewing the likes of Bono and Caroline Kennedy for the perks of writing about health not to mention working from home, a situation she describes as “stay-at-home mom without a kid.”  In this interview, Maridel discusses her future career goals and explains why she thinks that no matter how magazines may change, one thing that seems to remain is readers’ obsession with ‘lose weight now’ headlines.

Age: 26

Job: National Editor at Vital Juice, a daily health and wellness newsletter and web site

What is the biggest change for you as you switched from being an editor at a magazine to an editor at an online newsletter? Which position do you prefer?

Magazines have such a long lead-time–you plan an issue six months in advance and stories go through at least 3 revises. Writing for an online publication is exciting because it’s so immediate. If I try out a new workout this morning, I could publish a story about it the next day. And while I love magazines, the majority of my day is spent reading news online.

Based on your experience, why do you think there has been such reluctance on the part of some in the print industry to move online?

I think there is still that stigma that online isn’t as rigorous or prestigious as print. And perhaps there is a mental barrier because the web is free. Many print outlets still are clueless as to how they can make money off their websites.

Coming from a background in journalism, how tough/easy has it been for you to adapt to your new professional environment and how much do you feel you have had to compromise in order to find a job?

Oh, that’s a tough one. Let’s just say, a lot of what they teach you in journalism school is far too idealistic.

What was one of the most exciting moments in your work life?

Seeing a story you wrote as a cover line on a magazine is something you never get over. I cover a lot of celebrity events for New York Magazine, so I might interview Bono at a party (the biggest star I’ve interviewed) or go backstage at fashion shows and interview designers and celebs in the front row.  I once interviewed Caroline Kennedy for 15 minutes and almost died.

What is your top career goal?

I used to say that my end goal is to be an Editor in Chief, but as I’ve worked at a few places I see how much of your life you have to give up for that position. You have to live it and breathe it 24/7. I’d still like to be high on the masthead–a top editor–but I won’t consider myself a failure if I never become an Editor in Chief.

What drew you to writing about health? Do certain categories of writing tend to pay more or offer more benefits for the writer?

I sort of fell into writing about health. I knew I wanted to work at a women’s publication. I’m from Southern California, so I’ve been health-conscious from a young age. My favorite magazine was a health magazine, so when that magazine offered me a job, it was a dream come true. I specifically did NOT want to go into newspapers because I didn’t like the lifestyle. My friends at newspapers had to start in small towns, toil at a boring beat and aren’t allowed many of the perks that come with working for a major magazine. A lot of magazine perks have been cut, but many editors still get free products to try and get invited to nice parties.

How important is it for you to have an active healthy lifestyle and how do you go about maintaining such a lifestyle?

It’s import for my personal well being to exercise and eat right. I just feel better when I’m taking care of myself. I get antsy if I haven’t exercised in a while. I cook most of my meals, and I make sure that I’m eating healthy 80% of the time. That means low-calorie, high fiber, lots of veggies and fruits. I say every week that I’ll go to the gym 5x, but most weeks, I’m happy if I make it 4 times.

Being able to work from anywhere must have its advantages and setbacks; can you share some of the pros and cons?

I didn’t think I would like it, but I’m obsessed with it! I feel more productive at home. I can start work earlier because I don’t spend time commuting or putting on makeup or fixing my hair. I eat healthier because I don’t snack on all the free food that inevitably would show up at the office. And I can run an errand or go to the gym in the middle of the day. (That makes me feel like a stay-at-home mom without a kid.)
In terms of the downsides, it’s hard to separate my work life from my personal life. When deadlines get crazy and I’m juggling a few projects, it feels like I am always working. It’s tempting to take your laptop to bed and keep replying to work emails or do research for a story. (Guilty as charged.) But the flexibility my job affords me is worth it.

For women, what tend to be the more popular topics in health?

The #1 topic, hands down, is weight loss.  It’s funny, because women say they are interested in certain topics, but when you break it down, they really want to read about how to be skinny and pretty.

What is one headline in women magazines that you think will always be popular?

“Lose Weight Right Now” (more…)

Moving away from her mother, brothers and home in Uzbekistan at 18 to come study in the United States was a tough decision for Kira, but one she does not regret.  Now close to a decade later, she shares with us how she is able to juggle a full time job as a web analytics manager and a masters at Columbia University while expecting her first baby. Comfortable with life as a foreigner in the melting pot known as NYC, Kira also tells us why she really loves having a big belly and how little things like people giving up their seat on the subway go quite a long way.

Age? 27

Places you have lived in: Uzbekistan, Brooklyn, New Jersey and now I am back in New York.

Places you would like to live? San Francisco

What do you do? Working with numbers as an analytics manager for an online ad network

It seems like women in NYC are always doing a million different things, what are you currently juggling and what has been hard to maintain lately?

Well, I’ve been working and taking classes to finish my masters degree for the last 2 years. I consider that juggling, because you need to give up most of the weekend time and two nights a week after work. Also, my husband was preparing for NYC marathon last year so I needed to make sure I give him some love by running with him a couple of times a week.

Last semester was specifically hard because I am pregnant with our first child (only 5 weeks to go) and wanted to maintain a moderate, as opposed to strenuous lifestyle. The resolution put school on hold to free up some time on the weekend. Now I only work, but it still feels like juggling at this point.  I am also trying to stay healthy and physically active during my pregnancy; I would probably be dragging myself like an old lady by this point if I didn’t exercise.

Would you agree that you work in a male dominated field? How does this affect the way you act and are perceived at work?

Yes, statistics and math are male dominated fields, but once people see that you actually know what you’re doing, gender does not make that much of a difference. I actually find funny the fact that sometimes people judge you based on your gender. When my husband and I were signing our mortgage, the lawyer proposed I help by making paper piles. I didn’t argue [smiles].

How difficult was it for you to come to the US and achieve what you have? How hard was it for you to leave your family, friends and home and come to a new place?

Giving up everything was somewhat hard. The hardest was to leave my mom and my brothers. I was 18 when I immigrated here to live with my dad and he had no idea what to do with me. All I knew was that I had to learn English if I ever wanted to be anything in this country. In the beginning, all things were new and I was happy to be free and far from my mom’s radar. We weren’t such big friends at that time – I wanted to be more independent and she wanted me to remain her little daughter. That, perhaps, made it easier for me to start a life on my own here. Now, as I get older I realize that being friends with mom is one of the important things, because very often moms think and act very similarly to the way we do, even if we don’t always realize it and they sure have more experience. If you need good advice on some private, serious matter, ask your mom as if the issue was someone else’s; the advice will be good and unbiased because someone else is involved.

What are some of most daring or exciting things you have done since moving to NYC?

I don’t think I’ve done anything super daring or exciting… or actually, yes – the most exciting thing I did was when I got a job as a model for a night gown exhibition booth during Fashion Show Week in the Javits Center 3 months after I came to America. It was 5 days of fun – they paid $100/ day cash. At the time it was a lot of money for me. To get the job, dresses had to fit and yay! they did. All I had to do was to change outfits with lightning speed and try on as many dresses as possible before customers leave the booth. The more they see, like, and order, the more money the exhibitor makes. I was trying so hard that I was invited to model for the same designer the following year.

Do you feel that people treat you differently because you have an accent?

Are you saying I have an accent? [Laughs] Well, I won’t know how it is to be treated ‘differently’. I didn’t have many negative experiences in New York. The biggest eye opener was when an Asian guy in a grocery couldn’t understand me not because of my accent, but because he clearly didn’t know what the word I said meant.

Anyways, I am not a big talker and it has nothing to do with the language I am using. I have the same trouble giving speeches in Russian as in English. Obviously, I know a lot more idioms and my conversation style is different when I speak in Russian, but other than that I just deal with it. I am a foreigner in this country, even with a US passport and so are millions of other people and that’s totally OK with me. I would also add here that NY is international by definition.

What do you think is the biggest misconception out there about people with your background?

It depends what background you mean. Being raised in Uzbekistan, being a Russian Jew, or being a math geek? I think overall if you are foreigner, the misconception is that you have to be weird; at least in (more…)

What’s wrong with wanting to be number one at all times? Nothing at all according to Martha Stewart digital sales associate Madeleine who discusses the importance of being competitive and even a bit selfish when it comes to being a young woman starting a career in sales. Madeleine also shares with us what it is like to work for the controversial lifestyle media mogul and why she believes “everyone has a little bit of Martha inside of them.”

Age? 25

Places you have lived in? Philadelphia, (PA), Baltimore, (MD), Toronto, (CA) New York, (NY), Princeton (NJ)

Places you would like to live in? Rio de Janiero, (BA), London, (UK) San Francisco, (CA)

Job? Digital Sales Associate for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

You followed in your mother’s footsteps when you decided to work in sales for a big corporation, what do you think are some of the biggest differences between your experience in sales and hers?

My mother became one of the first saleswomen at Xerox and stayed at that job moving up the ladder for twenty-five years. However now you are encouraged to move around and therefore don’t have to have the same goals in five years. I have been told in certain job interviews that it is not possible to move from a sales assistant to a sales executive without leaving the company first and that’s a real shame. But there are some good things with my generation for example I mentioned to her that I wanted to get a mentor for my career work and she suggested a professor of manners from finishing school. I mean my mother needed to wear a suit every single day just to be considered one of the guys on the sales team. She had to take the time to learn how to sip tea with a pinky in the air whereas my work environment is much more casual yet professional.

Martha Stewart is known for turning a catering business into a multibillion-dollar empire, but she’s had her share of negative attention. How does this affect the overall image of the company?

I think that there are a lot of misconceptions about Martha herself, which then reflect on the company’s image. There was obviously a lot of controversy when Martha was made an example of for insider trading. She did pay her dues and now she is back better than ever. You may not like Martha Stewart as a person, but you have to respect her drive and focus as a businesswoman. She made it possible for women to become media moguls and created the lifestyle category all on her own. However, a lot of people assume that Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia only targets the strict super woman, which is the image that they may think of when they think of Martha. I mean a lot of people don’t realize that 37% of our audience is actually male! It definitely reaches a much broader audience then I think people assume.

Speaking of The Martha Stewart image, do you agree that certain products or attitudes marketed by the company are grounded in antiquated ideas of women that do not represent independent career focused women such as yourself?

We are not teaching women how to make dinner for their husbands in a dress, heels and an apron. It is not that image anymore and whether or not women of today will admit it, everyone has a little bit of Martha inside of them. Whether it is planning a wedding, holiday entertaining, cooking, or decorating, there is something within the brand that affects all of us in some way. I think a lot of the things the company sells enable women to do more in their own lives rather than constrain them.

The employees working for Martha Stewart are mostly female, was that ever an issue for you?

As I am a person who has many more male friends than females, the fact that it was almost 80% female did originally concern me but the women who work there are so driven, intelligent, and inspiring that I knew I needed to become a part of it.  This is also inspiring because I have not met a lot of women my age who are not very motivated.

What do you do when you are not working?

Go to the gym [laughs]. I spend time with friends, family and my boyfriend who lives in Washington DC so I travel often to see him. I also like reading, or drinking a glass of wine and watching movies alone in my apartment. Everyone should live alone at least once because you get to know yourself better and value the time to yourself so much more.

Speaking about living, is there anything that you would change about your lifestyle in NYC?

I would definitely change the male to female interactions that happen on the street for example the cat calling. It can be flattering but sometimes it gets on my nerves and I can do without it. I like being noticed but for the right reasons. Other than that I love living in New York.

How do you think women should respond to cat calling? What do you think inspires men to cat call that does not inspire women?

Why would a woman ever cat call? I just wish men wouldn’t do it because it makes me uncomfortable. If a woman were to do it, I feel it would offend me personally because in my opinion we are so much above that as a gender! We don’t need to bring ourselves down to that level.

Some argue that when people have busy schedules they see their significant other just as much whether they are around the corner or far away, with your boyfriend living in D.C. do you agree with this and does the long distance ever affect you?

I don’t find it a problem at all. I like long distance relationships since, as you can imagine, I am very independent and like having my space. During the week I am very work focused and can’t nurture a relationship, but I do like having someone every other weekend that I can spend time with. While we are not seeing other people, it is sort of like a part time relationship in terms of the amount of effort we are putting into it and I like that cushion.

Do you believe that your twenties are the years to be selfish and focus on yourself?

Yes. I have very strong opinions on this because my parents got married at a young age. You only have a short period of time (more…)

Moving here from a quiet town in California, Bailey is managing an often hectic work schedule while pursuing her true passion of all things literary. Although she works at an online company, she has sworn against products like the Kindle and prefers to read books the old fashioned way.  Bailey is not only an avid reader, she is also a writer and in this interview, she shares with us a familiar struggle: should she keep working at a job ‘like a robot’ or take a pay cut in order to pursue more creative interests.

Age? 26

What Cities Have You Lived In? New York City for almost three years.

What Cities Do You Want to Live In? I can see myself living in New York for a long time, but I would also like to live somewhere Spanish speaking maybe Buenos Aires or Barcelona and I would also like to live in Paris.

Where do you work? I work for an Internet company that specializes in downloadable applications

How much of your news do you get online versus in print?

I’d probably say 90% online. Every morning I get up and read the NY Times. I subscribe to a bunch of magazines, but by the time those come around it’s not really news any more; it’s more of an analysis.

Do you think you would ever invest in a kindle, nook or iPad?

I actually wouldn’t because I am a bit too much of a purist. Part of what I love about reading is actually engaging with the texts. I don’t think I would ever buy any of those products. That’s the one thing that is sacred to me, I am like religious about it; I am not changing.

What projects are you involved in outside of work?

I have become really involved in a blogging community and I started a literature themed blog. Keeping a blog has also led me to different interesting lit-related events. I also hold monthly book swap meetings. There is sooo much going on in this city that like if I still lived in a small town outside of Napa Valley, I wouldn’t meet any writers out there.

I recently had the chance to watch you at a Tumblr event perform one of your writing pieces, which was about a relationship that went sour. How often do you write about relationships or personal issues you are going through?

Sometimes I am inspired by events or people in my own life, and clearly that is the point of view I am most familiar with, but above all I write fiction and any details borrowed from reality are minor, disguised and placed in a different context.

Do you find it easy to meet people here?

I think it’s pretty easy to meet people, but meeting quality people is difficult.

What pisses you off?

Oh I don’t know if we have time for this! (more…)

Rita Henley Jensen is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Women’s eNews, an independent online media outlet that covers women’s issues while providing women’s perspectives on public policy. A former senior writer for the National Law Journal and columnist for The New York Times Syndicate, Jensen shares her thoughts on issues ranging from the death of news about women in mainstream media, to the increase in cases of domestic violence, and why in situations like the Haiti earthquake, it isn’t such a good idea to give money right now.

As the founder of an independent news service that specializes in issues of importance to women, do you think that media coverage of women’s issues and point of views has improved or do we still have a long way to go?

Well I would say both are true. I think I would place us at a one or two, which is more than zero but it is a long way from ten. Take the case of our governor’s (Patterson) aide who battered his girlfriend. There is one sentence in the coverage that says that, to get an order of protection, the woman who was battered would have to personally serve the man she claimed assaulted her. That is the law in the state of New York. It was buried way down in this story and you never really see that type of news highlighted in any news story. This is just one example of the barriers women face in order to obtain protection. Can you imagine any other victim having to address their assailant directly without any protection and saying: “Here, I am serving you a complaint.” Yeah, like that is going to happen! However in the last couple of years, you have seen a growth in the coverage of domestic violence, which is why I would put it at a two.

After the recent earthquake in Haiti, many feminists have been emphasizing the importance of giving to women organizations that help women in Haiti. Do you agree with this position?

The short answer is yes. The belief is that you give women food and supplies then they will distribute them amongst the family and community members, whereas if you give to the men the case is often that they will keep it to themselves. In addition, the women are the caretakers.  We ran a story about how many women were about to give birth in Haiti so that is another situation. But I also think it is not such a good idea to give money right now because people show up for the crisis and then leave you. Yes, they need water, supplies and antibiotics now but what is going to alleviate the overall poverty of Haiti? What Haiti needs is reforestation. Nobel Peace Prize Wangari Maathai planted forty million trees ending the desertification in Kenya. She also employed women to plant the trees so that they had an income and training in agriculture. I think that is what Haiti also needs.

What is the one thing you would like to see change in your lifetime?

I’d like to see a dramatic reduction of cases of domestic violence. The thread of violence is implicit in so many of our exchanges.

As a survivor of domestic violence, why do you think do so many women choose to stay with a man that physically abuses them?

I don’t like the question because it implies (more…)

Whether it’s about dealing with competition, being independent, or nightmare Internet dating stories, Amy won’t hesitate to offer her candid opinion and story. Just don’t ask her about Tiger Woods because she just doesn’t give an F (Flying rat’s ass of course).

Age? 35

Places where you lived? Detroit, Lansing, Boston, Florida briefly and Washington DC

Places where you would like to live? Sedona, Jackson Hole Wyoming, Memphis, Tennessee and I would like to go abroad to London or somewhere in India.

What do you do? Producer at NPR and creating promotional materials for Morning Edition. I have also been transitioning into a position that helps train the member stations. The stuff that I produce is heard everyday all over the country on air.

What is the biggest challenge of working with so many member stations across the country?

What has been the bane of my existence is the fact that different stations use different technologies, which makes my work very hard. It kind of reminds me of the whole healthcare issue because you have your doctors’ records here and your doctors’ records there, but the various places cannot communicate with each other. I can’t help you as a patient when your problem is different from everyone else and I don’t have all the facts.

Are you worried that the new digital technologies might negatively impact radio, or do you feel that NPR is at the forefront of the new media revolution?

NPR has really stepped up its game to a point where they are now seen as a respected player in the news OR new game. As long as we keep doing that, we can weather any storm and I think people who are hard- core radio listeners are not going to go anywhere else. I don’t care how big digital gets, you are still going to have to drive you car and want to listen to your radio when you can’t be on the internet. I can see why there will be a big impact on newspapers and when I worked in newspapers I was nervous but I don’t feel that way here.

Since the key to good journalism is painting an unbiased picture, what makes NPR similar to other news organizations and what makes them stand out or unique?

In any kind of news organization and with media in general, people often jump on the bandwagon for things. At times there comes a whirlwind tornado of coverage on one story and there is no other news at all. There are a lot of other news out there, but you don’t hear it and I definitely think that we jump on that bandwagon. I don’t think we cover all the stories that are really important, but we do a better job than some of the other organizations. You are not going to turn on NPR and hear somebody chase a white bronco!

A lot of passes for news today has definitely something to do with what is popular and what the public wants for example the huge coverage of Tiger Woods.

Who cares! Do you care? I do not give a flying rat’s ass about Tiger Woods! But you know what, (more…)