Mother & Daughter: Newspapers are in their blood

By Dick Mason
The La Grande Observer

Published: Feb. 9, 2004

Observer photo by Laura Mackie-Hancock Kristen Cathey (left) and her mom, Kathleen, are both newspaper editors. Kathleen is in charge of EOU's The Voice.

La Grande -- An addiction and a passion. Kathleen Cathey and her daughter Kristen share one of each.

The addiction is harmless: diet cola.

The passion life shaping: journalism.

Evidence of both can be found in the student newspaper offices at Eastern Oregon University and La Grande High School. Within them Kathleen and Kristen, though separated by a generation, lead uniquely parallel lives.

Theirs is a mother-daughter story that is as hard to find as an English
major who does not know what a preposition is.

Kathleen is editor-in-chief of The Voice, EOU's student newspaper. Kristen is the managing editor of Tiger Hi-Lites, LHS's student newspaper.

Kathleen and Kristen provide a support system for each other that is stronger than the mortar in the bricks that surround La Grande High School. However, at the start of the school year, when both were beginning their stints as editor, a spirit of good-natured rivalry burned in Kristen's heart. She wanted Tiger Hi-Lites to scoop The Voice.

"I wanted to beat her so bad," Kristen said, looking at her mom with a broad smile.

This competitive fire soon died and the two soon became an inseparable team even though they work for different newspapers.

"I'm really proud of her," Kristen said of her mom. "She is amazing in every single way. She is so good at everything. She is my Mom and my best friend."

This school year has been one of long nights for Kristen and Kathleen. Both burn the midnight and early morning oil as they race to meet publication deadlines. Often the caffeine in Diet Pepsi helps them stay awake.

"We're addicted to it," Kristen said with a laugh.

The two regularly provide assistance and advice to each other.

The first time was in September when Kathleen brought her daughter into The Voice's office to help her run a computer program Kristen was familiar with. Kristen was needed because The Voice's production manager was out of town.

"I didn't know anything about (the computer program). I was very stressed out," Kathleen said. "She reduced my stress level."

The two do more than provide technical assistance. They are also sounding boards for each other, sharing ideas about writing, layout and managing people. Kristen will never forget the time that she was at home trying to write a column about a relative's struggle with alcoholism.

"I was crying and couldn't write," the LHS senior said.

Her mom then looked her in the eye and gently asked, "What is the first thing you want to say?"

Kristen wrote it down and then followed it with the second and third items.

Suddenly the structure of Kristen's column was crystallized. She went on to write a poignant column in Tiger Hi-Lites -- a column that was moving and well received.

The writing advice exchange works both ways. Kathleen explained that she values her daughter's input on writing. She appreciates her perspective because most of the readers of The Voice are much younger than she is.

"I want her to read my stories because I want to know if it is something which young people will find interesting," Kathleen said.
She also wants to know if she is becoming too long winded.

"I tend to get carried away with stuff and put too much in," said Kathleen in self-effacing fashion.

Last school year Kristen candidly critiqued her mom's stories for EOU's news writing classes. Kristen had much more journalism experience at the time.
"She'd look at my leads and say, 'Mom, leads are supposed to be interesting, not boring. If you write like this nobody will ever want to read your stories,'" Kathleen said with a laugh.

Today she seeks out her daughter's advice about stories she is thinking of running in The Voice.

"Although she's only 18 she is actually very mature in her news judgment," Kathleen said.

The two are perfectly pitched sounding boards for one another.

"She can give me feedback. It's nice to have that," Kathleen said. "If we didn't have trust we wouldn't be able to (give each other feedback)."

As editors, Kathleen and Kristen both have personnel issues to address.
Kristen credits her mom with having an adept touch for managing people. She has given her meaningful advice in this area.

"She's had to work with a lot of people during her life. She knows what does and doesn't work (when dealing with people). I'm only 18. I don't know things like that," Kristen said.

Many of Kathleen's staff members are only a few years older than her daughter. Listening to what they say is helping her become a better parent.

"I hear them talk about the things about their parents which are hard for them to deal with and the things they need from their parents at that age," Kathleen said.

Exercise and ideas

Kathleen and Kristen find that their most productive discussions occur when they go on walks together with their family's two poodles.

"When there is something we need to discuss we'll say, 'We need to take a walk,'" Kathleen said.

Some of their most fruitful talks occur at this time.

"There are no other distractions. It's just she and I and our dogs. It's really nice," Kathleen said.

When they talk, Kristen and Kathleen often feed off of each other's enthusiasm for journalistic endeavors.

"We amp each other up," Kristen said.

Kristen and Kathleen arrived at their positions through disparate routes. Kristen worked on the Tiger Hi-Lites staff during her sophomore and junior years. She served as editor-in-chief of Tiger Hi-Lites during the first semester before taking the managing editor position this semester. It had been agreed at the start of the school year that Kristen would serve as editor-in-chief the first semester and managing editor the second semester.

Kathleen had never studied journalism until last year when she enrolled at Eastern and took a journalism class to earn English credit. Her journalism professor, Neil Gustafson, recommended that she apply to be editor-in-chief of The Voice. She applied and got the job.

"I stumbled into it backwards," said Kathleen, who also serves as assistant director of the Union County Commission on Children and Families.

She finds journalism compelling because of the chance to make a difference.

"You see that you have an opportunity to make people think about something in a different way," said Kathleen, a member of the La Grande School Board.

The enthusiasm she feels for journalism is shared by her daughter, who thinks about the field in a broad, philosophical sense.

"Newspapers are life," Kristen said. "A newspaper staff is so much like a family. We're learning and figuring things out together."

Kristen does not plan to pursue a career in journalism. She cites the pressures inherent to the profession.

"Stress isn't good. I don't want to live a life with a lot of stress," said Kristen, adding that she could change her mind.

Kathleen said she might consider a career in journalism if the right opportunity presents itself.

"It's a lot of fun. I like writing stories, interviewing and putting things together," she said.

Kristen plans to leave La Grande to attend college after she graduates this spring. She would not want to attend Eastern and work on The Voice because of the legacy her mom is leaving.

"I don't want to walk in her footsteps. She is so good and she has set the bar so high I don't think I could reach it," Kristen said.

 

Contact Information

University Advancement Eastern Oregon University One University Boulevard La Grande, OR 97850 phone 541.962.3740 fax 541.962.3680 email University Advancement