How the News Is Made at The Moscow Times

As editor, I'm occasionally asked who makes editorial policy at the paper. The first time I was asked, at some embassy reception or other, it took me by surprise. I had never thought about it in quite those terms. Perhaps this is because I come from The Associated Press, whose basic editorial policy is to take a straightforward approach to the news, without bias or prejudice, and to make sure the reporting is solid. And this is the approach The Moscow Times takes, too.

But at the same time, when I think about it, we do have an editorial policy. It is reflected not only in our editorials but in our news coverage, and it goes something like this:

Politicians should not lie.

Businesses should not cheat.

Soldiers should not commit war crimes.

And it includes support for basic principles, like democracy, a free market and human rights.

Not too revolutionary, but just keep these in mind when you read or watch the news produced by some of our fellow journalists in Russia.

Igor Tabakov / MT From left, Alla Startseva, Anna Raff, Victoria Lavrentieva, Larisa Naumenko and Lyuba Pronina with business editor Bradley Cook.

But what my questioner probably meant was who makes the day-to-day editorial decisions. This is easier. It's not Derk Sauer, who must be any editor's ideal boss. In the nearly two years I have been editor, Derk has called three times to talk about something that did, or did not, appear in that morning's paper. Even when he is furious, he does not dictate what we write.

And it's not me. It's us. The editors and reporters.

Every day at 2 p.m. the editors gather to plan the next day's paper. The news editor and business editor tell us how their reporters' stories are developing, we look at photographs, we discuss the opinion pages, decide what world news stories to run, and we talk.

One thing that makes The Moscow Times newsroom special is that it is filled with such different people who somehow form a cohesive whole.

The editors are native English speakers, of widely divergent backgrounds, from the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

About one-third of the 17 reporters also are expats, with a repat or two -- people who emigrated as children and returned to Russia as adults -- thrown into the mix.

The rest come from around Russia, from Komi in the north to Dagestan in the south.

We give one another, and the newspaper, energy and balance.

Lynn Berry joined The Moscow Times as night editor in 1998. She has been editor since January 2001.