Values, teamwork and accuracy

As a young journalist, Tom Curley looked around newsrooms and saw better writers, better editors and better photographers. He wondered, “What could I bring to that mix?” He found the answer in passion.

“I fell in love with the profession. My advice would be to fall in love with it,” and that will take you far, he told Scholars.

Curley, president and chief executive officer of The Associated Press, spoke at a celebratory lunch marking the 1,000th Chips Quinn Scholar.

In wrapping up Curley’s remarks, John Quinn told Scholars, “I hope you take away at least two lessons from Tom’s message: values and teamwork.”

Curley, a former newspaper editor and publisher, said that values endure and he encouraged the journalists to “never write more than you know.” He also encouraged teamwork. “None of us can do it alone. It’s the team that ultimately wins in journalism.”

In answering a question on “What distinguishes the AP from other news sources or services,” he said: “At the end of the day, it’s all about accuracy.” And he noted that in order to maintain that accuracy in even the slightest details, “Every day…. the words are parsed and reviewed” to be sure the right ones always are being used.