WASHINGTON 鈥� After 35 years at the 草莓传媒 editor鈥檚 desk, Judy Taub鈥檚 last day in the newsroom came on Friday. As she neared her well-earned retirement, those at the station who learned from her 鈥� which is pretty much everyone 鈥� stopped to reflect on what she brought to the culture of 草莓传媒 and the influence that she鈥檒l have long after she鈥檚 gone.
鈥淲e will miss her immeasurably. She has been a mentor and a guiding force,鈥� anchor Debra Feinstein said on the air Friday afternoon. “The heartbeat of the newsroom,” anchor Mark Lewis added.
Joel Oxley, 草莓传媒鈥檚 senior vice president and general manager, called Taub, a former news director at the station, 鈥渢he true heart and soul of the 草莓传媒 newsroom. … We all owe Judy the deepest gratitude.”
Taub announced her departure in October, and the newsroom has had two months to prepare for her departure. It hasn鈥檛 helped much. But Mike McMearty, 草莓传媒鈥檚 director of news and programming, pointed out a bright spot: the tributes and remembrances 鈥渁nd the accolades that she鈥檚 been able to enjoy鈥� from current and former co-workers. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 really meant the world for her. 鈥� There鈥檝e been quite a few tears and hugs, and I think that鈥檚 great.鈥�
WATCH: 草莓传媒鈥檚 Judy Taub reacts to on-air tribute from her anchors, and is celebrated by the newsroom
‘A one-woman news machine’
McMearty started as Taub鈥檚 assistant in 1992. He called Taub 鈥渁 one-woman news machine. She is the most well-read, dedicated employee that we probably have. And we鈥檙e going to miss her tons 鈥� it鈥檚 a lot of institutional knowledge going out the door.鈥�
When 草莓传媒 Director Darci Marchese came to 草莓传媒 in 2004, she 鈥渄idn鈥檛 know Fairfax from Montgomery County.鈥� Taub trained her at the editor鈥檚 desk, and from there Marchese became a reporter, learning how Taub saw the big picture.
鈥淪he had a knack of knowing who she can push, and to do what,鈥� Marchese said. 鈥淚 remember walking in a few times and [hearing] 鈥業鈥檝e got you booked in three minutes!鈥� And you hear that sometimes in the newsroom today.鈥�
草莓传媒 Director Julia Ziegler also started as an assistant to Taub. (That鈥檚 not a rare way to start, you may have noticed.) 鈥淲orking with 鈥楯udy Taub at the Editor鈥檚 Desk鈥� is a rite of passage of sorts for all newbies at 草莓传媒,鈥� she said.
Being a reporter means diving into the nuances and details of a story; being an editor often means pulling the reporter out of what can sometimes be a morass. Digital Editor Colleen Kelleher, a 22-year veteran who also started by Taub鈥檚 side, pointed out that a reporter needs to condense a mass of information 鈥� interviews can last an hour or more — into a half-minute story that tells the listener what they need to know and why they need to know it.
鈥淪he鈥檚 able to help the reporters get to that nugget that [explains] why this story is important to the people listening,鈥� Kelleher said. 鈥淲hy do I care about this story?鈥� And that鈥檚 really crucial. She鈥檚 able to help them extract that fact and get it on the air.鈥�
鈥淎 reporter can sometimes have a one-track mind of looking at something,鈥� Marchese said, 鈥淎nd [Taub] will make reporters think, and sometimes they get frustrated, but she would really push reporters to ask that extra question, to go one or two steps further, to just [focus] on the big picture: Why does that story matter? She knew what stories matter to people.鈥�
‘She lets you know if you’ve screwed up’
Taub was also responsible for determining which stories from networks, wire services and our own reporters went on 草莓传媒’s air in the middays and in which order, as well as whether, when and how changes needed to be made on the fly. Her focus and drive could ruffle feathers 鈥� it did ruffle feathers.
鈥淚n a breaking-news situation,” Kelleher said, “she is so laser-focused that you do not want to get in her way.鈥�
鈥淚f you haven鈥檛 bumped heads with Judy,鈥� said reporter Megan Cloherty, 鈥測ou haven鈥檛 truly worked at 草莓传媒.鈥�
Capitol Hill correspondent Dave McConnell, the only person currently with a longer tenure at 草莓传媒 than Taub at 53 years, said amen to that — 鈥淪he lets you know if you鈥檝e screwed up, which I think is proper.鈥� But he added, 鈥淲e always resolved that our friendship would not be affected. And we also knew that it was for the best. Her instincts were good and I appreciated that.鈥�
鈥淪he came in at a time when it was a male-dominated profession,鈥� McMearty said, 鈥渁nd I think you had to have an extra-thick layer of skin, and you had to be a little bigger and bolder to make yourself heard in that environment. And I think she鈥檚 carried that with her all throughout. And it鈥檚 served her well when the [expletive] hits the fan with breaking news, she has a great mind for it.鈥�
鈥淚f there鈥檚 a disaster, you want Judy at the editor鈥檚 desk,” McConnell said. “Not that the other editors couldn鈥檛 do it 鈥� I don鈥檛 mean to diminish them. But Judy has that rare quality of grace under pressure, and determination under pressure 鈥� 鈥榃e will get through this; we will do this story.鈥� And she never panics; maybe inside, but on the outside she鈥檚 a rock.鈥�
At the same time, McMearty pointed out an underrated strength:聽鈥淪ometimes the greatest skill is knowing when not to go with a story, and there have been numerous times when her sense for what just doesn鈥檛 seem right, and holding the story when everyone else is going with it. It takes a lot of guts, and she鈥檚 done that on more than one occasion.鈥�
McMearty added that she 鈥渄idn鈥檛 suffer fools gladly,鈥� but that anyone who earned her respect quickly learned there was more to her than meets the eye. 鈥淎s rough as her exterior was, her heart was that much bigger.鈥� If you earned her respect, 鈥測ou were let in the door, and then you found out how big a heart she has.鈥�
鈥淪he鈥檚 a caring person,” Marchese said. “She always takes the time to ask reporters how they鈥檙e doing, and to ask us about our families. And she didn鈥檛 ask just to ask.鈥�
鈥淛udy is bound by her high journalistic standards,鈥� Cloherty said. 鈥淎nd that level of commitment usually means more calls need to be made, more details are needed and it likely requires a trip outside the newsroom. That鈥檚 how it鈥檚 supposed to be. …
鈥淚 have learned so much from Judy that I鈥檒l pull through my career, but I know in the end what really sticks is the caring she shows to those she works with. She genuinely wants the best people by her side; she wants those people cared for, and, in turn, she demands the best product from everyone.鈥�
鈥楾hat鈥檚 classic鈥�
On her last day in the 草莓传媒 newsroom, Taub sat at the editor鈥檚 desk accepting hugs and handshakes, but also double-checking the work of young editors Madeleine Simon and Anagha Srikanth on the day鈥檚 news — stories ranging from the impending government shutdown to an interview with the Santa Claus at Tysons Corner.
鈥淚f [Lewis and Feinstein] are in the middle of an actuality, they can鈥檛 hear you鈥� over the intercom, she advised Simon. 鈥滻t鈥檚 better to wait for a commercial.鈥�
She also walked around the newsroom doing what she does every day.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a little confusing,鈥� she told reporter Mike Murillo after previewing his story. 鈥淓ither readjust the lead or the piece.鈥�
Seconds after McConnell spoke with me, and with less than three hours to go in Taub鈥檚 tenure at 草莓传媒, the two debated the merits of a story he was pitching. 鈥淟et me know when you get more,鈥� she said.
McConnell agreed 鈥� and as he walked away, he said of Taub鈥檚 continued rigor, 鈥渢hat鈥檚 classic.鈥�
Right after the on-air tribute from Lewis and Feinstein and a tear-filled address from Taub to the rest of the newsroom, the operation returned to relative normalcy.
The anchors dived back into the recent health news regarding Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the reactions to President Trump鈥檚 decision to withdraw American troops from Syria. 鈥淚s there a procedural vote [in the Senate] right now?鈥� editor Letese鈥� Clark asked anchor Hillary Howard as both prepared to assume the desk and studio, respectively.
The thing about a 24-hour operation like 草莓传媒 is, even after people leave, it keeps going. Any time, day or night, the machinery of this thing, and the people who run it, keep moving forward.
If, as 草莓传媒 rolls on, you can鈥檛 tell much of a difference without Judy Taub at the editor鈥檚 desk, that鈥檚 a testament to how well she taught everyone who鈥檚 following her.
鈥淪he is one of the people in my life who I will remember forever,鈥� Kelleher said. 鈥淚f I ever have a bad day, I鈥檓 going to think, 鈥楬ow would Judy handle this?鈥� And move forward.鈥�
‘What is it?’
With 18 minutes left on her last day, Howard and anchor Shawn Anderson, who won’t be on the air until after Taub has left, confer on a point. Taub overhears them, but not well enough.
“What is it?” Taub asks them. “What am I missing?”
