You may not know Julie Mettenburg's face, but you might know her writing. She is the editor
of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's magazines Countdown and Countdown for Kids. Julie has interviewed lots of
people in the diabetes community, like actress Mary Tyler Moore, Miss America 1999 Nicole Johnson, and diabetes activists Larry Soler and
Jane Adams. She has also worked on stories for the pump and blood sugar managment.
CureNow: What does your day-to-day look like?
Julie Mettenburg: I spend a lot of time on the phone, talking to people around the country and sometimes the world, working on the current issue of Countdown For Kids. This involves interviewing sources for articles, as well as having art, design and production conferences with the C.F.K. production staff and JDRF staff in New York and elsewhere. The other major portion of my days are spent reading children's magazines and books for ideas that we can adapt for our diabetes audience, researching stories, and proofreading the page layouts.
Since you don't have diabetes, how did you get involved with Countdown and JDRF?
I was living and working in New York, working at a major women's consumer magazine, but I wanted a job where I could be more involved in more aspects of the magazine editing and production process. JDRF was looking for an editor for Countdown magazine at the time, so I applied and got the job. The following year, we launched Countdown For Kids. Two years ago, we launched JDRF's companion Web site, JDRF Kids Online (www.jdrf.org/kids). Now, I work primarily on JDRF's children's projects, including some new initiatives just for teens.
You have written a lot of stories and interviewed a lot of people over the years, do you have any favorites?
I have loved all of the Role Model stories we have done for C.F.K. We knew from the first issue that we always wanted to feature adults who could serve as real inspirations for anyone living with diabetes, especially kids. Scientists, nurses, athletes, performers, entrepreneurs--people who've struggled through bad times, people who've always had it together--celebrities and ordinary people--we've featured all sorts of people, and they continue to amaze me.
Of course, working with JDRF, a major bonus of the job is getting to be involved with Mary Tyler Moore. I've enjoyed all of my encounters with her--she is so gracious, giving and genuine. People always ask me if she's as great as she seems to be, and the answer is absolutely Yes!
Another that stands out, perhaps as emblematic of them all, is Olympic Swimmer Gary Hall Jr. Although I did not interview him in person, I assigned and edited the story. It was a wonderful editing experience in that we were working with him while he was actually going through Olympic Trials and the Olympics--the timing was spectacular. But even better, here's a guy who was told his Olympic swimming career was ended when he was diagnosed. Yet he sought more medical advice, fought back hard, and came back stronger than he had been before his diagnosis, winning more medals in 2000 than in '96. From interviewing people around the diabetes field, and other world-class athletes, I know how very impressive his achievement is. He also was willing to talk about the other challenges in his life, such as having Attention-Deficit Disorder.
Plenty more names come to mind! Some have become friends. Visit www.jdrf.org/kids/cfk/rolemodels to see them all!
How has your work at Countdown and with people with diabetes affected you?
I have several close friends and family members who have Type 1 diabetes, and I have obviously made some great friends with Type 1 through JDRF.
As a journalist, working with the JDRF community has shown me the power of applying that training and skill to a situation where you can truly help people, provide a service or support a mission. When you're in school, you aren't necessarily shown that option--you come out thinking you will go into daily newspaper reporting or broadcasting. It's been very rewarding, especially being dedicated to projects for children.
What do you like most about journalism?
I like the variety of it, and the opportunities to meet new people and experience new things. It's continuous learning, especially as the media world and technology change. The additional fun of working in magazines is that they are very visual and beautiful. Through JDRF, I've had the privilege of working with extremely talented visual artists, photographers and production experts, from whom I've learned a tremendous amount.
If someone was interested in journalism, what would your advice be to them?
Find opportunities to do it. If you're in high school, work on your newspaper, yearbook or Web site. Make videos; write stories; keep a journal. Take your English and literature studies seriously. Shakespeare WILL help you! If you're getting ready for college, look into journalism or English programs. If you're already in another career, look at masters' programs in journalism, and write for your company newsletter.
Most important, READ. Read, read, read. Read things you love, and seek out things that will challenge you, whether the daily newspaper or weekly news magazines, literary magazines or novels, poetry or comics. Preferably all of the above. In my free time, I sometimes teach journalism at my local university. There is no question that the students who have spent a great portion of their lives reading are ahead of the rest for a career in communications--and for life in general. It's how you build a cultural knowledge base and develop an innate sense of language that can't be taught in any class. Plus it's fun!
