The Poynter Web site today has a "Leading Lines" piece about 24/7 television news operations and what newspapers can learn from their culture.

Although television news has been criticized for too much on 'if it bleeds, it leads' news judgment, the culture and operations at these organizations provide several worthwhile lessons, especially for newsrooms that are becoming more multimedia and breaking-news focused.

Long-time television news reporter and director Jill Geisler wrote, "The 24/7 culture is its own animal. It's exciting, exhausting and always challenging. It's a culture that has the potential to produce journalism that's excellent or an embarrassment."

Here's what she had to do. (Note that it's exactly what a lot of newspaper editors are being asked to do now thanks to the Web):

"Be ready and able report news at a moment's notice, grow people with the talent to deliver the words, video and graphics instantly, create systems that reduce internal confusion and maximize communication, and most of all, do it while emphasizing critical thinking and journalistic responsibility. Oh, and beat the competition, too."

Nothing like a run-on sentence to put our jobs in perspective, right?

Fortunately, Geisler gives some practical advice about how to accomplish all these things while still keeping your head on straight and even having time to sleep and eat.

Here's the quick rundown of her rules and advice. (It's worth your time to read the whole piece, really.)

My favorite two: Remove barriers to peak performance and never stop being a journalist.

The others are:

Everyone's a reporter.
Be first -- and right.
Recognize your power.
Advance the story.
Think in multiple time frames.
Visual information trumps words and audio.
Be resourceful.
Be human.