Editorial Judo

metaphor coined by editor David Helfand for the art of handling feedback, particularly from studio or network executives whose notes may seem off-base or ill-informed. Instead of resisting or dismissing the note, the editor uses its energy and redirects it positively. This involves embracing the note not for its proposed solution, but as a valid indicator that *something* is causing a reaction, and then using that insight to diagnose the true problem, which may lie elsewhere in the cut.