Solid reporting key to readership

Solid reporting on local news that impacts the reader – that is the single best way that any newspaper can serve its community.

Long-standing newspapers that have served its readers well are folding on a nearly weekly basis. For the ones left standing, an emphasis on good, solid reporting and writing will keep the newspaper a vital ingredient in the lives of its readers.

I live Northern Nevada, a region that has been growing for the last 10 years thanks in part to high standard of living, location near a resort area and tax advantages that attract businesses from California. This growth also helped to cause a bubble in the housing market, which now has resulted in high foreclosure and unemployment rates. Our local newspapers – from dailies to weeklies – have suffered as well with reduced staff and content, some even publishing now only three days a week. I’ll never stop my subscription to the paper, but I find myself reading less and less by the day. Why? There’s little good, local reporting.

I don’t want to be dazzled by some new features section. I don’t want to read canned copy on the best spring salad or how to jumpstart my summer workout. I want to know what is happening in my community.

Stories are in the air, scoop them up. The financial crisis, the housing crisis, the wars, everywhere you look there are good stories waiting to be told. How are the mom and pop shops surviving? What are the unemployed doing for food, for health care, for jobs, for housing? Talk to local shop owners, shadow a family going through a housing crisis or a job search. Get out there and try to find a job yourself – go through the process and see what’s out there. Talk to the hospitals, the clinics, the health department – what do people need and how are they getting it. How are local soldiers and their families faring?

Put a face on the story. Tell the big picture story, then focus on one family, one individual and how they are, or aren’t, coping.

Hold officials accountable. From city hall to board rooms to the legislature, it took more than CEOs and stockbrokers on Wall Street to cause these problems. Find out how local policies, or the lack of them, added to the crisis. Then, ask what they are doing to fix it. Hold legislatures, bank officers and the city council and managers responsible. Dog them until you get answers, and then continue to dog them until the public gets results.

Follow the money. With stimulus money coming down the pipe, keep a close eye on it. Follow the money and the people, where it’s going and make sure it’s spent on the right projects in the proper way. We are the watchdogs of government and in this financial crisis diligence is needed more than ever.

Focus on the basics. With finances tight for many, the newsroom can do its part in keeping readers by focusing on solid and tight reporting and writing. Hit the pavement, talk to people, cover your bases and write a good story every time. Ask the big picture questions – how does their impact the reader’s life and why should they care. And, don’t forget to follow up. Keep a stack of newspapers from the last two to three months, then sit down every few months and go through them. Look for the stories that need follow up, the unresolved issues, new laws about to come on line, etc.

Look to the future. The economy is cyclical and we will emerge from this crisis. Look for signs of upturns in the local economy – look for new businesses, construction projects that restart and any signs of life. Don’t pander to the readers, just focus on balanced coverage.