A New Mold
Another new term in journalism is distributed reporting. That’s when reporters of different news agencies pool their resources to report a big story together. About four years ago I suggested to five local newspapers that together they come up with one topic relevant to local readers and pledge to devote one particular week each year to it. The individual stories would differ. But Humboldt County readers would get at least one week a year of deep coverage of an important issue and no one newspaper would have to devote tremendous resources to it. It would be a way of working together for the best interests of readers. Three of the papers yawned at the suggestion.
The big papers have been pooling resources for 150 years. It’s called the Associated Press, which is currently led by Times-Standard owner Dean Singleton. If the local papers created a local AP we wouldn’t have to have more than one reporting the same story. Together they would be able to report more local news. It would work if each paper assessed its niche and stayed within it and figured out a way to protect against or compensate for reader migration. To do that, you need to have a good sense of who your readers are and what they want and need.
Finally, kill post-event coverage. We don’t need old news. Anyone who attended the Oyster Festival doesn’t need to read about it and anyone who missed it doesn’t care. Instead tell us whether it is safe to eat the oysters we buy. That’s the type of news we’ll eat up.
Marcy Burstiner is an assistant professor of journalism at Humboldt State University. She is the author of the book Investigative Reporting: From premise to publication, which has just been published by Holcomb Hathaway, Publishers.
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on the cover
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Today
44th Annual Kinetic Grand Championship Race
STAFF PICK / events, art, outdoors, sports, for kids, free / 9 a.m.-6 p.m. A 3-day, 42-mile kinetic sculpture race over land, sand, mud and water! LeMans start at the Noon Whistle on the Arcata Plaza. Follow the race through Manila, Eureka and into Ferndale on Memorial Day for the Glorious Finish. kineticgrandchampionship.com. 889-3024.
Flow 2012 Fashion Show
STAFF PICK / events / 8 p.m. Arcata Theatre Lounge, 1036 G St. Student designed and produced clothing. Fundraiser for Arcata Arts Institute. $35/$25 students. artsinstitute.net. 822-1220.
Woodside Preschool's Rummage/Bake Sale
events / 8 a.m.-noon. Woodside Preschool, 900 Hodgson St, Eureka. www.woodsidepreschool.com. 445-9132.
Lanphere Dunes Restoration
STAFF PICK / outdoors / 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Meet at Pacific Union School. Help remove non-native invasives at the Lanphere Dunes Unit of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Tools and gloves provided, wear work clothes and bring water. Carpool to the protected site. 444-1397.
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THREE Comments
Comment / By Cindy / July 4, 2009, 4:09 p.m.
I don’t think so- what we want to read is who did what to whom, when the chicken show starts at the fair and when and where the good sales are. When the road closes and when it reopens. Where good local strawsberries are on sale. Why the University does the things that seem so foolish to the rest of the area……………
Comment / By Tom / July 5, 2009, 11:09 a.m.
I totally agree. I’m tired of the re-tread national news! Get rid of the terrible nationally syndicated oped people T-S puts in their editorials. I would much rather hear what David Meserve opinion than that of Bill O’riley as I have heard the later enough time to know what he thinks, just one example of many.
Additionally I would like to see more coverage from T-S and NCJ after the fact. When young people rob someone with an AK47, for instance, I would like to know more about the hows and whys, as in how did they get a machine gun and why did they think they could get away with it. If they are local this might mean interviewing their parents, friends, teachers and the police. Instead what happens is these stories go into some kind of black-hole, never to be discussed again.
Comment / By anon / July 9, 2009, 9:31 a.m.
Well Tom, I think most of us could predict with something approaching 100 percent accuracy the opinions Mr. Meserve would have about pretty much any subject under the sun. If you can’t, then local media really have failed you. Either that, or you actually died some years ago.