By Jim Pumarlo
One of my greatest satisfactions sitting behind the editor’s desk was appreciating the newspaper had a pulse of the community. Credit extended beyond the newsroom; all employees served as our collective eyes and ears.
Delivering news is hard work as editors well know. Stories don’t just fall in your lap. You must develop news sources, which can be a painstaking process. Sources willingly share good news. When bad news surfaces, they often create detours and roadblocks.
As the New Year unfolds, it’s a good time to commit to rekindle connections. For starters, ask yourself: When’s the last time you sat down with news sources – in a calm and nonconfrontational atmosphere – and had a conversation about why you press so hard for information, why you believe your community is stronger for sharing a broad spectrum of news?
Communication with formal and informal networks became especially challenging during the pandemic as everyone was forced into isolation. Exchanges via phone, email and platforms such as Zoom necessarily became the norm.
Many of those practices unfortunately continue. Sources find it easier to control the conversation and minimize their time through remote contact; they rely on social media channels to distribute statements. Newsrooms, increasingly faced with diminished resources and a fractured media landscape, find it difficult to get reporters onto the streets.
Reporters routinely are challenged in tracking down information from public officials, even when the laws governing open meetings and public data are on your side. What were the real reasons for not renewing a superintendent’s contract? Why is a developer threatening lawsuit against the city council? Why won’t the county board release the proposed sites for storage of hazardous waste?
Challenges can be even greater in the private sector where individuals and companies are not subject to the same rules as public bodies for releasing information. Yet the news can often be more compelling than what transpires at a city council meeting. What was the margin of the strike vote at the paper mill, the city’s largest employer? What caused an explosion at a manufacturing plant, and how many people were hurt? Will current employees be affected by the announced merger of the local hospital and clinic?
Editors can readily add to the list of everyday frustrations in recording the living histories of their communities. I encourage you to set aside regular time to connect with sources.
Some opportunities are ready-made. I recall when a new law firm was selected to represent our city. The attorneys conducted an orientation for members of boards and commissions. Topics included public meeting procedures, liability exposure for elected and appointed officers, the open meeting law, and ethics in government. I attended and was pleasantly surprised that our newspaper and the attorneys were aligned on many interpretations of the state’s public access laws. But not in all cases. I shared observations in a column, letting readers know what that meant in terms of delivering the news we believed they were entitled.
Newspapers can likely find several avenues to state their case. For example:
- Our policy was to identify high school athletes suspended from competition due to violations of high school league or school district policies. Not surprising, the policy had its detractors among coaches, parents and athletes. I attended a quarterly meeting of coaches to explain and discuss our rationale and addressed the topic in a column.
- We frequently fielded complaints from law enforcement as to why we were aggressive in our pursuit of “bad” news – for example, the suspension of a firefighter – but they believed we came up short in recording department heroics. We connected, and, after a brief discussion, discovered that opportunities for coverage – for example, firefighters battling a fire – often occurred “after hours” in the middle of the night. We immediately armed the department with 24/7 contact information for our staff.
- The local manufacturers association invited me to present at its monthly meeting. My remarks focused on the importance of businesses sharing bad news as well as good news. The interaction with business leaders made for an excellent column.
- Civic clubs regularly seek speakers. Take your show on the road, explain the hows and whys behind news coverage and then field questions.
Newsrooms ought to lay out a plan for regularly connecting with sources. The mindset should not be to convince others that your pursuit of news is the right way or the only way. Rather, you should strive for a common understanding of why it’s important to share all the news – the routine and the sensitive.
Journalists are equipped with many tools under the letter of the law to gather information. Reporters should be equally aggressive in advancing requests based on the spirit of openness. The opportunity to deliver the facts – straight from the source – is one of the strongest arguments editors can present to those otherwise hesitant to share information important to your community.
Jim Pumarlo is former editor of the Red Wing (Minn.) Republican Eagle. He writes, speaks and provides training on community newsroom success strategies. He is author of “Journalism Primer: A Guide to Community News Coverage,” “Votes and Quotes: A Guide to Outstanding Election Coverage” and “Bad News and Good Judgment: A Guide to Reporting on Sensitive Issues in Small-Town Newspapers.” He can be reached at www.pumarlo.com and welcomes comments and questions at jim@pumarlo.com.
