It’s happened to every journalist as least once. The subject asks, “Could I see a copy of the story before it goes to print?”
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A newsroom’s lifeblood is its ability to keep a pulse of the community and deliver timely reports.
Another election season is under way, and newsrooms are gearing up for campaigns that last weeks and even months. Coverage will consume the news pages from candidate profiles and community forums to photo requests and letters to the editor. And don’t forget the steady barrage of press releases. Step-by-step coverage of political campaigns likely prompts more than one publisher to utter: Why are we giving the candidates all this free publicity? Where are their ads?
Election season poses a host of questions for editors as they sift through the natural upsurge in letters. For those in the midst of spring elections, editors are likely making many decisions on the fly. For the primary and general elections later this year, it’s not too early to set the ground rules.
By Jim Pumarlo A family’s farm is devastated by a tornado. A reporter is on the scene moments […]
A reader complained about a published letter that supported teachers in their contract dispute: Did the editor know the writer was the spouse of a teacher? Why wasn’t that noted since the writer has a self-interest in the outcome of negotiations? Many editors have likely fielded similar questions at one time or another.
Editors and reporters face the same challenges pursuing stories with “private” officials as they do with “public’ officials. Everyone is eager to share what’s considered good news, but reluctant to talk about bad news.
By Jim Pumarlo A city council approves tax incentives for a shopping center after a months-long process that […]
Newspapers face a special difficulty and sensitivity in reporting crime, especially in high-profile cases.
By Jim Pumarlo The 2012 elections are in the rearview mirror, and newly elected lawmakers have settled into […]