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NEWSROOM PLANNING
• Take action in your newsroom.
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• Have a conversation each day about what is important, how you want your publication to look, and what stories take priority.
• Get out into the community and talk to your readers. Find out what they are interested in, what they are passionate about, and what is important to the community.
• If you are going to the same events from year to year, what are some different angles you can take in your coverage?
• If you have a limited number of staff to cover meetings and events, prioritize your plan. Which meetings have the greatest impact on the community?
• If you are the only news source in your community, take a look at whether your news coverage is comprehensive enough.
• Consider different design options in your publication. Do you need a full article or can the story be told in photos?
• Try something new each week. If it fails, there is always next week. If it succeeds, save it for the future.
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Community Journalism
Community
Revenue
Engagement
Shrinking staff
Small-town
Websites
Digital
Tradition
Social Media
Newspapers
Readership
“Where you used to get the rumors at the local coffee shop, now it’s all online, and it spreads like wildfire. I see the role of a good media company putting those wildfires out and bringing forward the facts.”
-Mark Rhoades, Enterprise Publishing
“Hyperlocal is part of that formula that I absolutely believe in. I think it’s the salvation of community newspapers and even small dailies.”
-Kurt Johnson, Aurora News Register
On newspapers in 10 years: "I think that newspapers will be still providing a print product and more online or digital news and advertising. I think smaller communities will have an advantage in providing local local information and stories to the community. I think larger population areas will even do less for smaller communities in the future because they don't see the value.
- Kevin Zadina, Seward County Independent
ABOUT THIS PAGE
This website is intended to be a resource for other journalists, specifically managing editors, in the day-to-day newsroom operations. It was established as journalist Jill Martin's final project for a master's degree in professional journalism at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It is not a concrete answer to the many challenges journalists face each day. It is a conversation, a discussion to mold, model and consider.
Features of the website include:
• an idea exchange featuring page designs and story ideas from weekly newspapers in the MidWest
• a blog based on information contributed from the Seward Newspaper Group's newsroom staff
• planning concepts for print, web and social media
• input from industry experts and long-time journalists
• Newsroom Chat, a public forum for small-town journalists to weigh in on issues
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• To contribute, fill out the form below or email nebraskajournalism@gmail.com
Q
CONTACT ME
Ask questions or provide feedback.
Fill in the form and I will contact you ASAP
(402) 326-3402