Classroom

By Jim Pumarlo We’re more than halfway into 2023, and many local governments are well involved in exploring 2024 budgets. Are your newsrooms aware of the process? Are you keeping readers abreast of the dynamics? It’s not too early to brainstorm ideas for timely and meaningful coverage. Shaping and adopting …

By Jim Pumarlo Editors often raise red flags – or at least hesitate – at requests for business news, and often for good reason. A store seeks a story for its grand opening – three months after the doors have opened. A request for a restaurant review, though maybe a …

By Jim Pumarlo Surviving in today’s fractured media landscape depends on your ability to identify, collect and deliver the relevant community news. That job becomes more challenging if readers become frustrated in their attempts to connect with reporters. The normal channels of communication took a serious hit during COVID-19 as …

By Jim Pumarlo My formula for shaping newspaper content is straightforward: Present a blend of stories that people like to read and stories they should read. Under the “should read” category, consider me an advocate of vibrant coverage of local government. Another basic element to writing any story, whether hard …

By Jim Pumarlo Election Day is only weeks away. The hyper partisanship of races at all levels – from local to state to federal – demands that editors pay extra attention to press releases and letters to the editor. The editing and delete buttons on your keyboard are likely to …

By Jim Pumarlo Are you looking for a project that can energize your news staffs, generate new advertising revenue and underscore the value of a local newspaper to potential new subscribers? Mark Oct. 28: National First Responders Day. Full disclosure on two fronts. First, highlighting the accomplishments of first responders …

By Jim Pumarlo Crime and public safety are garnering more headlines across the country. Law enforcement and racial disparities in the criminal justice system are under increasing scrutiny. Newspapers play a key role in examining the dynamics in their own communities. But what’s happened to police logs, the most basic …

By Jim Pumarlo Election coverage was a priority when I toiled behind the editor’s desk. It was all-hands-on-deck in the newsroom as we sought information to help voters make their choices. As a final step, we endorsed in all races from the city council to U.S. president. Many newspapers today, …

By Jim Pumarlo I fondly characterize newsrooms as organized chaos. I witnessed that firsthand guiding staffs when resources were plentiful and community newspapers had captive audiences. Dynamics are even more frayed in today’s changing media landscape as editors grapple with diminished resources and increased constraints on news gathering. Editors and …