Editors are routinely challenged with making uncomfortable news decisions. To be certain, there is no universal right or wrong call on whether to publish a story and in how much detail. Several factors may be in play, including community norms and longstanding newspaper policy.

By JIM PUMARLO, Consultant

DOJ report on response to Uvalde shooting scathing

The U.S. Justice Department issued a scathing report late last week on the May 24, 2022, mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

By JIM PUMARLO, Consultant

A reader complains that a youth sports story was too negative. Someone questions why a particular quote wasn’t included in a report of a contentious public hearing. Your newsroom brainstorms how election coverage can be more substantive and meaningful. A reporter is rightfully embarrassed for basically writing a press verbatim that charges a local official with unethical conduct without contacting the accused for a response.

By Jim Pumarlo, consultant

A divorce is finalized, but it is not recorded in the newspaper until four months later.
Someone appears in court for a domestic assault, but the sentence isn't reported until weeks after the fact.

The subjects naturally raise two questions: What constitutes these items as news? Why is there such a delay in the report?

These instances, and many more, occurred during my tenure as editor of the Red Wing (Minn.) Republican Eagle. Other editors can likely relate.

By JIM PUMARLO, Consultant

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 budgets often takes months encompassing hours of meetings and hundreds of pages of documents. Yet most newsrooms likely observe and report only a snapshot of the process.

I’ve long regarded editorial pages as the conscience of a community. Nothing better represents the marketplace of ideas than a rich exchange of letters.

By Jim Pumarlo, Consultant

At the same time, editorial pages should not be a free-for-all. Guidelines must be set.

By Jim Pumarlo, consultant

How will the Legislature deal with a record budget surplus, and what will it mean for taxpayer pocketbooks? Are there implications for public safety with the proposal to legalize marijuana? Which communities are the winners and losers in the proposed state bonding bill?

Minnesota lawmakers are addressing these and myriad other issues as they pass the halfway mark of this year’s session. The list is representative of the topics debated and public policy crafted in legislative hallways everywhere.

Editors often raise red flags – or at least hesitate – at requests for business news, and often for good reason.

By Jim Pumarlo, consultant

Here’s a periodic action item for every newspaper: The exercise can be quite revealing in evaluating how you are connecting with various audiences. It is even more important in today’s fractured media landscape and as everyday interaction can still be challenging in the aftermath of the pandemic.
For starters, ask reporters to identify the community newsmakers in a brainstorming session. Better yet, divvy up newspapers from the last several weeks and circle the names and faces in the stories and photos.

By Jim Pumarlo, consultant

By JIM PUMARLO
Consultant