The Editors’ Exchange

The Web edition of The Editors' Exchange offers a compendium of interesting and imitatable innovations from the world of daily newspapers. In posting it here, ASNE makes the ideas available to the general public for use in all sorts of publications, including newspapers. The printed version of The Editors’ Exchange includes the names of editors who are willing to share information with other editors. However, because the Web version is archival — and not current — Internet readers should not contact the contributing newspapers or ASNE for examples or illustrative material. Thanks... and enjoy!

What is The Editors’ Exchange?

The Editors’ Exchange is a newsletter sent to newspapaper editors throughout the United States made up of items sent in by editors who agree to share their best ideas with their colleagues.

Please send in:

• Editorial and organizational innovations that help improve readership.
• Clips and tearsheets demonstrating these good ideas.
• In-house newsletters for newsroom employees that focus on good work.

Snapshots of local people in the news

At the community level, getting people's name and face in the paper often gets more attention than the most explosive investigative series.

Editors at the Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald-Journal (circulation 86,500) decided to build some of their sections around this concept with the community snapshot, which runs at the top of various sections.

In the paper's business section, a locally owned business that's been around for at least six months is profiled three times a week. The business name and owner philosophy, plus other details, run with a photo of the owner or owners.

On the daily themed pages of the local section, a person involved with the theme is profiled: a recycling business owner on the environmental day, a retired doctor on the health day, etc.

"This introduces noteworthy and interesting local individuals and companies to our readers in a lively, space-saving format," writes Bill Robinson, administrative editor. "The columns are done in advance, usually by an intern but sometimes by a reporter."

Teaching without a budget

Training staffers for free is hard, but possible, reports Managing Editor Bobbi Bowman of the Utica (N.Y.) Observer-Dispatch (circulation 50,500). She writes that her paper's program, known as O-D University, holds voluntary newsroom sessions twice a month that draw 12-14 people each. They are always an hour long and held at 4:15 p.m. so that both day- and night-shifts staffers can participate. Presenters have included community leaders, FOI advocates, the newspaper's court reporter and its graphics editor. "It's like holding a seminar," Bowman says.

Focus group looks at campaign

During this year's election campaign, the Worcester (Mass.) Telegram & Gazette (circulation 112,000) sponsored a focus group of about 20 residents in its circulation area. The group met often to discuss issues and campaign developments, and met several of the candidates face-to-face, including the opponents in the Kerry-Weld Senate race. The newspaper published the focus group's reaction to the senatorial and presidential debates, their feelings about campaign advertising and more, adding a new dimension to the paper's coverage.

A look at voting finds holes

One-third of voters in the United States cast ballots with punch card systems, an older technology whose accuracy is increasingly being questioned. The Quincy (Mass.) Patriot Ledger (circulation 88,000) found in a series published just prior to the election that Massachusetts communities using punch cards had a blank-ballot rate three times that of other systems. The newspaper hired two college students to collect the information, and although collection was difficult — records of whether punch cards or other tabulation means were used weren't available — it took them about 20 hours to collect the data.

Full-service stations: Dying breed

Where are the full-serve stations? That was Business Editor Kenneth Hart's assignment. Hart, of the Ashland, Ky., Daily Independent (circulation 22,000) found that although they're an endangered species in his area, a few still exist, so he went out and talked to some owners. Some people still use the stations as a convenience. "People don't mind paying that difference as long as they get the service," one source said.

Can you answer these?

Does your newspaper answer these questions about your community? If not, how can you be its eyes, ears, voice and heart? (Taken from the Donrey Media Editor/Reporter.)

• How is your community different from others in the state?
• Why was it established where it was?
• What is the employment rate, and who are the major employers?
• What are the most popular entertainment activities, and what event in the past year drew the largest crowd?
• What are the big institutional assets (museums, colleges, tourist attractions, sports teams)?
• Who are your experts? What are their fields of expertise?
• What is the dominant religion/philosophy, and how are people who are not a part of it treated?
• What's the driving economic force (retail, agriculture, tourism, industry)?
• What are the major social problems?
• Who are the most creative people in town in business, the arts, education, society?
• How many people move into and out of this community every week and why?
• What's been the biggest change in the nature of the community in the past decade?
• What's the high school dropout rate and the percentage of graduates who go on to college?
• What legends or stories do old-timers tell?
• How old is the oldest business?
• What accomplished people have roots here?
• What kinds of books have been our community's best sellers over the past five years?
• What are the most popular TV shows?
• What happens in our community that has a significant impact on people elsewhere?
• What's the demographic profile of our community? How does it compare to neighbors?

A computer analysis of the police car fleet records told the Daily Oklahoman in Oklahoma City (circulation 212,500) that one-third of the cars were beyond their prime. That cost the city a great deal in repair bills: one car had $93,000 worth of fuel and repairs conducted on it over a year. The investigation also found that the fleet's average mileage was just less than 100,000 miles, while the U.S. average is 69,000 miles or less. As a result, city officials announced cuts in the size of the fleet so it could be replaced in a timely manner. They are also investigating the possibility of privatizing fleet maintenance.

Plan ahead for major festivals

Every community has its pet festivals, be it berry festivals, harvest celebrations, historical events or major fairs. The trick to covering them, writes Editor Gene Lehmann of the Athens (Texas) Daily Review (circulation 6,500), is planning. His tips:

• Meet with organizers early — at least three weeks beforehand. Decide what kind of coverage is important to them and to readers. Select the three big themes. Find out what the major events are and staff those. Try to accommodate organizers, but make sure readers get what they want.
• Meet with staffers each week before the festival. Is someone interested in one event? Let that person cover it. If some events interest no one, assign them.
• Don't estimate crowds. Don't accept the chamber of commerce's estimate, either.
• Don't ignore the news to concentrate on the festival.
• Buy point-and-shoot cameras for writers to take their own photos. Loan cameras to trustworthy people for events you can't cover.
• Plan your work and work your plan.

The St. Johnsbury, Vt., Caledonian-Record (circulation 11,500) has several reader-friendly features that are very popular, reports Managing Editor Ellie Dixon. Among them:

• Business Watch is a chatty Saturday column about changes in local businesses.
• The weekly Volunteer Opportunities feature lists local groups that need help and the what they need.
• The county court calendar runs each week with a summary of the court schedule, including major cases in progress, motions and family court times.
• An adopt-a-pet feature with cute pictures of pets at the pound. Of course, the pets are adopted within a day of appearing.
• Finally, the Caledonian-Record, which serves portions of Vermont and New Hampshire, lists town names as part of the headline, making it easier to scan pages for local news.

More than 400 readers responded to "The Quiz," a questionnaire about local, state and national issues that the Port Huron (Mich.) Times Herald (circulation 31,500) printed to assess hot topics. Questions included multiple-choice answers: "When do you think a woman will be elected president?" "Which are the three most urgent statewide issues?" In addition to helping build the newspaper's database of stories important to readers, many respondents included their names and phone numbers and expressed a willingness to talk to reporters.