Editors, are you having conversations with your readers? Norman Transcript Editor Andy Rieger in Oklahoma answers readers’ questions in the newspaper.
Rieger’s recent ‘Letter to the Readers’:
A reader questioned, why so much coverage of the Westboro Baptist Church’s protest in Moore this week? Believe me, we questioned it, too.
The church, and we use that term loosely, routinely pickets at soldier funerals and for some odd reason chose to protest at Moore High School Monday afternoon. The protesters were outgunned about 600 to six, according to our reporters there.
Their message was literally shouted down. But the bigger picture is why do we continue to give them such front-page ink. Not covering them and the larger response would be doing a disservice to the community.
It’s similar to spring sports coverage. Some sports get much more attention than others. It’s hard to explain to track and tennis parents why soccer and baseball draw more ink. There are more fans at soccer and baseball games but the athletes work just as hard in other sports.
It begs the proverbial question. Which came first — the coverage or the interest?
---
My friends and students ask me often about the future of the newspaper business. Some daily newspapers have closed and many more have trimmed their payrolls. It’s the perfect storm of a slowing economy, new technology and changing lifestyles.
The problems seem to be at the major metropolitan newspapers that have lost touch with some of their readers. The cutbacks mean fewer reporters covering the news.
Industry analysts estimate 80 percent of all news is generated from newspaper reporters. Television and radio pick up some news but generally take their nightly lead from the morning papers. Don’t believe me? Look at the morning papers and then watch TV news in the evening.
Commentators, bloggers and Internet posters rely on that reporter at the courthouse, at the city council meeting or interviewing the mayor before they can do their work.
Newspaper print circulation is flat or declining but Web site audiences are increasing at a healthy pace. The Newspaper Association of America reports readership grew 12.1 percent in 2008 over 2007.
