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Content study group report
Posted by Steven A. Smith | 28 Jul 6:00 PM
Good evening,
As promised, here is a link to the report from the second of our newsroom task forces, the content study group.
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/conversation/media/content_report_20080728.pdf
As with the earlier report, this is not a blueprint. There are some strong ideas here and we'll use them as a starting point for further discussion.
I have asked this group to get together again to put some priorities to their recommendations. Given existing staff, we could not implement all of the recommendations even if we wanted to do so. So I'm asking for some priorities.
Lest you wonder, I am understand fully that I am responsible for making the final decisions. I am not asking this group to make those decisions for me. Rather, I am interested in their thoughts now that they have studied the newsroom and know it as well as any group out there.
I know this is inside baseball for many of you. But for those who are interested, the report is now available. Comments welcome, of course.
steve
There are 5 comments on this post. (XML Subscribe to comments on this post)
Going strictly local would make us look provincial,
more like a small-town weekly.
Since small-town weeklies are thriving, this may not be such a bad thing...
I'm always thinking when I read the paper that I want some more localized. I can get information on what happened in Europe online at other news sources. Besides, nobody in local markets writes that material anyways.
I want to feel more connected with what is happening in the community. Adding in more entertainment aspects of a niche paper would be great for SR, I think.
"Comments welcome, of course."
Spare us the bull, Steve.
If you're responsible, why waste the time of the staffers involved?
And did you pay them for their time or did you just give them an "atta boy" at a meeting staged in the center of the newsroom?
Heather,
Being responsible does not require that I make all decisions without advice and counsel. Several people (and groups) participate regularly. It is always helpful and I think helps people understand why certain decisions must be made.
And, yes, people are paid for their time, including overtime if it comes to that. In our organization, we make sure people are paid for their work.
steve
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Steve Smith has been editor of The Spokesman- Review since July 2002. Before coming to Spokane, he served as editor of The Statesman-Journal in Salem, Ore., and The Gazette in Colorado Springs, Colo. Smith is married to Alexa Conway Smith, an independent computer consultant and has two children by a previous marriage, Sam and Alissa.