The Indiana Publisher

Page 6 September 8, 2016 News in brief M eeting reader's needs requires editors and reporters to multitask as challenges are ratcheted up in today's digital news- room. Everyone is expected to be adept across the spectrum of news gathering – writing breaking news for the web and a more complete story for the print edition, taking and posting photo or video on the web, tweeting about a sports event or city coun- cil meeting, updating your Facebook page. I charac- terize it as organized chaos. Digital tools can be a great assist in collecting and distributing the news. They should not, how- ever, replace the tried-and-true methods for solid reporting. Best practices remain at the foundation of all effective coverage, no matter the platform. It boils down to setting priorities, then being orga- nized to deliver. Here are a handful of elements – and accompany- ing digital tools – for ensuring your news product remains relevant to your readers and advertisers. Keep a calendar: Identifying news bench- marks for the next several weeks, even for the next year, helps you strengthen content and target opportunities to generate advertising and promote circulation. Digital tools allow you to share real- time calendars with news and ad staffs, so editors immediately know the availability of reporters when fielding story requests and scheduling assign- ments. Calendars should be routinely reviewed and communicated to readers. Tools like Basecamp, Mavenlink and a host of other project management tools can help schedule tasks as well as assign them and follow up. Preview as well as review: Calendars are the first step in organizing newsrooms. Next, develop a communications plan. Several online forms and input tools make it easy for readers and advertis- ers to make you aware of what's going on. Use Google alerts to keep an eye on news feeds. Take advantage of YouTube and social media to promote events. Preview sports contests with taped videos from coaches. Elaborate on community recogni- tion – citizen of the year, volunteer of the year, city festival royalty – by taping interviews with the candidates and linking to any of their social media accounts. Digital tools can enhance follow-up coverage, too. Any number of departments or organizations present annual reports. Highlight one item in the mayor's "state of the city" speech in the print edi- tion and post the full text on the web. Produce a slide show of the community theater grand opening or fire hall open house. Instagram and Pinterest might work well for niche audiences – and users who love photos. Consider using Instagram for on- the-fly coverage of fairs, parades and other events. Consider a Pinterest board for the arts and crafts section of the paper/website where you could show- case events like art fairs. A word of caution: Don't make the web a dumping ground for anything and everything, and make the content easy to navigate. Expand your reporter corps: Citizen journal- ists are a great way to supplement diminishing newsroom resources, especially for more in-depth projects. Enlist a panel of individuals who repre- sent a demographic cross-section and have them provide online commentary on important topics such as the proposed closing of a school or the months-long election season. Create a Twitter hashtag to host town hall meetings. Online discus- sions also are an opportunity to introduce issues that may otherwise be shortchanged. Take advantage of the editorial page: Newsrooms, as a clearinghouse of information, are in prefect position to lead the conversation. The web allows immediate exchange among readers. Monitor local social media including blogs, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts, so you can fol- low, read, react and follow up. Provide links to other websites and blogs, but only after verifying them as credible sources of information or perspec- tive. In a similar vein, you'll want to set ground rules for social media accounts used by editors and reporters. Provide continuum of story in tandem coverage: High-profile stories prompt prominent coverage at the various steps, but how many news- papers provide a chronological and comprehensive summary for those who have not followed the sto- ries from beginning to end? Package the stories on the web rather than forcing a tedious archive search. You might even sell coverage as a special section or an e-book. Distribute blasts and alerts through e-mail, Twitter and Facebook, reinforcing that your newspaper is the first source for local news. Tweet key votes at meetings, sporting high- lights, noteworthy remarks from speeches, and then promote the detailed print reports. Use live video to augment coverage of a press conference or breaking news. Make sure to look into possible uses for Virtual Reality storytelling in your publication. The New York Times is in full test mode with this new technology. Today's media landscape emphasizes open com- munity interaction, but making full use of social media does not happen on its own. Editors and reports must manage these operations, too. How can newsrooms identify and celebrate suc- cess? Start a conversation with readers. They'll let you know what's working and what isn't hitting the mark, what they like and what they think can be improved. Engaging in dialogue with readers is a win-win proposition for you, your readers and your community. Jim Pumarlo writes, speaks and provides train- ing on Community Newsroom Success Strategies. He can be contacted at www.pumarlo.com and jim@ pumarlo.com. World Arts Holdings, Inc., pub- lisherof the Spencer Evening World Newspaper would like to announce that Leandra Sullivan, a 35-year newspaper veteran, has been named managing editor. Sullivan stepped in Monday to replace Travis Curry, who held the post for eight years. Sullivan will serve as managing editor for SEW, and for sister publica- tions Ellettsville Journal, Clay City Times and Hoosier Topics. She served as manager of Presto Printing in Spencer for the last 17-months, and referred to the transition as "exciting, and a return to my long-time passion. "I feel that I am back with my tribe," she said. "I look forward to working with the talented individu- als at these publications, and with the residents of the area. I have already fallen in love with the peo- ple here during my time at Presto." Sullivan is a recent transplant from southeastern Illinois, where she worked as a reporter for daily and weekly newspapers throughout the region. She has a special interest in smaller community publications where "you can really have a per- sonal relationship with your reader- ship." Those relationships started dur- ing her first internship with the newspaper where she was attend- ing community college, and later as a Journalism major at the University of Tennessee. Sullivan worked as a reporter/photographer for newspapers in Olney, Robinson, and Lawrenceville, Ill., before going to freelance work in order to spend time with her sons. In 2001 she began as editor of the Navigator & Journal-Register and Prairie Post papers, based in Albion and Grayville, Ill., with circulation throughout most of southeastern Illinois. After 10 years at the post she moved on to a design position with an area print shop. Sullivan moved to Indiana two- years ago to be close to her eldest son and his young family. The Arts Council of Indianapolis, in partnership with IndyStar, is pleased to announce the sec- ond year of the Arts Council of Indianapolis' Arts Journalism Fellowship program. The 2016 Arts Journalism Fellows are three talented, aspiring journalists from Central Indiana including Bekah Pollard, Ross Reagan, and Alex Weilhammer. "We are thrilled to partner again with IndyStar on the Arts Journalism Fellowship and launch a second round of this program. These three talented writers from central Indiana have an opportu- nity to learn from IndyStar writers and contribute stories about our incredible arts community," said Dave Lawrence, President & CEO of the Arts Council of Indianapolis. "Increasing the visibility of the arts is central to the work of the Arts Council and this program is a wel- come addition to the arts coverage in the IndyStar." The Arts Council works to ensure central Indiana residents are well informed about and have meaning- ful engagement in local arts pro- grams, which includes advancing local arts journalism that builds audiences and fosters critical think- ing. The fellowship program is made possible through funds from the Arts Council of Indianapolis. The funding allows for an innova- tive solution in a time of shrinking arts coverage. The program works to bolster arts coverage, encourage arts journalism as a career for stu- dents and recent college graduates, and increase audience engagement in the arts. "We're pleased to be involved in this innovative approach to build on the IndyStar's arts and entertain- ment coverage. The arts scene in Indianapolis is a vital part of our community, and we're committed to helping it thrive," said Jeff Taylor, Executive Editor, IndyStar. The three Arts Journalism Fellows will work with IndyStar editors through the fall to produce stories and videos related to local film, literature, music, dance, the- ater, visual arts, and other forms of creative expression. Their work will appear at IndyStar.com, in print sections of the paper, and in arts inserts. Facilitated by the Arts Council of Indianapolis, Arts Journalism Fellows will receive an in-depth education about and connection to the arts community in Indianapolis. The Arts Council serves as the funder and administrator for the fellowship, and provides resources to the fellows including a $2,000 stipend. All content produced by the fellows is exclusive to the IndyStar and under the IndyStar's full edi- torial control. Fellows are paid by IndyStar as correspondents, per article that is published. – Arts Council of Indianapolis The News and Tribune's former intern Danielle Grady has joined the news staff as the economic development and business reporter. Grady, a 21-year-old native of Madison, is a recent journalism graduate of Ball State University. She worked at the Indianapolis Star this summer as a Pulliam fel- low and interned with the News and Tribune in the summer of 2015. "We waited for more than a year to get Danielle here," Publisher Bill Hanson said. "Her work ethic and diverse abilities led me to intention- ally hold a position open that long for one person." Grady has a wide range of experi- ence when it comes to reporting. She covered Clark County govern- ment while interning for the News and Tribune, but was a features editor at the Ball State Daily News. – News and Tribune New managing editor at Spencer Evening World Arts Council and IndyStar announce journalism fellowship Sullivan Grady joins News and Tribune staff Use digitial tools to enhance solid reporting By Jim Pumarlo pumarlo.com

• Cover