Questions You've Raised
Jim Pumarlo welcomes your questions. Click here to submit your question and receive a response.
How can nondaily newspapers compete with daily media and their instantaneous online coverage of the very election campaign issues that we are following but can't print until a week after the event?
The Web provides weekly newspapers the same capability of instantaneous online coverage Đ and not only during election season. The Web ought to be at the forefront of all newspapers in terms of disseminating news. Following that, customize the news to your readers.
Specific to elections, you can tailor your stories to the local issues most important to your readers. Identify these issues at the beginning of election season and use them as a barometer of your coverage. Another opportunity to tailor your coverage Đ and engage your readers - is to enlist a local panel of citizens at the beginning of the election season. These individuals can offer their perspectives on the candidates and the issues at regular intervals. If candidates have a major press conference that generates widespread attention, the local panelists can post their comments on the Web, thus making your coverage both timely and relevant to your audiences.
Read More
Jim Pumarlo leads a session on writing strategies for the Ohio Newspaper Association. “Jim delivers the essentials on reporting and writing for community newspapers,” said Frank Deaner, executive director of the Ohio Newspaper Association. “His presentation is packed with timely and practical examples. He also has detailed handouts that are valuable to the participants.”
Recent Writing
Newspapers provide broadest access to government records
Categorized under:Distributed as a guest editorial by the Minnesota Newspaper Association in observance of Sunshine Week, March 15-21, 2009
A city seeks bids for road maintenance. A township announces its election and annual meeting. A county publishes its annual list of delinquent taxes.
All three items are of public interest, and all are prominently displayed under the “public notices” sections in Minnesota newspapers.
Plant the seeds now for 2010 election coverage
Categorized under:The Inlander/March 2009
The conclusion of the 2008 political campaign – though one of the most memorable in U.S. history with the election of President Barack Obama – most likely brought a collective sigh to the general public and especially to newsrooms. Election coverage is among the most demanding and exhaustive tasks faced by newspapers.
Tips for gathering the tough news
Categorized under:Publishers' Auxiliary/March 2009
Developing policies for tackling tough and sensitive issues is no easy task. It requires thorough and conscientious consultation with people within and outside newspaper offices.
Once guidelines are drawn, however, the hardest work still may lie ahead. Getting facts to report sensitive stories often is challenging, even if information is deemed public under state and federal laws.
A sensitive approach to reporting on sexual abuse
Categorized under:The Inlander/February 2009
Sexual abuse is one of the most sensitive topics reported in newspapers. The victims often want to avoid publicity, but reporting sex crimes may help prevent future similar crimes and help victims find sources of help.
Newspapers must walk a delicate path of stating the extent of the crime while still protecting the identity of the victim. It becomes nearly an impossible challenge when the case involves incest – especially sexual abuse of a minor by a parent.
Don’t forget the story behind the statistics
Categorized under:Publishers' Auxiliary/January 2009
Police were called to a house where a teen-ager refused to leave after the owners were served eviction papers for being arrears on mortgage payments. The youth was removed without incident.
The last sentence of the story may have been the most noteworthy, however. Police served papers on 35 houses that day.
What They're Saying
Election coverage a must for all papers
Categorized under:Publishers Auxiliary/October 2007
Jim Pumarlo has it right when he says election coverage is “among the most demanding tasks in any newsroom.” That’s true no matter what size newsroom, so his practical guide to covering elections, “Votes and Quotes,” from Marion Street Press, should be a useful addition to most editors’ desks.
Pumarlo encourages consistency, endorsements
Categorized under:The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors Newsletter/September/October 2007
Whether you believe you’re doing it right or whether you fear you might be doing it wrong, Jim Pumarlo’s latest book “Votes and Quotes” is worth reading if you want to give your readers solid campaign and election news and opinion.
Book endorsements
Categorized under:
Anyone who has edited or published a community newspaper knows the most challenging and, often, agonizing part of the job is dealing with sensitive issues. I dealt with many issues like this during my career as an editor, and wished there was some type of guidance available, not only for the decision to go or not go with the story, but for developing and explaining the policy behind the decision when the inevitable wrath of a few or more readers loomed after the paper hit the newsstands. Now, there is a book that not only advises hometown newspaper editors about the process of handling sensitive stories, but also provides invaluable sample policies that cover everything from delicate subjects such as suicides, to more common content such as weddings and obituaries.
Ken Blum
Black Ink, e-mail Newsletter for Community Papers
Seminar endorsements
Categorized under:
Jim Pumarlo has a knack for bringing newspaper ethics out of the clouds and onto Main Street. He presents real-world ethical issues with great clarity and insight and helps editors and reporters make sound decisions that actually make sense to their readers.
Tom Linthicum
Seminar Associate
American Press Institute
Alexandria, VA
