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.

The Inlander/January 2009

Newspapers are privileged to publish a variety of information due to state and federal laws. Without these rights, the pages would be void of content that is the everyday fabric of communitie.

Marriages and divorces; traffic tickets; hiring, firing, discipline, salaries and much more about public employees; court dispositions; building permits; property taxes – these are just a sampling of vital public data.

The Inlander/December 2008

Suicides. Strikes. Traffic fatalities. Each provides sensitive circumstances, and each presents challenges for coverage, especially in community newspapers.

These are the type of stories that must be reported if newspapers are to be the pre-eminent source of what’s going on in their communities and remain relevant to readers. These circumstances also offer a lesson in the value of follow-up stories.

The Inlander/November 2008

Here’s one list of basic dos and don’ts to ensure that the letters column will remain relevant:

Limit length: Readers have limited attention span for lengthy stories. The same is true for letters. Editors are doing the writers a favor by imposing limits; 350 words is a good starting point.

Limit frequency of authors: Individuals should be limited to one letter per month, except in the case of rebuttals (see next item).

The Inlander/October 2008

News content is strongest when editors and reporters routinely identify those stories and events that will warrant their attention. The value of an editorial calendar is twofold.

Some events occur every year and this gives opportunity to look for fresh angles for coverage. City festivals, local government budget hearings and United Way campaigns fall into this category. Plus, by having this coverage in hand, newsrooms are better prepared to handle the unexpected issues and events certain to surface.

By Adolfo Mendez/Associate Editor/The Inlander
May 21, 2008

As editor of the Red Wing (Minn.) Republican Eagle, Jim Pumarlo knew how difficult it could be to cover controversial issues in a small town.

"Working at small papers can be tough," Pumarlo told attendees at a recent Inland Press workshop for small newspapers. The local paper often has to write about sensitive issues involving "people who are our friends and neighbors," he said.

Publishers' Auxiliary/July 2008

When is the last time readers complained about the accuracy of a story? Or called to say they’re pleased with a story but irritated by a headline? Or found fault with how their ideas and statements were conveyed in a story?

Publishers' Auxiliary/May 2008

All editors and reporters likely remember interviewing for their first job. What were the toughest and most meaningful questions – the ones that afforded an opportunity to distinguish you from the other applicants? Which questions prompted a simple “yes” or “no” answer, and which ones gave your prospective boss an inside look of who you are, and what you’d bring to the table?

Publishers’ Auxiliary/April 2008

A Minnesota newspaper publisher generated national headlines when he started charging 5 cents a word for letters to the editor that endorse a candidate. He was frustrated with the orchestrated letter-writing that has become standard fare among political campaigns - a challenge facing many editors as the 2008 elections approach.

Distributed as a guest editorial by the Minnesota Newspaper Association in observance of Sunshine Week, March 16-22, 2008

Minnesotans’ everyday lives are affected by the decisions of governing bodies. A school board decides to close a school. A city council sets parameters for business incentives. A county board regulates where feedlots may be located. State legislators debate tax policy.