Three rules of community news: Local, local, local

Nothing and everything has changed in the newspaper industry over the last couple of decades. Technology has played its high-stakes hand in the trade and continues to set a fast pace when it comes to gathering and disseminating the news.

This shouldn’t surprise journalists with an eye toward the future. And though the transition from print-only to multi-media tale-telling can be an overwhelming proposition, the comforting reality is that those journalists who know how to report, how to ask the right questions, how to dig up information and craft it into a compelling piece of journalism, will ultimately thrive and survive in this new web- and video landscape.

Those who refuse to innovate and get out from behind their phones and computers will be the ultimate losers.

New technology may be a critical part in how we tell stories, but it cannot transmit the “why?” of any good report.
Journalists who know how to get out and interact with their community are key to the success of any newspaper.
Nowadays, newspapers are known as multi-media news organizations. But technology will not save the print industry — it will only help those newspaper folk who are committed to serving their towns and cities for the long term. They are the ones who will embrace new competencies to better help the people they serve.

Good community newspapers have always been about featuring all things local — from an important donation to a winning goal. Community newspapers need to accurately reflect vital goings-on in the community, no matter how small an event may seem to be.

Northern Life is a member of a few different community newspaper associations across North America. By comparing notes with our industry peers we learn that we are not alone in the massive technological changes that are sweeping across our business. We want to keep our readers and advertisers happy and coming back for more. How can we do this, and continue to do this well, without overworking our staff as we strive to feed news to the web and the paper, as well as shoot pictures and video?

It’s all about making smart choices and how we can best serve our readers and advertisers. Without question, readers and advertisers want local content: lots and lots of local content.

And so, even though we are adapting what we do based on new technologies, the basic tenets of how to tell a good story remain: know how to talk to people and know how to communicate their message the best way possible.

Technology is changing how we tell those stories or create those ads — and that’s OK. It gives us plenty of options when it comes to refining the nuggets of great local content mined by Northern Life’s multi-media team.

It’s an exciting time to be telling the stories of Greater Sudburians.

W.B.