A degree in journalism might take the aspiring journalist far, but it’s a lifelong passion for journalism that led Francesca Chambers to recently be named White House correspondent by Gannett for USA TODAY. She shared the roots of that passion in a late-May 2022 webinar with Mike Blinder, host of E&P Reports and publisher of Editor & Publisher.
Although sponsored content and its sister format, branded content, are by definition marketing tactics, when they deliver important information, people engage with it gladly. News publishers have traditionally provided the essential part of that information: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How. Now they have the opportunity to provide the part today’s consumers and readers also want — lifestyle content about home life, fashion, food, pets, travel and thousands of other topics.
The timeless pursuit of contracting experts to give new insights is a fairly standard practice in the business world. And whether it’s a consultant, a subject matter expert or anyone else, it’s vital in these situations to think of why you brought someone in to look at the situation and give their assessment. And, once you have someone you’re confident can help you, you have to listen to them!
Small weekly and rural newspapers were already struggling before the pandemic. Many had to close family-operated, decades-old publications, creating news deserts. Once the pandemic hit, more of these newspapers closed — just when residents needed important information about how local government and community organizations were responding to the pandemic. Addressing this crisis and finding a solution have come from what some might consider an unlikely source — academia.
News is a stressful job — certainly for reporters and editors, but these days, also for anyone who works in the news business. There are formidable stressors associated with doing this work that weigh heavy and can potentially impact your staff's mental health and ability to manage it. Here are some resources to help your journalists strike a healthy work-life balance, recover from burnout — or better yet, prevent it.
Newspapers were once at the heart of local communities – a vital way Americans found out about their neighbors and shared information. But now, as newspapers shut down across the country, the malignant spread of misinformation and disinformation take their place. A report from Medill called “The State of Local News 2022” finds that a fifth of the population lives in a news desert or a community at risk of becoming one.
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