For local news leaders, a content partnership earns its place through the stories it helps them deliver. The reporting has to fit the community, meet the newsroom’s standards and add something useful to the coverage already being produced.
At the Tahoe Daily Tribune and Sierra Sun in California, TH Media in Iowa, and WITF in Pennsylvania, those priorities have shaped how editors and publishers use The Center Square. The news service provides state government, public policy and economic reporting via open-access newswire for publishers to republish, giving newsrooms another source to draw on as they serve their audiences.
The three organizations bring different needs to the relationship. Their experiences show how supplemental reporting can support a hyperlocal strategy, strengthen coverage across state lines and contribute to a public media newsroom’s community mission.
That flexibility is central to how John Derr, director of affiliate partnerships for The Center Square, works with news organizations. “Every newsroom knows its community and what its audience needs,” Derr said. “Our job is to give those editors more useful reporting to choose from, so they can build on the journalism they already do best.”
Keeping a hyperlocal focus in Tahoe
Rob Galloway, publisher of the Tahoe Daily Tribune and Sierra Sun, was familiar with The Center Square’s reporting before he considered using it in his publications. He read its daily newsletter, then encountered a sponsored post explaining that publishers could pick up the reporting through the open-access newswire.
“Already knowing what the quality was, it was a no-brainer for me to reach out and get more information,” Galloway said.
The opportunity fit his publications’ editorial approach. Their own reporting remains rooted in their communities, while statewide stories can add context and coverage of subjects readers follow.
“It’s a great supplement to our hyper-local approach,” he said. “While there are many news topics of value for our local communities, we can’t get to them all given our newsroom size. This allows for more comprehensive coverage.”
Housing and the recent fires are two subjects Galloway identified as especially relevant to his audience. The Center Square’s reporting on those topics gives his editors more stories to consider when assembling coverage for their readers.
Galloway described the working relationship as “seamless and easy.” His advice to fellow publishers centers on having the option: editors can evaluate the reporting and use the stories that add value to their publications.
Finding coverage for a three-state audience
At TH Media, regional coverage means paying attention to Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. The Telegraph-Herald serves readers where the three states meet, making developments across state lines part of its coverage priorities.
Publisher Mike Fortman’s introduction to The Center Square came through Derr, whom he had known for years. When they reconnected at the Mega conference, Fortman brought his executive editor into the discussion to evaluate how the reporting could fit.
Wisconsin coverage emerged as a useful addition. The newsroom recalled using a Center Square story about an action by Gov. Tony Evers when it had not received an AP report on the development. That example illustrates the value of having another reporting source available when editors identify a gap.
TH Media is also evaluating its future content mix as it plans for a transition beyond its AP relationship. Contractual obligations remain in place, giving the organization time to assess how other sources might contribute. A reader panel is helping inform decisions about the reporting that audiences value.
“This has provided us an opportunity to, I guess, test the waters with John’s group and see how this might play in,” Fortman said.
Fortman described getting the service launched and an agreement in place as “very easy.” He also credited Derr’s industry experience: “John comes from the front lines and he understands the challenges that our industry faces.”
Supporting public media’s community mission
For WITF news director Jackie Palochko, The Center Square was already familiar from her work at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. That experience gave her a starting point when the service approached WITF about a partnership.
The public media newsroom produces its own state Capitol, elections and general assignment reporting. The Center Square provides additional Pennsylvania stories for editors to consider alongside that work.
Palochko pointed to coverage of measles in Lancaster County and residents’ perspectives on data centers as examples she had used. Those stories connect public issues to the communities WITF serves, making their relevance clear to an editor focused on community needs.
Her expectations for outside reporting follow the standards she applies to her own journalists. “I like to make sure that the stories are accurate and fair,” she said.
A daily planner from The Center Square’s Pennsylvania editor helps her see what reporting is available and identify stories that fit WITF’s priorities. Palochko has also met with Derr as the relationship has developed.
For Derr, the daily planner and direct contact with editors are part of making the reporting useful in a newsroom’s day-to-day work. “A good partnership makes it easy for an editor to find the stories that fit,” he said. “We want newsrooms to know what’s available, have someone they can talk to and tell us where we can be more useful.”
More options with editors in control
The needs differ across these three organizations, but the practical benefit is consistent: access to additional reporting that editors can evaluate for their own audiences.
Galloway looks for stories that complement a hyperlocal approach. TH Media draws on regional coverage while considering its future mix of sources. WITF selects Pennsylvania reporting that supports its community mission.
For news leaders considering The Center Square, those experiences offer a useful starting point: explore the available reporting, identify where it fits and use the stories that help serve your community.
To learn more about The Center Square’s Partner Network, contact John Derr at jderr@thecentersquare.com. To support The Center Square’s reporting, contact Laurel Abraham at labraham@thecentersquare.com.
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