The "news" in newspapers

Except for a couple of years early on and several in the late 80s and early 90s, I have spent my entire career at community newspapers — those places small enough that you are recognized more times than not when out in the community.

I find the discussion about what newspapers must do to survive to be both puzzling and, at the same time, comical. The answer almost seems too easy: Get back to the basics of providing news to your audience.

To me, the difficult part comes when a group of people begin the discussion of exactly what is the news and which news they want to give to their audience. That, I think, is the root of the problem. While newspaper people read newspapers, they do it in a different manner ... they must put themselves in the respective shoes of their audience.

That, obviously is harder for some — and it is where community newspapers hold the upper hand.

While all newspapers can make a difference in their market, it is the staffer at the Small Town Daily News that gets feedback first. In fact, a big city staffer may never get the word that someone thought what they wrote made a difference but you can bet the reporter at STDN heard about it — at the grocery store and cafe and probably just about every place they went.

Even though the economy has battered the community newspapers just as it has their bigger brothers and sisters, there is a complicating factor for the big guys. They are, you see, expected to be all things to all people.

These days — and economic times — that's more and more difficult.

The community's have the upper hand because they've already made the tough decisions during previous economic downtowns in the 1980s, early 90s and early in this decade. Many have eliminated the wire services and have been all local for years ... and it has served them well.

At three newspapers where we reduced or eliminated wire presence, the circulation increased (Big Spring, Texas; Thomasville, NC and Bogalusa, La.). Additionally, the perception that the newspaper was an active participant in the community grew as did the perception that the newspaper was a community leader.

And remember: Whatever the case may be, to the holder of the belief, perception is reality.

So what's local news? It's the stuff that made up the cliches' we spouted for years ... refrigerator art, the things being talked about in the coffee shop, barber shop, beauty shop and grocery store. In small town America, if people are talking about it, it's news.

One of the things I stress to participants in my community newspaper seminar is what I call, "The six most important words in community newspapering."

Local names. Local faces. Local activities.

Take that recipe, stir it gently at first then blend vigorously on the pages of your newspaper and I think you'll find your audience loves the taste.