A STORY WORTH TELLING
“The same world spins around, I guess some things never change.”
— song lyrics by Tim McGraw
“The newspaper business just isn’t what it used to be,” a good friend called to lament last week. Like me, he’s had ink in his veins most of his life.
“Yes, it is,” I disagreed sharply. “Different tricks with digital and all that stuff, but it’s still the same business.”
“Enlighten me learned one,” he laughed. “I’m not feeling it today.”
I reminded him that it’s still all about people and what matters most to them: Keeping readers informed and earning their trust.
“Schools, taxes, elections, local issues, the economy, politicians, fairs, ribbon cuttings … Only the names in the news have changed,” I said.
“It used to be fun, though,” my naysayer retorted.
“It still is,” I said to him. “For instance, anyone tell you lately you need to be tougher?
Write about ‘the way things really are’ in this town? Then, the same day, you get a call from a reader who opens up on you, blasting an article you ran last week that ‘was too harsh.’
Tells you, ‘Some things just don’t belong in the paper. It would help if you were a little gentler with the people who live and work here. I’m ready to see some good news for a change, something about what’s good about our town.’” I went on: “Been told by anyone from the senior center lately, ‘You should do more articles about our seniors in the community. They really are your biggest readership, you know. They deserve more coverage.’
Then told by a parent who is active in parentteacher organizations that you should publish more school news. ‘All you ever have is things about the senior citizens’ gatherings and the historical columns about how things used to be.
Our future depends on the young people.’” “I think I see where this going,” my friend said.
“Anybody walked into your office lately, picked a paper up off the counter, flipped through it before paying, and said, ‘Is there anything in here worth reading this week?’” “You want to tell him, ‘We only had enough advertising for 10 pages, but we ran 14 because we value our dedication to delivering all of the news.’” I told my friend instead you hold your tongue, and even manage a smile.
“Does your phone still ring with one of your best advertisers saying, ‘Hey, my boy got stopped for DWI last night. You know kids will be kids,’ he laughs.
‘Do me a favor, will you? Keep his name out of the paper.’ We still take a deep breath and say, ‘if a name is on the records, it will be in the paper.
If it’s not on the record, it won’t be in the paper.
Simple as that and we can’t make any exceptions because playing favorites is not fair and balanced journalism, and that’s not an option with us.’” “’That’s not fair,’ they still growl. ‘You’re going to ruin his life.’” We apologize and suggest that, yes, it really is fair. Because we report fairly.
“’You know how much I spend with you, don’t you?’ he asks, adding, ‘Well, cancel my advertising. See how fair you think that is.’” Click.
I reminded my friend that we endured all of that when we first got into this business, and we’re still enduring it today.
“So, you see, nothing has really changed.”
“That’s supposed to cheer me up?” he asked.
“No, but what should cheer you up are total strangers that still tell us they like the paper because we put out a good product. That we do a good job reporting the news. Aren’t those still the ones you remember the longest?”
I replied.
Like the guy at the gas pump a couple of weeks ago, I continued.
“Didn’t know him from Adam. We made eye contact from opposite sides of the pump. I nodded and said, ‘Hello.’
He said, ‘I enjoy your columns, and I enjoy reading the paper every week.’ ‘Thank you,’ I told him.”
And I added how much I appreciated his support of the paper.
Then there’s the little lady who came in yesterday to renew her ‘’prescription,” as she called it.
“’I just love getting the paper,’” she said with a smile. ‘I wanted to make sure mine was paid up.’” I thanked her and told her how much I appreciated her reading the paper.
“So, you see,” I told my colleague. “It’s still all about people and what matters most to them – keeping readers informed and earning their trust. Only the names in the news have changed.”
And more than ever, we appreciate the ones who appreciate what we do.
