The News Tribune wants to expand its education coverage. But first, let me tell you why.
Hi, there. I’m the new president and editor at The News Tribune. And, no, I’m not crazy.
Or maybe I am. But it’s the good kind of crazy, I promise.
That’s how I answered one of our reporters when he politely asked his new boss why I’d move my family across the country during not only a global pandemic but also while our company transitioned out of bankruptcy.
What I told him and what I have shared with community leaders here over the past few months is this: I believe in the four news organizations we have here in Washington - in Tacoma, Olympia, Bellingham and Tri-Cities; I believe in our newsrooms’ abilities to provide essential news to our readers; and I believe that this state can be the leader in finding a sustainable future for journalism.
We can’t do it without support from our communities and subscribers. But, first, let me better introduce myself.
I grew up in Alabama, graduated from Auburn University, but scream Roll Tide when it comes to college sports. That’s a story for another time. After graduating from college and having my son, Logan, who is now 13, I started as a sports copy editor at the Ledger-Enquirer in Columbus Ga., near my hometown of Phenix City, Ala., and close to Fort Benning, Ga.
I spent 8.5 years there, working in roles as the copy desk chief (I managed the team that edited and designed the paper every day), metro editor and senior editor before taking on my first executive editor position in Myrtle Beach at The Sun News.
In 2016, our family of four (we added my daughter, Aubrey, to the family 23 months after Logan), plus our Siberian Husky, Linc, and cat, Zelda, packed up and moved to the East Coast, where I’ve been for the last four years. We had a saying in our newsroom: “Myrtle Beach provides.” It meant there was never a slow news day, but that didn’t keep the team there from focusing on accountability journalism.
Four years later, as the editor here in Tacoma with responsibilities for our journalism across the state of Washington, I want to share with you my core beliefs for our newsrooms.
First, delivering essential news to you in the fastest way possible. Breaking news is a crucial part of what we do every day. We reach most of our audience by being reliable, factual and fast. Second, I believe it’s our mission and responsibility to ask questions no one else will ask and produce accountability journalism with a strong focus on enterprise, analysis and investigations.
Another priority is for our news team to better reflect our community. Over the past few months, I’ve identified three initial steps we must take.
You may already be aware of the first: we’ve named Jim Walton to our editorial board. Walton was Tacoma’s first Black city manager, and he’s the first Black man to serve on The News Tribune’s editorial board as a community member. He’s jumped right in, asking election candidates in our endorsement meetings tough questions about how our officials can save our small businesses during and after the coronavirus pandemic.
The second step is a diversity audit our newsroom conducted in August. We asked our reporters to review 200 stories chosen at random to identify the sources we spoke to as well as the people in our photos and videos. Does that breakdown represent our community in an accurate and fair way? We have a team at TNT currently working through the results and creating an action plan that I’ll share with you.
The third step is a community advisory board we plan to form in 2021. It will meet quarterly with our editorial board and newsroom to discuss key issues in our area. The board will aim to represent Pierce County’s diversity in age, gender, race and ideology.
We have a long way to go to better represent one of Washington’s most diverse counties, but it’s our promise to the community that we’re going to do better.
Now that you know a little more about me and what I expect from our journalists in Tacoma and across Washington, let me tell you what I’ve heard about you, our readers, and the City of Destiny.
I’ve learned that Tacoma is a little-big town. Everyone is connected. I’ve learned that private-public partnerships are alive and well and they’ve led to the University of Washington-Tacoma campus and downtown’s revitalization. Whenever we get to a post-COVID-19 era, it’s my belief those partnerships will be more important than ever.
I’ve learned that to bring new business to Tacoma we must focus on childhood development, education and building our own trained workforce.
I’ve learned that you wear Seahawks gear on Friday and you can eat at basically any restaurant you want when they’re playing. There’s plenty of good beer, wine and food in and around our area.
And, finally, I’ve learned how important The News Tribune is to the viability of Tacoma and Pierce County. Dozens of people in this community have conveyed to me the importance of a strong local newspaper, and I have to tell you, you don’t find that everywhere.
It’s not a secret that newspapers have struggled the past two decades. Google and Facebook have gobbled up over 90% of advertising once spent at your local newspaper. That’s why we’re relying on our readers — our community — to help support us.
So, here’s my ask of you today: we’re launching a coverage initiative around education in the months ahead at The News Tribune that will create new positions in our newsroom focused on lower and higher education in Pierce County. This pandemic is wreaking havoc on our children’s education that will impact us all for years to come.
We’re asking you to make a tax-deductible gift to support this journalism.
The News Tribune will allocate resources to provide news coverage and/or investigative reporting, above and beyond routine coverage and operations, intended to inform, explain, and educate the public regarding educating our children in a coronavirus world.
If you’re not in a position to give right now, I understand. We appreciate your support whether that’s through a subscription, a donation or simply reading and sharing our work.
HOW TO DONATE
You may make a tax-deductible donation at www.givebutter.com/newstrib or if you prefer to write a check, please make it payable to Local Media Foundation and in the notes field on the check, write The News Tribune. Please include your email address in your letter so you may receive your tax donation letter.
The check then needs to be mailed to:
Local Media Foundation
PO Box 85015
Chicago, IL 60689-5015
This story was originally published October 31, 2020 at 12:10 PM.
