We now have collected three weeks worth of great local journalism, with more on the way. It comes from newsrooms that are big (100) and small (seven). It come from newspapers, an alt-weekly and a public radio station. It includes news, projects and a documentary.
Next week, we’ll have stories behind the stories on a local podcast, an interactive game and a look back at a tragic event.
This week, as our July of good local journalism continues, I wanted to make sure you saw the first two installments, with stories from Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Baltimore and Everett, Washington; Billings, Montana; and Boston. Bonus: Here’s this week’s collection, with stories from Sacramento, Tampa Bay and Portland.
And here are our latest tips on doing great local journalism:
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“Recognize what people are interested in and give it your all,” Amy Hollyfield, Tampa Bay Times, on that newsroom’s ongoing coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on Florida’s panhandle.
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“...Reach out to various state or local resource management agencies and ask if there are any environmental/wildlife issues that have gone unreported and then develop a plan for in-depth, on-the-ground reporting,” Scott Thomas Anderson on his in-depth look at deer poachers for Sacramento News & Review.
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“When agencies claim to not know the answers, focus on records requests and developing sources who know where you should look,” Fedor Zarkhin on his investigation for The Oregonian on housing for people with mental illness.
What are you proud of? Share it and I’ll reach out if we decide to feature it.
Shawna Wood, 54, gazes at the beach from the second floor of the Driftwood Inn. Douglas R. Clifford | Tampa Bay Times
In the meantime:
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APPLY, APPLY, APPLY! I’m so excited about this brand new Poynter workshop. I was part of the team that dreamt it up, and our goal is to help local journalists early in their careers figure out how to thrive where they are. At $1,150, it’s certainly not cheap, but scholarships are available.
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Work together (and make $$$): Check out this write-up over at API’s Better News on how two rival newsrooms worked together.
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Not The Hawkins Post: Poynter’s Kelly McBride has a great read on why the 1980s local newsroom in “Stranger Things” didn’t accurately capture local newsrooms or the women working in them.
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From me: I’ve been working for awhile now on local obits over at the Tampa Bay Times. It’s part of an experiment that I plan to write about, but I’m going to start sharing those obits here in case you’re curious.
See you next week!
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