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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Local news one thing that shouldn’t change

Becky Tallent Staff writer

Journalism is changing. Rapidly.

The most obvious changes most readers see are the changes in bylines and more Web-first stories. But reporters and editors see a lot more now and on the horizon.

Take, for example, this past week; word came the Tribune Company has filed for bankruptcy. This news giant is parent to the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune, the reporters are respected and the news judgment has been revered. Yet the media company is now trying to restructure $13 billion in debt.

In the past few months, there have been layoffs at papers such as the New York Times, the San Antonio Express-News and The Spokesman-Review. Newspapers are for sale at a higher rate than in the past. Circulations are down, costs are up. What is a reader to do?

First thing is that readers should watch the shrinking news space to make sure the paper is not leaving out local news stories. A couple of months ago, Spokesman Publisher Stacey Cowles told me that “local is our mantra” and the philosophy will remain intact.

This week I did a little research, pulling random weeks of newspapers to see if there has been any change in that attitude. I found that while the paper has shifted to incorporate more traditional pages into Section A (such as business and, occasionally, Northwest), a simple count of news stories by Spokesman staff members shows the numbers are currently staying consistent, if not up.

For example, the work week (Monday-Friday) of Sept. 15, I could positively identify 49 local stories as written by Spokesman staff. The week of Oct. 13 there were 75 local stories and the week of Nov. 17, there were 66 local stories in Sections A and B of the newspaper. Of course, December tends to be a bit different because there are usually more pages to fill thanks to advertising; however, in the first week this year I counted 72 locally-produced news stories.

But the question hangs: Will it last? Will the smaller staff be able to continue to carry the load? No one can answer that right now; it is a wait-and-see issue. I do challenge readers to keep an eye out for local content to make sure you are getting the information you need in local stories.

Another issue is the change in format. Although I will mourn when the last newspaper rolls off the press, truth is many of us now go to the Internet for our news. The issue here is making sure the reports are accurate, fair and provide real information. With twittering, blogs, i-reports and other technologies, it is tempting to just read or watch what mirrors our own opinion. That is dangerous because it blinds us to realities in the marketplace and the world.

One thing these new journalistic formats must maintain is the concept of being a watchdog of government. We cannot afford to find the watchdog asleep because of budget cuts in the industry; democracy without a strong press is greatly lessened.

Thomas Jefferson was wary of the press, but he also well understood its purpose. In a letter to Col. Edward Carrington in 1787, Jefferson said “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”

Soon we may have a world without traditional newspapers, but I trust we will still have journalists reporting, using an infinite variety of technological devices, many of which we have not yet dreamed. I hope for all our sakes these reporters, editors and producers carry on in the tradition of good journalism.

And now, if I may have a personal word. For the past year, it has been an enlightening and interesting journey with everyone at The Spokesman-Review, editors and staff writers, bloggers and readers. My contract as ombudsman is complete, and I am already working on a new project designed to help future journalists.

This summer, many of my colleagues and I will be hosting a new program to help high school teachers in the Pacific Northwest find new ways to teach Native American students about journalism. Coupled with my teaching responsibilities, I am short on time these days and the paper is in a budget crunch, so the ombudsman contract will not be renewed.

I am impressed with the work of the reporters and editors here, who really do some excellent journalism. I hope the local mantra stays in place and they all keep doing what they do so well.

I’m sure the readers will let them know if they think the paper is slipping.

Becky Tallent has served in 2008 as ombudsman for The Spokesman-Review. She holds a doctorate of education in mass communications from Oklahoma State University and is an assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Media at the University of Idaho.