Snorgy on Day 4

So er, day 4 of snow coverage comes along and the result is what deputy city editor Dan Hansen calls a “snorgy” in the news section: An unusual amount of weather coverage (Coverage! Weather! Journalists! or as Steve Smith described it, “We tell people what we know when we snow it”).

Was it too much?

“Don’t take the high road and pretend you don’t care [about weather] because you’re a journalist,” senior editor Carla Savalli said when one reporter called the snow coverage overdone.

The focus now, editors agreed, was to start pursuing news about services and people who need services. City editor Addy Hatch said there aren’t any local organizations at this time that are offering services out of the ordinary.

Snow is causing problems for many people who have disabilities, too ( read the story here ). Someone suggested publishing phone numbers for services and organizations on the front page, especially as there will be more madness due from the skies tomorrow.

In related news, the interactive map online has a new feature for people to request help. The Spokesman-Review cannot guarantee that help will be provided, or provided in time, but S-R.com is providing a way for people to connect and help their neighbors. If they aren’t helping their neighbors already, that is, because staffers have been hearing stories about great neighbors this week. That became another story idea - featuring particularly nice people. Here’s what to look for on the main page:

You can also find the Help Your Neighbors feature by clicking right here.

Folks also talked extensively about the plow schedule, about whether the city is doing everything it can. Here’s the related story: Spokane County blows plowing budget

Associated Press feeds

While AP and The Spokesman-Review sort out some billing issues, Smith said, there may be interruptions in service. There may be interruptions in state and regional content, sports stats, sports photos (although there are workarounds for that, photo director Larry Reisnouer said).

A while back, The Spokesman-Review canceled Associated Press feeds for online: Most noticeably the video feed and the AP breaking news box, which were in the third column of The Spokesman-Review page toward the top.

Dewey, Eatem and Howe

What a couple of staffers had to say about underrated root vegetables :
It was an interesting story, but “I’m not gonna eat any.” —reporter Jim Camden
“I’m still eatin’ up the leftovers from the photo shoot.” —Food editor Lorie Hutson, who says to send recipes, folks! lorieh@spokesman.com.

So why, Savalli asked, did we not have a piece on Superbowl party food when that’s coming up this weekend? (Because there was a piece last week about Superbowl food , features editor Ken Paulman said.