"We don't cover you because you don't generate page views"

[Southwinds]

Apples and oranges. Policy decisions that could affect your entire readership at could happen at a city council meeting. The result of the local girls volleyball match affects no one outside of the girls playing and the parents/friends/family watching.

Sadly, it's not entirely apples and oranges. It won't be long before newsroom editorial decisions are made (probably by ignorant higher-ups) where the small councils are ignored in favor of chasing car crashes and other morbid curiosities, all in the name of page views.

Actually, I'm certain that has happened somewhere.

And, to be clear, ignoring local government is absolutely the wrong decision. The problem is also that smaller staff sizes means these things can't be given their due.

 

[jr/shotglass]

I suppose what this comes down to is, we were brought up as young journalists with the idea that journalism was to be above the bottom line.

Beancounters obviously pull more weight than journalists, and they're telling us the bottom line trumps doing what's right.

 

[TyWebb]

Silly question, by "limited resources" what do you mean? Football is usually Friday and Saturday depending teams' facilities and volleyball is usually middle of the week. Did volleyball try to play all of its games at the same time as football (which seems silly) or were you working park time? Even if you have notebooks and previews to write, doing at least one volleyball match per week doesn't seem like it's too much to do.

By limited resources, I mainly mean myself and time. I was the only one covering preps by that point. And because we were in an area that was so big on football, it was expected to have at least one football story in the paper every day. So apart from covering the games on Fridays, I was generally at practices the rest of the week to work on features, follow-ups and previews. Then there was that pesky "don't work overtime" rule.

I by no means can claim that I managed my time perfectly. I definitely could have probably squeezed in a volleyball match here and there if I had planned better. But I'm sure you and pretty much anyone who has worked that kind of beat know that feeling of surviving day to day. Planning ahead was often difficult during those seasons where it feels non-stop.

But it kind of goes back to my original thought: If I had managed to manage my time better and work in a volleyball match, would it have been worth it? I'm sure the parents and coaches would have appreciated it, but I couldn't pay my rent with the happy feels of others.

 

[daytonadan1983]

I covered a girls basketball game with 9 people in the stands...boys were playing at same time a few miles away. You're damn right I got the names of all 9 fans and put 'em in the second paragraph. Boss loved it...said he always wanted to do that.

 

[SnarkShark]

I suppose what this comes down to is, we were brought up as young journalists with the idea that journalism was to be above the bottom line.

Beancounters obviously pull more weight than journalists, and they're telling us the bottom line trumps doing what's right.

Let's not pretend covering some ****ty game nobody cares about is a stand for journalism.

 

[steveu]

To expand on Southwinds:

I'm waiting for the day when someone says "Oh, we can't cover that murder trial 30 miles out of town. It won't get enough page views."

At which point one or more TV stations devote resources to it and haul a can of whup-ass out on the paper.

 

[dixiehack]

Dan, would your local paper be willing to link to your stories for the games they don't cover? I'm not in love with that from a journalism perspective but more places are doing it. And from your standpoint, you can't afford to be wringing your hands about the purity of the press. Just like journalists now obsess over clicks trying to keep the wolf from the door, you have to do the same for you and your staff.

 

[jr/shotglass]

Let's not pretend covering some ****ty game nobody cares about is a stand for journalism.

That blanket statement doesn't do it. Somebody cares about everything. It's more a matter of where you draw the line. What's not enough for you? 400 fannies in the seats? 200? 9? Does the crowd count matter? Or do we have some sort of mathematical formula, like attendance/miles away from newspaper? Or does the game mean something in the bigger picture of that particular team/league?

I'm sure that you have covered MANY an event you thought is ****ty that others did not. Just have that feeling.

 

[daytonadan1983]

Dan, would your local paper be willing to link to your stories for the games they don't cover? I'm not in love with that from a journalism perspective but more places are doing it. And from your standpoint, you can't afford to be wringing your hands about the purity of the press. Just like journalists now obsess over clicks trying to keep the wolf from the door, you have to do the same for you and your staff.

I send the local shop a 200 word gamer, quotes from the coach and a player, a couple of notes and one action photo that is the third or fourth best of that day's action shots. On my site goes my student writer's optional, a full photo gallery and if the video people have their act together, a highlight package.

 

[I Should Coco]

My 2 cents on government meetings: Twenty years ago, when I was covering city council, the school district, county government, the mantra even at the small dailies where I worked was "nobody reads meeting stories! Quit writing them!"

The argument then was to cover the issues that were or would be debated by government officials. Look at the factors behind the growing student population, show trends, available classroom space, etc. How would the sewer project affect people's taxes? their property values? the environment?

That was then. Today, nobody wants to read those boring stories, especially online. It's all about clickbait. Make sure you get those felony warrant pictures and post them online! Ha ha, look at the 25-year-old Meth freak who looks like she's 50! And you won't believe how (older female celebrity) looks today!

People talk about "alternative facts" and how it's hard to find accurate coverage about national issues and the Trump administration. This is not a new trend. It started at the small-town newspaper level, where nobody wanted to eat their vegetables, and viola! We're a nation of diabetics (both news-consumption wise and otherwise).

 

[SnarkShark]

That blanket statement doesn't do it. Somebody cares about everything. It's more a matter of where you draw the line. What's not enough for you? 400 fannies in the seats? 200? 9? Does the crowd count matter? Or do we have some sort of mathematical formula, like attendance/miles away from newspaper? Or does the game mean something in the bigger picture of that particular team/league?

I'm sure that you have covered MANY an event you thought is ****ty that others did not. Just have that feeling.

Right. If there's news cover it. There can be a lot of reasons to cover many games. Just don't cover things reflexively because it's there.

 

[Doc Holliday]

we were brought up as young journalists with the idea that journalism was to be above the bottom line.

I sure was naive back then. Almost feel foolish thinking back on some of those journalism ethics classes and **** those professors slung. They'd get laughed out on their ass trying to push that **** now.

 

[SnarkShark]

I sure was naive back then. Almost feel foolish thinking back on some of those journalism ethics classes and **** those professors slung. They'd get laughed out on their ass trying to push that **** now.

No they wouldn't. And they don't.

 

[dirtybird]

My 2 cents on government meetings: Twenty years ago, when I was covering city council, the school district, county government, the mantra even at the small dailies where I worked was "nobody reads meeting stories! Quit writing them!"

The argument then was to cover the issues that were or would be debated by government officials. Look at the factors behind the growing student population, show trends, available classroom space, etc. How would the sewer project affect people's taxes? their property values? the environment?

That was then. Today, nobody wants to read those boring stories, especially online. It's all about clickbait. Make sure you get those felony warrant pictures and post them online! Ha ha, look at the 25-year-old Meth freak who looks like she's 50! And you won't believe how (older female celebrity) looks today!

People talk about "alternative facts" and how it's hard to find accurate coverage about national issues and the Trump administration. This is not a new trend. It started at the small-town newspaper level, where nobody wanted to eat their vegetables, and viola! We're a nation of diabetics (both news-consumption wise and otherwise).

Capitalism sure is a *****.

 

[Doc Holliday]

No they wouldn't. And they don't.

Well their students sure aren't listening.

 

[mediaguy]

Dan, you've done all you can do. Find interesting specific stories on your team, pitch them to the newspaper. It isn't all game advances and results to draw in more fans for you.

 

[mediaguy]

And "you don't generate page views" is just today's way of saying "not enough people are interested in your school." The numbers probably back it up. When papers cut coverage, they either hear about it from readers or they don't. If your fans complain to you about the lack of newspaper coverage, give them the email or phone number for the sports section.

 

[Bradley Guire]

My 2 cents on government meetings: Twenty years ago, when I was covering city council, the school district, county government, the mantra even at the small dailies where I worked was "nobody reads meeting stories! Quit writing them!"

The argument then was to cover the issues that were or would be debated by government officials. Look at the factors behind the growing student population, show trends, available classroom space, etc. How would the sewer project affect people's taxes? their property values? the environment?

That was then. Today, nobody wants to read those boring stories, especially online. It's all about clickbait. Make sure you get those felony warrant pictures and post them online! Ha ha, look at the 25-year-old Meth freak who looks like she's 50! And you won't believe how (older female celebrity) looks today!

People talk about "alternative facts" and how it's hard to find accurate coverage about national issues and the Trump administration. This is not a new trend. It started at the small-town newspaper level, where nobody wanted to eat their vegetables, and viola! We're a nation of diabetics (both news-consumption wise and otherwise).

One thing I liked about my last job was that my editor was giving me the freedom to attend those meetings, but not expect any daily copy from them. He didn't want meeting stories. Maybe a brief if something went to a vote. My task was to attend to take notes, do interviews, all the groundwork to figure out what was going on, driving decisions and actions. Then we could pick out some topics like arsenic levels in the water, and I would start work on long stories or even series of stories.

(But then my health went to **** and I left the paper to recover. Unrealized goals.)

 

[daytonadan1983]

And "you don't generate page views" is just today's way of saying "not enough people are interested in your school." The numbers probably back it up. When papers cut coverage, they either hear about it from readers or they don't. If your fans complain to you about the lack of newspaper coverage, give them the email or phone number for the sports section.

Or just say "f--- it" and do it ourselves....

 

[Jake_Taylor]

This thread just reminded me of a time on my first job when I walked by the managing editor's office while he was in the middle of a phone conversation. I'm guessing the other person accused him of just trying to sell papers because his response was "Damn straight I'm trying to sell papers. Do you call Bob's Tire Store and accuse him of trying to sell tires?"