Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Web first at Lawrence

After reviewing stories sent from the field via e-mail, editors at the Lawrence, Kan.-based Journal-World post content to the Web through a content management system that is accessible from home. In addition, reporters leave cell phone numbers on their voice mail messages so that sources can reach them after hours. According to ME Dennis Anderson, the newsroom is now staffed nearly 24 hours a day. He initially offered raises to those who embraced these new convergence tasks, but now it's expected of everyone

Cell phones, laptops, digital cameras, MP3 recorders and hand-held scanners are just some of the gadgets the reporters use to submit a variety of multimedia content from the field at any time of day. To handle this influx of all-hours information, Anderson encourages establishing an after-hours phone call order to determine which late-breaking stories receive coverage first. He also suggests becoming more selective as to which stories earn the “breaking news” label.

The Journal-Times “Web-first” model enables readers to follow online developments throughout the day by offering e-mail and text messages of breaking news to its readers, who can then submit their responses and participate in online chats based on weekly topics. Although the sometimes-spotty use of chats has decreased the number of letters to the editors, the reader-moderated comments often contain leads for future stories.

Source: Inland Press

1 comment:

Andria said...

That's amazing that the chats have reduced the number of letters to the editor.
Or were those decreasing anyway? I'd love to know our numbers on letters. They're one of my favorite parts of the paper.