Building the ideal newsroom for the next 50 years
Mary Cornatzer's Page
Profile Information
- Organization
- The News & Observer
- Title
- Business editor
- Location
- Raleigh NC
- About Me
- UNC graduate, part of N&O Business desk for 10 years, Business editor for 8 of those years; former writer and editor for the N&O's Features section
- Share your thoughts about how the newsroom of the future should be different . (And if you do, please post a copy of your answer in the forums).
- Newspapers have too long been run by people who sit in rooms and talk to each other and make decisions both big and small based on those conversations. Someone says people don't have time to read long stories so nothing over 20 inches, please. We're told "local local local" so we pay no attention to those letters to the editors asking why we're putting fluff on 1a instead of real news. Mondays are deemed different from Tuesdays so we're told Monday's paper should look different, too. We make all these decisions without really asking readers what they want — or listening to those who write and call to complain. We know best.
I don't advocate journalism by committee or focus group but I do hope the newsroom of the future harks back to the newsrooms of the past and mingles with the community a bit more. We have more ways than ever to be in touch with our readers and potential readers but I'm not sure we're doing a very good job of listening.
Oh, and yes, it should have all the whiz bang techno gadgets, great coffee on site and employees paid well enough that they can afford to live in the community where they work.
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