The ‘blue shirt’ won. Is that the best we can do?

Local names and faces are the lifeblood of community newspaper content. There’s no better way to spotlight your readers than through photos. After all, “a...
Jim Stasiowski, writing coach

Drive straight to the story

Jim Stasiowski, writing Writing coach Jim Stasiowski welcomes your questions or comments. Call him at (775) 354-2872 or write to: 2499 Ivory Ann Drive Sparks, NV 89436.Boredom alert: Much...

Use your special insight to recommend election choices

Coverage of public affairs – recording the actions and inactions of governing bodies from local to federal levels – demands attention from newsrooms year-round....

Don’t let pursuit of ‘shiny things’ diminish reporting

All journalists can look back decades or even just a few months to see examples of the “shiny things” that distract us from our...

Listening to the voices in your head

Bart Pfankuch is an investigative reporter for South Dakota News Watch. Write to him at bart.pfankuch@sdnewswatch.org.

Making a plan to write a terrific news story

Bart Pfankuch is an investigative reporter for South Dakota News Watch, online at sdnewswatch.org. Write to him at bart.pfankuch@sdnewswatch.org Every...

A salute to those who wave the editorial banner

Last summer’s Grassroots Editor still sits in my stack of journalism publications. The edition announced the Golden Quill winners in annual competition...

Scrutinize letters during election season

Campaigns are in full swing as Election Day nears. Editors should pay extra attention to letters that give a thumbs up or thumbs down...

Be responsible in exercising rights to public information

A divorce is finalized, but it is not recorded in the newspaper until four months later. Someone appears in court for a domestic assault, but...

A writing journey we’ll take together

Bart Pfankuch Better Writing with Bart Jim Stasiowski, a veteran writing coach whose superb writing advice appeared in the Bulletin for many years, has retired. Beginning with this...