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...

Pandemic no excuse for lazy reporting

Editors and reporters are facing some of their biggest challenges in gathering news during the pandemic. Access to everyday sources is increasingly...
Jim Stasiowski, writing coach

Staying a step ahead of your editors

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, Nev. 89436.A recent enjoyable email...

Special projects energize staff, community

I fondly characterize newsrooms as organized chaos. That definition has aptly described operations for the past 18 months with the impact of COVID-19. The...
Jim Stasiowski, writing coach

Slow-learner, brick-by-brick approach to collecting facts

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.It took 12...

Are you capturing all community voices?

Minnesota is in the spotlight following the recent death of a black man during a police arrest. Racial unrest has erupted everywhere...

Stories come to life when reporters find ‘real people’

Police, government officials and experts have a lot of knowledge and are easy go-to sources for reporters working in understaffed newsrooms with...

Execute your strength: Put names and faces behind the stories

Nothing is more satisfying than looking at your product – whether it’s the print or digital edition – and smiling in approval,...

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...

Initiate conversations with your readers

A reader questions your policy for reporting suicides. A retailer challenges your staff to produce timely and relevant business news.  A reporter...