Solutions Journalism – Reporting on problems while seeking solutions
With a few simple questions and just a little extra effort, reporters and editors can quickly improve the quality and value of...
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...
Moving from routine to highly relevant: How to improve meeting coverage
This column is aimed at every single journalist working anywhere in the world now and in the future.
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...
All hail the hard-news lead
We all love a good yarn, a tale told with colorful detail and interesting characters who face challenges and change over time.
For years, both...
Meaningful meeting reports demand substantive leads
Newspapers smartly are promoting their roles as government watchdogs to reinforce their strengths in the fractured media landscape. I join the chorus: Vibrant coverage...
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...
Six essential steps to trend reporting
A major goal of news reporting is to keep readers abridged of things, so it makes sense that uncovering and understanding trends should be...
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...
Digging deeper: How to find opportunities (and time) to go in-depth
Bart Pfankuch is the content director for South Dakota News Watch, an online public-service journalism group. He can be reached...