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...

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...
Jim Stasiowski, writing coach

A ‘meticulous’ dissection of that word’s meaning

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.If I call...

Resolve to be accessible, stay relevant

Surviving in today’s fractured media landscape depends on your ability to identify, collect and deliver the relevant community news. That job becomes more challenging...

“Hey you: Get the heck out of the office!”

In the Internet age where information is easy to get, it may seem almost quaint to seek out first-hand, up-close, eyes-on experiential reporting opportunities. With...

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.

If one tip can improve your work, it would be…this one!

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

Make it a mantra: ‘Get one more source’

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

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...

Press politicians on election promises

Elections are over, and you breathe a sigh of relief. The exhaustive campaign season has concluded, and newsrooms can return to some level of...