Category: Jim Pumarlo

Don’t forget judicial races in election coverage Published August 10, 2026 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Election season is in full swing. Newsrooms have their hands full navigating coverage. It makes sense to devote resources to those contests with greatest familiarity to your staff and relevance to readers – city...

Prepping new staff key to substantive content Published July 8, 2026 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Attractive design in print and digital editions is all-important in today’s fractured media landscape. Attention to specific elements is requisite to create a functional, easy-to-read layout that balances text, images and white space to...

Elections alert: Be aware of, prepare for legal minefield Published May 8, 2026 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant The months-long election season is taxing enough as newsrooms stretch resources to monitor candidates and campaigns in addition to delivering everyday reports. All aspects of election coverage are put under the microscope....

Election season: Keep coverage local, start early Published March 30, 2026 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Election season is under way. Many would say the cycle never ends. No sooner are votes tallied than strategists eye the next election. Make no mistake, many lawmakers routinely cast votes with one eye...

Business coverage vital to your product and community Published February 4, 2026 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Editors are regularly solicited to publish news that puts merchants in good standing. In small communities, grip-and-grin photos of check presentations often dominate the requests. The topic generated a healthy conversation in an...

Close the loop on local government budgets, tax levies Published December 12, 2025 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Local governments are putting the finishing touches on 2026 operations as this year nears a close. Budgets and tax levies have been presented to citizens, debated and adopted.Most newsrooms have been there...

Start planning now to produce year-end edition Published 08.09.2025 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant The Hallmark Channel wrapped up its movie lineup for those who love to celebrate Christmas in July. With fall now upon us, it is the time to start planning keepsake year-end editions. Seize the opportunity to...

Don’t underestimate the value of communicating with readers Published July 17, 2025 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Today’s hyper partisan political climate has put all media – including the community press – in everyone’s crosshairs. The examination extends beyond opinion pages, which always have drawn extra scrutiny.Readers increasingly question the...

Producing relevant content requires knowing your community Published May 5, 2025 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Editors are regularly challenged: What mix of stories and photos will collectively make this edition a “must see” for readers and advertisers? There is no universal formula.The first step in any market, however, is...

The strongest argument for openness: Facts quell rumors Published March 2025 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant As youths we all likely tried to hide bad behavior from our parents. The truth inevitably surfaced, and we bore the brunt of punishment. Lesson: Be up front with circumstances and repercussions typically are...

Initiate regular conversations with news sources Published Jan. 2025 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant One of my greatest satisfactions sitting behind the editor’s desk was appreciating the newspaper had a pulse of the community. Credit extended beyond the newsroom; all employees served as our collective eyes and ears.Delivering news is...

Press politicians on election promises Published Nov. 14, 2024 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Elections are over, and you breathe a sigh of relief. The exhaustive campaign season has concluded, and newsrooms can return to some level of normalcy.Not so fast. The most substantive aspect of election coverage may loom....

One checklist for election countdown Published September 13, 2024 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Election Day is fast approaching. Newsrooms are likely starting the countdown when they take a collective breath from the exhaustive campaign season and return to some level of normalcy.Elections coverage is put under the microscope by...

Scrutinize letters during election season Published August 2, 2024 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Campaigns are in full swing as Election Day nears. Editors should pay extra attention to letters that give a thumbs up or thumbs down to candidates and other ballot initiatives.Letter-writing campaigns have become as sophisticated and...

Impress upon readers the underlying value of public records Published May 22, 2024 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Hardly a year passes without legal requirements for public notices coming under assault. It’s happening this year in the Minnesota Legislature where the Minnesota School Boards Association is seeking authority for school...

Start now to craft fresh, unorthodox election questions Published April 4, 2024 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Attention newsrooms: It’s time to get serious about 2024 elections coverage. I hear the collective groan. The reaction is likely shaded by the strident national contests and their seemingly never-ending campaign cycles.Community newspapers...

Use your platform to educate, preview – and apologize Published January 10, 2024 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant A reader complains that a youth sports story was too negative. Someone questions why a particular quote wasn’t included in a report of a contentious public hearing. Your newsroom brainstorms how election...

Be responsible in exercising rights to public information Published Oct. 2023 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant 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 the sentence isn't reported until weeks after the fact....

Take steps now to report on 2024 budgets Published August 18, 2023 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant We’re more than halfway into 2023, and many local governments are well involved in exploring 2024 budgets. Are your newsrooms aware of the process? Are you keeping readers abreast of the dynamics?It’s not...

Carefully screen columns by public officials Published May 2, 2023 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant How will the Legislature deal with a record budget surplus, and what will it mean for taxpayer pocketbooks? Are there implications for public safety with the proposal to legalize marijuana? Which communities are the winners...

Are your news, ad departments on same page? Published March 28, 2023 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Editors often raise red flags – or at least hesitate – at requests for business news, and often for good reason.A store seeks a story for its grand opening – three months after...

Prime time to take inventory of your newsmakers Published February 2, 2023 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Here’s a periodic action item for every newspaper: The exercise can be quite revealing in evaluating how you are connecting with various audiences. It is even more important in today’s fractured media landscape...

Resolve to be accessible, stay relevant Published Jan. 2023 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant 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 if readers become frustrated in their attempts to connect with reporters. The...

Robust public affairs coverage requires more than recording meetings Published November 14, 2022 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant My formula for shaping newspaper content is straightforward: Present a blend of stories that people like to read and stories they should read. Under the “should read” category, consider me an advocate...

Go beyond ‘votes and quotes’ when delivering election results Published October 10, 2022 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Newsrooms have toiled the past many weeks churning out stories to help voters make informed choices on Election Day. Now you’re ready to put the exclamation point on coverage.“Votes and quotes” are...

Keep eye out for 11th-hour election volleys Published September 7, 2022 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Election Day is only weeks away. The hyper partisanship of races at all levels – from local to state to federal – demands that editors pay extra attention to press releases and letters to...

Plan now to recognize first responders Published August 9, 2022 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Are you looking for a project that can energize your news staffs, generate new advertising revenue and underscore the value of a local newspaper to potential new subscribers?Mark Oct. 28: National First Responders Day.Full disclosure...

What’s happened to nuts and bolts of public safety reporting? Published June 21, 2022 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Crime and public safety are garnering more headlines across the country. Law enforcement and racial disparities in the criminal justice system are under increasing scrutiny. Newspapers play a key role in...

Use your special insight to recommend election choices Published May 4, 2022 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Coverage of public affairs – recording the actions and inactions of governing bodies from local to federal levels – demands attention from newsrooms year-round. And for good reason. Elected officials regularly debate and...

Examine, evaluate reporting shortcuts Published Feb. 9, 2022 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant I fondly characterize newsrooms as organized chaos. I witnessed that firsthand guiding staffs when resources were plentiful and community newspapers had captive audiences.Dynamics are even more frayed in today’s changing media landscape as editors grapple with diminished...

Meaningful meeting reports demand substantive leads Published Nov. 23, 2021 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Newspapers smartly are promoting their roles as government watchdogs to reinforce their strengths in the fractured media landscape. I join the chorus: Vibrant coverage of public affairs is at the foundation of vibrant communities. The...

Don’t let shortcuts thwart quality content Published Nov. 2, 2021 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Many newsrooms, already strained by lean staffs, have seen resources exacerbated by the economic toll of the coronavirus. Circumstances have prompted editors and reporters to take shortcuts in gathering and publishing the everyday churn of...

The ‘blue shirt’ won. Is that the best we can do? Published Sept. 27, 2021 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant 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 picture is worth a thousand words”...

Are you telling your own stories? Published Aug. 30, 2021 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant I circulated a column celebrating community newspapers earlier this year in recognition of Sunshine Week. Its publication prompted a few comments.One reader, who hailed from a Minneapolis suburb, read the column in his local paper....