Category: Jim Pumarlo

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....