The Editors’ Exchange

The Web edition of The Editors' Exchange offers a compendium of interesting and imitatable innovations from the world of daily newspapers. In posting it here, ASNE makes the ideas available to the general public for use in all sorts of publications, including newspapers. The printed version of The Editors’ Exchange includes the names of editors who are willing to share information with other editors. However, because the Web version is archival — and not current — Internet readers should not contact the contributing newspapers or ASNE for examples or illustrative material. Thanks... and enjoy!

What is The Editors’ Exchange?

The Editors’ Exchange is a newsletter sent to newspapaper editors throughout the United States made up of items sent in by editors who agree to share their best ideas with their colleagues.

Please send in:

• Editorial and organizational innovations that help improve readership.
• Clips and tearsheets demonstrating these good ideas.
• In-house newsletters for newsroom employees that focus on good work.

Reaching youngsters through the comics

Young readers are a tough nut to crack for newspapers. Newsday of Melville, N.Y., (circulation 634,500) has found a way: the comics.

mComics on the News combines print, illustration, phone and Internet links for the young reader to use.

mOne innovation is the use of superhero Charleen "Chip" Tracer, Newsday's fictional Pulitzer Prize-winning cyberjournalist. Chip, drawn by a Marvel Comics artist, uses technology to go back in time and space to learn about current events. Recently, Chip taught young readers about Bill Clinton and Bob Dole. On two Sundays, Newsday printed two full pages each on the candidates. They also printed up a comic book made up of the pages.

"Our goal is to use the comic-book format to teach young people something very important — history and current events," said Bill Zimmerman, special projects editor.

Readers could also call a toll-free number to listen to music and speeches from the two candidates' eras and visit a Web site dedicated to the project.

A look at low-income lending

Oklahoma City's minority neighborhoods, like many around the country, were "red-lined" by lenders. Stories by the Daily Oklahoman (circulation 212,500), though, found the situation was improving. By studying three years' worth of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data, reporters were able to see that loan rates for minorities had improved significantly, something very different from that they expected to find. They were able to compare rates with national figures, as well.

Math lessons for the staff

If your newspaper runs numbers stories, then you've probably run some math errors. New York's Journal of Commerce (circulation 20,500) did: "Even though we have a whole staff of business reporters, we still made mathematical mistakes," wrote Editor Donald Holt. "So I brought in a couple of math teachers who put on two workshops to refresh our people" on percentages, market share and currency conversions. Attendance was mandatory. "We still make mistakes, but far fewer," Holt wrote. "And our people have become adept at spotting errors."

Charging for stock listings

Several papers have decided to stop running stocks in the full run of their papers every day, allowing those who really want the stock listings to get them separately. The Roanoke (Va.) Times (circulation 110,000), though, has done it with a twist. The Times charges users about $25 a year for the Daily Market Report, which it delivers with the daily paper, but it offers every stock and mutual fund that AP lists. Previously, the paper had been offering about 13 percent of the available listings.

How to delegate

Delegating tasks can create a team atmosphere in the newsroom. Here are tips from the book "Time Tactics of Very Successful People":

• Pick someone who can accept responsibility.
• Match people to the task at hand. Try to delegate assignments that use a person's talents.
• When going over the idea at first, be sure you communicate what you want very clearly. This will avoid misunderstandings later.
• Set a firm deadline for the project while explaining its place in the big picture.
• The person you assign might not be as good as you. That doesn't mean the project is being done poorly. Resist the temptation to take over. You'll save time in the long run.
• Instill confidence with initial low-risk projects.
• Let the person put their own mark on the project. Listen to their ideas.
• Watch over the project. If the person doesn't check in with you as deadline nears, check on it.

To judge the local bagels, the Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune (circulation 114,500) recruited 100 experts (former New Yorkers) and winnowed it down to six tasters (one from each of the boroughs, plus Long Island). The test was limited to shops that make bagels fresh. A frozen bagel was also included, but the experts weren't fooled; the frozen bagels came in last. The story ran with photos of the taste-testers. "I like the idea of getting panels of people with expertise," said Bill Steiden, features editor. Next up? A poets' panel.

Whatever happened to ... ?

The Stillwater (Okla.) NewsPress (circulation 10,000) came up with a special section dedicated to answering readers' hardest questions. The NewsPress ran a 14-page section. The paper ran ads for three months soliciting ideas from readers, which ranged from the whereabouts of an old town character to the status of a brand of perfume. The questions were a challenge. "We just ended up coming up with some of our own," said Lawrence Gibbs, managing editor, but readers loved it.

Show young journalists a future in newspapers

Need a visual aid to help encourage high school or college students to consider journalism careers? Check out "Hispanics on Deadline," a 15-minute videotape that features nine Latino journalists (photographers, reporters, a columnist, a copy editor and news executives). The videotape, produced by ASNE and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, depicts opportunities in newsrooms and the excitement of newspaper journalism. "Hispanics on Deadline" is an excellent resource for college and high school journalism educators as well. Contact ASNE at 11690B Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston VA 20191 or by sending e-mail to asne@asne.org. Tapes are $5 each, but a limited number of copies will be given free to high school journalism programs and nonprofit groups.

Reflecting the community

The Reporter of Lansdale, Pa. (circulation 19,500) has designed a "comprehensive diversity plan" for the newspaper, which includes routine audits of its news pages, multicultural project teams, and a mentoring program. The Reporter, which last month received the Diversity Award for the third consecutive year from the Pennsylvania Newspaper Publishers Association, routinely audits its news stories, photos, and even ads to ensure that its news pages reflect the community's diversity, publisher Suzanne Bush notes. The newspaper recently added a telephone service for hearing-impaired readers so they can contact the newsroom with story ideas and conducts sign language training for employees.

The paper's commitment to diversity, according to contest judges, was demonstrated "by a range of activities regularly involving the entire paper, not simply one or two occasional projects."

Story ideas on children

"Friend of a Friend", a compilation of articles examining the lives of black children and families, offers "inspiring" story ideas on programs nationwide that are making a difference in African American communities. The book, published in August by the National Association of Black Journalists, includes about two dozen articles and photographs by black journalists focusing on education, family life, service and wholeness.