Last Updated: August 13, 1999
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Time Out
Maybe the most important thing we learned during the Time Out week was
that there are no shortcuts. We need to stress the importance of diversity
every week, every day, just as we stress good writing, good reporting,
fairness and credibility.
Most of us at The Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle thought we were already doing
a good job of diversifying the staff and the newspaper. We have worked
hard at improving our minority hiring and covering all parts of the community.
A recent readership survey showed approval ratings high among minority
readers.
But during our Time Out week a few things came out that showed us we
still have a long way to go.
Our two main efforts were a voluntary staff meeting over pizza and a
meeting to which the public was invited. Both had revelations.
A black reporter told us some prominent minority newsmakers often brag
about not reading the Chronicle and how large segments of the community
don’t read us because they think our newspaper represents the white, downtown
establishment.
It doesn’t matter that they are working with an outdated model because
we have changed over the years. It doesn’t even matter that they might
be reading the paper while saying they don’t, because if it’s perceived
to be cool to say you don’t read the paper, we still have a problem.
Our reporter also wondered if we are trying to sell papers in black
neighborhoods, or if we were just writing about minority issues to let
white readers know what is happening in other areas of the city. I assured
her we are trying to sell papers everywhere, because if we give up in any
area we have lost the battle to represent all segments of the community.
Someone else pointed out that even when we’re trying to do the right
thing, we can cause damage. For instance, if the only time we write about
a certain neighborhood is when the residents are cleaning it up, that presents
a negative connotation.
The meeting with the public was mostly positive, with several suggestions
for how we could improve our coverage of different areas of our community.
While this was valuable, it also reminded us that we spend too much time
talking to our friends and not enough time listening to our critics.
In past years we have gone to churches, community centers and shopping
centers all over the area to listen to what people had to say about their
community and how our newspaper covers it. Those meetings have been enlightening
for the newspaper people and for the attendees who didn’t know how we operate.
The Time Out week experience reminded us we need to start those meetings
again and do them more often. We already invite the public to join us at
our daily news meeting, but unless we make a big push to bring people in,
few take the time to do it. But if we go to where they live and publicize
it, we usually get big turnouts.
I also wrote a column at the beginning of the Time Out week, explaining
what we were doing. That brought a wide range of responses, including readers
who said they wanted less diversity, not more. That served to remind us
that we have some work to do in the community to show people how our diversity
makes us stronger.
We also received many well-reasoned, thoughtful letters about problems
in our community and in our newspaper, along with suggestions for how we
can work to solve them. A dialogue with those writers has begun. They will
help us find ways to bring our community together on our pages.
Sodomka is executive editor of The Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle.
