Katty Kay

Should you shut up during an election, or do more PR than ever? Some companies certainly seem to follow their civil service counterparts into "purdah" mode, going into hibernation. Others carry on like nothing is happening. I remember screening these kinds of calls when I was a full-time reporter. Here's a few points for consideration: ⏸ It is worth pausing any major campaigns you have planned for the days surrounding the election, especially if you rely on news reporters picking up your story. There is simply not going to be any room in news pages, and reporters from other sections of the paper might be busy filling in with political coverage too. 🔎 Take a good hard look at the election narratives. Is there a storyline you have a unique perspective or take on where it makes sense to speak up? Is there an issue that *isn't* being covered but really deserves to be? Is it worth potentially alienating one side with what you say? ⏩ If you want to be part of the election conversation, move fast. You can't take three days to respond to a party manifesto - or even three hours. Journalists are incredibly busy at this point so appreciate quick turnaround comments based on verifiable facts, not vague assertions based on anecdata. Prepare well so you can get your messages out rapidly. This is not easy. However audiences do swell around elections, so if you can get your voice into the news, it will be heard.

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As I approach my third month at The Baltimore Banner, I have been thinking a lot about defining success. A mentor offered the following thoughts: For reporters, it is much easier to define success. Editors often need help seeing that their goals should be quite different than their reporters'. They need to see each of their reporters as individuals with different strengths and weaknesses. So editors need to meet each reporter at a different place and help them improve, and hopefully, thrive. Sometimes that means focusing on reporting or writing skills, sometimes it is helping a reporter figure out how to cover a beat, or how to distinguish their work from the competition. Editors of course are key to guiding coverage, whether it's breaking news or a more conceptual beat, when the goal has to be finding the front edge of the topic (for an education reporter, that might be new trends in teaching and for the city hall reporter it might be who are the emerging power brokers.) When it comes to editing copy, editors have to avoid rewriting stories, which can completely demoralize reporters, but they also can't send along stories that are confusing or take too long to get to the point. It takes awhile for editors to figure out that sweet spot between improving copy but not just rewriting it the way they would have written it. The hardest part of editing is probably dealing with difficult reporters and there is no easy answer for that. The only part of running a newsroom that I could advise on is running the coverage and for me, that was always driven by focusing on the big news of the day. You have to make sure that editors have put enough staffers on the big stories and are looking across the news cycle, e.g. what will we have to publish first thing tomorrow, and make sure some people are trained on the bigger, deeper questions that take a few days to report. If you are clear on your top priorities each day and the newsroom aligns behind those, then the smaller stories will take care of themselves. You will be judged by how the Banner did on the big things, not the small things.

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While not as clear-cut as roads, clean water, and air, the democratic value to society of public interest journalism is, in my book and many others, a public good, writes Daily Maverick's Styli C.. "The recent tsunami of bad news about the news has raised an interesting question. Are we seeing the effects of a market failure playing out, or are we seeing the death of an industry that failed to innovate and keep up with the times?" #journalism #publicinterest #news #publishing

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WHY THE SKEPTICISM ABOUT SOLUTIONS JOURNALISM? Hi, everyone. Thanks for following my series on Solutions Journalism. I'll like to share my thoughts on why many newsrooms across the world remain skeptical about solutions journalism. 1. DIFFICULTY IN STRIKING OBJECTIVITY AND IMPARTIALITY: Without contestation, I agree to the concerns about the difficulty several solutions journos may face in maintaining objectivity and impartiality. Some journalists worry that focusing on solutions could blur the line between reporting and advocacy. Be that as it may, my personal opinion is that anyone who has been a thoroughbred and ethical journalist before the emergence of SoJo, should not fall into such professional error. Journalism ethics must be upheld at all times. 2. URGE FOR PATRONAGE: One of the reasons traditional newsrooms often prioritize covering problems and conflicts is for sensationalism and ability to draw larger audiences. However, it's my opinion that it's more profitable to offer solution to societal problem than to be unnecessarily sensational and endlessly raise tension in society. We gain nothing leaving our audiences in perpetual fears and anxiety by our approach to reporting events. Journalism must offer hope to the society. 3. DIFFICULTY IN ADOPTING THE NEW APPROACH: Implementing SoJo can be challenging in terms of finding appropriate stories, resources, and training staff in a new approach. While this may not be far from the truth, the challenge is surmountable. Solutions journalism is not expected to replace our every day reporting but must become an integral part of the activities of newsrooms. Overcoming this challenge needs newsrooms cultivating new sources across disciplines and especially within the civic space where several organizations are offering solutions to various societal problems. Featuring solutions based reports on a weekly or fortnight basis should be modest way to start. I acknowledge that the there may be many other reasons for the skepticism SoJo faces from newsrooms. Feel free to share them here. Despite the valid concerns and challenges, it is gratifying that increasing number of news outlets are gradually recognizing the value of solutions journalism in providing a more balanced and constructive perspective on important issues. After all, every coin is of two sides. The concerns around solutions journalism cannot invalidate its many benefits to the society. It's responsible journalism, which engages audiences better than the conventional sensational approach. In the era of growing news avoidance, solutions journalism can be deployed to change the narrative. What must change is the attitude which had been cultivated towards what's news over the decades. Gone were the days when it must be negative to be good news. See you next time. #SJN

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Just heard a publication of reasonable repute reach out to a mid-senior-level freelance journalist, asking them to write for their platform—in the most shameless way. Publication: "We love reading your work, and would love to carry your pieces on our platform too." Journalist: "That sounds great, so I'll send along a few pitches to you then." Publication: "Can't wait! Just one small bit—we don't pay for freelance contributions, as per our policy. Just wanted to clarify this from the onset." Journalist: "Um, that doesn't quite seem fair. I am paid a fee for my words—that's what I do. In fact, all publications that I write for have a certain rate—this varies, but no one asks for free work..." Publication: "Sorry, that's just how it is here. But you get to associate yourself with our name and get good exposure—and in the long run, if something works out, we can think about it?" Are we seriously still asking people for free work in the name of exposure? It's 2024, and freelance journalists with a strong social media following are most likely bigger figures of influence by themselves in their own beats, than legacy media houses. What does "we don't pay freelancers—this is our policy" even mean? How is 'we make people work but don't pay' an official policy? How can people even say such things? Outrageous! #freelancers #journalism #media #consulting #fairwages

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