Database vs. The Street Reporter, Round 2

[Brad King]

I'm a little honked off right now -- not at the group obviously -- but by the fact that, for just a moment, I let my guard down as we have discussed why it's important for reporters to beat the streets to get stories.

I let my guard down because I believed (or wanted to believe) that actually happened.

If it does, it's certainly not happening in this presidential election according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism (here is the article):

--SNIP--
According to a report by the Project for Excellence in Journalism, over 60 percent of election coverage by the US media has been focused on campaign strategies, tactics or personalities -- but not on actual political content.
--SNIP--

We know reporters aren't out busting the streets for stories. News rooms are filled with reporters these days.

Which brings me back to a point we'd discussed before. I believe good reporting comes from facts, figures and THEN trends. No BS personality and "what just happened" stories.

If we don't have editors who demand reporters get out on the street and find the great stories, if we don't have reporters who get off their asses and knock on doors -- why shouldn't we demand that they at least get the essential facts of their beats?

Am I crazy?

Is there a newspaper, editor or reporter who can point me to a bastion of strong reporting in their town -- a paper that isn't half-filled with AP stories and crap fluff that they know in their heart shouldn't be published in a college newspaper let alone their local paper?

I feel a little nuts on this topic. So tell me that I'm wrong.

[Kevin Dugan]

I think you're right, but the odds are against us. Fewer reporters covering more stories? Projects engaging citizens like Enquirer's Get Published and CNN's iReport start to impact this (barely, freeing them up from smaller stories). But this would seem to be a side effect of industry financials.

[Sarah Heart]

your right. ha, facts and figures make what the story is.

[Andrew]

I think we tend to forget about the alternative free weeklies. I often turn to these guys for interesting stories on what's happening locally esp. when it comes to politics and culture. In fact, I use their voting guides more frequently than the Oregonian, the main paper in Portland. True, most of the reporting has an edge (nasty too) but the writing is truly great. One of the reporter's for Portland's Willamette Week even won a Pulitzer a few years back. I could be wrong about this, but you don't hear much about these papers shutting down. Don't these papers rely solely on advertising revenue?

[Brad King]

I don't deny that the weeklies tend to do a much better job at covering local politics -- following what is going on at City Halll; however, I would argue that even they -- while doing the best job -- are still masters to the "lone reporter" syndrome, where all the knowledge is tied up in one place.

Doesn't there have to be an alternative to the alternatives (and I got my starts at weeklies so I have a GREAT affinity for them)? Something that democratizes the information?

[Andrew]

Another site to check out for local news: yourstreet.com