Want to know what drives news decisions at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram? Here’s a look
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The Source: Trust and Transparency in Your Local News
We’re answering your questions about local journalism and the newsroom at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Click “expand” to read more from this project.
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The phone call was from a longtime newspaper reader who questioned our heavy focus on local news and feature stories in that day’s edition of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
He preferred to see more news from hot-spots around the world.
I explained that the spotlight on local news was intentional and in line with what local news organizations across the country have done in the digital age.
People can get news from the Middle East and other points across the globe from any number of sources with a quick Google search online. Breaking news, feature stories and reports about issues in the Fort Worth area are what we can offer at a breadth and depth like no one else.
Local news and sports are our franchise. They are what differentiate us, particularly in the metroplex, where we are the only major news organization to focus exclusively on Fort Worth and Tarrant County.
I appreciated the reader’s question and the opportunity to have a conversation about our decision making process.
This column marks the beginning of a series we will publish over the next month seeking to answer more questions about how and why we do things here at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. My hope is that the transparency will help build a more trusting relationship between us — the folks in our newsroom and you, our subscribers and readers.
The Star-Telegram’s mission
Our mission at the Star-Telegram has multiple layers. At its core, we seek to provide local news and information that is relevant to the lives of the diverse people who call the Fort Worth area home. Ideally, you see the stories we produce as essential to understanding and navigating the world around you.
We also see ourselves as your watchdog. We ask hard questions on your behalf, holding elected and appointed government officials accountable for how they spend your money and conduct your government’s business.
We want to help you understand the challenges we face in our community and point to possible solutions. We want to empower you to become more involved. We want our opinion content to represent diverse perspectives about those challenges and offer you the opportunity to engage in the community conversation.
We also want to lighten your day with feature stories about interesting people and entertain you with news from your favorite sports teams.
How we make decisions about coverage
We make difficult decisions every day about what stories we will cover. Some choices are obvious: A major storm causes flooding and damage in the region, and we know people want to be informed about what happened.
Many times, the choices are not so clear. Those decisions are driven by a number of factors, but most important are questions about the intended readership, or audience, for the story.
We ask questions such as, “Who cares about this, or who should?” We talk about the elements of the story that will be most relevant to people, and that guides us on everything from the angle and structure of the story to the headline.
Analytics from our online readership play a role, as well. They provide insight to how readers have responded to stories about similar topics or situations.
Those analytics show us that our readers are interested in broad topics such as breaking news, public safety, local government and politics, growth and development, investigative reporting, TCU football and more.
Earlier in the digital age of news reporting, many decisions were made based purely on the size of the expected audience. But we now have data to guide us toward stories that our subscribers value or that will likely entice someone to subscribe. That’s important when it comes to retention of readers and growth in online subscriptions — things that are crucial to the future of local news organizations.
Resources are a factor in our decision making, too. We have a limited number of reporters who can work on a limited number of stories. Just because we don’t do a story doesn’t necessarily mean we think it wasn’t a good story; we simply may not have had the people available to cover it.
Other factors in news judgment
Other factors help determine which stories we choose to do and how prominently we may display those stories. Geography is part of the equation: If something happens in Fort Worth or Tarrant County, where most of our readers reside, it gets more serious consideration than if the same thing were to happen two counties away.
Some stories are inherently compelling because they trigger our emotions. Stories about people overcoming hardship lift our spirits, while stories about those who have experienced tragedy bring out compassion, empathy and tears.
Who’s involved can also be a factor. When the average person gets arrested for driving while intoxicated, we generally don’t write about that. But it’s another story altogether when that person is an elected official, who is held to a higher standard of accountability.
More to come
Today, I’ve touched upon just a few of the most common questions I get about how we do business here at the Star-Telegram. You can find more information online in an accompanying Q & A.
In the coming weeks, we’ll explore more about how our reporters do their jobs, about the difference between news and opinion content and about how you can help stop the spread of false information, among other things. We’ll use more columns like this, videos, Instagram and even a live-streamed video event to allow you to engage with us in different ways.
And we’d like to hear your thoughts on our work. Please take a few moments to respond to the survey that accompanies this column online.
Thank you for reading the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and supporting local journalism through your subscription. My hope is that as we move through this series, we’ll strengthen the bond between us.
This story was originally published September 13, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
