Subscribers sent us questions about the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. We’ve got answers.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram offered subscribers an exclusive opportunity to submit questions as part of a series called The Source, which promotes transparency in the work of our newsroom.
Here is a sampling that represents a broad spectrum of the questions we received:
What are some reasons you wouldn’t run a story?
We wouldn’t report on a story if it isn’t in line with our mission to provide local news and information that is relevant to the lives of the diverse people who call the Fort Worth area home. We also don’t run stories from other organizations that haven’t met certain criteria, such as only having a single source or not providing evidence of fact-based reporting. In print, other reasons may come into play - we only have so much space, and we have to meet certain deadlines, so sometimes stories we would like to run don’t make it in.
Who creates the idea of what will be covered?
Story ideas can come from many different places. Some stories are easy to spot - a planned event like a Cowboys game or an election, for instance. Others come from suggestions from sources and readers, who point out things happening in our community, and we’re able to verify the information. Reporters also generate story ideas from their respective beats, focusing on issues that affect the people of our community.
Sometimes, reporters identify stories by reviewing public records. As investigative reporter Emily Brindley reported on a story about extra paid leave granted to the outgoing general manager of the Tarrant Regional Water District, she learned by examining Water District documents that a similar arrangement had been made for another employee.
What pre-plan information (contacts, old clippings, reason for development, etc.) is shared with a reporter?
Reporters commonly use the Star-Telegram’s electronic archives to review prior stories done about a person or topic they are writing about. They may also speak with other Star-Telegram reporters who have done related stories and may search the internet for background information from other credible sources. Reporters and their editors discuss stories before reporting begins to identify the core of the story, why it matters to people in the community and who potential sources might be.
Is there an editor who looks at preliminary material and senses the Star-Telegram stance may be too off balance, and recommends a quote from a small businessman or a minority student?
Reporters and editors communicate before and during the reporting process regarding the development of a story, as well as during the editing process. At any time, an editor may make suggestions regarding information or sources that would help more fully represent the story and those affected by it. Diversity of sources is a regular topic in discussions among reporters and editors.
In the FWISD school board meeting this week, the district focused on active COVID cases at the moment instead of cumulative COVID cases for the year. This obscured the fact that 2 percent of FWISD students have contracted COVID since August. What statistics will you focus on in the future as you cover COVID spread in FWISD?
The Star-Telegram always seeks to provide context to help readers make sense of the news. We will strive to do that in reporting about COVID in the Fort Worth ISD and beyond.
Over the years, the Star-Telegram has had less and less content, i.e. no Saturday print edition; no baseball box scores from other teams; and yet you devote a ridiculous amount of coverage to food. Is this due to reader demand or loyalty to Bud Kennedy?
Like newspapers across the country, the Star-Telegram has had to make difficult decisions in recent years due to the financial challenges faced by our industry. While those decisions have, at times, affected the print edition, we have supplemented information available to subscribers with additional content in our eEdition of the newspaper, including expanded sections with national and world news, sports (including box scores), opinion, business and more. Bud Kennedy’s coverage of the local restaurant scene is typically featured twice a week, in Wednesday’s Life & Arts section and Friday’s Weekend section. Analysis of our online readership shows that Kennedy’s stories are highly popular with our readership.
What happened to the print paper?
Like many media companies, we have had to adapt to many changes in the past few years, including a decrease in print advertising and subscribers, as well as reviewing our daily operations throughout the pandemic. As a result, we’ve made a number of changes to our print paper, including deadlines, delivery routes, the number of sections and pages, and even what comics and puzzles we offer.
I don’t see very many national and international stories in print. Why is that?
Our focus is on the sort of journalism that you can only get from us - local and relevant. And while we strive to offer a wide breadth of coverage in our paper, there are occasions when local journalism, time, space constraints or other issues mean we can’t get everything we’d like into the print edition. We do offer other avenues to get national and international stories, however. We offer 40-50 extra pages each day in our eEdition, many of which are focused on what’s going on around the world, for example. Or you can also find this coverage on star-telegram.com or our app.
Considering that there is a Star-Telegram eEdition, why can there not be ‘next day’ reporting of sporting events? Most of the articles appear two days after the event, and sports fans have to go other places for current reporting.
As the news industry has seen a dramatic loss of income in the past decade-plus with less advertising, we’ve had to find ways to continue with our mission of providing quality journalism relevant to our readers. As a result, our print deadlines have gotten earlier as print operations have consolidated around the country. This has affected press operations, delivery operations, and how we put the paper together every day. We are continuously looking for ways to make sure that up-to-date news reaches our readers on as many platforms as possible. That includes our website, our app, and bonus content in our eEdition. There you can find more up-to-date coverage or anything else you might not see in our print edition. Same-day coverage of sporting events is regularly posted on star-telegram.com.
Why are there no good cop stories? The focus seems to be how “bad” cops are!!
Due to their key role in enforcing laws and keeping us safe, police officers are held to high standards regarding their decision-making and behavior. Local news sources have traditionally played an accountability role in examining questionable actions by police. That said, the Star-Telegram also looks for opportunities to highlight the good work done by law enforcement officers, including a story in August about three Sundance Square security officers credited with saving someone’s life, a story in June about Mansfield police rescuing an abducted child and another story in June about how North Richland Hills officers helped catch a loose dog using impressive motorcycle skills.
