Using your newsroom size to your advantage
Whether you are a small or large news organization, you can comprehensively cover economic inequality, even with few financial or staff resources. Here are some advantages of living in a smaller town with a smaller news team.
- Environment. Chances are, you live in the community you are serving or at least close enough that you frequently run into people you know. This is a huge advantage. You know where to find sources and what economic inequality looks like in your community. You can, however, get stuck in a routine. Try taking a new way to work to see the other side of town and meet new people that could become inspiration for a potential story.
- If your newsroom is smaller, your communication can be easier and stronger than that of a larger organization with more people involved. It will be easier to let co-workers know about your coverage goals, what you’re working on and maybe even get them involved.
- You may be the only media outlet in the area. That can be an advantage, but also places a large amount of responsibility on your shoulders. You may be the only person that is telling readers about this issue. Educate them and get the discussion going.
- If you’re town is smaller, you have the ability to reach everyone a bit easier. Go out into the community; get the public involved in your project. If you’re ingrained in their lives, they’ll be likely to participate. You may have more exclusive access because of that.
- Your issues are specific to your area. Economic inequality is everywhere in the United States, but being a local community paper allows you to focus the issue on how it affects your readers specifically.
- Utilize interview time. Make it a goal after every interview you perform to block out the last five minutes to ask the person about economic inequality without a specific story idea in mind. It's a great way to survey the community without using extra, valuable time.