Changing communities require different definition of news
By Catalina Camia
freedomforum.org
04.16.02
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WASHINGTON — As a top editor at The Washington Post, Milton Coleman has watched the nation’s capital and its suburbs become more racially and ethnically diverse.
Newcomers to the Washington, D.C., area include immigrants from Latin, Asian and African countries who are changing the way people live — whether it's by opening new restaurants and businesses, speaking different languages in schools or seeking out activities like soccer to relax.
Coleman, the Post's deputy managing editor, said changing demographics in his newspaper's circulation area means a change in what is news. That same kind of change is occurring in newsrooms across the country.
Changing the definition of news can decrease the "crimes of omission" that occur at newspapers, he said. Editors will be less likely to overlook topics and ideas if they send reporters out to cover changing communities.
During a panel at the American Society of Newspaper Editors convention, Coleman offered tips on how editors can respond to increasing diversity in their communities and attract immigrants as newspaper readers:
Learn what is news to minorities and immigrants. Coleman said the Post learned that people of color who read the newspaper believe it doesn't cover small businesses. Many new immigrants to Washington own restaurants, nail shops, retail stores and other small businesses and want to read about them in their newspaper.
Mainstream people of color in all kinds of stories and photos. People of color are tired of being in the newspaper only when there is a festival, crime or racially themed topic.
Cover what works, not what doesn't. In education stories, for instance, readers said they were tired of reading about low test scores, failing schools and such. They want to read about schools and districts that are making positive change, Coleman said.
Cover topics that are important to people in the way that is important to them. In religion coverage, for example, readers are less interested in church politics and listings and more interested in broader topics such as spirituality. Coleman said churches can be great resources of information about demographic changes in your area.
Don't write about immigration as a spectator sport. Write about immigration to explain why it matters to all readers. Coleman cited as an example the rebuilding of the Pentagon after the Sept. 11 attack. Many of the workers at the Pentagon site are Latino. But Coleman said he didn't read that story first in The Washington Post; it came from a Web site of a Latino newspaper. "These stories are important to everyone because they talk about changes in the community,'' he said.Related
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