Taking his lead from a 2005 column, Slimp suggests influencing public discussion

My mind is a contradiction: I recall vivid scenes from decades past but can’t remember where I put my keys this morning.

Earlier today, I remembered the title of a column I read years ago. ‘Creating a New Town Square’, written by Leslie Dreyfous McCarthy, appeared in Nieman Reports, December 15, 2005. I couldn’t remember what Dreyfous McCarthy wrote, but the headline was somehow embedded in my memory.

Today, over lunch with a publisher, I faced a familiar question – one I hear nearly every day: “What do newspapers need to do to become more valuable to their communities?”

The same question might be asked in a different way: “What can I do to get more people to read my newspaper?”

I found the column from Nieman Reports online and quickly realised it was less of a ‘how to’ column and more of a ‘this is the situation’ column.

I often speak on the topic of ‘Getting more people to read your paper’ at conventions and webinars. Instead of regurgitating information you’ve likely heard me speak (or write) about, I’d like to approach this question from a different viewpoint. Right now, I’d like to discuss something I see almost all successful community newspapers do... create new town squares.

I’m old enough to remember the town square in my hometown. As a child, I remember wondering why those old men were sitting on benches talking whenever I passed by in the back of my father’s car. At such a young age, I didn’t realise that the town square was the place where people – mostly men, it seemed – gathered to discuss politics, sports and other topics of the day. You would often see them pointing out things in a newspaper as they made their points.

Not many of us live in places with active town squares anymore, at least not as active as they once were. It seems to me this is a perfect opportunity for newspapers to jump in and take a leadership role. I’ve seen this happen myself at community newspapers in Newton (Kansas), Ouray (Colorado), and Benson (Minnesota). I’ve also seen it happening in Jefferson City (Tennessee) and Preston (Minnesota). I’ve seen this take place enough that I know the idea of newspapers influencing public discussion isn’t a fluke.

Steps to build community trust

It seems to me that an important step in a newspaper becoming the new town square is to build trust within the community. Community publishers don’t need gimmicks – they need practical, doable steps that make people feel like, ‘That’s my paper’.

What are these steps? I limit myself to 800 words in my columns, so I’ll briefly suggest a few. This is obviously not an exhaustive list, but hopefully it will spark some ideas:

Be seen. A budding editor – about to be promoted to publisher – once called me in a panicked voice and asked, “What does a publisher do?” My response, “One of two things. Everything or nothing.” The publisher and editor should be seen at ball games, fundraisers, church fish fries, ribbon cuttings, and Ruritan meetings. When people see you there, they expect to see it in print. This is a basic reason that newspapers without local publishers and editors tend to shrink. Lack of visibility.

Publish names. Don’t be shy about highlighting events meaningful to your readers. These might include births, anniversaries, honour rolls, volunteer recognition, and retirements. The list of opportunities could be much longer. In small communities, names are currency.

Cover churches without becoming a pulpit. Highlight services, not sermons. Consider a community-wide ministry calendar. Cover joint church services (Thanksgiving, National Day of Prayer, etc.). The key is to cover the community impact, not denominational debates.

Celebrate ordinary people, not just elected officials. Feature waiters and waitresses, volunteer firefighters, convenience store workers, schoolteachers, nurses, and more. Everyone has a story. Some of the best stories I’ve seen in community newspapers were human-interest pieces about ordinary people. People feel ownership when they feel seen. Again, everyone has a story.

I could go on, but I’m nearing 700 words. As much as I realise I’m preaching to the choir, I visit and work with enough community papers to know that we sometimes get so overwhelmed with other issues that we forget the very basics of what makes people love our newspapers.

Around 15 years ago, I started a newspaper that became quite popular very quickly. There were many reasons people loved the paper, but if I had to focus on one thing that made it popular, it was our emphasis on strong human-interest stories. I remember going to an old fire hall and interviewing the fire chief. I got to see where the firefighters slept and cooked their meals. I sat in the driver’s seat of a fire truck. I even got to slide down the pole. I interviewed a church musician who grew up dreaming of being a chef. I took a photographer.

A few years ago, a young reporter in Canada wrote to me. I could feel the fear in her words as she explained that she was assigned, for the first time, to come up with her own story. I’ll never forget her words, “I have no idea what to write about!”

I suggested she go into town and interview someone in their 90s. “Ask them to tell you about their life.”

She wrote to me two weeks later saying, “People are saying it’s the best thing I’ve ever written!”

That could be any of us. I believe each of us could write “the best thing we’ve ever written” for the next issue of our newspaper.

My space is full. I’ve gone over 800 words.

Kevin Slimp – ‘The News Guru’ – has served as an advisor and trainer for newspapers throughout the world since 1995. Contact him at kevin@kevinslimp.com or find his online classes at newspaperacademy.com