UDR: Three concepts that drive our coverage
A maxim that perhaps has always underpinned the stories we produce for the Daily Herald but became formalized early in the era of John Lampinen’s editorship is that we should constantly strive for reporting that is useful, different and relevant.
We should be producing stories that offer practical applications in the daily lives of our readers, that can be found nowhere else but in the Daily Herald and that are directly relevant to the suburbs and the lives of those who live here.
One of the ways that happens really came into focus for me this week, as we monitored the popularity of stories at our website. Our projects and transportation writer Marni Pyke produced a report on Jan. 13 answering several questions about new stickers the Illinois Tollway is rolling out to replace the plastic transponders that have been in use since the start of electronic tolling. In terms of practical applications, you don’t get much more useful than this kind of story, which told when to expect the stickers, how to get them, how to apply them and more. And it also led naturally to more questions from readers about the process, prompting Pyke’s story last Monday further describing how to display and use the stickers.
For much of this week, that one story led all others by huge margins in the numbers of people who were reading it online, and it remained popular for days after its original publication.
We aren’t the only outlet to report on the sticker transition, of course, but Pyke approached it with a style and level of detail that was not only unique but also had direct, practicable information of value to anyone who drives the tollway. The result was an example of one key way in which the information we report helps you get through your day.
There certainly are many others, some much more routine than a major transition in how you will pay for your travel on the Illinois Tollway. Our Food section provides recipes and information about nutrition, for example. Our Friday and Sunday Time out! sections help you decide what movies or TV shows to watch, plays to attend, music to listen to and much, much more. Our Health section describes actions you can take to live longer and more satisfyingly, our Home & Garden section helps you decorate the rooms of your house and beautify the landscapes around it.
There are natural limitations to taking the useful-different-relevant descriptions literally, of course. A story about a political issue or a proposed new local project may not offer something you can directly apply to your life, though you ought to be able to see how the issue is going to affect you. We produce scores of stories every day about life, people and issues in the suburbs that you can get nowhere else, but — especially as it applies to national and international reports that we and thousands of other newspapers subscribe to — some topics will of course be familiar across many venues, though how we present them can certainly distinguish us. And a development in a suburb a few towns over may not be specifically pertinent to your taxes or your neighborhood, though issues related to the topic may well be familiar.
But as a rule, we seek to provide reports every day that in varying ways tell you things you need to know to act as a good citizen, make decisions ranging from how to dress for the day’s weather to what to have for dinner or just enjoy a laugh or a moment’s relaxation. I suspect that the concepts of “useful, different and relevant” rarely if ever cross your mind as you peruse the paper or our website, but we know very well that they are at the root of your interest in every story you read, every page you turn and every picture you stop for a second to look at.
Useful. Different. Relevant.
It’s not exactly “To fear God, tell the truth and make money,” but we certainly can’t pursue our higher goals without it.
• Jim Slusher, jslusher@dailyherald.com, is managing editor for opinion at the Daily Herald. Follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jim.slusher1 and on X at @JimSlusher. His new book “Conversations, community and the role of the local newspaper” is available at eckhartzpress.com.