When thinking about the landscape of the news and media industry, regardless of whether it is in print, television or radio; it is important to continually adapt.

However, while the Tribune now has multiple platforms to deliver the news each day; it is essential to understand what your readership expects to be in the local newspaper.

Those answers provide us with valuable information used in conjunction with other factors just as many other newspapers do around the country.

And I felt it was a good time to ask you the reader what do you look for in your local newspaper? If you do not currently have a home delivery subscription, is there something not currently being included that would allow you sign up? Ultimately, what are some of the things you would like to see included each day?

The Internet and emergence of the 24-hour cable news has definitely impacted how information is sought, and various media outlets that include newspapers, television and radio have had the need to broaden the offerings and the method in which those offerings are delivered.

Our approach at the Tribune is to focus on local stories that are meaningful to our communities. We do this to ensure our readers are presented the information that is both important and can have an impact on their lives.

In many cases, while we will include some state and national news, our main focus and goal is to bring you information that is local. If it is a state or national story that will impact our local communities or readers, of course we will report on it; but we ultimately will, in most cases, always take the local approach first.

While we want to take a local avenue, we also want to ensure we are meeting the needs of our readers. That was the main focus on the decision to create a community advisory board. We want to hear from our community regarding their views on various news and other items that are important.

There are also times that when we are out in the community, readers will tell us that they enjoy certain things in the paper, they do not like various items, or they would like to see more of a certain element in the paper. I enjoy those comments, whether good or bad, because of the value we place on our readers and the feedback you provide.

The Tribune and its predecessors have been providing local news, sports and advertising to the residents of Lawrence County for more than 160 years.

While we understand that we cannot always be everything to everyone, it is still essential that we will continually try to improve on what we do well and make adjustments to those things that we need to get better at. This will ensure we are providing information that you — the reader — want to see in your local newspaper, and ultimately achieve our goal of being Lawrence County’s hometown newspaper for the next 160 years.

 

Josh Morrison is the general manager at The Tribune. To reach him, call 740-532-1441 ext. 16 or by email at josh.morrison@irontontribune.com.