RPD: A Relevance Lesson In Minnesota

97th in a 2022 Series*

Helmberger

Marshall Helmberger publishes the Timberjay with his wife, Jodi. Their success, they say, depends on Relevance. I’d add impressive dedication, devotion to their community, and a firm commitment to excellence. The spirited weekly covers 4,000 square miles in far northern Minnesota in what used to be a mining town that’s turned into a tourist destination because of its forest and lakes. Helmberger was a guest speaker at the recently concluded National Summit on Journalism in Rural America in Kentucky. He volunteered he was happy to hear about The Relevance Project, adding his wife often emphasizes being Relevant as a driving force to staying connected to their community. The reward: Engaged readers. He then offered how the Timberjay maintains its Relevance:
*Solid, fearless reporting on local and regional issues.
*Maintain independence.
*Show leadership in the community.
*Look for niches.
*Look for regional opportunity.
*Maintain an active and engaging website.
The next one wasn’t on his list, but it could have been as Helmberger said it was an important ingredient to successful local publishing:
Bring positive change to the community by informing them.
Agreed.
Helmberger’s definition will go into my collection of the many ways community news operations can be Relevant. In explaining how he became a publisher in Tower, MN, Helmberger said it bothered him that when another publication closed in the region, people in Warroad, MN, just “shrugged their shoulders.”
What happened?
The newspaper, he said, “lost its Relevance.”

–Tom Silvestri, Executive Director, The Relevance Project

CORRECTION: This Relevant Point has been updated to correct the location of the newspaper that shut down (Warroad, not Tower). Thanks to Al Cross of The Rural Blog for his reporting. Also, the headline has been changed to better reflect the Point.

*ABOUT THE SERIES: Our goal is to share a Relevant Point of the Day (RPD) each weekday throughout 2022. Our target is at least 222. Thank you for supporting The Relevance Project. Your success is our focus.

RPD: As Promised, Graphic Tout On Ad Trust

96th in a 2022 Series*

As promised, you now have the Metro Creative-designed promotion related to a Nielsen-exclusive-to-The-Relevance Project. The above graphic follows a Relevant Point and the May Newsletter that detailed the good news for newspapers in the The Nielsen Co.’s 2021 Trust in Advertising Study. Happy Monday!

–Tom Silvestri, Executive Director, The Relevance Project

Blog Note: I’ve resigned myself to now calling the 2022 series either Relevant Point of the Day or Relevant Daily Point. So when I type RDP in the headline, like I did again for No. 95, I won’t need a correction. Praise an editor today.

*ABOUT THE SERIES: Our goal is to share a Relevant Point of the Day (RPD) each weekday throughout 2022. Our target is at least 222. Thank you for supporting The Relevance Project. Your success is our focus.

RPD: Exploring The Future Of Rural America And Local Journalism

95th in a 2022 Series*

Al Cross (left) kicks off two days of intense exploration in search of solutions.

The first National Summit on Journalism in Rural America was 15 years ago. It didn’t, by design, have a theme. Instead, organizer Al Cross gathered interested parties with the expectation that solutions and best practices would be explored about Rural America and then acted on. On Friday and Saturday (June 3 and 4), Al Cross, who directs the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community and edits The Rural Blog, thought it was time for the second Summit. The 2022 conference sought answers from publishers, problem-solving organizations, journalism supporters, and academics to this question: How do rural communities sustain local journalism that supports local democracy? A jam-packed agenda covered a lot of ground, from the state of community journalism, to groups working to uplift the industry, to the roles of philanthropy and national funders, to newspapers being run as non-profit organization, to examples of journalism adapting to change, innovating and responding to coverage needs, to the research needed to help community journalism, and to new business models that can be viable options based on dynamic data. The Relevance Project was honored to be included. Our advocacy for newspapers to transform into THE Community Forum was well-received. Future Relevant Points will explain several takeaways. Cross and his University of Kentucky colleagues plan to compile a report on key findings from the 2022 Summit. It will be a must-read. In the meantime, we’ll savor our time at the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hills in Harrodsburg, KY. It was a once thriving community that faced oblivion only to be saved by a collaborative effort. Shaker Village, now Kentucky’s largest National Historic Landmark, was a fitting setting for the rural journalism question that we need to keep asking.

–Tom Silvestri, Executive Director, The Relevance Project

*ABOUT THE SERIES: Our goal is to share a Relevant Point of the Day (RPD) each weekday throughout 2022. Our target is at least 222. Thank you for supporting The Relevance Project. Your success is our focus.

RPD: New ‘Cheers For Local News’

94th in a 2022 Series*

The best advocacy for local journalism comes from the front lines. That’s why The Relevance Project is proud to add three new promotions to its Support Local Journalism page that pack strong messages from newspaper leaders who don’t mince words. Looking for inspiration? The trio below delivers. All three are available for use by newspaper associations and their members. Go ahead and add messages from your local advocates to the series. Be sure to share with us as well. We have room to expand. And while you’re in the Cheers for Local News section on www.relevanceproject.net, check out the nearby When Local News Fails and The Election Season entries. 

–Tom Silvestri, Executive Director, The Relevance Project

Added Note: Our thanks to Metro Creative Graphics for the design work.

*ABOUT THE SERIES: Our goal is to share a Relevant Point of the Day (RPD) each weekday throughout 2022. Our target is at least 222. Thank you for supporting The Relevance Project. Your success is our focus.

RPD: Thumbs Up For SPJ

93rd in a 2022 Series*

If you are a journalist or publisher, join SPJ. When it comes to the Society of Professional Journalists, I am a supporter as a longtime member and former president of the Virginia Chapter. It is SPJ’s protection of First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech as well as the group’s dedication to high standards of ethical behavior that motivate me each year to renew my membership. If I were to pick one resource, among many, I would highlight JournalistsToolbox.org, which is SPJ’s “free website (that) has links to thousands of helpful websites, tools, research and more…” As of May, the toolbox contains “more than 20,000 free (and some paid) resources organized by beats on more than 125 searchable pages.” Both SPJ and the Journalist’s Toolbox have worthy e-newsletters, while SPJ organizes regional and national conferences as well an annual contest. SPJ membership also gets you a subscription to Quill, a quarterly magazine. To those already SPJ members, good move and stay involved. To everyone else, please join. It is an important investment in the present and future, as well as in yourself and fellow journalists. By the way, SPJ did not ask me to compose this testimonial. The recommendation is a natural act.

–Tom Silvestri, Executive Director, The Relevance Project

*ABOUT THE SERIES: Our goal is to share a Relevant Point of the Day (RPD) each weekday throughout 2022. Our target is at least 222. Thank you for supporting The Relevance Project. Your success is our focus.

RPD: Localizing A Tragic Story

92nd in a 2022 Series*

There is plenty of reporting to be done localizing the massacre in Uvalde, Texas. And Buffalo, NY. Consider initially documenting trends in three areas:
Gun ownership and gun purchases: Lots to consider. Start with what percentage of local households and commercial establishments own guns. If you want one focus, analyze statistics on the type of guns — “assault rifle,” long guns, or those that fire large amounts of bullets in short periods — that were used in the New York and Texas mass shootings. Another focus: Guns being bought by individuals age 21 and under.
Mental health and treatment: If you want one focus, report how many people have been identified as threats and what happened after the initial inquiry. Explain how local authorities treat reports of dangerous individuals, antisocial behavior, or people in danger. Also: Describe in numbers your community’s safety net to treat mental illness.
Deaths and injuries involving guns: Compare and contrast with other causes of death and injury.
If possible, analyze over the last 10 years. A narrower range could be the pandemic years as we are learning the dangers of prolonger isolation.
Added starter: Crime reports involving incidents on school properties.
In all efforts, stick to the facts. Run counter to today’s opinion first, facts later. Godspeed on such important Relevant coverage.

–Tom Silvestri, Executive Director, The Relevance Project

*ABOUT THE SERIES: Our goal is to share a Relevant Point of the Day (RPD) each weekday throughout 2022. Our target is at least 222. Thank you for supporting The Relevance Project. Your success is our focus.

RPD: Removing Harmful Content

91st in a 2022 Series*

What would you think of a media company that had to address millions of pieces of harmful content it shared over the last few months– an amount so large it had to develop artificial intelligence to help detect adverse content faster, had to remove 1.7 billion fake accounts since September 2021, had to quadruple safety and security teams, and spent $16 billion on safety and security teams and technology over the last six years. You might think this provider would change its content so it wasn’t so dangerous. What company are we talking about here? The actions above were listed in a full-page advertisement on May 19 from Facebook. Think about that. And this solution: Whatever you publish, you own it. “Facebook,” the ad reads, “knows that meaningful connection can only happen on safe, secure platforms.” Just like a newspaper.

–Tom Silvestri, Executive Director, The Relevance Project

*ABOUT THE SERIES: Our goal is to share a Relevant Point of the Day (RPD) each weekday throughout 2022. Our target is at least 222. Thank you for supporting The Relevance Project. Your success is our focus.

RPD: ‘My Local Newspaper…’ Series

90th in a 2022 Series*

In one of the Relevance Project’s biggest promotional offers, a NEW eight-part campaign explains the continued strength of local newspapers. All of the promotions follow the theme “My Local Newspaper…” and are based on the latest readership study orchestrated by the National Newspaper Association.  Because the study focused both on news and advertising, the campaign is parked on the Revenue Resource and Support Local Journalism pages of www.relevanceproject.net 
We thank the NNA for sharing its sponsored research that packs many powerful points. A special shout-out as well to Metro Creative Graphics for its design work.

–Tom Silvestri, Executive Director, The Relevance Project

*ABOUT THE SERIES: Our goal is to share a Relevant Point of the Day (RPD) each weekday throughout 2022. Our target is at least 222. Thank you for supporting The Relevance Project. Your success is our focus.

RPD: Thank You, Utah Press

89th in a 2022 Series*

Thanks to the Utah Press Association for inviting The Relevance Project to present to the 2022 Annual Convention on Friday (May 20). The requested “Triple Play” discussion normally takes an hour as it delivers the ingredients of Relevance, an overview of the free resources on www.relevanceproject.net, and the strategic case for newspapers to transform into THE Community Forum. But when the long list of key state legislators started to put the program behind schedule, the hour afternoon slot shrunk to 30 minutes. No problem, The Relevance Project aims to please. We were able to hit all three points, albeit briefer and a bit faster in record time. It did feel odd being the only speaker who wasn’t a politician or public official on the agenda (see the snapshot above). In those situations, The Relevance Project knows it needs only one vote to keep its position — from the person running the conference. Thank you, Executive Director Brian Allfrey for including The Relevance Project in your report to members. Your legislative updates served as a Community Forum of sorts. Kudos for the reminder that there’s nothing stopping press associations from being THE Community Forum as well.

–Tom Silvestri, Executive Director, The Relevance Project

*ABOUT THE SERIES: Our goal is to share a Relevant Point of the Day (RPD) each weekday throughout 2022. Our target is at least 222. Thank you for supporting The Relevance Project. Your success is our focus.

RPD: Thank You, Louisiana Press

88th in a 2022 Series*

Everyone likes a good challenge. Here’s one: Take an hour presentation built on three parts. Break it apart into three sections so that each consumes no more than 20 minutes. Zero in on the best message, be brief and to the point. The added pressure: You’re cutting into attendees’ lunch hour. Challenge accepted. A big thanks to the Jerry Raehal and Dana Wilbert for inviting me to present to the Louisiana Press Association‘s new Lunch & Learn program. Part I was yesterday: “A Relevant Future: Now Is A Good Time To Size Up,” featuring the Relevance Meter. Part II will occur in June, with the closer in July. I couldn’t tell from the Zoom screens if anyone was eating lunch while I was talking. But I saw people. Amazing, since I found the 20 minutes was over in a flash. The importance of Relevance as a foundation for trust. DONE. Reminded me of the first time I received a standing ovation. It occurred when I ended a training session for copy editors 25 minutes early. Never saw bigger smiles. Told me a lot about success as a public speaker. Having snacks didn’t hurt either.

–Tom Silvestri, Executive Director, The Relevance Project

*ABOUT THE SERIES: Our goal is to share a Relevant Point of the Day (RPD) each weekday throughout 2022. Our target is at least 222. Thank you for supporting The Relevance Project. Your success is our focus.