As the sun was setting over the Bridgeport skyline to mark the end of the Tuesday business day, the real work was just beginning for the editorial board of the Connecticut Post.
At the second of two daily meetings, the top editors of each section met in a small conference room with their important story ideas and a strong will to get them placed on the front page. Led by editor Tom Baden, the afternoon editorial meeting focused on placing stories and photographs throughout the first few pages of the paper. Editors debated the space necessary for each article, and decided which stories would be shifted to the online component of the paper. In the morning meeting, the editors focus instead on reviewing the day’s paper, critiquing the positive and negative aspects, and preparing for which articles, quotes, and photographs will be needed for the next day’s issue.
While each page is 120 inches long, advertisements are placed before the articles and photos, limiting the space available. Debate over placement is essential – the most important news must be on the front page, capturing the reader’s attention and immediately relaying the most crucial facts of the day.
The Connecticut Post has a unique association with other Connecticut newspapers that are owned by the same overarching company – Hearst communications. All of the Hearst newspapers, including the Post, Greenwich Time and The Advocate, share content, especially local sports and important headline news stories.
On Tuesday, a number of such top stories crowded the minds of the editors. A lengthy court battle over the release of crucial documents involved in the Bridgeport diocese sexual abuse scandal had finally drawn to an end, culminating in the revealing of the documents to the public. A final ruling in a reverse discrimination case aimed at Bridgeport firefighters. The official swearing in of new City Council and Board of Education members for the city. President Obama’s announcement of an increased number of soldiers set to deploy overseas.
Yet the seemingly overwhelming decision of which stories to feature on the front page did not appear to faze the editors. Instead, they calmly discussed the components of each story, the importance of each topic included in each article, and the locality of the topics.
“We’re a local newspaper,” editor Tom Baden said, explaining that The Connecticut Post aimed to feature important local stories more prominently than national ones. Remembering this point helps the editors make their front page decisions, in addition to considering the overall impact of each article.
Experience in the news industry has given the editors insight into the essential aspects of reporting and delivering the news. Even the most challenging parts of delivering the news are important, and can make or break the story. Jim Shay, the weekend editor and the assistant managing editor in the mornings, understands the uncomfortable position in which a reporter is placed when asking for quotes or interviews following an upsetting event. Yet he also knows the impact a good quote in an article about such an event can have, as the reporter “want[s] to bring life to the story”.
“You get on the phone and make the call – you never know what’s going to happen,” he said. “You’ve got to ask those questions.”
Even after the afternoon editorial meeting, the editorial board still has a great deal of work to do for the evening – the paper doesn’t go to bed until 1:20 a.m., the latest deadline of all of the Connecticut Hearst-owned papers. Editors are always aware and prepared to change layouts and priorities at any moment as news can break at any time before deadline, forcing editors to reevaluate the importance and timeliness of the paper’s current stories. The paper that lands on front porches and newsstands every morning is a combined effort of a number of individuals working in harmony despite ever-increasing deadline pressure.
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