Innovations: Blogging and other tactics

Keven Ann Willey, editorial page editor, The Dallas Morning News

[EMAIL: kwilley@DallasNews.com, WEB: http://www.DallasNews.com]

1. Blogging

In July, we launched what we think is the nation's first Editorial Board blog. This is a web log, sort of an electronic journal, in which Editorial Board members write their off-the-cuff commentary on a variety of local, national and international affairs. To check it out, click on http://DallasNews.com/opinion/blog.

The purpose of the blog is to deepen and enrich our connection with the community. Readers see our comments on the blog and e-mail us their comments, which we may then post on the blog for further commentary. The purpose also is to demystify for readers the editorial process, which should serve to enhance our credibility and influence.

We have blogged on topics as diverse as the Middle East, the Catholic Church and the firing of Dallas' first African-American police chief to how we select letters to editor, arrive at election recommendations, shape institutional viewpoints. An introductory couple of paragraphs at the top of the blog explain its purpose and that the views expressed in it are those of the individual editorial writers, not necessarily those of the collaborative Editorial Board as a whole.

External reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. Readers from across the country have written us to say they appreciate the insight into our department's interworkings. Some have said that even though they still disagree with our position on a certain topic, they value knowing how carefully and thoughtfully we arrived at it. Our blog has been cited in more than a dozen industry organs, and is featured in the current issue of Harvard University's Nieman Reports.

Internal reaction also is generally positive, though some writers have had difficulty carving time from their busy schedules to blog as regularly as required. Most writers love the opportunity to comment extemporaneously, linking extensively to other websites (which the writers are already reading anyway) and enhancing their relationships with readers. Traffic topped 5,000 viewers a day early on, but has flattened out a bit since, prompting us to redouble promotion efforts.

Blogging is the fastest growing segment of journalism. What could be more fundamental to an editorial board's job than sharing our opinions, explaining their foundation, and soliciting feedback from readers?

2. Combining forces for community good.

In July, the editorial boards of The Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram sent "Hell freezes over" invitations to some 1,600 elected and appointed community leaders, inviting them to an Aug. 15 transit summit the two longtime newspaper rivals were cosponsoring. We figured if we checked our rivalry's guns and knives at the door, we'd have greater credibility in urging the North Texas region's 200-plus municipalities to do the same in crafting a badly needed plan to enhance the region's transit.

At the summit, attended by more than 500 local, state and national leaders, we urged officials to sign onto a resolution identifying transit as a top concern and committing to work together to develop a unified transit authority or a coordinated transit system. The session, which created quite a buzz statewide and sparked several new transit pushes, was presided over by the two papers' editorial page editors. Before it was over more than 100 of the attendees either signed the pledge cards, authorized their names to be used in support of the cause or signed up for a working committee.

Both papers published the 100-plus names, lauding the individuals for showing badly needed leadership. In July and August alone, each newspaper has written several editorials, both ROP and on their suburban pages, and launched a series of op-ed commentary from many of the participants.

We expect to monitor the region's efforts and comment regularly in editorials, columns and cartoons throughout the next year. We've outlined a process, but we've stopped short of marrying ourselves to any sort of outcome unseen. The two newspapers will cosponsor a Mid-Report summit in February 2004 and a wrap-up summit in July 2004, at which we hope a final plan will be available for campaign debate and presentation to the 2005 Texas Legislature.

3. Taking a cause to the streets

Our series of editorials in the Spring of 2003 noting that Texas is one of fewer than 10 states nationwide that doesn't require its legislators to record their votes and urging reform attracted some legislative support, but not enough from the Powers That Be who run the Legislature for any reform to occur. So we've taken the issue directly to lawmakers' constituents. In June, we mailed letters to some 150 letter writers who'd written us in support of the cause and to some 150 organizations with hired lobbyists on file at the state Capitol. In each letter we:

• Included key editorials from our series calling for reform.
• Urged organizations to adopt an enclosed draft resolution in support of the cause and mail it to the Legislature with a copy to us.
• Urged individuals to spread the word and do what they could to urge their legislator to take a lead on this reform in the next regular session.
• Offered editorial board members as guest speakers on this topic at organizations' meetings.

The next installment of our series runs later this month. We have just over a year to build outside support for this cause sufficient to spark action inside the Capitol dome. Texas doesn't permit citizen initiatives and the Legislature doesn't meet in regular session again until January 2005, so we're doing the best we can to marshal forces accordingly.

4. Candidate endorsements.

Readers often complain that they don't understand how editorial boards make candidate endorsements and candidates often complain they seem arbitrary. So The Dallas Morning News is keeping "leaderboards" on key legislative and congressional issues that we will use to help shape our election recommendations next fall.

Here's how it works: On a poster board we listed across the top a couple dozen issues of key importance to us that we've editorialized on. Down the left side we listed all North Texas legislators. Throughout the session we scored legislators on those key issues, and then upon conclusion of the regular session, we published our "leaderboard" and posted it online. It will be one of the tools we use next fall in deciding which incumbents to recommend for re-election and which ones to recommend bagging.

The leaderboard is a lot of work to publish and post online. But it serves to great purposes. First, it keeps us accountable by holding our feet to the fire with regard to issues we've said we think are important. Second, it makes it easier -- and clearer to readers -- to hold candidates accountable. Readers understand what we're measuring candidates for office against and, hopefully, this enhances our credibility with them.

Dallas City Council members, watch out. You're next!

9/22/03