Could you feel a sense of purpose in the air last week? I could. The light in the sky had shifted slightly; children headed back to school, and many of us gave Labor Day its due and began to consider the projects ahead of us this fall.
One of my projects involves the paper’s plan for more interaction with our readers. The Inquirer is creating a readers’ roundtable, so we can hear firsthand our readers’ comments and perspectives on different aspects of the paper.
Both sides, I believe, can benefit from this exchange.
Editors can use insights they’ve gleaned from these discussion to make better-informed decisions, gain a fresh perspective, and possibly uncover a buried gem of a story idea.
There has been so much change at the paper this year, and I expect that to continue. It would be helpful to have readers’ voices and faces very fresh in our minds as we chart our course. Roundtable members would get a preview of proposed changes and have a chance to make suggestions.
In turn, editor Robert Rosenthal and other editors will give readers an inside view of the paper, the complexities of our coverage and why time and space matter. We can arrange for readers to meet some of the writers they have been following for years.
Kevin Ferris, who runs the Community Voices pages on the Editorial Board, and I will chair the discussion. It will be a series of four sessions that begin on the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 25.
We are looking for reflective people who care about the paper. We promise a relaxed and respectful conversation that encourages everyone to speak. We will report to the staff on the things you have said, and the highlights will appear in future columns, too.
Readers’ groups are hardly a new idea. The Louisville Courier-Journal, birthplace of ombudsmanship in the United States, is one paper with a long tradition of working with them.
Linda Raymond, an editor who organized many of those groups, is enthusiastic about the value they add.
“There is something about hearing readers talk about the paper that is very compelling,” she said. When the conversation comes from readers who really care and is offered in the spirit of making the paper as good as it can be, “that’s a combination that is hard to resist,” she said.
I have found, in this last year as ombudsman, the voices and written messages from readers to be hard to resist. Of the thousands of messages I have received, I cull the best comments and pass them along to other editors.
But I know that when I go out and talk to community groups, I take back so much more when I see people face-to-face. Their questions and comments linger in my mind and I think about them as I write this column.
I believe other journalists here will gain a similar benefit.
Because we want a rich roundtable discussion, we will limit the first one to 12 people. These folks will be asked to commit to attending at least three of the four sessions. We want a mix that is a cross-section of our readership. A diverse group — in terms of age, hometown, occupation, and race — will give us the best perspectives.
We have only one requirement, that participants be Inquirer readers — if not every day, often enough to make a contribution to the discussion.
Our first discussion will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 25, at the paper’s main newsroom at 400 North Broad St., in Center City. We expect it to last 90 minutes. Thereafter, we will meet on three more Tuesday nights, Oct. 9; Nov. 13, and Dec. 11.
Don’t be shy about applying. Call or write, using the information below. Tell us briefly who you are, what you do, and why you would like to participate. Please include your phone number, age and hometown. We’ll get back to those picked for the first round, and keep the rest in mind for next year.
So, check your calendars, and join us in this important work. We look forward to hearing from you.
