[Seattle-editorial] Complaint on Newswire

[typist at speakeasy.net]

I'll put it on the agenda of the editorial committee on how to make local news more of a priority if we're all agreed.  Reminder calls to local organizations to put their press releases up on the newswire might be a first step.  I'd also like to see a better calendar--some updating, more user friendly, and graphically attractive than the current Peace and Justice one is.  It's great for information don't get me wrong.  I just think it could look and be more interactive.  Many press releases are for events and those could go to the calender with a link to the press release.  Okay this is really another project entirely... 

As for the ctc report.  Don't sweat it too much; yes we want to do our best but don't get into a panic.  I know that's easy for me to say being on the outside, but an important part of the report writting is describing what went wrong, what you learned from it as an organization, and what plans you have to improve or correct a situation.  That's totally legitimate and it doesn't mean you've failed.  You can have goals and exceed or not meet them due to problems or other unforseen obstacles.  One thing to pin point might be why the ball was dropped in the first place, what we've learned, what we need, so that it won't happen again.

I'll get in touch with you to discuss further,

Best, Judy



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Sheri Herndon [mailto:sheri at indymedia.org]
> Sent: Saturday, September 6, 2003 07:31 AM
> To: typist at speakeasy.net
> Cc: seattle-editorial at lists.indymedia.org
> Subject: Re: [Seattle-editorial] Complaint on Newswire
> 
> great suggestions judy in terms of pulling from the local more often.  i think if groups saw their cause and their issue (and their stories) up on the newswire, they would use the website more.  
> 
> i also liked your idea of doing a kind of survey of the viewers/readers.  did you all talk about that at the editorial meeting?  or maybe that's not the appropriate working group, but it could be.  
> 
> as i'm working on this ctc report to the city (deadline 9/15 get in your volunteer hours if you haven't already PLEASE!!!), and writing up a narrative report for our milestones and drafting some questionnaires for our partner organizations (and talking to them on the phone AND LEARNING from LELO admin person that we really dropped the ball way back when (at the very beginning)), and thinking about the things i'm writing in this report........community resource, more accountable to the community, etc.  well, it makes me wonder how we are doing on that.  of course we're a resource, but how do we ask the community about how well we're doing.  
> 
> feedback loop.
> 
> any thoughts on that?
> 
> sheri
> 
> >I just wanted to discuss the complaint on the newswire "Failure of 
> >Editorial Collective" post.  A couple of editors responded (you guys 
> >were too kind!).  But I don't think this guy had a legitimate complaint.  
> >I didn't notice any spam.  Or anything that went against our editorial 
> >policies.  
> >
> >I think he just didn't like something he read and fired off.  I assume 
> >he was talking about the Icke talk.  I'm kind of impressed by the back 
> >and forth ruckus it's inspired.  Shows a lively newswire.  Do others 
> >agree/disagree?
> >
> >
> >Something Walt wrote about the "editors' pick" monitoring the newswire 
> >in the past, prompts me again to say, I would love to see more pulling 
> >off of good local articles to the center column (in the manner we've 
> >discussed).  Also at the general meeting Sheri mentioned something about 
> >wanting to see IMC be more a community resource.  I think the feature 
> >section would be great for that. Not that it couldn't have national 
> >stuff as well.  But I'd love to see the local focus be really strong. 
> >I'd like to see us be a better news source than say the local evening 
> >news--fortunately that shouldn't be too difficult.
> >
> >Cheers, Judy
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >_______________________________________________
> >Seattle-editorial mailing list
> >Seattle-editorial at lists.indymedia.org
> >http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/seattle-editorial
> >
>