The recently-appointed editor of a Midlands weekly is holding a consultation evening with readers to gauge their opinion about changes to the paper.
Amanda Chalmers, left, who took over the reins at the independent Stratford Herald in June, is holding the Open Doors event at an Italian restaurant in the Warwickshire town.
She hopes the evening will result in feedback as well as possible story ideas coming to the fore.
A survey will also be handed out for readers to complete on the night.
Said Amanda: “On my first week in the editor’s chair, I made a pledge to listen to our readers and serve their needs as, first and foremost, a community newspaper.
“Two months on, there have been some changes to both the look and content of the Herald and, I’m happy to say, feedback has been largely positive.
“We are confident that, over the past few weeks, we have a firm handle on the big issues that matter to our readers — and we are working hard to make best use of the Herald as a vehicle in which to explore and challenge those issues.”
Amanda took over in Stratford in July after the previous editor, Chris Towner, stepped down after 25 years in the hot seat.
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Well done on finding somewhere large enough to accommodate all your readers!
But seriously, at least they are talking directly to their customers.
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Well done. At least this paper has an editor. JP stripped theirs out years ago and it shows. Bring back proper local editors JP and you will see the difference. Content editors don’t cut it.
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If feedback has been ‘largely positive’ why consult further? Producing a good local is not rocket science: timely and relevant community news and information delivered at an affordable price in an attractive package that has a sense of identity. Ask a focus group for advice and you tend to lose, well, focus….
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This was one of my suggestions when interviewed.
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I have a great idea. Team of people called reporters who write for a paper in an area they know top to bottom. They submit copy to a news editor who CHECKS it and passes it to a person called a sub editor who CHECKS it again. He or she puts it on a page , having designed it properly, and sends a duplicate to a web inputter. The web inputter, safe in knowledge it has been CHECKED TWICE, puts it on web, a boring and non journalistic job requiring little imagination or intelligence just ability to remember a sequence of clicks. Meanwhile the journos get on with finding interesting stories, unhindered by production tasks.
The sub editor prints off the page, which is checked again by him or her and sent to the editor for a final CHECK.
Silly me. It will never catch on.
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Hi Amanda, firstly congratulations! May I just say … You are in the chair, you go with your gut, and don’t let anyone distract you…….All the best, you’ll be great! X
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