Dispatch staffers help train future journalists, preserve history during busy news week

Journalism needs bright newcomers who love to tell stories and are willing to dig for information.

The public depends on journalists for accurate information, whether the story involves breaking weather news on tornadoes or actions pending before a city council. But with our profession under constant attack and business challenges confronting the media, there seem to be fewer people pursuing journalism careers.

So, it was uplifting to see a room packed full of students and families on a Saturday morning to conclude a six-week program full of training and actual work creating journalism you can find on Dispatch.com.

I had the privilege of speaking to high school students and their parents at the graduation for Columbus Journalists in Training, a program supported by 11 Dispatch journalists through the Society of Professional Journalists, Denison University and the Columbus City Schools. I recounted how a similar program fueled my interest in journalism during my high school days.

Thanks to everyone who made this effort possible, especially Opinion & Engagement Editor Amelia Robinson.

A few days later, I found myself in another full room at the main Columbus Metropolitan Library for a celebration to launch new public access to The Dispatch's extensive archives.

When we moved to our current office last year, we donated our archives, which were once painstakingly assembled by a team of librarians. The internal library was a vital resource for reporters and photographers to find important background information or file photos before digital systems made it much easier.

Now, about 750 boxes from our 152-year history with newspaper clippings, newsroom artifacts, microfilm and microfiche, digital images, photo prints and negatives for several years are at the library.

Wednesday's crowd included one of our former librarians along with many current and former Dispatch journalists who helped create the content chronicling our collective history. We're grateful for all of their work and the library's willingness to forever preserve this content for everyone.

Columbus Dispatch Digital can be accessed at columbuslibrary.org/research-tools.

I hope some day in the future a CJIT trainee will have their professional work archived at the library.

Changes coming

If you review our archives, you will immediately realize the appearance and content of print newspapers have been evolving since long before cable news or the internet and social media became part of our lives.

The pages are narrower and fewer but more colorful. The type is crisper and page designs more engaging.

Longtime staples such as pages of stock prices, television listings and other features have disappeared from most. They are victims of our rapidly changing world where more and more people get their news and information from digital outlets or other means.

Beginning this week, we will no longer publish stock prices in print, a move most newspapers made some time ago.

All of this data can easily be found elsewhere. Personally, I check the stock market numbers and my 401(k) on my phone. I know others rely on the print edition, although that information is outdated as soon as the market opens.

As I settle into my new role here and finish unpacking moving boxes, my main focus is improving the local journalism you can't find anywhere else. We're filling key job vacancies and resetting our news reporter beats to better cover more of central Ohio. I will share more details in the coming weeks.

Ohio tornadoes coverage

When tornadoes ravaged Ohio March 14, Dispatch journalists and their colleagues across the USA TODAY Ohio Network swung into action.

Photographer Doral Chenoweth immediately headed for hard-hit Logan County arriving before midnight to find utter devastation. After getting some initial photos and videos to his editor, Chenoweth sat in his car amid complete darkness and silence for hours waiting for enough morning light to send his drone airborne and capture the full scene. His dedication to telling Ohio’s stories is amazing.

Breaking News Editor Kris Wernowsky posted a statewide version with the tragic news late Thursday, got a few hours of sleep and then updated our main story all day Friday as Dispatch and network staffers communicated updates or sent in photos and videos. We counted 20 tornado warnings issued by the National Weather Service across Ohio in a few hours.

Reporter Nathan Hart and Photographer Adam Cairns also headed to Logan County, where three people died. They were later joined by journalists from The Cincinnati Enquirer. Reporter Bailey Gallion and photographer Courtney Hergesheimer toured destruction throughout Delaware County. Reporter Maria DeVito found damage in Licking County.

Editors in Columbus and elsewhere managed the flow of content, edited stories and photos. Network reporters also wrote stories on the history of Indian Lake, past tornado outbreaks in Ohio, when tornadoes are most likely and updated twisters confirmed by the National Weather Service.

Across Ohio, hundreds of thousands of readers found 36 stories and four photo galleries, which generated more than 4 million page views. Our videos generated additional readership on Dispatch.com and other platforms, including YouTube and Instagram.

Our plans were informed from lessons we learned covering nine tornadoes across Ohio two weeks earlier. We thought we could do a better job of communicating internally and telling the story of what happened. I believe we largely delivered on that goal.

While we never want to cover such tragedies, we know people depend on the media for accurate and timely reporting when disasters strike.

And that's why local journalism is essential in our community.

Michael Shearer is executive editor of The Columbus Dispatch and Dispatch.com. He can be reached at 614-245-0358 or mshearer@dispatch.com.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Dispatch staffers train young journalists, preserve history