It was a dark and stormy night — yet more than 200 individuals on Tuesday made it to The Daily Herald’s special event, Behind the News Stories, shaking off wet jackets as they entered the Edmonds Center for the Arts.
Inside it was dry and full of stories as neighbors throughout Snohomish County came together to celebrate local news, how it connects us and what it means to our community.
Here’s one of the stories we heard from a guest: “I have lived in Everett for over 28 years. Met my wife in Everett. Raised our 2 sons in Everett. For all that time, the Herald has been a part of our home.… And the local news coverage is so important. Da Herald rules!”
Other stories and voices of our community were highlighted throughout the evening in displays, three video premieres and a special tribute to Jeanne Metzger, a former Herald editor who was instrumental in launching our investigative journalism fund in 2020.
You can check out the videos and a summary of what happened at heraldnet.com/behind-the-news-stories.
Behind the News Stories not only shared our community stories, it also gave guests a chance to meet members of the Herald’s news team and hear the answers to some of the questions that you, our readers, sent us over the past month. A majority of those questions focused on the journalism process — from how a story idea begins to the decision-making process that determines which stories get covered and what steps are taken to vet the accuracy of the content.
We thought all our readers would like an inside look at what happens behind the news stories, so we asked Executive Editor Phil O’Connor after the event: “How does your news team decide what stories to cover?”
Here’s how Phil replied:
“First, it’s not easy. Please keep in mind that our entire newsroom, including reporters, photographers, editors, designers and our digital team consists of only about two dozen people. Of those, about half are reporters, including sports and features. Those dozen or so are responsible for covering all the news we can in Snohomish County, a community of more than 830,000 people living in 20 different cities and towns, each with their own stories to tell. It’s a lot.
“Given that, we have to be judicious.
“Some things we feel compelled to report as part of our public service mission. Elections are a good example. We believe providing such coverage is essential for keeping our community informed and our democracy vibrant. The same is true of our coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. We know it has been important for our readers to be able to turn to us for reliable local information to help them safely navigate a once-in-a-century public health emergency.
“Tragedies often demand coverage. A mass shooting. A deadly mudslide. A fatal plane crash. An encroaching wildfire.
“On a daily basis, we seek to keep abreast of what’s happening in our halls of government, our classrooms, with the cops and in the courts, on main streets, along the waterfront and everywhere in between. It’s keeping an eye on transportation, the environment and our community’s health.
“It’s spotlighting local businesses, celebrating our high school athletes, exploring our local food scene and so much more.
“With our investigative journalism, we seek to hold power to account, shine a light on injustice, expose abuse and drive positive systemic change.
“We also seek to surprise and delight, to look for universal stories that might bring a smile or tug a heartstring. We seek to tell the stories of our friends, neighbors and co-workers, both their challenges and their triumphs.
“Like I said, it’s a lot.
“Do we miss some newsworthy stories? I’m afraid we might. And that fear weighs. But please know that this small band of journalists strives every day to keep our community informed and entertained. And I couldn’t be more proud of the hard work they do.”
After the event, Pauline and Andy wrote to the Herald, “Thank you for the opportunity to connect with some of those who put the newspaper together. It was a lovely evening.… We saw how much work it is to get the news to us.”
Seeing what happens behind the news inspired Pauline and Andy to donate to two of The Herald’s community-supported journalism funds, which enable us to bring more reporting to you. If you value the local news the Herald provides our community, you can donate too. Learn more and give a gift today at heraldnet.com/local-news-impact.
Brenda Mann Harrison is the journalism development director for The Daily Herald. To learn more about the impact of local news and how you can join others in supporting community journalism, go to heraldnet.com/local-news-impact, send an email to brenda.harrison@heraldnet.com or call 425-339-3452. The Daily Herald maintains editorial control over content produced through community-funded initiatives.
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