Randy Lovely lives up to his name

Juxtaposed with the smoky all male scenes of the Washington Post story meeting circa 1974 from our viewing of All the Presidents Men Thursday night was our fishbowl experience of a contemporary newsroom- the Arizona Republic- and its Friday morning 11 a.m. story meeting. What both scenes had in common was a round robin from various editors detailing updates, ideas, predictions, and a level of camaraderie and respect that both the acting and real journalists share.

Randy Lovely, Arizona Republic editor and vice president for news, introduced editors and provided an introduction, reflected contemplative and fascinating commentary of the state of a working and transitioning newsroom, and offered comprehensive responses to our questions. What a gracious host!

One way the organization has changed is that Lovely said that editors used to “prosecute every story” by asking a million questions at a typical story meeting. Today’s multiple daily meetings (including one that Page One Project Manager Josh Solong runs via web conferencing with local NBC Affiliate Channel 12) reflect the 24-hour news cycle. Lovely said that many decisions are now put into the hands of reporters and reporting teams. Solong circulates the newsroom overseeing and monitoring how stories are “executed” to the quality level expected of an Arizona Republic product. Lovely said that a huge level of trust has been turned over to the teams with the expectation that they will deliver.

Of particular note was Solong’s explanation of how much he enjoys experimenting online with new media and receiving feedback from readers. He recounted a recently published expose of charities and how the story package included an online interface to show the interconnectedness of charity nepotism.

“This was unimpeachable proof” said Solong of the primary sources used to present the paper’s stories.

“These charities will be brought to bear legally,” expressed Solong. Lovely added that the transparency involved in reporting demonstrated a protection of due diligence.

We saw the cluttered desks (and computer desktops) of a journalist institution. What an honor it was to attend the meeting, watch professionals in action, and experience the shaping of news. I can’t wait to read the Arizona Republic’s Sunday edition to see the fruition of some of the ideas discussed.

Deborah Aughey
Campbell High School
Smyrna, Ga.
The Spartan Chronicles