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This summer, the Smoky Mountain Sentinel's desire is to be a catalyst, a catalyst for change. The policy has often been not to speak of our plans or the changes we implement, but this summer is the launch pad for a new mission.
We simply realized that if our news is about our readers, we want our news to be for our readers. If the Sentinel can cause other local newspapers to consider how to best improve for their readers, then we'll know that we are doing our job.
First of all, we have to realize what news isn't. Today, news isn't something that happens on a weekly schedule. News isn't something that comes from one place and in one form. News isn't static. It's dynamic, it's everywhere and it's happening every moment. No longer should we revolve around the news, but the news should revolve around us.
If a story happens, I want to see what's going on, I want to hear it, and I want to know as soon as I can. Such a journalist's imperative is only more true to those who consume the news.
Back in 2005 the Sentinel was one of the first newspapers in the region to provide a website that offered every story in digital format, easily searchable and accessible. Now, we're on a mission to become the finest news source in the region, sculpting the paper in the elements of design, writing and digital data.
Already, the Smoky Mountain Sentinel serves as the leading digital news provider of the tri-state region. We are proud to announce that over 65 percent of our original news articles feature exclusive content online, be it audio from an interview, video from an event or even a photo gallery. If news happens we want you to feel like you were there and give you the closest and most informed experience we can. No other newspaper in north Georgia, east Tennessee or western North Carolina provides digital content the way we do.
On top of that, we're transforming the local region in news frequency. Expecting the news once every week is pleasant, but if a story breaks five days before deadline, we want to have video and information online as soon as it happens. The Sentinel wants to be the region's number one source for news. We've started already, by providing media on late-breaking stories and by including video of the Hayesville High School graduation the day after it took place.
As thrilling as it can be to get the news from the web, it's sharing it with our friends that makes it that much more exciting. The Sentinel is introducing links on nearly every article page to share fresh content with others across online social networks. Once again, no other newspaper in the region has introduced such a feature.
Accomplishing such a transformation has taken time and patience, especially with older computer systems. In order to provide top-quality news as soon as possible, the Sentinel is committing to upgrading technology this summer, placing all-new hardware and software in the hands of journalists and designers.
When it comes to the design on the actual newspaper we're focusing on making it even more pleasing to the eye and even easier to read. We've converted traditional features like the weekly weather into icons rather than text to simplify the page and make it glance-worthy.
We want most of our content to be glance-worthy, meaning all it takes is a glance to understand what's going on, because we know our readers are as busy as we are. We plan to accomplish this with snappy headlines and plenty of fact boxes detailing exactly what you need to know and highlighting the top news.
Utilizing the best of our abilities, our next desire is to make the paper something you want to look at by using vivid color, including well-designed graphics and cut-outs and featuring exceptional photography.
Because our dream is for the Sentinel to be this area's premier news service, we want to learn from the techniques and wisdom of some of America's most prominent newspapers. Our staff has toured major newspaper offices from Atlanta to Chattanooga and studies the leading edge of design on a weekly basis. The Sentinel's goal is to deliver and impress.
The final facet, and the most vital and traditional, is writing. We have consistently been cutting down on errors in the past few weeks as we've started to apply AP Style guidelines to our writing. More pages are being copy-edited than ever before.
We also want to revolutionize what we write. The Sentinel will be featuring more stories about you, those who make up Clay County. We've already introduced "Community Voices," where we gather the opinions of citizens and deliver them at the head of the page. We've also started a feature called "Eleven" where we profile a little-known dynamic member of the community every week who makes a difference.
Your feedback is important to us. So important, in fact, that we're now including e-mail addresses with our articles and encourage you to contact the staff writers with your opinions, comments and what you have to say. In fact, we want to handle what you have to say with as much care as possible, which is why we're changing how we print letters to the editor. Every opinions section now includes our new "Inbox," a place where your letters are collected and read in style.
To comment on this article, e-mail Harrison at hkeely@gmail.com.
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