Dispatch newsroom has ‘big ideas’ to connect to in 2022
Every weekday at 9 a.m., the Dispatch newsroom meets to brainstorm story ideas.
The pitches can stem from a tip a photographer received, a hot topic debated at a neighborhood dinner party over the weekend or something going viral on social media.
Not all of these ideas become stories, but many do and the conversation is always lively.
My favorite discussion happens about once a quarter, and we call it the Big Ideas meeting. Here, we focus on the bigger picture and talk about what we want to accomplish in the next few months.
We had our first Big Ideas meeting of 2022 on Monday morning.
We resolved to stay on top of the big issues facing Greater Columbus, including the fallout from COVID-19, the struggle by some to find affordable housing, income inequality and the surge in violent crime. We will find new ways to tell the stories of the many people affected by these problems.
We also committed to revisit issues that have not received as much attention as the pandemic raged on, such as the troubling number of drug overdose deaths, which rose 47% in 2020.
And we we will shine a spotlight on people providing hope in these tough times, such as the 25 difference-makers highlighted in the Everyday Heroes program last year or the chief nursing officer who brings her labradoodle, Gracie, to Mount Carmel Grove City hospital to comfort a weary staff.
We will serve as watchdogs for the community, too.
Last year, reporters uncovered a history of bankruptcies and financial problems by the backers of Issue 7, which would have diverted $87 million from the city budget had it not been defeated by voters. Reporters investigated allegations of racial discrimination inside Equitas Health and misspending by the former director and the former chief financial officer at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
Reporting these stories takes time and hard work, and the newsroom considers this role its most vital mission.
We will continue to find ways to connect with all residents.
The newsroom is committed to covering the rich diversity of Greater Columbus, and we want to meet you where
you live and work to do that.
Since October, reporters have been working out of mobile newsrooms – first in Northland and now in Driving Park. They have profiled restaurants, businesses and, most importantly, the passionate residents who are the heart and soul of these Columbus neighborhoods.
You can find reporters Erica Thompson and Mark Ferenchik at the Driving Park branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library through Jan. 14, and we’ll announce our next stop soon.
Opinion and Engagement Editor Amelia Robinson has been hosting community conversations on widely discussed topics, from debates over critical race theory to police reform to the labor shortage. Watch for her next Columbus Conversation on Dispatch.com and our Facebook page.
And soon, The Dispatch will host the first of four storytelling events, where you will hear Greater Columbus residents share their own stories. Dispatch reporters and editors will coach 20 people over the course of the year and help them develop their stories around certain themes.
The theme of the first storytelling event is “growing up,” and you are sure to be inspired and entertained as you hear from fellow community members. Tickets are on sale now at storytellersproject.com for the March 9 event.
The newsroom sets an ambitious agenda at these Big Ideas meetings, but this team is up for the task. If you have story ideas or topics you think we should cover, send an email to me or storyideas@dispatch.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
Kelly Lecker is interim editor of The Dispatch. klecker@dispatch.com @kellylecker