Whether you’re reading every word or just scanning headlines, you’ve gotten an idea of how we’re handling coverage of the Jerry Sandusky trial.
Sports editor Chris Otto led planning for our effort. When major events such as this are upcoming, key staffers involved create a plan that is then shared with anyone in the newsroom who will have a hand in the coverage. (We’re putting a plan together right now for the Steve Stetler political corruption case that begins next week. Watch for a post on that in the next couple of days).
In the case of the Sandusky trial, because there is statewide interest in the case, our plan also went to other newspapers run by our parent company, Digital First Media.
Here’s a look at Chris’ memo detailing our plan (after the break). It’s lightly edited to knock out some extraneous stuff. Let us know what you think: Are we doing enough? Too much? Are we doing the right kinds of coverage, or are we missing something?
York Daily Record/Sunday News Coverage Plan for Jerry Sandusky Trial
The trial for former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who faces 52 criminal counts for alleged abuse of 10 boys over 15 years, will begin on Tuesday, June 5, with jury selection in Centre County, Pa.
Here is a look at the scope of the coverage that the YDR will be offering.
First, though, here’s what we will NOT be doing: We will not be reporting on blow-by-blow coverage of the trial from the courtroom on a daily basis. Numerous outlets, most notably the Associated Press, have been doing a terrific job with daily wrapup coverage for online and print, and we will continue to rely on them for that primary aspect of the trial.
Here are the highlights of what the Daily Record will have:
—- Features and columns. Every two weeks (possibly more often), we will have a reporter in Centre County to write about aspects of this trial and its effect upon the Bellefonte, State College and the greater Penn State community. We will be looking for the unexpected stories and for the unique angles that complement the daily coverage provided by the mainstream media. For some of these reporting assignments, we will also have a photographer present. And video is a strong possibility, too.
—- Regular blog posts. Shorter pieces on the trial and its impact will be posted on our Penn State football blog, Nittany Nation: … This will include some opinion and analysis, in addition to straight reporting and mention, with links, of some of the more notable national coverage of the trial.
—- Weekly live chat with Frank Bodani. At 8 p.m. EDT on most Monday nights, Penn State beat reporter Frank Bodani hosts a one-hour live chat about all things Penn State on the Nittany Nation blog. Readers can bring up any topic they like, including the trial and how the scandal has affected Penn State. Anyone from across the nation is welcome to join these chats. Also, the material from these chats, which is always archived, is good for repurposing in print.
—- Twitter widget. We will be crafting a Sandusky trial Twitter widget that can be embedded in any online story. The idea is to include the 8-to-10 most reliable and insightful members of the national media who are covering the trial on a daily basis, so that anyone viewing the widget can see live tweets of the trial’s progress.
—- Online Sandusky Trial module : We have created a (ydr.com) module for the Sandusky Trial, which will be constantly updated with all of our local stories and the best wire stories from the trial. It’s one-stop shopping for all the latest news and analysis links.
