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Local editor urges collaboration with community press to improve public understanding of restoration work
Summary
An editor of the Park Record advised WRI partners to build ongoing relationships with local reporters, speak plainly, anticipate tough questions and use the press to document restoration outcomes over time.
Don Rogers, editor and publisher of the Park Record, told WRI participants that local newspapers and reporters are time‑pressed laypeople who can cover restoration topics well if agencies build relationships and explain work in plain language.
Rogers said reporters are typically bright but have many assignments and limited subject‑matter expertise; reporters therefore write for a general audience and emphasize the practical implications of projects. He urged practitioners to anticipate controversial questions, practice concise answers and avoid jargon when speaking to reporters.
Practical suggestions included: establish ongoing contact with editors and reporters before projects are public; offer field tours and plain‑language materials; provide photographs, maps and short op‑eds; and correct mistakes promptly when they occur. Rogers said local reporters are open to press releases, project briefs and follow‑up access and that a steady flow of clear information improves public coverage over time.
He recommended the “practice the pause” approach for interviews (pause to consider the audience and avoid reactive quotes), and emphasized that journalists want accurate local stories and will correct errors when notified.
Rogers said newsrooms have fewer resources than in the past, so persistence and patience — and making the job easier for reporters — pay dividends for agencies that seek accurate media coverage.
