Party Unity. News Organization Unity. USA TODAY NETWORK Leads the Way

By News Media Insights Archives
Cover image for  article: Party Unity.  News Organization Unity. USA TODAY NETWORK Leads the Way

With the political conventions in full swing, dominating the news cycle and conversations across our nation, many of us are asking ourselves, "How did the political pundits get it so wrong?" In contrast, USA TODAY NETWORK got it right -- by tracking public sentiment across the nation with one ear firmly planted on the ground in local communities.

While most media organizations are covering the election with a national lens, USA TODAY NETWORK is using bifocals. It is reporting on the political fanfare of the conventions 24/7 delivering a steady stream of seamless 360° coverage from top-notch journalists on site.  It is also making, breaking and reporting news on the local level and scaling it as the opportunities arise.

News omnivores know that breaking news is the Holy Grail.  Just last week the IndyStar, part of USA TODAY NETWORK, broke the news that Indiana Governor Mike Pence would be Donald Trump's running mate.  This was possible because it has reporters across the nation who are deeply embedded in local communities.

"This story reflected the power and reach of the USA TODAY NETWORK," says Jeff Taylor, Executive Editor of the IndyStar.  "We have journalists in local markets all over the country who have deep experience in covering their states and communities, and they can link up with reporters and editors at the national level and collaborate on coverage from all angles to deliver exclusive stories that you can't get anywhere else. When we had the story confirmed, we worked with our colleagues at the national level as the day developed."

So there you have it: Local reporters collaborating with national news teams to break news stories of epic proportions.

More recently, USA TODAY NETWORK published Trump Nation and Clinton Nation,a two-part special edition series of USA TODAY that provides a local perspective on each of the candidates from real people interviewed by local reporters in all 50 states. To make this happen, the Network tapped into its local properties to secure these exclusive one-on-one interviews. 

To maximize mainstream access to this one-of-a-kind reporting, Trump Nation and Clinton Nation will be available on the USA TODAY website at the USA TODAY Shop after they publish. Additionally, the deep dive coverage into the supporters of each candidate features photos and an interactive audio that allows audiences to see who they are and experience their emotion and passion first-hand on usatoday.com.

As the election cycle moves on from the conventions attention will shift to swing states and key issues that tend to have regional skews (such as fracking, immigration, healthcare, jobs/the economy, safety and gay marriage). Candidates will also focus on the voter segments most likely to impact their ability to win the election, including Millennials, women, independents, African Americans, Hispanics and seniors. Almost all of these segments will be best reached through some form of trusted local journalism (digital, mobile, apps, print and social).

Like other media organizations, USA TODAY NETWORK is reinventing itself to ensure that it delivers the very best journalism across communities and across the nation. Its business model (which is still evolving) provides a 360° view of the news and shares the information where, when and how audiences want it.  What distinguishes USA TODAY NETWORK is the way it empowers and leverages the assets of all news rooms (large and small) to cover the country in a comprehensive manner.

It's interesting that at the same time that each of our political candidates is working to build party unity, USA TODAY NETWORK is demonstrating how company unity and collaboration create truly compelling stories on the local and national platforms.  Perhaps our presidential candidates should take a page from the USA TODAY NETWORK playbook to hone this art.

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