On a recent blue-sky day in Blue Ash, I spoke to the Northeast Cincinnati Rotary Club.
When I give presentations, I like to leave time for questions at the end because the discussion is usually more interesting than the slides I’ve prepared. So imagine my delight when the first question came before the meeting officially started. A woman with “Dottie” on her nametag asked, “What’s the most difficult part of your job?”
I didn’t hesitate.
“Defending the tradition of honest, fact-based reporting at a time when many people dismiss information that challenges their political views.”
How’s that for a light topic to get things started?
As an example, I pointed to our recent coverage of the Trump administration’s efforts to step up immigration enforcement, in particular the local impact of those efforts. One reader emailed to say he was canceling his subscription after we wrote about a high school soccer standout who was being deported. His complaint? We should instead be writing more about “illegals” who commit violent crimes here.
Apparently, we’re equal-opportunity offenders. I also received hate mail after we ran a story about Sheriff Richard Jones partnering with ICE to detain people with immigration status issues at the Butler County Jail. These were “kill the messenger” emails from readers opposed to the local law enforcement working with ICE. Rather than a straight-forward news story, they seemingly wanted The Enquirer to condemn Sheriff Jones.
I’ve written in the past about the worrisome decline in news literacy and our collective over-reliance on search algorithms and social media platforms to select the news we read, so I won’t rehash that here. But I thought I’d share a few more questions I received from this spirited group of Rotarians.
Who decides what The Enquirer covers?
Does someone at USA TODAY Co. dictate what The Enquirer covers?
No. One reason I’ve happily stayed with this company (formerly Gannett) for nearly 30 years is that it values community journalism and gives local editors the autonomy to decide what gets covered. Our national and international report comes from USA TODAY, Reuters and our network of local newsrooms. That’s why you may see Kentucky politics stories from the Louisville Courier, for example. Like any large media company, we also have corporate initiatives aimed at growing audience and making better use of our national network. A recent example is Keith Pandolfi’s feature on the best burgers in town, which became part of a nationally published roundup of the best burgers in the Midwest. But the local news you read in The Enquirer is produced by local journalists − the way it should be.
Is AI changing the way you do your job?
Yes, without a doubt. But not in the way you might think.
When you read a news story in The Enquirer, it was written by a human. But in some cases, the reporter used AI to assist with information gathering and some of the mundane, cumbersome parts of the job, such as transcribing a recorded interview. AI tools are now built into our content management system, offering suggested headlines, story summaries and help filling in some of the data fields required for digital publishing. None of that information goes live without a human editor reviewing it.
To guide us in this new frontier, we have updated our code of ethics with specific rules on the use of AI and the importance of being transparent with our readers.
How long will you continue to print a newspaper?
That’s an easy one – as long as the market will support it. Although the vast majority of our audience engages with us online, we still deliver thousands of “ink on paper” editions of The Enquirer each day, except for Saturday. Many of our readers prefer the feel of a newspaper in their hands, much like some people prefer to read a real book or listen to music on vinyl. The growing trend of reducing screen time also bodes well for print remaining a viable niche product.
With that, I want to thank the Northeast Cincinnati Rotary Club for its thoughtful questions and warm hospitality. And, as always, I welcome your questions about The Enquirer.
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Gauntlet vs. Gantlet
In a recent column, I used the phrase, “run the gauntlet.” A kind reader wrote:
If I may. The word gauntlet is a sleeve cuff. Gantlet is the process where one being punished runs quickly through a group of people, standing face to face with sticks, striking him as he goes. Today’s dictionaries say the two are interchangeable. I’m sorry to read that since words mean something. Let us keep it that way.
The reader is correct. Although I chose the more common, modern usage, fearing some readers would assume “gantlet” was a typo, I now wish I had used the archaic – but more accurate – term. As the reader pointed out, I passed up a teaching moment. I’m glad he threw down the gauntlet to make a stand for precise language.
Enquirer Executive Editor Beryl Love writes a biweekly column that takes you behind the scenes at The Enquirer. Occasionally, he shares his thoughts on local issues, particularly as they pertain to a free press and open government. Email him at blove@enquirer.com. He can’t respond personally to every email, but he reads them all.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Answering your questions about The Enquirer | From the editor
Reporting by Beryl Love, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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