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What's a Ranging Reporter?
By ChrisCobler in Your Advocate: an editor's blog
December 29, 2007

Some readers have noticed our Ranging Reporters, our new effort to take the fullest advantage of what technology allows us to do.

In many ways, Ranging Reporters are a throwback. The idea is as old as reporting: Go where the people are and talk to them. Our laptops, cell phones and video cameras just allow us to report all the faster.

We've borrowed the model for our Ranging Reporters from Gannett's pioneering work with mobile journalism. However, we're using a name that better fits South Texas and still experimenting with how this reporting strategy will work for us.

Our four Ranging Reporters -- Tara Bozick, Sonny Long, Pamela Bond and Sruthi Kunnel -- start their days at 7 a.m. in various locations around Victoria. They go to where our readers are likely to gather and listen. To get the conversation started, our reporters ask a question of the day, but we most want to hear whatever is on the minds of our readers.

They also are ready to help any interested readers on posting items to victoriaadvocate.com. If Ranging Reporters are successful, they eventually will train dozens, if not hundreds, of our readers how to share their photos, videos and blogs. Ranging Reporters go hand in hand with the concept of citizen journalism.

After their first stop, the Ranging Reporters move on to a second location in the Crossroads region outside of Victoria. Again, they go to listen. While there, they typically schedule a question-and-answer session with a newsmaker. Meanwhile, they all have other beats and work on stories related to those topics while they're out in the field.

Armed with police scanners, audio recorders and video/still cameras, the reporters are ready to respond and post news as it happens. We hope these regular updates throughout the day will encourage you to visit our site more often.

We've spent most of December working out the inevitable technical glitches and plan to soon start promoting the locations of our Ranging Reporters so you can stop by and say hello. In the end, all of the technology is really about helping us better cover our community. To do that, we've always needed to go to where you live.

 

 

Comments


  • ChrisCobler ChrisCobler Report a ViolationReport a Violation
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    Thanks for the comments. In terms of the suggestion about AP news, I couldn't agree with you more. We're working on getting the AP news to stream live to the site instead of dumping the print version online.

    December 31, 2007 at 8:07 a.m.

  • bighorn bighorn Report a ViolationReport a Violation
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    Chris,
    I'm looking forward to the maturation process of the VicAd's "rangers". I look forward to reading about the views and ideas on the minds of Victorians and others living around our area.

    December 30, 2007 at 11:22 p.m.

  • chaching chaching Report a ViolationReport a Violation
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    Chris Cobler,
    Today's paper is the best one I can remember!!  I had a lot of topics to read.  The water  issue covered well by Gabe, the VICAD fb squad was well researched and chosen.  It had new reading material and I thought the VICAD didn't have a weekend crew?!?  The content/context overall was great.  Keep color  in the paper.  It doesnt have to be bright ( for my tatste) but you need eye appeal.  I read the ranging reporter all time too.   The newer beat guys there seem to go to the issue and report the facts.   I would have to say the online paper needs to be updated more often, esp. the letters to the editor.  It at times is days old.     
    I would put old AP news in print asap and not wait days.  




    December 30, 2007 at 11:11 a.m.