Tennessean transformation continues with statewide coordination
The Tennessean today continues its transformation by joining forces with sister newsrooms in Knoxville and Memphis to create a unique statewide reporting network. The network, as you know, already includes newsrooms in Jackson, Clarksville and Murfreesboro.
Our alliance of 200 journalists spread across more than 400 miles in the USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee has a dual mission: to maintain each newsroom’s intense local coverage and community involvement while reporting on statewide issues that affect all Tennesseans, from the opioid epidemic to challenges facing our veterans.
These changes prompted layoffs yesterday in some newsrooms, but position each news organization for continued aggressive expansion of digital content. Since fall 2015, The Tennessean has dominated digital market share in Middle Tennessee.
The USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee will be similar to virtual networks in other industries, taking advantage of manpower and specialized talent in our newsrooms regardless of geography.
For example, Middle Tennessee is home to numerous universities including Vanderbilt, Middle Tennessee State, Austin Peay, Belmont, Tennessee State and Lipscomb. But we know a lot of you bleed Tennessee orange on football Saturdays.
So the network is fielding a new, statewide sports team headed by award-winning Tennessean sports editor Dave Ammenheuser. He will direct our statewide pro sports coverage of the Titans, the Predators and the Grizzlies. Ammenheuser also will oversee college sports editor Phil Kaplan in Knoxville and high school sports editor Tom Kreager in Nashville, both of whom will coordinate coverage statewide for the network.
We have evolved our sports coverage this past year, and we will continue providing live in-game reporting and analysis, more video and more exclusive breaking news. In addition to giving digital subscribers more valuable, real-time content, our print readers will benefit from an emphasis on commentary, in-depth player and team features, and more complex explanatory stories on upcoming games.
The Tennessean has a long tradition of investigative and explanatory journalism, and the watchdog work of reporters Anita Wadhwani, Dave Boucher and Michael Reicher will continue. Our investigative work has spurred a state lawmaker to be ousted from office, triggered massive improvements in the Department of Children’s Services, and sparked state investigations into food contractors who spent money on personal items instead of feeding the most needy in our state.
Wadhwani’s reporting was a main component of Sunday’s premium section focused on the opioid epidemic. Meanwhile, Boucher and state political reporter Joel Ebert are investigating state lawmakers’ misuse of campaign funds for an upcoming series in April.
As part of the statewide evolution, thought-provoking David Plazas will continue to lead The Tennessean’s opinion pages. But he will become part of a larger statewide team led by veteran journalist Mark Russell of Memphis, who will direct the Commercial Appeal’s editorial and opinion work as well as the statewide network’s engagement efforts. The Tennessean’s editorial positions continue to be the domain of our local editorial board headed by me and Editor Michael Anastasi.
This reorganization will give us an opportunity to realign some of our reporting beats based on changing reader interests. We’re launching a new statewide beat based in Memphis that will be centered on diversity, demographics, poverty and race. Two other new beats include a statewide automotive beat based in Memphis and a veterans and military affairs statewide beat based in Nashville. In Knoxville, the newsroom there will aggressively cover the aftermath of last year's historic wildfires in the Smoky Mountains and the comeback of Gatlinburg, a popular tourist destination.
In addition, network reporters at The Tennessean, Commercial Appeal and Knoxville News Sentinel will provide comprehensive statewide coverage of health and medicine, a subject that touches every resident, especially with current federal focus on the Affordable Care Act.
The network will report more comprehensively throughout Tennessee on faith and values with regular contributions from Holly Meyer, The Tennessean’s award-winning reporter. We also are teaming with music reporters in Memphis and Knoxville to broaden genres covered to include rock, jazz and bluegrass.
In Nashville, network reporters will continue to cover state government, politics and higher education, focusing on issues of statewide interest - from education funding to gun rights – while reporting on topics that matter locally such as mass transit. We’ll team up, too, to provide comprehensive coverage of next year’s governor’s race.
In Clarksville and Murfreesboro, as at the larger sites, we will continue to provide high-value local journalism that you've come to enjoy and respect.
Digitally, we’ll be bringing all of this to you faster than ever, and more comprehensively with in-depth video and other storytelling techniques. Our goal is to provide news and information when and how you want it throughout the day: print, your mobile device, our website and on social media.
With all of these changes, there are some constants that I can assure you will always be the foundation of The Tennessean: Coverage decisions will be made locally, in our newsroom, and we will maintain our strong leadership voice and community engagement in Nashville and Middle Tennessee.
Maria De Varenne is the executive editor of The Tennessean. Email her at mdevarenne@tennessean.com, call her at 615-259-8003 or tweet to her at @mariadevarenne.