Laura Stuart's River Reporter — award-winning, community-minded weekly bridges the gap

By Latricia Newsome Student writer, SUNY Oswego

The River Reporter may strive to bridge the gap among the constituencies it serves, but in NYPA's 2004 Better Newspaper Contest, the newspaper created a substantial scoring gap, accumulating 235 points in the prestigious annual competition. This impressive, single-flag company collected nine first place awards, including top honors for Coverage of Education, Sports Coverage, In-Depth Reporting, Spot News Coverage, Best Special Section Cover, Best Special Section, Best Ad Campaign — Large Space, Best House Ad, and, bridging the gap one more time... Blooper of the Year! Laura Stuart, publisher of The River Reporter, says the success of the newspaper is attributed to the relationships her reporters have developed with the people in the community they cover. " We are incredibly community minded and truly appreciate the area and level of trust," said Stuart. The mission of The River Reporter is to promote communication and the free exchange of information and ideas in the area. The River Reporter fulfills this mission by being a community newspaper that has a positive voice and raises the level of discussion. "We try to build bridges between adults and kids, readers and advertisers, and readers and our staff," said Stuart.

The River Reporter is a publication for residents in Sullivan County. The circulation area comprises readers in Pennsylvania and New York, so the newspaper bridges the two states and helps readers explore the issues they face together. Regular local coverage includes stories about the environment, growth issues, and the arts. In-depth issues include stories about floods, and casinos. These stories distinguish The River Reporter from the dailies in the area. "Dailies cover the story and then leave the scene, but at The River Reporter we take an in-depth look into people's lives," said Stuart. This allows the publication to be more comprehensive and closer to the community than the dailies. Stuart said the publication reaches out to children in the community by holding youth forums where youth from all over the area get a chance to talk about issues important to them. "The River Reporter is not just a newspaper for adults - it's for youth too," said Stuart. "Amphibian: The Journal for Kids by Kids," is a feature the publication puts out for youth in the community. It is a collaborative work that celebrates the writing and creative ideas of kids. The journal includes art, photography, poetry, and opinion by kids kindergarten through grade 12.

Stuart says she expects her reporters to be thorough, accurate, and function ethically and authentically. Her staff learns these journalistic standards through training. "I believe in a tremendous amount of training," said Stuart. Stuart trains all her staff and says her teaching style is a lot different than other newsrooms. "I try to be a transformational leader, not a managing leader," said Stuart. Training combined with appreciating the staff work has put her newspaper ahead. "I have a fabulous, cooperative, supportive staff." said Stuart. The staff strives to understand the strength of a team. The staff celebrates everyone's birthday and acknowledges successes. Stuart motivates her staff by holding "mystery field trips," where she takes the staff on celebrative lunches. "It is the best way to honor our staff and the people we do business with," said Stuart. Goals for the future include continued success, increased circulation, and strengthened relationships with readers. "I want to take all things we've accomplished in 2004 and enhance them," said Stuart. If she makes good on that threat, watch out. It may be impossible to bridge the gap in next year's contest.