Thanks, Sandy, for joining us here on Ocean State Stories. And congratulations on the growing success of NRI NOW. Could you please begin with a brief history of your news outlet?
Thank you for the opportunity Wayne.
I started Northern Rhode Island News On the Web in 2018, at first covering exclusively news stories in Burrillville, a town that had not had consistent local coverage for several years. The hope was to fill in the gap left by the shrinking staff and coverage of local print newspapers – and I believe we have done a reasonably good job of that. In the years since, I have expanded to include two more northern Rhode Island towns, and now have four or five regular contributors.
And can you tell us about your own history — the path you travelled to your job today, including where you grew up, your education and your previous journalism experience?
I was raised in North Smithfield, RI, attending North Smithfield High School, and did all the things you might expect from a future publisher: writing for the school newspaper, working on the school yearbook and even (briefly) starting my own “zine.” I went on to earn a bachelor’s in political science at SUNY Albany that included an internship at Voice of America – Russian Service in Washington, DC. I lived in DC for a few years after college thinking I would write for a publication covering national politics before eventually moving back to Rhode Island and landing my first full time journalism job at Patch.
At the time, Patch was a new and novel idea: an AOL project that its founders believe would revolutionize the news industry. Ditching the actual paper and all the staff that went with it, the company set out to create online “patches” of hyperlocal coverage in communities across the country – each with a single editor covering a single town with the help of freelancers. I was the editor of Woonsocket Patch and had great success, with one of the most highly viewed sites out of around 800 nationally.
This was around 2009 and in my opinion, the idea was a bit ahead of its time. Advertisers weren’t ready to forego print and the Patch model has scaled back significantly since my time there, with one editor now covering dozens of towns. I was long gone by then, recruited by The Valley Breeze after just a few years in the endeavor.
I would spend six years at The Breeze, a weekly print local paper, before launching out on my own. I missed the rush of being the first to publish a great scoop, and the speed and efficiency of online coverage. Many of my former colleagues have, like myself, gone on to use elements of the original Patch model to create their own localized news websites.
OK, let’s dig into NRI NOW for those who might not be familiar with it. What communities does it cover?
Northern Rhode Island News On the Web now covers the towns of Burrillville, North Smithfield and Glocester with stories on government, schools, crime, politics, human interest and more.
We utilize a traditional news format with AP Style and aim to offer neutral, unbiased coverage of local issues.
All three towns have their own NRI NOW, tailored to their place of residence, correct?
Correct. The Burrillville NOW, North Smithfield NOW and Glocester NOW pages offer news specifically geared to each community, as well as briefs on upcoming events and happenings.
Any plans for expansion?
I have thought quite a bit about expanding to Woonsocket but I’m concerned that including coverage of a city would detract from my small-town format, and that city news would essentially take over the website. It’s still something I am considering, but it may require some adjustments to my format. Smithfield is a town that could work well with what I aim to do, but for now, I plan to focus on offering thorough and consistent coverage in my three target communities.
The sections are self-explanatory, but perhaps you could provide more detail about a few, starting with Schools.
The school category includes everything from impressive student projects, to school committee actions and changes in curriculum.
— And police & fire
Police and fire stories, of course, get a lot of readership, and sometimes include “breaking” coverage of events as they happen. We also comb through police logs, and publish some “police and fire” stories that have a human interest component, on various department initiatives, fundraisers, awards or outstanding actions.
— Government
The government category is the bedrock of traditional journalism, covering both municipal meetings and state initiatives that directly affect our target northern Rhode Island audience. This is where you’ll find our longer, in depth coverage and ongoing follow-ups on major changes to local ordinances as well as the actions of local elected and appointed officials.
— Politics
The politics category really just becomes active during elections, unless there’s news with a partisan bend. We try to stay as neutral as possible politically, so not much of our regular daily coverage falls into this category, but you will see a lot of this next November. We also use the politics category to offer local political candidates the opportunity to put out press releases on their background and platform.
— Opinion
The opinion category mostly encompasses two things: Letters to the Editor and my own opinion pieces: “From the Editor’s Desk.” I refrain from sharing many opinions on local issues so when you see one of these, I’m probably pretty riled up or inspired about something.
Can you tell us about some of your contributors? I know Dick Martin well from the year I spent at Burrillville High School writing my 1995 Random House book, Coming of Age: The True Adventures of Two American Teens.
Dick is great and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the publication. I also work with another well-known local reporter: Russ Olivo from The Woonsocket Call. Russ has retired from full time journalism, but contributes a lot of our crime stories.
Karen Iacobbo has been working with NRI NOW the longest and brings excellent photography and “on the street” reporting skills, with coverage mostly focused on community events and features on new businesses.
And Karleen Kozaczka has been another great contributor, with a resume that includes time at The Boston Globe. Karleen and I actually grew up together in North Smithfield. She’s one of my oldest friends, so it’s been awesome working together in this capacity.
Lastly, what advice do you have for young people who might be considering a career in journalism?
Oh boy – there’s a lot.
I guess the first thing I would caution is that this career is not for everyone, and that to be successful you probably want to have a real passion for it. To be a great journalist, you also need some skills that can’t necessarily be taught: creativity, a talent for prose and a knack for understanding what makes a great story. You need to have courage, determination and thick skin to handle criticism. It’s a hard job, and it’s only getting harder as society becomes more polarized.
That said, for those who truly want it, it can be a very gratifying career. My days are never the same, I learn new things regularly and I can genuinely say that I’m often inspired by the issues and people I encounter. It’s also important. Some say journalism is a dying field, but I would warn that when journalism dies, so too does accountability. It’s especially important on the local level, where elections are won by a handful of votes and decisions are made that can have a pretty profound affect on daily life, from which roads get paved to how much is spent on public education.
For me, the job of telling northern Rhode Island’s stories is a privilege, and I couldn’t imagine an alternative. But if you want to punch a clock and leave your work behind when you walk out the door at 4:00, a journalism career might not be the best thing for you. So advice-wise I guess I would say: choose your path carefully and understand that it’s a career where the hours and requirements aren’t always laid out in black and white.
I would particularly encourage aspiring journalists to consider local job options in their home communities whenever possible. There need to be more reporters at town meetings – and probably a few less of the online voices that don’t follow journalistic standards, and offer mostly rumor and opinion. That’s not an insult to anyone in particular, but rather a general warning to those who rely exclusively on social media and politically charged sources to learn about their communities. You will never get a full picture that way. I would love to see more people doing what we do and bringing consistent, local coverage to communities across the country.
