I’ve decided to make a few changes on how news is presented on the website. In an effort to keep new content flowing in, I had come up with the “Daily Scoop” — a blog that might include news on any topic. Another blog, “Warrior Nation,” would go Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with local sports commentary. Later on, I added “Confessions of a 50-Something Dad,” a weekly blog on life with a 1- and 3-year-old.
The thing about blogging is the content includes commentary and if in a printed newspaper, would appear on the Opinion page. In cyberspace, although these blogs are labeled as such, folks might not completely understand that it’s a commentary piece. Plus, all new posts go into the same news carousel on the website’s home page.
So, I’m revamping this approach just a bit. The sports and old dad blogs will remain in place. I’ve been writing a sports blog for years and the parenting blog features material that’s obviously commentary. As for the Scoop, it will no longer be a daily blog and will probably publish three times a week, and perhaps only when warranted. The blog could be likened to what I called “Random Thoughts” — a very popular feature in my former publication.
Several of my past Daily Scoop blogs had included mostly straightforward news writing with a bit of commentary mixed in. It made me a little uncomfortable in a way because I pride myself on objective and unbiased news reporting — blogs can create conflict with those goals because it’s a format that gives you a free pass to throw in your own thoughts. And that might be confusing to some readers.
From here on out, the news stories will be presented as news stories and when I do share my thoughts in the Scoop, hopefully readers will know that’s me just sharing my thoughts or opinions on something.
Warrior Nation, the sports blog, will likely transition to more than three times per week once we get back into high school sports. When that happens, you’ll see the regular sports coverage along with the sports blog that offers readers a little bit extra.
(The Scoop is an occasional blog published by the Philomath News. This blog often contains news items but also could include opinions of Brad Fuqua, publisher/editor).