Jan Schaffer and I first met in 2001, when the newspaper I was working for (the Herald in Everett, Wash.) won a grant from the Pew Center for Civic Journalism to attempt an interactive, clickable map for a series of stories about waterfront development. Thanks to her support, the project was developed and became an instant success. It won national journalism awards and was emulated by other news organizations, but, most important, it helped steer the direction of waterfront development in Everett, giving the community greater input into its local future.
Now, six years later, she is still making things happen for journalists and communities as director of J-Lab. While we were having dinner in Seattle in April of 2006, I mentioned the training series I had launched in the newsroom in Tacoma. I remember her response: “You should write a book.” And so I did.
Thanks to her skillful editing, and the thoughtful input and former washingtonpost.com editor Steve Fox, I have cobbled together what I hope is a useful guide for working journalists who are ready to embrace the digital age. Much credit goes to the keen editing of Associate Professor Michael I. Williams, of the University of Maryland’s Merrill College of Journalism, and J-Lab’s Craig Stone.
My colleagues at The News Tribune also deserve thanks, for letting me do a little “moonlighting” with this project, and for supplying the real-world experiences that drove the content. Cheryl Dell, David Zeeck, Karen Peterson, Bill Hunter, Cole Cosgrove, Laura Gentry, Jeff Hendrickson, Craig Sailor, Rick Arthur, Mike Sando, and so many others have made this possible, and continue to help me help everyone in the newsroom in this ongoing evolution.
Other smart and dedicated professionals were kind enough to offer their expertise to the project, including Mindy McAdams, Kirsten Kendrick, Joanne Lisosky, Rob Wells, Jessica Luppino, Marilyn Pittman, Ken Sands, Tom Wolfe, Howard Owens, John Cook, Jonathan Dube, and C. Max Magee.
And none of this would be possible without the love and support of my wife, Lori, and the patience of my children, Sam and Ellie, while I chipped away at this over several months.
- Mark Briggs