Making connections to share our reporting

The longer you go in this business of journalism, the more you realize the most important work comes not from speaking, but listening. At the Desk, one way we embody that is by directly engaging with the communities we cover.

Reporter Madeline Heim of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has a great example of that this week. She spoke at a community gathering, sharing insights about her reporting process and recent stories. This is an important commitment to transparency in a time of distrust and rampant misinformation. (And if you signed up for this newsletter based on that event, hello and welcome! We're glad you're here.)

Here's Maddy:

"At the beginning of March, I got the chance to share my reporting and the work of the Ag & Water Desk at an event celebrating the legacy of Wisconsin conservationist Aldo Leopold.

I spoke to about 40 people at The Nature Place, a scenic spot at the edge of the La Crosse River Marsh in western Wisconsin. We talked about some of my recent stories, the mission of the Desk to bring environmental news to a bigger audience, and what a healthy relationship with the news looks like today.

I usually joke at the start of my talks that there’s a reason I work for a newspaper and not a TV station, and it’s because I’m better at writing than presenting to a crowd. But even if I have to battle a little stage fright, I love getting opportunities like this. Too often, journalists assume that people understand how journalism works behind the scenes. It’s about the same level of understanding I have of what doctors do — sure, I know they perform surgeries and make people feel better, but I don’t know much about the specifics of the job.

In these polarizing times, as trust in media declines, it’s critical to explain how I do my job: that a story starts with a news event or tip, that I interview a variety of sources who can present different perspectives, and that the story goes through a thorough fact-check before it’s published, for example. My hope is that the more readers understand our process, the more they can trust us to report accurately and fairly about the issues that matter most to them.

I was excited to chat with folks after my presentation about the environmental issues they follow and how I can better cover them. And I’d love to keep the conversation going. If you have a question or comment about my reporting or writing, or a story you think I should tell, I’m all ears!"

Thanks, Maddy, for your commitment to the work, and sharing these thoughts.

As always, thanks for reading. More next week from across the Basin.

Sincerely,

Michael Crowe
Interim Assistant Director,
Ag & Water Desk