{"id":11216,"date":"2021-01-06T07:00:07","date_gmt":"2021-01-06T12:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newsmediaalliance.org\/?p=11216"},"modified":"2021-01-06T07:00:07","modified_gmt":"2021-01-06T12:00:07","slug":"texas-news-collaboration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsmediaalliance.org\/texas-news-collaboration\/","title":{"rendered":"How Two Texas News Outlets Are Taking Collaboration to the Next Level"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Photo by FreshSplash via E+\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cCollaboration\u201d became a buzzword in journalism in 2020, but the Dallas Morning News<\/em> and Texas Metro News<\/em> were thinking about how they could partner up to better serve communities in and around Dallas before everyone else started talking about it.<\/p>\n

For Jamie Hancock, the North Texas editor at The Dallas Morning News<\/em>, and Cheryl Smith, the publisher of Texas Metro News<\/em>, collaboration was an obvious next step when they spoke in 2019. Both women saw holes in coverage from their outlets that they knew their counterparts could help fill. Not to mention, they saw a great opportunity for their teams to learn from each other, helping to shore-up any gaps in their coverage and build a community with their readers.<\/p>\n

How It Started<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Hancock, who leads coverage of suburban Dallas, noticed a lack of Southern Dallas coverage from Dallas Morning News<\/em>. \u201cWe felt like we couldn\u2019t just start covering that area after really not paying enough attention to the needs of readers in those communities,\u201d Hancock said. So, she and her team met with leaders from the communities to figure out the best way forward, and one of them happened to mention Cheryl Smith.<\/p>\n

Hancock was familiar with Smith and the Texas Metro News,<\/em> so it was a no-brainer that she would reach out to her about a potential collaboration. Their first meeting was exploratory, with a lot of questions and answers from both publications, but Smith said she felt like the collaboration was a good fit from the start.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not seen as a \u2018little sister, big sister\u2019 type venture, but equals,\u201d Smith explained.<\/p>\n

Hancock agreed, noting, \u201cIt was really important to us that The Dallas Morning News<\/em> [wasn\u2019t] coming in and trying to Bigfoot or tell anybody what to do, or say, \u2018Hey, we\u2019re doing this thing and you guys are along for the ride.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m big on collaborations,\u201d Smith added. \u201cThis isn\u2019t something that just hit me this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith was slightly concerned that people, upon hearing about the collaboration, might think the Dallas Morning News<\/em> was trying to take over Texas Metro News,<\/em> which has been growing and receiving more local acclaim. With Texas Metro News <\/em>being a Black-owned publication, she knew people would be watching, especially as more Black-led publications have been sold to white-owned companies in recent years. One industry leader went so far as to tell Smith that \u201cthe leaders of the Black press would be turning over in their graves\u201d because of the collaboration. But after getting to know Hancock and the Dallas Morning News <\/em>team, Smith knew she didn\u2019t have to worry. \u201cWe were doing good journalism before, and it\u2019s only getting better,\u201d Smith said. Now, when asked about the collaboration, Smith said, \u201cI tell people, \u2018Oh no, to the contrary, I bought The Dallas Morning News<\/em>,\u2019\u201d Smith joked with a hearty laugh.<\/p>\n

Another concern was that people would think this collaboration came about after the civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. However, both Smith and Hancock are clear that this partnership is not an effort by the Dallas Morning News<\/em> to reach out to the Black community because of recent events \u2013 the two publications discussed the partnership at the start of 2020 and, although it wasn\u2019t formally put into place until June, they had been building the framework for months beforehand.<\/p>\n

What the Partnership Entails<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The partnership kicked off with staff development trainings for reporters from both publications on a variety of topics, from how to cover certain types of stories to finding new sources and covering the current news events like COVID and the new civil rights movement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really happy that we have Cheryl\u2019s voice and the voices of her team members in the room when we have these training sessions, because it really matters to us that we get it (coverage of the Black community) right,\u201d Hancock said. \u201cWe don’t want there to be issues with our coverage. We want to speak to the community and hear from them before we even cover a thing. So that’s part of why we’re in this partnership. I think it’s going to strengthen the coverage of the Black community in Dallas. And that’s something that’s really important for us going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re having some really good conversations,\u201d Smith added. \u201cWhen we get out of these sessions, we\u2019re talking about what we learned, what we need help with, and we\u2019re sharing different perspectives.\u201d<\/p>\n

The partnership also involves content-sharing, which has only recently launched. Texas Metro News<\/em> has a \u201cDMN Stories<\/a>\u201d tab on their homepage with short blurbs about and links to recent Dallas Morning News<\/em> stories that may interest them. Meanwhile, Dallas Morning News<\/em> has worked with Texas Metro News<\/em> to source stories and has cited their reporters on some of their local news.<\/p>\n

Collaboration in Action<\/strong><\/h4>\n

One prime example of how this collaboration works was a piece about the recent death of the mayor of DeSoto, a Dallas suburb. Hancock heard the news of the mayor\u2019s death directly from Smith. Hancock said, \u201cThat allowed us to have a story up much, much sooner than we would have otherwise. And it would not have been as well-sourced if not for Cheryl.\u201d Dallas Morning News<\/em> published a story<\/a> that night, while Texas Metro News<\/em> published their own story<\/a> the next morning.<\/p>\n

It never occurred to Smith to keep the news of the mayor\u2019s passing to herself so that she could \u201cbreak\u201d the story.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be respectful and not take something that Cheryl wouldn\u2019t want us to,\u201d Hancock explained. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t post anything from Texas Metro News<\/em> if I wasn\u2019t sure it was okay to put on our site first, and I think she would be the same way. She wouldn\u2019t tweet out a tip that we gave her \u2026 without knowing it was okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

The partnership is still in its infancy, but Hancock is certain that even when the relationship is tested by breaking news, their positive working relationship with Texas Metro News<\/em> will keep things from getting competitive.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are just fewer journalists on the street these days than we used to have. It’s a basic fact and an unfortunate fact. But that means \u2026 that we all work together to collaborate and get the best stories out there and tell the best stories to our audience to help them help them live better lives and know about their communities,\u201d Hancock explained. \u201cAnd if the best way to do that is to collaborate with each other \u2026 rather than compete with each other, than that\u2019s what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith wants her staff to form relationships with the Dallas Morning News <\/em>staff, as well as to help them. She wants to make sure that she leads by example, so she checks in with Hancock and her team whenever she can to make sure they\u2019re offering as much help as they can.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf The [Dallas] Morning News<\/em> suffers, journalism suffers,\u201d Smith added. \u201cWe\u2019re in the business together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
An aerial view of Dallas, Texas by RoschetzkyIstockPhoto via iStock\/Getty Images Plus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Partnership at Work in the Community<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The two newsrooms have also held events for the community together. Their main event this year was called \u201cVote About It<\/a>,\u201d a voter-registration drive. Thanks to their partnership, they were able to reach more members of the community.<\/p>\n

The event also ended up being much more diverse \u2013 and much more representative of the community \u2013 because of their partnership. Smith pointed out to the Dallas Morning News<\/em> marketing department a lack of diversity on a panel they were arranging for the event. In this instance, Smith especially wanted to see some younger people on the panel, because, as she put it, \u201cI don\u2019t want to hear from all these [old] folks!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud to say that the panel we ended up with [thanks to Cheryl] looked really great,\u201d Hancock said. \u201cIt was very representative of what I think Dallas looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n

What the Future Holds<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cWhen I think about other cities trying to do this, [I think] \u2018every city needs a Cheryl,\u2019\u201d Hancock said with a laugh. \u201cIf your city doesn\u2019t have a \u2018Cheryl\u2019 leading a Black-owned newspaper, then I think it\u2019s going to be a tougher lift, because she\u2019s somebody who has a deep commitment to journalism and to getting things right.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe has the connections in the city to make it happen and the foresight to think about [others],\u201d Hancock added. \u201cI hope that other cities have that type of person.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ease of the relationship between Hancock and Smith has certainly made the partnership easier to maintain, both admit, though the commitment from their newsrooms also helps.<\/p>\n

While their formal partnership launched amidst the pandemic, neither publisher has \u201csat around idly waiting for this to be over,\u201d Smith said. Both newsrooms have taken active roles in the workshops they\u2019ve attended (virtually) together, and both have worked to make sure they\u2019re offering real value to their new partners.<\/p>\n

During their weekly meetings, Hancock and Smith discuss their individual coverage, chat about new ways to enhance their partnership, and catch up with each other, as both colleagues and new friends. \u00a0They also plan for the future of their partnership. Smith is looking forward to doing more community events with the Dallas Morning News<\/em>, while Hancock is looking forward to collaborating on more community-focused journalism. Hancock has even asked Smith to be part of the team at the Dallas Morning News<\/em> to help them better focus their reporting efforts in South Dallas and in the suburbs that Texas Metro News<\/em> serves.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really looking forward to doing [stories] that will benefit the community and to involving Cheryl and her team in that process,\u201d Hancock said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe often talk about the stories we go into other communities to tell, and all the negative stories about these [communities], but we don\u2019t seek them out when we have a regular story to tell, and that\u2019s what we want to be doing,\u201d Hancock added. \u201cWe’re doing that more and more now. A lot of our journalists are now committed to getting diverse sources and people of color in their stories and not just [for stories like] \u2018your community is a food desert.\u2019 We want to tell stories that resonate with those communities. I\u2019m really looking forward to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDallas is so diverse, and there are so many stories to tell,\u201d Smith said. \u201cAnd I\u2019ve come to the realization that I can\u2019t [cover them all] on my own. But guess what? Between the two of us, we can do a whole lot more.\u201d<\/p>\n

The partnership so far has been incredibly beneficial to both newsrooms. \u201cIn a short amount of time, I think we\u2019ve done a lot, but there\u2019s still so much that we haven\u2019t done and so much under the surface that we haven\u2019t scratched yet,\u201d Hancock said. \u201cI\u2019m excited for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am so optimistic about it,\u201d Smith agreed. \u201cI get giddy just thinking about the possibilities because there are no limitations.”<\/p>\n

Keep reading:<\/span> The Dallas Morning News<\/em>\/Texas Metro News <\/em>collaboration is featured as a case study in the News Media Alliance’s Collaboration Guide, Tips for Successful News Publishing Partnerships<\/a><\/span><\/h5>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cCollaboration\u201d has become a buzzword in journalism in 2020, but the Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News were thinking about how they could partner up to better serve communities in and around Dallas before everyone else started talking about it. \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[180],"tags":[597,254,118,110,121,4033,146,1631,1327],"class_list":["post-11216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-journalism","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-morning-news","tag-journalism","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-news-collaboration","tag-support-real-news","tag-texas","tag-texas-metro-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsmediaalliance.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsmediaalliance.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsmediaalliance.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsmediaalliance.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsmediaalliance.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11216"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsmediaalliance.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11216\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsmediaalliance.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsmediaalliance.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsmediaalliance.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}