Editor’s Note is a weekly column by News Director Josh Durso. Look for it each Sunday exclusively on FingerLakes1.com. Check out more of them by clicking here.
This week we published our ‘Year In Review: Most Read Stories of 2020’, which was a look back at what you read and shared the most this year. See, there are typically two kinds of content that our newsroom works through.
First, is our evergreen or in-depth newsgathering. This includes written reporting, podcasts, exclusive interviews, etc. Typically, it’s the kind of stuff that doesn’t have a shelf life. Second, is the stuff that gets lumped into the ‘breaking’ news cycle. Those are the stories that get hundreds — if not thousands of shares — hundreds or thousands of interactions overall on social media, and can be read between tens-of-thousands of times — if not hundreds-of-thousands.
Often, the latter category of stories has a shorter shelf-life. While some people think there’s a lot of crossover that typically isn’t the case. In fact, it’s pretty rare to see a story sit in both categories. Obviously, the Coronavirus Pandemic was an exception, but there were others, too. For example, one of our most-read stories of 2020 was about the fire that closed the Geneva Walmart. The store was left partly closed for weeks, and it resulted in some really great, in-depth reporting by Gabe Pietrorazio on food insecurity in Geneva as the store got back up-and-running.
There was a lot of reporting that stood out and made me proud as the lead editor in our newsroom. When I review the year, my favorite pieces of content — whether it’s written or audio — fall into the second aforementioned category. Don’t get me wrong, I love breaking news — it’s part of what keeps my fire going in this business. But, there are so many complex issues (even locally) that warrant extensive thought, and far more than 500 or 600 words.
This week we’ll take a look at my five favorite pieces of 2020. Those that fell into the in-depth, long-form category. If you had a favorite – drop me an email at [email protected]. Next week I’ll be building out two lists with my favorite favorite interviews, as well as my favorite (and most listened to!) podcasts outside our own network.
#1: FOOD ACCESS IS A MAJOR, GROWING ISSUE IN GENEVA
By Gabe Pietrorazio
#2: FAMILY IN SEARCH OF ANSWERS AS LIFE COMES TO END AT ELM MANOR
By Gabe Pietrorazio
Family in search of answers, as life comes to an end at Elm Manor
#3: FOIL REQUEST ON LOCAL NURSING HOME FULFILLED AFTER 87 DAYS
By Gabe Pietrorazio
https://www.fingerlakes1.com/2020/09/26/foil-request-on-nursing-homes-in-ontario-county-fulfilled-after-87-days/
#4: TWO YEARS AFTER WATER EMERGENCY IN WATKINS GLEN, ISSUES WITH SYSTEM STILL NOT RESOLVED
By Peter Mantius
#5: CHLORINE BYPRODUCT THAT CONTAMINATES TAP WATER IN FINGER LAKES LINKED TO THOUSANDS OF BLADDER CANCERS IN EUROPE
By Peter Mantius
Josh is the publisher of FingerLakes1.com. Have a question? Send them to [email protected].