To introduce the concept of using a multidisciplinary team in a midsized newspaper newsroom to assist in the production of an in-depth news report on the economic status of the community that will engage readers through the use of multimedia.

Actions

The team worked with the assistant managing editor to determine the content of the news package. The process involved a two-hour bus tour of the community; researching the economic history and population of Grant County; participating in a six-hour brainstorming session where story ideas were pitched and the news package was defined; interviewing community, business, and university leaders, as well as area residents affected by businesses closing and opening in various communities; conducting a community attitude survey about the economic health and future of Grant County; reporting and writing stories; creating graphics; designing pages for the news report; and introducing ideas for more extensive news coverage on the newspaper's Web site, including geographic information systems applications.

Results

• An eight-page supplement without advertising that was designed by the team's two visual journalists
• ­A graphic that presented a timeline on the economic history of Grant County
• A graphic that detailed the community and the expanding campus of a local university
• ­At least ten stories reported and/or written by all team members
• Posting some of the more than 4,000 historic Grant County photos, all of which are available from the Marion Library, on the Marion Chronicle-Tribune Web site.
• Interactive maps showing the location of the growing Hispanic community in Grant County and the development of new housing designed by the team's GIS member
• Archive of all materials produced on Marion Chronicle-Tribune's in-house content- storage system

Faculty mentors

Sheryl Swingley and Ryan Sparrow, Department of Journalism

Partner

Marion Chronicle-Tribune

Students

Teresa Auch, Steve Hawks, Mishele Hunt, Jessica Kerman, Jason Luebke, Mary Metzcar, Alicia Morrell, Jennifer Noland