Thread by @cabrasted

THREAD | It's my last shift as breaking news editor at @nolanews. In my final column, I noted how folks don't usually want to know how the news gets made. Well, I thought I'd share a bit as the final hours of this particular chapter comes to a close.
bit.ly/2HOoWHM

I like to think it makes sense to give y'all a view of how we do things before The T-P changes hands. (More on that here bit.ly/2LrHkIR)
After all, what's made The Times-Picayune great isn't the people making it; it's the community it covers.
Let's do this.

First thing's first: I've checked in with our digital operations team. They're scattered across the country, tho most of that used to be in-house, so they need to know who's on the ground in New Orleans.

I'm also checking in with @HannaSKrueger, the reporter who will be on hand today should we need her. For years, The T-P has had a staffer at every homicide scene, most shootings and other craziness everyday. On weekends the last 2 years, that's often Hanna or @olivepretzel.

A lot of what we do is listen to the #nolascanner for what @NOPDNews is up to. Occasionally, that's dealing with New Orleans' shenanigans, but we don't report anything from it we can't confirm. (Except, rarely, weird out of context quotes, and that's only on Twitter.)

The reason for that is, the scanner traffic hasn't been verified. And here in the news biz, we like facts. Facts are cool.
Still, blotters are fascinating snapshots of a community. @beauvans intro'd me to one fine example of this reporting in California: cjr.org/local_news/the…

Anywho, I've got to scan wire copy for anything from the AP or WaPo that New Orleans needs to know right now, so I'll check back in a bit. (I personally love wire copy, bc it's a great way to get people some diversity in their news coverage without a heavy lift.)

.@NOLAnews, brought to you by coffee ☕️ and @TerriTroncale’s candy bowl.

The next thing I check is what our sister sites are up to, esp @aldotcom. One benefit to being part of Advance's network has been to lean on our partners. When breaking news has happened nationally, chances are good we can share locally-sourced reports thanks to our colleagues.

One great example came when we covered the Lafayette theater shooting. The perpetrator had once lived in Alabama, so the team there did some boots-on-the-ground reporting we would have had to send someone unfamiliar with the city to do.
al.com/news/2015/07/p…

A recent fave way to keep an eye on what New Orleans is reading is by using @crowdtangle, which helps us know what's trending around the city. It's one tool (of many) we've used to track the city's reading and social media habits.

While trendy social media posts don't always merit a story, they do help us stay on the city's pulse. A big part of our ethos has been that, to serve New Orleans readers, we have to meet them where they are. Sometimes that's on our site, sometimes it's not.

Another way is by looking at web traffic. I once learned a source had died bc a story about them popped back up in my most-read stories. People were googling this person, finding the story and I wondered why. I wouldn't have known to ask without that data.

Huzzah! Breaking news, this time from @_Andrew_Lopez. Typically, our sports coverage is edited by @JArmstrong504 (a true and badass rarity as a female sports editor) & @cmdabe. But today I'm on deck to read Pels news.
bit.ly/2LzAG38

Remember what I said about pulling wire copy? Here's one I just posted from @MelindaDeslatte. Typically, our AP stories run without bylines, but when Melinda's writing, I always make sure to add it. Her veteran perspective on #lalege is a huge asset.
bit.ly/2LrRNE9

Btw, the reason this headline says "John Bel Edwards" and not Gov. or whatever is bc of @HaleyCorrell's research, which showed us it was a smarter way to ensure ppl actually read the story, bc what good is it if no one does? (Of course, SEO is just part of the process.)

A #nolascanner catch from @HannaSKrueger: Complainant says "neighbor is setting up fireworks for the second time today, and they are scaring the bejeezus out of their dog."

Given the weirdness of the times, @HannaSKrueger has officially clocked out, tho this is earlier than we traditionally have had wknd reporters go dark. But it means I'll technically be the last newsperson on duty at @NOLAnews before The Advocate takes the reins.

That is, unless something happens. We're not a particularly superstitious lot, but more than once I've been sure @1manueltorres jinxed us by wishing us a "quiet night." (@dzsamuels usually knew better 😄)

Cheers to @HannaSKrueger. Don’t tell our bosses we had one (1) newsroom beer.

@HannaSKrueger Meanwhile, the new edition of The T-P/ Advo is rolling off the presses. I'mma be honest: This is a weird workday.
The paper starts 7-day delivery tomorrow.

I'm waiting on one final breaking report from resident Pels expert @_Andrew_Lopez. Full disclosure: Few editing jobs have sent me to Google quite like when I pinch-hit* to edit basketball for him or baseball for @BrodyAMiller.

*See, look! I learned something! ⚾⚾⚾

OK, that's a wrap. I have one last assignment and then I'm outta here, team.

We have one final message for you, New Orleans.
nola.com/news/2019/07/h…

❤️❤️❤️