This week’s episode of PBS’s “Frontline” was striking for two reasons. First, because of the outstanding reporting that went into its heartbreaking story of police behavior during and after Hurricane Katrina. But second, because Frontline didn’t go it alone. The episode, “Law & Disorder,” was a partnership of Frontline, ProPublica and The Times-Picayune of New Orleans. It’s not that Frontline couldn’t have done this story on its own. Its producers clearly decided that the partnerships would help make for better journalism. The partners worked together for more than a year to produce this compelling work of journalism.
Partnerships aren’t unheard of at the local level, but they are rare. And partnering is something we really need to revisit these days, given the number of resources that are available to help tell a story. Look at the number of local blogs in your community, especially those hyperlocals that are dedicated to neighborhood coverage. The blogs have journalists working a daily beat – so why not bring them in to the process?
Empowering citizens to help tell a big story sends an important message to the community as well: We incorporated your voice into this. Imagine trying to do a large investigative piece these days. Few stations have the resources to pull it off. Yet partnering with a local paper and a few local websites would exponentially increase your ability. Something you have to keep in mind with partners, however, is that they need to stay true to their mission. So you can’t ask a blogger to work on a project with you and then only let them post what you approve. Everyone keeps their own editorial control. Hopefully, there is good discussion before anyone publishes. But this is not about getting free help — this is about establishing true partnerships. This is also not about hitting one master deadline.
ProPublica wrote several stories about the allegations of police misconduct well before Frontline aired. This did not negate one bit the power that the television program had. Get past the “nobody gets to say anything until we air the finished product” mentality.
In building partnerships, you will be able to stretch your reporting capabilities and build stronger ties to more community voices. At a time when our staffs are shrinking, partnerships may be more important than ever.
(This piece originally appeared on the RTDNA website.)