The future of the Turner Report: This is what I am going to do

During the 22 years I worked for various local newspapers and my 11 years of writing the Turner Report, I have had a few beliefs that have worked well for me.

When I was the editor of a weekly newspaper, I made it as much like a daily newspaper as possible. I made sure we had stories that the Joplin Globe did not have, concentrated on in-depth investigative pieces whenever possible and tried to give the appearance that a newspaper that was only published once or twice a week was on top of breaking news.

At the Carthage Press, which at that time was published six days a week, I tried to make it as much like a weekly as possible. The paper had personality, and covered everything from the library board to eighth and ninth grade basketball games. Everything that happened in Carthage was important.

My motto, which I used at all of the newspapers where I worked was "Nothing succeeds like excess."

That is still my motto.

We not only covered a story, but we traced every succeeding development. We ran two-page photo spreads on football homecoming and even featured an interview with the homecoming queen. When it was time for the Carthage Senior High School Graduation, I wrote feature stories on each member of the graduating class' Top 10. We featured at least two pages of photos, in addition to a couple of large page-one photos and we ran the complete transcript of the valedictory and salutatory addresses.

This blog is an experiment in community journalism. I decided one year ago that I wanted to do was to recreate the formula I used as a newspaper editor and reporter and combine it with the immediacy and 24-hour news cycle that has been fostered by the emergence of the internet.

Most of this has been done through four blogs.

Inside Joplin- This blog is the equivalent of a newspaper records page, with coverage of the Joplin Police Department, Jasper County Sheriff's Department, Missouri Highway Patrol, City of Joplin road closings, highway work around the area, marriage dissolution petitions, etc.

Inside Joplin Obituaries- I have written many times before that the decline of newspapers began when they decided that the only persons whose passing should be news are those who are willing to pay money for the privilege. This blog is designed to offer one website where these people are recognized, treated with respect, and also provide free access to those seeking information about loved ones or for genealogical purposes.

Turner Resports- At this point, Turner Resports is primarily a combination of videos from the local television stations, Kansas City Star, Mizzou Network, MLB, anyone who has a story that may interest those who visit the website. It essentially serves as a one-stop shop for those who are interested in news about the Chiefs, Royals, Cardinals, Mizzou, and especially Missouri Southern. It also has served as a place where people have been able to watch Webb City, Lamar, Seneca, and some Joplin football games, with at least three games nearly every Friday night during the season.

The Turner Report- The Turner Report serves as both the page one and the editorial page, offering the top stories about the City of Joplin, the Joplin R-8 School District, major Southwest Missouri crime stories, and coverage of Missouri government and education. It also features my commentary, the commentary of others, and occasionally, my efforts at satire (those are the ones where someone invariably comments that "Turner, you have finally crossed the line")

The Future- What is going to happen to the Turner Report when C. J. Huff is finally gone? I don't know how many times I have been asked that question.  It is as if people think I am going to vanish once C. J. Huff leaves this city, whether it be because he is appointed Commissioner of Education, or if he is invited to stay at some other state facility.

Considering that probably 80 percent of what I write has nothing to do with C. J. Huff or the Joplin R-8 School District, perhaps I should be offended, but I am not. Here are a few reasons why the Turner Report will remain relevant long after C. J. Huff is gone:

-The district's financial problems will be a major story for years to come, unfortunately.

-The recovery from the Joplin Tornado is still a major story, and let's not forget, Wallace-Bajjali is still around and will be for the foreseeable future.

-Common Core and other educational issues are still going to be around and still of concern to much of my readership.

-Plenty of criminal and civil cases are out there that readers need to know about.

-Special interests, lobbyists, and their effects on our elected officials need continued monitoring.

-There is always weather, whether it be ice storms, flooding, sub-zero temperatures, or Heaven help us, tornadoes.

At some point, when C. J. Huff is gone and hopefully, his team and the school board that has enabled him have also departed, I would like to offer the same type of school coverage, academic and athletic, that I did at the Carthage Press and the Lamar Democrat. Many of you will remember that.

If and when that point is reached, the roles being played by the Inside Joplin and Turner Resports blogs will be greatly increased.

At some point in the not-too-distant future, I would also like to see others writing for the blogs, perhaps even a program working with area high school and middle school students who are interested in journalism.

Those who remember my time at the Lamar Democrat and Carthage Press will remember that I ran such a program from 1986 through 1999, with many young people receiving journalism experience, including current Jasper County Sheriff Randee Kaiser, current Springfield Superintendent John Jungmann, and more than two dozen others.

The main thing I will continue to do is to provide a voice for the people whose viewpoints are not represented by the Joplin Globe or other media.

If this sounds like the type of community journalism you want, I ask you to consider playing a part in making it possible. On the upper right hand side of this page, you will see a subscription button. You have three options- $1 per week, $3 per month, or $30 per year. Those who do not want to use PayPal or credit cards can mail checks to me at 2306 E. 8th, Apt. G, Joplin MO 64801.

Thanks to those you who have already taken subscriptions (I am hoping you will have a lot of company in the near future).