Message from the editor
As an editor at USA Today, there’s nothing more rewarding than hearing people who connect with our journalism.
Launched by Al Neuharth in 1982, USA Today rolled the press with creative, colorful designs that broke the molds of old legacy newspapers. Neuharth was determined about his reader-friendly approach. He was known to be overwhelmed by even deadlines, as editors insist on rewriting headlines if they were too bland.
You reach the point. Don’t waste your time on your readers. Don’t be afraid to use elements of drama, humor and surprise to tell the story what matters most to your readers. Neuharth was convinced that Ethos would promote the success of the country’s newspapers.
I couldn’t agree any more.
Every day, we aim to build deep connections with our readers, audiences and listeners. That’s why we’re excited to announce that we’re launching a newsletter and column with subscribers starting May 4th.
We would like to showcase our best work and present talented journalists. I am honored with their expertise and commitment. When you learn more about them, I think you will too.
Our stories are fascinating and focused on people. We talk to you, not you. We are dedicated to journalism. It’s a mission to let you know to help you live your best life. With sports and entertainment news, we capture moments and events that bring joy (and sometimes heartache) to you.
We are dedicated to accountability journalism. Tight fact-checking and unbiased journalism is at the heart of what we do.
We know you are bombarded with content every day. If our stories don’t tell you – if they’re not persuasive – you won’t make time for them. You should do that too.
So reader feedback means a lot to me. It examines the importance of what we are doing.
One example was the reaction to the deep diving that senior journalists Rick Gervis and Marco Della Cava had on the last day of legendary actor Jean Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa. The beloved couple in the Santa Fe, New Mexico community was found dead at their home on February 26th. It hit the community and Hackman fans, and the cause of the couple’s death was a mystery until authorities first discovered that Arakawa died of the virus and Hackman died a few days later.
Rick and Marco took their audience to the close Santa Fe community and painted a vivid picture of how the couple touched their neighbors’ lives. Our package included beautifully written stories and videos.
Rick and Marco’s headlines were fascinating: tough guys, everyone. Gene Hackman pursued anonymity and a private artist life at Santa Fe. The story was riveted from the first paragraph.
One reader wrote:
Rick,
A quick note to thank Gene Hackman and his wife for their great reporting and writing about their last days. Journalism teachers should use this as an example of how to perform Tiktok. I enjoyed it.
Another reader wrote:
I can’t say how much I enjoyed this article. What are the incredible genes of people? Thank you for writing this with Marco Della Cava.
We will share more reader feedback over the coming weeks. We explain to you our approach to crafting and the rigour of doing it. And in the spirit of conversation, I always welcome your feedback. Thank you for reading.
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