Be like The Batavian: Include ordinary people in your journalism and win over your community
By Rob Golub
You must fight to include ordinary people. Fight, fight, fight. So much depends on it.
The more ordinary, the better. Talk to the postal worker, not the politician. The guy in the bar, not the barrister. The dishwasher, not the director.
You’ll be tempted to talk to and run photos only of important people — and yes, we do need to cover them. They make news. They matter. They make decisions that affect all of us. But important people are not the path to emotional engagement.
Including important people says to your audience: We’re important — this news product talks to big shots.
But including ordinary people says: You’re important. You, the people, matter. This is a news product where you can see yourself — your neighbors, your friends, your story.
When you feature ordinary people — ideally with names and faces — you create connection. Readers tape those photos to the fridge. They share your stories with friends. You’re not just reporting to the community — you’re part of it.
So make this your goal: Include the names and faces of people you know — or could know — in your news product, as often as you reasonably can.
Reporters sometimes groan at man-on-the-street assignments, but they’re gold for emotional engagement. Asking ordinary people a question and pairing it with a photo? That’s powerful. Getting photos from sources of events they host? Priceless. Lists of names? Love them. Just make sure you get them right.
The Batavian Can Teach Us
Shout out to The Batavian, a community news service in upstate New York, serving the city of Batavia (population: 15,437), nestled between Buffalo and Rochester.
The Batavian is the king of Ordinary People. I have respect.
In just the last 24 hours, they’ve posted photos of:
- Local folks at a Batavia Police Flag Commemoration (photos)
- Alumni honored at a school auditorium (pics)
- Cub Scouts placing flags at a cemetery (shots)
- Girls at the sheriff’s teen academy (photos)
- Residents attending a public hearing (pics)
- A “Meet N’ Eat” party (pics)
- Local golfers (photos)
- Two baseball games (shots)
Dozens of beautiful, people-laden images — genuine, ordinary faces — each one a thread in the fabric of community life.
This, also, in the last 24 hours: “Have you seen Moana?” — a post with a sweet photo of a lost local dog. The search for Moana hits two motivators: Ordinary People and Community Cheerleader (Motivators guide here). This news product is looking out for the dogs and families of its town.
The Batavian sells tons of ads. I’ve never seen so many little digital ads on one news site. It’s not manna from heaven — it’s the fruit of emotional engagement.
They’ve built trust by holding up a mirror. They’ve given the community something to talk about.
So when The Batavian has something else to say — something serious, something urgent, something journalistic — the community will already be there. Listening.
Know your audience. Serve your audience. Connect with your audience.
Be at least somewhat like The Batavian, and your readers will hear you and trust you when it matters most.
For more on The Batavian, check out “Episode 59: Howard Owens of The Batavian,” from the podcast, “What Works: The Future of Local News.”