A Doug's Life: Keeping One's Wits in a Digital World

When I started in this business, I had one deadline per day -- about the time the rest of you were turning in for the night.

In the late 1970s, I was strictly a sports writer, working for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. When I covered a Dodgers game that ended at 10:30 p.m., I had half an hour to bang out a story on an old portable typewriter, make any quick edits with a pencil, and run to a fax machine -- or worse yet, dictate the story to a less-than-willing colleague back in the office.

Then it was time to kick back, enjoy a couple beers, and try to come down from the adrenaline rush in order to get some sleep. Essentially, the pressure part of my job was done for another 24 hours -- even though Joe Fan sitting in his living room would have no evidence of it until 6 a.m. or so, when the paper hit his doorstep.

In the 37 years since then, a few things have changed.

The typewriter is gathering dust. For the most part, my reporter's notebook has been replaced by the voice recorder on my cell phone. I don't drink anymore.

Oh yeah, and my daily deadlines now number as many times as something significant happens. Who named this site 24/7, anyway?

As you all know perfectly well, this news reporting gig barely resembles what we did back in those days. First of all, many of you now get your news primarily on your phone, tablet or laptop. If I were covering the Dodgers these days and something big happened during the game, you'd expect me to tweet a comment within seconds, or post a photo on Instagram, or update my status on Facebook.

Instead, here I am in charge of this "hyperlocal news website," as we call it. We promote it as being "everything Menifee." That means everything from stories about city council meetings and ribbon cuttings to fliers submitted by readers about their youth group's car wash. It means everything from videos of Little League games to Facebook updates from a crime scene.

And all along, you folks are playing reporter right along with me, messaging me and our readers what's happening and asking if I know any more.

That's what's really different about journalism these days. First, there's the instruments used to deliver the news and the frequency of the news reports. Then there's the interactivity between you and me. Where once you had to wait days or weeks for your comments to be published in a Letter to the Editor, you can now be part of the news stream within seconds.

This leads to more than a few challenges. To briefly address these issues, here are some key points:

1. I'll consider any news tip, photo, video or tirade you submit, but there are no guarantees of publication. I am fully invested in this new era of journalism, but that doesn't necessarily mean I will throw your photo of a three-legged cat into the news stream.

2. When you message me with, "There's a police car on my block. What's going on?", I might not always have the answer. Used to be, people would wait for the next day's paper to see if anything was reported. Now, if there is no response within 10 minutes, panic ensues. Sometimes it takes time to sort these things out, which brings me to my next point.

3. Faster is not always better. As the editor of a news website, I have an obligation to report the news as soon as possible. However, reporting the news is different from jumping to conclusions, speculating or posting unconfirmed reports. Call me old school, but I still believe in checking things out rather than giving readers the wrong idea for the sake of "being first."

4. If I'm sending out score updates of a high school football game, I am not telling you to stay at home and rely solely on me. I hope you come out to the game -- I really do. But for those times when you're sick in bed or out of town, we're there for you.

5. If we make a mistake in a news story -- it has happened -- the fact that we fix it ASAP does not mean we're trying to cover up an error. We're simply taking advantage of the opportunity digital journalism gives us to avoid errors that run a full 24-hour cycle, like they used to. If sending us a screen shot of the five minutes the error appeared online makes you feel better, go ahead. It seems to have become a popular hobby.

6. I do not know why your mail arrived late, or what the fee is for your city permit, or when the Phillies' next game in Menifee Pony Baseball will be. I'm flattered that you would ask me, but don't be offended if I direct you somewhere else.

I love what I do, but bear with me if I sometimes dream of the days of the old Smith-Corona typewriter. If I don't snap out of it pretty quick, just keep on posting, texting, tweeting, whatever. Sometimes you have to poke an old dog a few times to get a reaction.

Doug Spoon is editor of Menifee 24/7. He has spent 37 years in journalism as a reporter, editor and college instructor. He and his wife Kristen live in Menifee.