This is a series on Better News to a) showcase innovative/experimental ideas that emerge from the Knight-Lenfest Newsroom Initiative and b) share replicable tactics that benefit the news industry as a whole.
This “win” comes from David Plazas, director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. The Tennessean participated in the Major Market Table Stakes program in 2020-21.
The Tennessean, in Nashville, Tenn., sought to be the leader of news, information and commentary around the 2023 city mayoral and Metro Council election. We have a history of covering local politics and know that local issues are where our journalism has the most impact and potential to drive new audience and subscriptions.
The Tennessean editorial board connected candidates to voters, provided the largest platform for ideas to be debated and created both top-of-the-funnel and in-depth content to attract and delight longtime and new readers. The planning began in September 2022, a year before the runoff election and involved creating partnerships, building relationships and creating content and events on multiple platforms: web, social media, video and the debate stage.
