South Florida Papers To Begin Sharing News Stories

August 30, 2008 6:12 a.m. EST

Wellington, FL (AHN) -- Three South Florida newspapers will begin sharing stories next week. The Miami Herald, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Palm Beach Post announced the change Friday as a way of providing better regional coverage during a time when newspaper staffs are shrinking.

"All of us cut staff this summer, and this plan allows us to provide more reporting to our readers," Palm Beach Post editor John Bartosek said in an article in his paper.

The three papers will share stories that they consider "routine." The stories will be limited to municipal, governmental, courts and political coverage, police reports and entertainment.

The papers will continue to compete against each other with investigative stories, columns and feature stories.

"Our goal is to better serve our South Florida audiences while protecting the individual brands and identities of our respective newspapers," the editors said in a joint statement.

The editors added, "As each newspaper experienced recent staff reductions of our reporting staffs, we believe sharing some content assures thorough coverage, particularly in overlapping areas, and allows us to direct even more resources to enterprise, watchdog and investigative reporting exclusive to each newspaper."

With newspaper circulation declining nationwide in the midst of competition from other forms of media, Miami Herald Editor Anders Gyllenhaal said the publications decided it was time to try something different.

"This is a time to try things, to see what new ideas make our papers and websites better, to break with traditions in the name of providing new and stronger coverage for newspaper readers and websites," Anders wrote.

Stories published in the papers' three Spanish-language editions also will be shared.

In the last five years, the number of paid newspaper subscriptions has dropped 8 percent, according to a report issued in June by the World Association of Newspapers.