ORLANDO, Fla. – Mark Russell knows interest. “People wonder about other people,” said the Orlando Sentinel editor in a presentation geared towards Valencia journalism students Dec 7.
The press conference-style event was hosted by journalism professor Ken Carpenter and centered on Russell’s career and his aspirations in digitally expanding the paper.
With 20% of the Sentinel’s readers going online once a week to receive their local news content, Russell was adamant that free social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter will allow the paper to attain greater readership in the future.
“We try to reflect the community as we see it,” said Russell who has prompted his reporting staff to engage with readers through Facebook and Twitter.
Russell’s six years at the Orlando Sentinel has broadened his view of aggressive watchdog journalism both in print and online. “I ask, ‘what do we have right now?’” said Russell of quickly exporting news online before print. “There’s cross-pollination between the two outlets,” he said.
The Orlando Sentinel in addition to expanding online has seen a broad scope of Latino readership through their Spanish-only publication, El Sentinel. “It’s a strong advertising vehicle for us. We’re trying to monetize that market, capture that market,” Russell said optimistically.
Russell in addition addressed the news of the Orlando Sentinel hiring reporters, despite nationwide cutbacks in the field. The Sentinel plans to expand in health care reporting, as well as Orange County Schools, Russell says.
“We are first and foremost a local paper. We cover stories with content that covers the region,” said Russell of the paper’s confidence with remaining a central Floridian entity.
For more information, visit orlandosentinel.com.
