Impact over glitz: shared information becoming more vital

More than 30 of the 40 Achievers that our Best of Miami Edition spotlights this week were not born in Miami, and a large share came from abroad. 

In a county where more than half of us were born in another nation, it’s pivotal that not only did so many outsiders come here with grand ideas but they were also able to achieve them. Miami’s open-arms welcoming without barriers has been its most notable success, a timely lesson to the nation.

Miami Today this week enters its 40th year with the same determination we began with: provide impactful news that Miamians can’t get elsewhere to knit together this influx of newcomers.

We created Miami Today with the understanding that many Miamians are recently arrived and the newcomers keep flowing in, as I did. One aim of our news operation is to be inclusive, helping newcomers to use articles as a learning tool and understand how their new community works. We provide long-time residents and newcomers alike a shared body of knowledge they need to succeed in business, at home, and in the community.

That includes, by the way, the way we write. We strive to include background that puts reports into perspective and to use standard English rather than the regionalisms of my native Chicago’s great columnists or those of New York or London or wherever. (When I use the word “clout” to mean political influence, I’ve regressed.)

Shared knowledge is important. There can be no community where people don’t factually know about each other and about others unlike themselves. Without shared knowledge, we’re just 2.8 million fragmented people in a geographic area, which is not a community. 

That has always been a focus of Miami Today, but sharing information about others has become even more vital as the nation has fractured into us-versus-them thinking, a mindset in which democracy cannot succeed. Information can heal divisions to the point where groups can at least communicate civilly.

But news can only help a community unite if it is trusted. Trust depends on accuracy and what reports are chosen among so many available in this, the nation’s best news community. Miami Today’s news choice often is based on long-term impact: is this a glittering ornament of nothingness that will get many views on miamitodaynews.com or will it be meaningful to the community a year from today? We go for impact over glitz.

Important as long-term impact is, another yardstick is more vital: will readers see our news as fair and impartial? We monitor every story for bias. Let the reader decide if it’s good or bad; all we give you is facts to make up your own mind.

We do encourage a single bias at Miami Today: we like our community and we want it to be the best it can possibly be. That bias does influence what we cover; we look for reports that have long-term impacts in growing Miami beneficially. 

Of course, it’s different on our Viewpoint page, where differing letters thrive and as publishers we take strong positions. 

On that page we offer our concerns about Miami’s lacks of adequate transportation and workforce housing, as well as economic disparities that shrink rather than expand the middle class – all of which divide a populace that desperately needs more unity.

We also focus on leaders in governmental and civic communities. Many of the persons we look to for holistic leadership are more territorial than unifying. We point it out when those in power look the wrong way at times vital community gains are possible. And we worry that many of Miami’s most capable people wouldn’t be caught dead seeking elective office. It doesn’t have to be that way.

We try to tell readers what’s coming next and how they can get involved. After it’s all over it’s too late to tell you how to improve outcomes. 

Conversely, after an event we aim to tell you what occurs next, and what comes after that, and then what happens. 

A newspaper also must involve readers. Miami Today consciously seeks to link people. And because so much of involvement – especially in Miami – focuses on money, we’re proud of the number of times people make business connections and find partners through Miami Today. Very little business is done with people of whom you are not aware. Awareness creates linkages in many ways, including business.

We respect our readers’ intelligence. Surveys show they’re well educated, and many hold powerful roles. While other publications have been accused of writing down to readers, we aim to write up to you. That means we’re serious. So if you’re looking for entertainment, you’ve come to the wrong place.

Our intelligent audience doesn’t need us for national and global news – fine sources abound. We are instead intensely local, presenting impactful news that’s unique to us and important to you.

On the other hand, while we limit coverage to Miami-Dade County, that encompasses global ties, from a military headquarters overseeing 31 nations to more than 50 global consular offices to corporate deals worldwide. So we are intensely local in a global city, and we spotlight those outside connections.

Proud as we are of having built this news operation, more must be done to fully serve readers. Adding news will require a future investment in the news that Miami most assuredly needs.

The Miami Today team, Vice President Carmen Betancourt-Lewis and I have built a strong foundation, probably unique in this nation as serious local news shrinks. While we see much more to do, those who will someday follow and build upon Miami Today’s foundations in decades ahead will decide what to add to the mix. Surely they will build our digital presence, which already has global impact but will soon outpace the newspaper. Meanwhile, we are initiating those steps. 

To our growing list of subscribers and our vital advertisers, stick with us – it will remain a thrilling ride and you shouldn’t miss a minute. Our thanks for your continued support.