Reader's Corner

McClatchy introduces new series to connect with readers on policy solutions

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Coming out of the 2016 presidential election year, covering politics in the media has often times gone through chaos and disorder. It's what prompted McClatchy to launch the Influencer series in four of its major markets: California, Florida, Missouri and the Carolinas.

Kristin Roberts, regional editor of the McClatchy's East region, is in charge of leading the series in all four markets. As regional editor, she discovered that having reporters just cover polls during the elections was a bad decision and it didn't help readers.

"We didn't satisfy the consumer's desire to understand policies affecting their communities and where candidates stood on those policies," she said. "Readers want us to force conversation about policy, not personality."

Now, she considers the Influencer series the start of changing the way newsrooms should approach covering politics.

And it all starts with the reader.

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