Mike Patrick
Managing Editor
Mike Patrick, a native of St. Louis, is a University of Arizona (Bear down!) journalism graduate who has worked at five daily newspapers: The Tucson Citizen (1980-81); the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff (1981-82, 1984-1995); the Lawrenceville (Ill.) Daily Record (1982-84); the Provo (Utah) Daily Herald (1995-2001); and the Coeur d’Alene (Idaho) Press (2001-present). In all of those places except Tucson, he was managing editor or executive editor.
In Provo, Patrick also served as general manager of the newspaper’s website, harktheherald.com, and later as general manager of a newly acquired group of weeklies.
[ID 0201] - Part 1: Intro and Contribution (4:24)
Mike Patrick, managing editor, The Coeur d’Alene Press, started at the newspaper in October 2001. Patrick says The Press gives the community news about “activities that will impact their lives,” it serves as “a lifeline to over 300 non-profits,” and it gives people “a venue to express themselves.”
[ID 0202] - Part 2: Ethics & Digital Content (7:36)
Mike Patrick, managing editor, The Coeur d’Alene Press, says he tries to hire bright, journalism school-trained reporters who can “think on their feet,” and he expects his staff “to use common sense” and “do what’s right.” Patrick says they do not edit reader e-mail comments to their website, but they drop comments with “bad language” or inappropriate remarks.
[ID 0203] - Part 3: Strategic Changes (2:52)
Mike Patrick, managing editor, The Coeur d’Alene Press, says he uses [former UCLA basketball coach] John Wooden’s approach to managing his staff: “If we do everything we know we’re supposed to do – we’ll win.” About change, Patrick says: “We let other people do the beta testing and suffer all the time and frustration [attached to that] while we focus on generating the most good local copy we can.” To back that up, Patrick says, “We have more pages – more news hole – than any other paper in the state.”
[ID 0204] - Part 4: Adaptation & the Future (3:42)
Mike Patrick, managing editor, The Coeur d’Alene Press, says, in regard to changing the delivery systems of his newspaper: “Our readers and our advertisers will tell us when it’s time to take the next steps. As long as we cover our community thoroughly, fairly and accurately – as long as we can appeal to readers’ heads, their hearts and their pocketbooks – it doesn’t really matter to me what the delivery system is for that information,” says Patrick.
[ID 0205] - Part 5: Prospects & Preparation (1:55)
Mike Patrick, managing editor, The Coeur d’Alene Press, says “the hope for the future of the industry” are reporting candidates with a strong “journalism school education” and good strong “reporting, interviewing and record searching” skills.