Catholic Editors Embrace Technology To Tell Stories
Guests at the quarterly Catholic Community Network hosted by The Catholic Foundation Dec. 4 gained valuable insights from the editors of The Texas Catholic and North Texas Catholic. Key areas of discussion included ways to earn media coverage and establish strong editorial relationships built upon trust.
“We walk a fine line of ministry and evangelization,” said Sedeno, who once served as the Mexico City bureau chief for The Dallas Morning News. David Sedeno, executive editor of The Texas Catholic founded in 1899 and the oldest Catholic newspaper in Texas, said every story is local, but not every story goes beyond local when describing issues that extend beyond parish boundaries.
He said the issues of life and vocations are a very important part of the bi-weekly newspaper written for Catholics in the Catholic Diocese of Dallas, and that he strives to cover global and local issues of interest to Dallas-area Catholics.
Role of Video To Tell Stories
Sedeno showed a few video stories from the newspaper’s website and talked about the Spanish language Revista Catholica magazine sent to parishes.
Not every gala and fundraiser will be covered in The Texas Catholic, he stressed, and noted his interest in covering stories about the people and organizations that benefit from monies raised.
Juan Guajardo, editor of the North Texas Catholic that is written for Catholics in the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth, said the bi-monthly publication is doing more video-based stories they place on their website. He encouraged organizations seeking coverage to think in terms of the human interest story when cultivating pitches.
Social Media Coverage On The Rise
The publication’s Twitter, Facebook and website activity has continued to grow significantly in recent years.
Guajardo said people should not be surprised to learn more people reads stories online versus print versions.
“Give us as much heads up as possible and don’t hesitate to follow up an email with a phone call,” he stressed, adding, “Do your research in advance to see what we’ve covered.”
The Texas Catholic can be found online at www.texascatholic.com. The North Texas Catholic can be found online at www.northtexascatholic.org.