Training in the suburban newsroom

Suburban newspapers have traditionally relied on a junior workforce, which means they have a significant influence in training cadets and shaping the journalists of the future. These cadets may find themselves comprising 50 per cent of the editorial staff of the newspaper they are assigned to, producing up to 16 stories a week on anything from complex planning issues to golden wedding anniversaries. Lack of staff and resources mean that the loftier ideals of journalism often give way for the more practical issues of finding enough stories and dealing with pushy advertising representatives. This paper discusses the challenges facing suburban journalists and trainers in this environment.