6 Journalist Spotlight: Monica Hodes-Smail
Monica Hodes-Smail
Years in journalism: 24
Current job title: Copy editor, San Diego Union-Tribune
How do you decide what stories your readers need to see?
I try to put myself in the shoes of our readers. I think people like a variety of topics while also learning about important current events. There is plenty of “serious” news, but if readers get only that, their eyes are going to glaze over. A variety of stories serves as a palate cleanser and keeps people engaged, hopefully making them turn the page!
What newsworthiness values do you use the most when selecting stories for the newspaper?
The Union-Tribune tries to focus on what’s of interest locally in San Diego County while giving an overview of important nation and world issues. What’s interesting about San Diego is that those things can converge. For example, border and immigration topics are relevant locally since we’re so close to Tijuana; our Marine and Navy bases make military topics of interest; and because of California’s size and influence, our state news is also national news. When I’m choosing stories to run from our wire services, I keep those things in mind. Our local readers have connections beyond just the county, and that’s what makes this area so diverse.
Are there any particularly memorable stories that you chose for the newspaper?
In my 20-plus years of journalism, I have NEVER seen a news event on the scale of the coronavirus pandemic. Even when huge news happens, it’s usually confined to a certain part of the world, a certain part of the U.S. Maybe people read about it, but it might not have a direct impact. The pandemic hit every single angle, every country, every person. It affected all of our lives in some way and changed so many things about our day-to-day existence. If you think about a newspaper, every section was affected: nation, world, local, business, sports, arts, entertainment, obituaries. It’s still mind-blowing to think about the scope of the pandemic. I remember reading stories on the wire thinking, “I can’t believe I’m reading these words. I can’t believe I’m writing this headline!”
Do you get any feedback from readers about what they want to read?
I personally don’t get feedback from the readers, but the U-T’s readers’ representative, Adrian Vore, hears from readers and has a regular column on Sundays answering their questions or explaining certain aspects of our coverage. I think that it’s important for readers to have an outlet for their questions so that the U-T can consider their feedback and either explain or reconsider certain aspects of what we choose to run.
Have you seen any changes in newsworthiness values during your career in journalism? If so, what were they?
I think newsworthiness has shifted as online news coverage has come into play. The internet was in its early stages when I started at my first professional newspaper in 1999, and newspapers were still a primary source of information. As the opt