At the beginning of the year, I like to take some time to look over our web and social media stats to see which of our stories got the most attention.
I’m often surprised, like when I saw one of my Ozarks Commons columns made the top five most-read stories for June on our website, or when a promotional sandwich offer for veterans turned out to be the second-most read story for the whole year. But there are trends that change very little from year to year.
Our readers — you — pay very close attention to crime stories. You dig into history. You like to know what is happening in your community.
It’s a good thing that happens to be our business.
It’s a tough balance to strike, giving readers what you want and fulfilling our duties as a record keeper and accountability seeker. School board and city council meetings are not our most-read stories on our website or most engaged-with stories on social media, but these articles are the backbone of what we do. They are the reason why community journalism matters.
On the other hand, crime stories do garner a lot of clicks and shares, and those are also important. But when we focus too much on law and order, we run the risk of painting a picture that bleakly misrepresents our coverage area as an unpleasant, unsafe place to live. A balance must be struck.
In between the meetings and legal matters, there are other stories. We call them human interest stories. Some people call them “fluff.” These are the stories that tell about the individuals who make up the community, that celebrate the wins and share the burdens of hard times. Stories about 100th birthdays, retirements and student successes fall into this category. And I was really happy to see that our readers enjoy these stories, too.
Looking over the last year in popular headlines tells me a lot about you, and what you want to see more of. But I don’t have to wait until the end of the year to get a better idea of what to write about in 2026. You can tell me yourself.
We want to see your prize tomato and funny-shaped garden produce. We want to celebrate the things that your kids and grandkids get excited about. We want to know about that strange doll that turned up in your driveway, or about the family heirloom you uncovered while moving house. They might seem like little things, but if they’re a big deal to you, they’re a big deal to us, too, and we want to share in that joy with you. Send us your story ideas any time. We welcome them.