This piece is the sixth in a series of deep dives that will take you through THE CITY’s impact and values, give you a behind-the-scenes look at our newsroom, and introduce you to our reporters.

We hope this series will move you to contribute to our year-end fundraising campaign. Reader donations make THE CITY’s work possible: we couldn’t do it without you.

Recently, we asked readers to submit their questions about what goes on behind the scenes in an NYC newsroom. We got a great response, and today we’re answering some of the most interesting questions you sent in – giving you an inside look into THE CITY’s world-class, nonprofit newsroom. 

Q: What does an editorial/pitch meeting look like? When do they happen, who is in the room, what’s the agenda, what are action items that result?

A: We have two editorial meetings every day, one in the morning and one in the late afternoon. The earlier meeting is just editors who are sorting out which reporters are working on what, and the outlook for the day’s stories. That meeting is where big-picture planning and story conversations happen. 

In the later meeting, a larger group that includes our social media, photography and communications staff hears newsroom editors decide what will be published by the next morning and included in our weekday newsletter, the Scoop. When the editors set the lineup, that’s when the newsroom swings into motion to begin to finalize THE CITY’s reporting for the day. Reporters wrap up filing stories; editors edit pieces that need to be in the next morning’s newsletter; and our newsletter is written, edited and produced.

Q: When you are writing an article, how do you phrase it so that readers will understand the concepts but also will not feel like they are being spoken down to?

A: This is an ongoing practice, and something we strive to achieve every day. We hope we get it right most of the time! 

A big thing our editors watch for is removing all jargon and “insider” language. For example: We write a lot about housing and development projects, which can easily turn into alphabet soup. ULURP? AMI? 421-a? Huh? Those are all key concepts when it comes to construction, but not accessible to readers. 

Instead, we use phrases we hope readers can easily grasp without losing the original meaning. We also try, when we can, to link out to good sources of information so readers can learn more if they choose. 

We also have a long list of explanatory articles on all kinds of parts of New York City life — from how community boards work to the latest on the investigation of Mayor Eric Adams’ mayoral campaign — so that our readers can make sense of opaque things in this big, complicated city.

Q: Can you ever use an “off the record” comment in your story?

A: No, we do not use “off the record” comments in our stories. To us, “off the record” means the information cannot be published at all, not even when anonymously attributed. 

However, there’s a caveat: “Off the record” is an agreement between a source and a reporter. It’s a two-way street, and both sides have to be on the same page about it. So, if a source says a lot of important things, then says “This was off the record, don’t publish that” after the fact, the reporter isn’t obligated to abide by it.

Q: How do reporters information from anonymous sources?

A: Very carefully! 

It depends on the situation, but often THE CITY backs up tips and information from anonymous sources the way we would with on-the-record sources: through public records, secondary documentation, and other sources who may know about the same thing – and by reaching out to whoever is involved to understand the full picture.

Q: How do you find sources who are not public figures?

A: We do this every day, and it happens in lots of ways all over the city. We find sources through tips — where someone emails or texts the newsroom, or gets in touch with a reporter directly —  and through being in the community. 

Our sources today put us in touch with more sources tomorrow. Stories beget new stories. For example, a reader knows something new about a story they read, or an expert on an issue we’re covering says, hey, let’s talk more about this. Or, we go to meetings, hearings, rallies, community events and other happenings and meet new people. 

By staying active on our beats, we always find new people and new perspectives to include in the next article.

Q: How do you obtain information from sources? What do you say to the people to convince them to share information?

A: The answer to this question is longer than a paragraph can possibly contain, and surely every reporter in our newsroom has a different approach! 

But broadly, sources of all stripes have to trust our reporters and our outlet. We try to explain why we are writing a story, why it matters, and how someone can help tell it. We are respectful of a person’s boundaries, what they can and cannot share, and will protect their identity if the story necessitates that. We try to show our newsroom’s impact, and demonstrate how publishing our journalism can move the needle on an issue or problem. 

And lastly, we listen more than we talk! We pay attention to the important stuff, asking questions to clarify, draw out key details and make sure the story is faithfully and accurately retold. That’s our job.

Q: How do you file an FOIL request in the U.S. if the overseas branch or a subsidiary of a US company refuses to answer questions? How do you access confidential financial information to follow the trail of illicit monies?

A: People can file FOIL or FOIA requests for data tied to any government contract or subsidiary. You’d first need to identify which government agency oversees the contract. As for access to “confidential financial information,” the public is entitled to a basic ing of most private contracts. 

Q: For an expedited processing appeal, does your lawyer write and swear it’s true or does your staff? How do you get a FOIL honored when the party you want records from has no repercussions when they don’t grant your request?

A: Each reporter is different, but the reporter typically files the initial appeal. If the request is ignored or extended a bunch of times, we submit something called a “Constructive Denial.” For more complicated appeals, we’ll sometimes reach out to our legal counsel or try to get in touch with other attorneys who handle similar cases.

As you can see, reporting is more than finding and writing up a story. Bringing news to New Yorkers takes time, expertise, and hard work from the whole newsroom. Donate to our year-end campaign today, and make sure our newsroom can do this work for many years to come.