Ian Donnis

Profile of an editor: What I learned from Ian Donnis

The first question I raised with Ian Donnis, news editor of the Providence Phoenix since 2000, was how he believed the Phoenix has developed as an alternative newsweekly over the past 30 years, and where he sees it to be heading in the future. Although he allowed that the alternative format has gone through a maturation process, he was adamant in defending the Phoenix's commitment to a unique perspective and a refreshing alternative to the mainstream. Even if the medium of the news is changing, with a shift towards the digital format, he believes that the vision of the Phoenix has remained unaltered. As for his personal contribution to this vision, Donnis believes that he can provide the Providence community with something the Providence Journal, the historical media powerhouse of Rhode Island, cannot: a glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes at the Projo. For example, he recently published an article detailing the 30 job cuts at the ProJo that the publication itself had not yet reported on (although it has since). Donnis' niche at the Phoenix also encompasses commentary on the politics of Rhode Island and the gentrification of Providence. Even though the Phoenix fosters a strong local identity with its focus on local interest, Donnis sees it as his duty to provide a healthy mix of strong local content and national commentary.

Asked what he likes most about working for the Phoenix, Donnis allows that while the newspaper strives to be accurate and fair in its reporting, it is more willing than most mainstream media publications to incorporate a journalist's personal opinion into the text. Reporters for alternative weeklies have more breathing room to develop their points of view. As a reporter who has worked for mainstream publications in the past, Donnis is also grateful for the amount of space allowed him in each issue of the Phoenix: approximately 2,000 - 3,000 words per article. Articles of such length are longer than the traditional news story, but are a staple in the Phoenix.

The Big Question: When Weekly meets Daily, who comes out on top?

Donnis acknowledges freely that the Providence Journal has the largest news staff in Rhode Island, including a three-person statehouse bureau dedicated entirely to reporting on state legislature. He is quick to give the Journal the title of "watchdog", a publication with the ability to keep close tabs on the political sector and report breaking news. Because the Phoenix is a weekly publication, and has a much smaller full-time reporting staff than the Journal, it cannot rely on breaking news to maintain readership. However, Donnis stresses that the Phoenix is still capable of reporting on such stories, and alongside several blogs, shares the burden of reporting with the Journal. Rather than attempting to compete solely with the Journal for its readers, the Phoenix also takes on an "issue-oriented approach", commentating on already-established issues with a uniquely candid and unguarded tone.

With the relatively-recent establishment of blogs as standard partners to newsprint publications, Donnis has been given the opportunity to publish his own blog, entitled Not for Nothing. He pointed out to me that the immediacy of blogs has made it easier for him to break news. The internet has also increased the radius of his influence, because the news reported online is not limited to areas in which the print version of the Phoenix is distributed. It is through the medium of the internet that Donnis and the Phoenix have managed to increase their power and influence. For example, in 2007 President Bush visited Rhode Island and was approached by a reporter hoping to ask him a question. Despite the fact that the reporter had all of the necessary credentials to be in such close proximity to the president, he was beaten to the ground by secret service agents. Donnis reported on the event in his bog, and the story quickly gained national exposure. In this sense, the alternative newsweekly of today has more power than that of the past. Though Donnis has faith in the printed publication of the future, he clarifies that newspapers across the country understand the necessity for both a strong print product and a strong online product. Some readers will only use one or the other, and some will use both, but all audiences must be accommodated for.

So maybe it is unreasonable to weigh the weekly publication against the daily publication. One cannot be recognized as superior to the other, because the presence of both is vital to a diverse and well-rounded media system. While the daily newspaper may report more frequently on breaking news stories, the presence of an alternative weekly insures that there will always be more than one source to which the community can turn for commentary. One perspective will never be allowed to dominate the media scene. Also, weeklies provides a place for stories that would otherwise go unreported, often because of their hyper-local relevance. The presence of multiple news publications in a single community insures that the community will have a plethora of perspectives and opinions through which to sift when informing themselves and forming their own opinions on issues.

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