Last week, I was on a Zoom call with a DMO Board as we snugged up their updated Strategic Plan. And it was, to be sure, a one-off comment from one of the Board members...but it struck a nerve with me.
"Newspapers used to tell the story of our communities," they said. "They don't anymore...they just shine a light on our warts."
True 'dat. As newspapers fight for survival in the digital age, they have increasingly moved to covering the negative stories to score more clicks. The celebratory stories of community pride are sadly fewer and fewer in number.
Which got me to thinking. Destination Marketing Organizations, more than any other community agency, are in the "good news" business. And, in a time that we all need good news, is this a role that DMOs are designed to play in the months and years ahead?
A few years ago, we were working with a DMO that had a toxic relationship with its local paper. One of its reporters broke ranks and shared that their management was routinely killing good news stories to focus on bad news clicks. She offered to head up a good news digital paper to balance the community conversation.
It never happened...but the concept has stuck with me. Does it resonate with you?
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