Online Breaking News Checklist


You post news to your site, and then what? You just wait for people to find it? No, you need to let others know it’s there. For many professional publications, the work does not end when the story is posted. Chris Snider of the Des Moines Register and chrissniderdesign.com blogged about what the Register does once they have breaking news to post.

The Register has a checklist of items to promote the news ranging from posting to Twitter and Facebook to sending out email and text alerts. He also has compiled a list of tools to use on the site to enhance coverage. These range from creating a poll or a live chat to creating hashtags and Google maps.

Check out Chris Snider’s complete Online Breaking News Checklist.

*This article first appeared on March 29, 2009

Aaron Manfull

Aaron is in his 26th year of advising student media. He is currently the Director of Student Media at Francis Howell North High School in St. Charles, Missouri. He is the Journalism Education Association Digital Media Chair and co-Director of Media Now. He is the 2023 JEA Teacher Inspiration Award Winner and is a former Dow Jones News Fund National Journalism Teacher of the Year. He is one of the authors of the textbook "Student Journalism and Media Literacy." You can find him on X and Instagram @manfull. He's a proud father. A transplanted Iowan. And an avid Hawkeye Fan.

Aaron Manfull has 862 posts and counting. See all posts by Aaron Manfull