My last post, “No More Bleeding Ledes, Please”, has provoked a strong response from journalists, news producers and news consumers alike. I’m excited to have jumpstarted this discussion and want to respond to some of the themes that have emerged from readers’ comments.

I’d like to start by clearly articulating why the Associated Press’ submission guidelines matter. As the AP explained itself in its official response to my post, “These listed guidelines, if you will, help the uninitiated distinguish the everyday story from the more compelling news that would be of interest to the wider AP audience.” Given that the AP serves 6,700 media outlets in the US, these guidelines for “compelling news” carry enormous weight and have a profound impact on the stories that are disseminated regionally (and further down the line, nationally). And while it’s true that the AP’s material is meant to supplement, not replace, locally generated content, the sad fact of the matter is that understaffed newsrooms are relying more and more on out-of-house content.

These submission guidelines, which contribute to the superficiality of much of the news today, are symptomatic of a broader problem with our news system. The sensationalism of the news has many root causes, as many readers have pointed out in comments. Poor economic conditions, a breakdown of the systems that traditionally paid for in-depth reporting, and understaffed newsrooms composed of hardworking, though sadly undervalued journalists are but a few potential reasons that we are in the present fix where sensationalistic, cheap-to-produce reporting is sought out over investigative reporting and quality news. These are some pretty hefty challenges to address, but that is no excuse to give in to the superficial, violent and incomplete coverage that is becoming the norm.

Despite some assertions that the media give us what we want to read and watch, it just so happens that Americans actually prefer quality journalism to simplistic coverage of insignificant events. Or overindulgent coverage of important events – yes, the AP should cover an airplane crash, but that doesn’t mean media outlets have to obsessively report about it while other issues languish. Last week, Al Tompkins of the Poynter Institute reported on the Radio, Television and Digital News Association (RTDNA) website that, “There is a blowback building out there. The public seems more skeptical, more aggravated and less tolerant of what we are reporting.” To put that in numbers, last month’s Gallup poll noted that “no more than 25% of Americans [say] they have a ‘great deal’ or ‘quite a lot’ of confidence in mainstream TV and print journalism.” The audience is there, just waiting for their news media to step up to the plate.

I recognize that the role of a wire service like the Associated Press is not to provide local, investigative reports. However, as is clear from the studies above, local citizens share our concern about the quality of news embodied by the guidelines on the AP’s Minnesota and Ohio websites. Suggesting that our communities deserve better than those guidelines is not some kind of utopian pipedream. It’s a challenge to all of us to strive for news that should inform and empower our citizens, hold public figures accountable, and ultimately, strengthen our democracy. The AP is but one media organization that can lead this shift by encouraging its members to submit stories of civic importance.

I would argue that not only can these goals be accomplished, but the standards I articulated in my first post are already being practiced by journalists across the country. I’m encouraged by the way so many of the new online news organizations (both non-profit and commercial) have very publicly and very intentionally focused on more meaningful local and national stories and addressed those stories with depth and respect for their audience. I tip my hat to journalists working in the trenches to tell stories that matter, particularly at a time when our media system isn’t set up to value such work or support them.

In the end, this isn’t about pointing fingers. It’s about saving the news, rebuilding the news, and reinventing the news in ways that serve communities, citizens and users. Guidelines like those promoted by the AP entrench misguided values and make it harder to reinvent TV and newspaper journalism for a new media landscape.