Publication analysis
About the publication
Title: The Press-Enterprise
ISSN: 0746-4258 (Print)1
Website: http://www.pe.com/
Purpose, objective, or mission: “Founded in 1878, we serve the readers of Riverside County, reporting and writing accurately and fairly, shining a light on injustice and defending the public’s right to know. Our staff of journalists live and work in the cities we cover, reporting on city government and local elections, crime, housing, school sports, entertainment and investigations of public corruption.”2
Target audience: Residents of Riverside County.
Publisher: Southern California News Group.3
Peer reviewed? No.4
Type: Civilian publication, newspaper.
Medium: Print and Online.5
Content: Local news is the central focus, with some coverage of national and world events. Events throughout Riverside County are featured. General news stories, event advertisements, and community-related editorials are the main content of this paper.
Frequency of publication: Daily.6
About the publication’s submission guidelines
Location of submission guidelines: https://www.pe.com/share-your-news/
Types of contributions accepted: Letters to the editor, news releases for local stories and news, photos, and guest commentaries (opinion pieces).7
Submission and review process: Letters to the editor should be sent (without attachments) to opinions [at] scng.com and should be 150 words or less.
News releases should contain “the organization’s names and address, along with the name and daytime phone number of the individual to be contacted in case more information is needed.”8 Send the news release to macosta [at] scng.com at least two weeks in advance and paste the content of the message in the text field rather than sending it as an attachment. The news release should be no longer than 1 1/2 pages double-spaced.9
Photos should be sent to photo [at] scng.com and should have a focus on people participating in activities.10
Submit a guest commentary of 600 words or less via email to opinion [at] scng.com with a subject line of “Op-ed submission.” The Press-Enterprise looks for “topical commentary on public policy and social issues that are of general interest to our print and digital readership. We give preference to local, regional and California topics and writers.”11 At the end of the email, include a couple of sentences explaining your position, city/county of residence, and any relevant background information.
Editorial tone: Straightforward news stories written in a clear and basic tone. The columns and editorials are written in an informal manner and often seek to represent the diversity of the community the paper serves.
Style guide used: None stated.
Conclusion: Evaluation of publication’s potential for LIS authors
Local library events are likely to be featured in the paper. Local librarians might find a potential audience if their article pertains to the local libraries and directly relates to the community. Many local libraries subscribe to this publication and all the staff-written news from the library electronic archives (1992-present) is available in the paper’s online archives.12
Audience analysis
About the publication’s readers
Publication circulation: No circulation information specific to The Press-Enterprise was available. However, the Southern California News Group’s Media Kit mentions that the L.A. County Group Market, including Riverside County, has a daily circulation of 95,000 and a Sunday circulation of 157,000.13
Audience location and language or cultural considerations: The paper is targeted to residents of Riverside County in California. According to the U.S. Census, the population of Riverside County is 50% Hispanic or Latino, and 40.6% of individuals in Riverside County speak a language other than English.14 While the newspaper is published in English, authors should be aware of the diverse cultures and languages in Riverside.
Reader characteristics: No information specific to readers of The Press-Enterprise was available, however, the readers of the Southern California News Group’s L.A. County Group Market is 51% female, 49% male, with an average household income of $111,981.15
Knowledge of LIS subject matter: As The Press-Enterprise is a civilian newspaper, the average reader probably has a layperson’s familiarity with LIS topics.
Conclusion: Analysis of reader characteristics and their potential impact on authors
While the paper does discuss world news and events, potential authors must be aware that the primary goal of the paper is to support the local community. Articles and stories that focus on local news and events have a greater likelihood of being well received. The community the paper serves is highly diverse and contains readers with a variety of different cultures, backgrounds, and educations, and potential authors should be aware and respectful of this diversity.
Last updated: September 26, 2020
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