Once a month, the Owatonna People's Press carries a feature article on nutrition. The writers are not newspaper staff, but real nutrition experts. MDA members Cathy Glovka, Louanne Kaupa, Lois Gitchell, and Sue Seykora have been sharing the authorship of these articles for five years now. After forming their own networking group, these Owatonna dietitians decided to be the town's resource for sound nutrition information. The paper was receptive to the idea, and since 1995, the dietitian have taken turns writing on topics such as food safety, label reading, National Nutrition Month, and National Heart Month.
Dietitians tend to be too wordy.
Newspapers operate on tight deadlines with little time for revising articles to fit space limitations. One of the editors taught us to write in pyramid style, stating the main points first. The networking group has had to be tenacious to keep their print space. The paper is on its sixth editor in five years. They now work with the editor to plan six months ahead, tying in to seasonal topics when possible.