Name: 125 years on, readers remain the source of The Record and NorthJersey.com's power
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125 years on, readers remain the source of The Record and NorthJersey.com's power

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NorthJersey.comView CommentsOn a Monday in late March 2000, I walked into the ultra-serious, ultra-hardworking Statehouse bureau of The Record as a new hire. I was greeted by a round of&nbsp; applause, led by the chief, Herb Jackson.I smiled, but&nbsp;my heart sank. The realization hit me like an avalanche: I was no longer at The Trenton Times, a well-regarded&nbsp;but much smaller regional daily, whose main concern was the feisty street tabloid, The Trentonian.Now&nbsp;the competition was The New York Times, The Star-Ledger, and the New York broadcast media. I may have moved 20 feet down the hall from the Trenton Times bureau to The Record's, but I had traveled light years away from my comfort zone. I wanted to hide. I wanted to go back.Within hours I could feel a change. Political sources, who might ignore&nbsp;calls from a Trenton Times reporter, suddenly called back in an hour. Lawmakers who looked over my head in a Statehouse hallway suddenly gave me their undivided attention.And when my one of my bureau colleagues wrote a big impact story, you could almost hear a murmur&nbsp;of reaction flowing from the governor's office down through press row.It took me&nbsp;about six months to adjust, but I was helped by the support and encouragement of&nbsp;my great colleagues in the bureau. But I also quickly came to appreciate the reader reaction to my first batch of stories. It was tough,&nbsp;thoughtful and humorous.Several referred to me in the first person, as if they knew me all their lives (and many still do).&nbsp;It was my first realization of the paper's deep connection with its readers.&nbsp;Story continues below galleryThese are readers who live&nbsp;in a competitive, expensive and crowded corner of the world, and they demand their local paper to be comprehensive and tough. It was an awesome responsibility and one I grew to embrace. It is the source of the paper's power.I would go on to take part&nbsp;in the paper's coverage of Gov. Jim McGreevey's rise and spectacular downfall, Gov. Chris Christie's Bridgegate fiasco and his improbable run for the presidency, and now Gov. Phil Murphy's pandemic management.The Record and NorthJersey.com have undergone dramatic changes, especially in the past few years, and&nbsp;now, in the digital environment, we face new challenges.The Record:But through it all, the&nbsp;readers' demands and expectations have stayed constant. They still let me know when they think I have gone off the rails, or when they think I nailed it. They let me know before I've had my first cup of coffee in the morning.It's an important reason why I'm still here 20 years later.&nbsp;And yes, I'm glad I didn't go back.Charlie Stile is New Jersey’s preeminent political columnist. For unlimited access to his unique insights into New Jersey’s political power structure and his powerful watchdog work,&nbsp;.Email:&nbsp;&nbsp;Twitter:&nbsp;&nbsp;View Comments

NorthJersey.comView CommentsOn a Monday in late March 2000, I walked into the ultra-serious, ultra-hardworking Statehouse bureau of The Record as a new hire. I was greeted by a round of&nbsp; applause, led by the chief, Herb Jackson.I smiled, but&nbsp;my heart sank. The realization hit me like an avalanche: I was no longer at The Trenton Times, a well-regarded&nbsp;but much smaller regional daily, whose main concern was the feisty street tabloid, The Trentonian.Now&nbsp;the competition was The New York Times, The Star-Ledger, and the New York broadcast media. I may have moved 20 feet down...

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Charles Stile

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125 years on, readers remain the source of The Record and NorthJersey.com's power

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