A reimagined Sacramento Bee: We’re investing in exclusive, in-depth journalism
We asked readers recently how we could improve local news coverage in The Sacramento Bee, and the answer was unequivocal: You want more.
Do more in-depth journalism, readers suggested. Could The Bee hire more reporters, you asked. Cover more local and state issues? Write more stories that hold the powerful to account?
My answer? Yes.
You asked, and now, we’re taking action.
Today, I’m delighted to share the good news that we’re going to expand our news coverage, grow our newsroom staff and provide more of the local journalism you value across all of our platforms, print and digital.
On Sunday, June 13, we will deliver a reimagined Sacramento Bee that showcases exclusive, in-depth journalism that is both useful and valuable. In print, we’ll offer a fresh, sophisticated design, new features and coverage that moves beyond breaking news and provides insights that are relevant to your life.
Online, we will publish interactive graphics, video and audio that allow you to go deeper on consequential stories. We’ll use QR codes to connect our print readers with expanded digital coverage and additional updates at sacbee.com. The QR codes in the newspaper will be just as easy to use as the ones you use to read the menu at your favorite restaurant.
Our goal is to provide you with news and information that you can find only in The Sacramento Bee — and more of it. You can always read up-to-the-minute coverage of breaking news at sacbee.com, and now, the print edition will become a more thoughtful product that deepens your understanding of key local issues.
In our survey, one reader offered this helpful suggestion: “The art of reading a paper is not lost, so please make it worthwhile.”
That will be a guiding principle as we work to improve our daily product.
There is no sleight of hand here. You won’t discover in the fine print that we’re actually shrinking the Sunday Bee.
Starting next week, your print edition will be thicker and more reader-friendly on Sundays and Wednesdays. We’ll add pages to the newspaper and provide more stories that matter locally.
To accomplish that, we’ll be expanding our newsroom staff. At The Bee, we’re investing in journalists and local journalism to better serve our readers.
We’re moving quickly to hire high-impact journalists who will add reporting and editing firepower to our talented roster.
They will help augment several key coverage areas, providing more in-depth local journalism and more reporting on businesses in the metro area. We’re also building a new team of journalists who will focus on helping readers navigate life in Sacramento. They’ll respond to your questions in real time and will provide information that is both accessible and actionable.
Do you have questions about how life in Sacramento will change when California lifts COVID-19 restrictions on June 15? Do you still need to wear a mask? Will your favorite restaurant make a comeback?
Our reopening guide will provide answers — and ideas for new adventures after 15 months of lockdown.
In the weeks and months ahead, The Bee will make some additional investments in technology and staffing as we continue to roll out an updated, smarter approach to local news and information.
In print and online, we want to provide readers with a more complete experience that helps them understand Sacramento and live their best lives in the capital region.
Readers have a deep connection with The Sacramento Bee. You have high expectations for our newsroom and want local news coverage that’s as dynamic and interesting as the city itself.
We aim to make The Bee an essential part of life in Sacramento, and we’ll work every day to deliver on that promise.
Watch this space for a new Bee experience on June 13.
Share this story (and this subscription deal) to celebrate the reimagined Sacramento Bee.
This story was originally published June 6, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
