“Writing obits is her dream job,†Maria Carrillo said after I sat down in Stephanie Hayes’ chic and light-filled office at the Tampa Bay Times two years ago to pitch an experiment. “Are you OK?†Hayes deadpanned. I am. I promise. And after nine months working that dream job one day a week last year in part one of an experiment between Poynter and the Tampa Bay Times, I’ve also learned a lot about why you have to experiment, how to listen to data and why obits still matter. Especially now.
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