Phillies look to sweep Braves; Philly Wine Week begins | Morning Newsletter

It’s a bit dreary out right now but thankfully the rain is forecast to clear out in time for the conclusion of the Phillies series against the Braves tonight. Good news, right? Want some more? Learn about our colleague Ronnie Polaneczky’s work reporting on positive and solutions-oriented stories in this week’s Q&A.

Despite changes in the news industry and in our newsroom, The Philadelphia Inquirer remains focused on its core mission: ambitious, engaging, and useful public-service journalism that makes a difference in our communities. Here’s some more information about how we’re changing for the better.

Reading this online? Sign up here to get this newsletter delivered to your inbox every morning.

— Tauhid Chappell, Aubrey Nagle (morningnewsletter@philly.com)

Each week we go behind the scenes with one of our reporters or editors to discuss their work and the challenges they face along the way. This week we chat with Ronnie Polaneczky, editor of The UpSide, a new section for the Inquirer that will feature uplifting tales of inspiration, hope, goodness, and solutions.

When did you know you wanted to create a section all about good news?

For the last year and a half, I’d been exploring new ways to use my column to engage and motivate readers to take action for the common good. I also sensed that readers had become as bone-tired as I had of the daily drumbeat of tough news that dominates our headlines and social-media feeds. After lots of energizing discussion with Inquirer editors, who’d already been thinking about launching a new positive-news section, I proposed The UpSide. It’s motto: “Good News. Good Stories.”

What kind of stories can readers expect to find in The UpSide?

In print and online, The UpSide will present beautifully written and produced tales that inspire. Forge connection. Lead to solutions. Fire the imagination. Touch hearts. Expand on the common good. And, most important, offer hope by reminding us of the good in the world and ways to make it better.

How are they different than The Inquirer’s other stories?

The difference will be in approach. We’re going to be very deliberate about looking only for stories that celebrate the best of us - and the best in us. If a story is newsworthy yet doesn’t hit that mark, it won’t be in The UpSide – though it may certainly appear elsewhere in The Inquirer.

You mention in your announcement of The UpSide’s launch that other news organizations are focusing on good news, too. Why do you think readers are clamoring for these kinds of stories?

We know that there is more to our lives than the bad news that’s worrying us silly, or pitting us against each other, or breaking our hearts. We all know of good people doing wonderful things in our own neighborhoods, workplaces, churches, schools and many other communities we inhabit. But when that kind of goodness isn’t reflected in our news outlets, it can subconsciously make us think it doesn’t exist anywhere but within our own tribes. We get siloed. As result, we can become so cynical that, at our worst, we feel suspicious or afraid of others; and at our saddest, we feel hopeless and lonely. My hope for The UpSide is that its stories remind us that we are in this world together, that we need each other – and that we’re all better for it.

Where can readers find The UpSide?

The four-page section will appear in print every Sunday in The Inquirer; online, its stories will be published throughout the week on a new UpSide web page. (Check out philly.com/Upside and look for it in the print edition of The Inquirer starting Sunday, April 7.)

How can readers get involved with The UpSide?

By sending story ideas to UpSide@phillynews.com; leaving a voicemail at 215-854-5959; attending public UpSide events (watch your news feeds for alerts); or mailing story ideas or other suggestions to The UpSide, Philadelphia Inquirer, 801 Market St., Phila., PA 19107

You can stay in touch with Ronnie by emailing her at rpolaneczky@phillynews.com or following her on Twitter @RonniePhilly.

Thanks @whatleenadid for this throwback photo! We’re marking our calendars to head out to the Fairmount Park Horticultural Center once the cherry blossoms start to bloom.

Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we’ll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out!

Have you submitted a question to Curious Philly yet? Try us. We’re listening to our readers and doing our best to find answers to the things you’re curious about.

Our readers’ latest question: How are potholes formed, then fixed, in Philly?

The answer: You can thank spring and the end of freeze-and-thaw cycles, which do some major damage to our roads.

“Ms. Ghadiri, what did you want me to do?” both recalled him saying. “I don’t understand. You want me to die? You want my mom to come see me with a hole in my head in the middle of the street? That’s not reasonable.” Downright compelling. The legendary trial attorney Louis Nizer felt defendants should always testify on their behalf and this young fellow obviously did a captivating job. — Curtis King on He shot 4 men, killing 1, but turned down a plea deal. This month a Philly jury found him not guilty.

While new DC superhero flick Shazam! was mostly shot in Canada, the film is set in Philly. Viewers can expect to see local jawns featured in the film.