1. Set the geographic boundary before choosing stories
Fort Lee is recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau as Fort Lee CDP in Prince George County, Virginia. It is a specific census-designated place, not a synonym for Prince George County or the entire Richmond metropolitan area. A news program should therefore decide what “local” means before publication. A story concerning Fort Lee may warrant a different explanation from a statewide Virginia law change. A county matter may be relevant to residents beyond the CDP, while a Virginia appellate decision may matter to a practice area without being locally reported. Population can establish the place being discussed, but it cannot establish that people are searching for legal coverage or that a page will produce cases.
Recommended approach
Ask Bosseo to review separate geographic rules for Fort Lee, Prince George County and Virginia. Decide whether metropolitan coverage belongs in the program only after the firm identifies the courts, agencies, incidents or legal developments it actually serves. Do not use the 8,993 population estimate as a forecast of demand.
