Thank you for your interest in the Dr. Risk program at The Sacramento Bee. You will be contacted within 48 hours upon registering. 

The Bee started the Dr. Risk program in January 1994 and the goal at the time was to invite community leaders and subrscribers to our daily news meetings to tell us what stories they would put on the front page, and why, if they were making the decisions; someone who would take a 'risk' and challenge Bee editors to think about the kind of stories we are showcasing to readers. Today, we also have to think about digital readers and what will still be relevant to print readers in the morning. In short, we hope to give our Dr. Risk guests a glimpse of what it's like to make news decisions. We hope by the end of your time as Dr. Risk, you will have learned as much from us as we will learn from you.
Here's how the program works:

Each week, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, a reader, aka Dr. Risk, attends the paper's 4 p.m. editors' meeting where stories for the next day's front page are selected. Editors also discuss top stories on sacbee.com and upcoming top stories for Sports, Business, Capitol and California, Local News and Features/Living Here.

The reader is provided with a list of Page 1 story proposals and then listens as editors from the various sections pitch their top stories. Then it's his or her turn to recommend the four or five stories for the front page, explaining why.

The qualifications? Curiosity, an interest in news and the printed edition of The Bee, and a willingness to share your opinion in a constructive manner.

The commitment is approximately 90 minutes each afternoon, Tuesday through Thursday. You should plan to arrive at The Bee no later than 3:30 p.m. so you have a chance to read the story proposals. Below is a sample of story proposals we will share with you and then discuss at the news meeting:

GOPFUNDS -- NYT 30inches -- Once teetering on the edge of bankruptcy and irrelevance, the Republican National Committee has raised more than $110 million over the past 15 months. The unexpected turnaround is a case study in how Republicans are chipping away at President Barack Obama’s advantage in traditional fundraising – and of the rapid evolution of old-fashioned party institutions in the post-Citizens United landscape of super PACs and unlimited money.
LANDPARK -- Ryan Lillis/editor: danderluh 22inches w/photo -- For nearly 20 years, an anonymous gift of $118,000 sat unclaimed in the state controller’s office. It wasn’t until a Bay Area hobbyist started snooping around in 2008 that the rightful owner of that money was discovered: a fund set up by Sacramento City Hall for Land Park. After a lot of wrangling, the city finally got the money last week and plans to use it for crucial maintenance of the park’s irrigation system. So who donated the cash? “That’s a mystery, ” said Lori Harder of the city park’s department.