‘Seattle P-I’ Site Traffic Plunges 23% Following Cancellation of Print Ed.
Newspapers that are considering remaining in existence by going online-only will be concerned to hear that the Seattle Post-Intelligencer has seen its unique users drop significantly since it ceased publishing a print edition.
The paper’s website, Seattlepi.com, was down 23% in unique users in March, compared to March 2008, to 1.4 million unique visitors. It also fell off the list of top 30 newspaper websites, writes Broadcasting & Cable.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s competitor, the Seattle Times, acquired a significant number of readers in March, up 70% to 2.2 million uniques.
Meanwhile, most of the other papers in the list of top 30 websites experienced double-digit growth in March over the previous March. The New York Times was up 7% - though online revenue in the first quarter dipped 8%.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer stopped publishing a print edition in March. Its website was rejiggered, and now features mostly commentary, advice and links to other news sites, though it does maintain some original reporting. Some current and former government officials, including a former mayor, a former police chief and the current head of Seattle schools, are writing columns, and a number of the paper’s popular columnists and bloggers are continuing to write for the site, which is also offering repackaged material from Hearst’s stable of magazines.
Scarborough Research says the number of adults who have read newspapers online-only during the week is just 4%.
Zenith Optimedia predicts that newspaper ad spending will slump 12% in 2009.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Be Careful Before Going to Online Only
‘Seattle P-I’ Site Traffic Plunges 23% Following Cancellation of Print Ed.
Newspapers that are considering remaining in existence by going online-only will be concerned to hear that the Seattle Post-Intelligencer has seen its unique users drop significantly since it ceased publishing a print edition.
The paper’s website, Seattlepi.com, was down 23% in unique users in March, compared to March 2008, to 1.4 million unique visitors. It also fell off the list of top 30 newspaper websites, writes Broadcasting & Cable.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s competitor, the Seattle Times, acquired a significant number of readers in March, up 70% to 2.2 million uniques.
Meanwhile, most of the other papers in the list of top 30 websites experienced double-digit growth in March over the previous March. The New York Times was up 7% - though online revenue in the first quarter dipped 8%.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer stopped publishing a print edition in March. Its website was rejiggered, and now features mostly commentary, advice and links to other news sites, though it does maintain some original reporting. Some current and former government officials, including a former mayor, a former police chief and the current head of Seattle schools, are writing columns, and a number of the paper’s popular columnists and bloggers are continuing to write for the site, which is also offering repackaged material from Hearst’s stable of magazines.
Scarborough Research says the number of adults who have read newspapers online-only during the week is just 4%.
Zenith Optimedia predicts that newspaper ad spending will slump 12% in 2009.
Newspapers that are considering remaining in existence by going online-only will be concerned to hear that the Seattle Post-Intelligencer has seen its unique users drop significantly since it ceased publishing a print edition.
The paper’s website, Seattlepi.com, was down 23% in unique users in March, compared to March 2008, to 1.4 million unique visitors. It also fell off the list of top 30 newspaper websites, writes Broadcasting & Cable.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s competitor, the Seattle Times, acquired a significant number of readers in March, up 70% to 2.2 million uniques.
Meanwhile, most of the other papers in the list of top 30 websites experienced double-digit growth in March over the previous March. The New York Times was up 7% - though online revenue in the first quarter dipped 8%.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer stopped publishing a print edition in March. Its website was rejiggered, and now features mostly commentary, advice and links to other news sites, though it does maintain some original reporting. Some current and former government officials, including a former mayor, a former police chief and the current head of Seattle schools, are writing columns, and a number of the paper’s popular columnists and bloggers are continuing to write for the site, which is also offering repackaged material from Hearst’s stable of magazines.
Scarborough Research says the number of adults who have read newspapers online-only during the week is just 4%.
Zenith Optimedia predicts that newspaper ad spending will slump 12% in 2009.
Ten Things Every Journalist Should Know in 2009
Liane came across this posting and calls it to our attention:
Ten things every journalist should know in 2009
Posted by John Thompson
1. How to use Twitter to build communities, cover your beat, instigate and engage in conversations.
2. How to use RSS feeds to gather news and manage them using filtering techniques (basic or advanced).
3. That there is a difference between link journalism and ‘cut and paste’ journalism (aka plagiarism).
4. That your readers are smarter than you think. In fact, many are smarter than you - they know more than you do.
5. That churnalism is much easier to spot online. If you do this regularly, your readers are already on to you - merely re-writing press releases without bringing anything to the table no longer cuts it.
6. Google is your friend. But if you are not using advanced search techniques, you really have no idea what it is capable of.
7. You do not have to own, or even host, the technology to innovate in journalism and engage your readers. There is a plethora of free or cheap tools available online, so there is no excuse for not experimenting with them.
8. Multimedia for multimedia’s sake rarely works, and is often embarrassing. If you are going to do it, either do it well enough so it works as a standalone item or do it to complement your written coverage - for example, add a link to the full sound file of your interview with someone in your article, or a link to the video of someone’s entire speech at an event. The latter will enhance the transparency of your journalism too. Great tips and resources here and some useful tips on doing video on a budget.
9. How to write search engine friendly journalism. Old school thinking about headline writing, story structure etc no longer applies online and there is also more to learn about tagging, linking and categorisation. Sub-editors (if you still have them), editors and reporters all need to know how to do this stuff.
10. Learn more about privacy. You can find a lot of information about people online, especially via social networking sites, but think carefully about the consequences. And bear in mind that it cuts both ways, if you do not do it carefully, your online research could compromise your sources.
Ten things every journalist should know in 2009
Posted by John Thompson
1. How to use Twitter to build communities, cover your beat, instigate and engage in conversations.
2. How to use RSS feeds to gather news and manage them using filtering techniques (basic or advanced).
3. That there is a difference between link journalism and ‘cut and paste’ journalism (aka plagiarism).
4. That your readers are smarter than you think. In fact, many are smarter than you - they know more than you do.
5. That churnalism is much easier to spot online. If you do this regularly, your readers are already on to you - merely re-writing press releases without bringing anything to the table no longer cuts it.
6. Google is your friend. But if you are not using advanced search techniques, you really have no idea what it is capable of.
7. You do not have to own, or even host, the technology to innovate in journalism and engage your readers. There is a plethora of free or cheap tools available online, so there is no excuse for not experimenting with them.
8. Multimedia for multimedia’s sake rarely works, and is often embarrassing. If you are going to do it, either do it well enough so it works as a standalone item or do it to complement your written coverage - for example, add a link to the full sound file of your interview with someone in your article, or a link to the video of someone’s entire speech at an event. The latter will enhance the transparency of your journalism too. Great tips and resources here and some useful tips on doing video on a budget.
9. How to write search engine friendly journalism. Old school thinking about headline writing, story structure etc no longer applies online and there is also more to learn about tagging, linking and categorisation. Sub-editors (if you still have them), editors and reporters all need to know how to do this stuff.
10. Learn more about privacy. You can find a lot of information about people online, especially via social networking sites, but think carefully about the consequences. And bear in mind that it cuts both ways, if you do not do it carefully, your online research could compromise your sources.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Bankruptcy No Option for Newspapers
From Fortune:
Bankruptcy: No option for newspapers
Even if they could wipe out all their debt, they'd still still lose money on a product that can't compete with the Web.
(breakingviews.com) -- It's hard to imagine any U.S. industry worse off than the automotive sector. That is, until one considers the newspaper business.
Many have already started to shutter. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer shifted to the Web. The Minneapolis Star Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, and Boston Globe - whose parent is the the New York Times Co. (NYT) - are under threat of closure.
Many newspaper publishers, like carmakers, suffer from too many liabilities, including debt and commitments to workers. But auto companies have an edge that should allow them to restructure and survive, albeit through the bankruptcy process: Until someone invents an affordable version of George Jetson's hovercraft, they can be assured of a minimum stream of revenue.
Not so the newspaper. Even if some publishers wiped out all their debt they'd still be stuck creating a product with high fixed costs and declining revenues, as readers and advertisers migrate to the Internet, where the economics are unappealing. As a result, unlike say General Motors (GM, Fortune 500), closing the presses may be a more viable option than a Chapter 11 restructuring.
Take McClatchy (MNI), the publisher of the Miami Herald and Sacramento Bee, which reported losses last week. McClatchy has $2 billion of debt, which it took on to buy Knight-Ridder, but sports a market cap of just $45 million. Yet it isn't all that debt that's making life hard at McClatchy.
Even if its creditors were to convert their loans to equity, cutting out interest payments entirely, McClatchy would still be losing money. In the first quarter, advertising revenues at the chain plunged 29% from the year before to $285 million. Sure, costs have fallen too, but by only 12%.
As a result, McClatchy has now reached a point where the price of paying its reporters and printing and delivering newspapers to its customers is $11 million greater than the income it generates. And that's before making the $34 million interest payments due to its creditors each quarter.
Sure, a portion of McClatchy's troubles are cyclical. The slowing economy has hit core advertisers of regional papers - local auto dealers, banks, department stores and real estate agencies - particularly hard.
But it's impossible to know how much of the group's woes reflect recession and how many are a result of the secular shift by advertisers away from the printed word towards the likes of Craigslist, job sites, Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) and other platforms.
Without that information, it is difficult to figure out what kind of cost structure the business can support. GM is in a different boat. Consumers may have slowed car-buying for now.
But at some point they will need to replace their clunkers. So, again, until the personal space ship is invented, there will be a viable automobile market, a piece of which General Motors is likely retain. If only it were so for newspapers.
Bankruptcy: No option for newspapers
Even if they could wipe out all their debt, they'd still still lose money on a product that can't compete with the Web.
(breakingviews.com) -- It's hard to imagine any U.S. industry worse off than the automotive sector. That is, until one considers the newspaper business.
Many have already started to shutter. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer shifted to the Web. The Minneapolis Star Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, and Boston Globe - whose parent is the the New York Times Co. (NYT) - are under threat of closure.
Many newspaper publishers, like carmakers, suffer from too many liabilities, including debt and commitments to workers. But auto companies have an edge that should allow them to restructure and survive, albeit through the bankruptcy process: Until someone invents an affordable version of George Jetson's hovercraft, they can be assured of a minimum stream of revenue.
Not so the newspaper. Even if some publishers wiped out all their debt they'd still be stuck creating a product with high fixed costs and declining revenues, as readers and advertisers migrate to the Internet, where the economics are unappealing. As a result, unlike say General Motors (GM, Fortune 500), closing the presses may be a more viable option than a Chapter 11 restructuring.
Take McClatchy (MNI), the publisher of the Miami Herald and Sacramento Bee, which reported losses last week. McClatchy has $2 billion of debt, which it took on to buy Knight-Ridder, but sports a market cap of just $45 million. Yet it isn't all that debt that's making life hard at McClatchy.
Even if its creditors were to convert their loans to equity, cutting out interest payments entirely, McClatchy would still be losing money. In the first quarter, advertising revenues at the chain plunged 29% from the year before to $285 million. Sure, costs have fallen too, but by only 12%.
As a result, McClatchy has now reached a point where the price of paying its reporters and printing and delivering newspapers to its customers is $11 million greater than the income it generates. And that's before making the $34 million interest payments due to its creditors each quarter.
Sure, a portion of McClatchy's troubles are cyclical. The slowing economy has hit core advertisers of regional papers - local auto dealers, banks, department stores and real estate agencies - particularly hard.
But it's impossible to know how much of the group's woes reflect recession and how many are a result of the secular shift by advertisers away from the printed word towards the likes of Craigslist, job sites, Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) and other platforms.
Without that information, it is difficult to figure out what kind of cost structure the business can support. GM is in a different boat. Consumers may have slowed car-buying for now.
But at some point they will need to replace their clunkers. So, again, until the personal space ship is invented, there will be a viable automobile market, a piece of which General Motors is likely retain. If only it were so for newspapers.
Monday, April 27, 2009
White House Photographer Has 'Inside Look'
Here's a very interesting "inside look" from the photographer who has unrestricted access to President Obama:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/26/souza.photos/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/26/souza.photos/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
Newspaper Circulation Continues the Decline
It's getting worse, not better. This is an excerpt--to read the entire article click here.
US newspaper circulation declines faster, falling 7.1 percent in October-March period
By RACHEL METZ , Associated Press
NEW YORK - Circulation declines at the nation's newspapers are speeding up.
The Audit Bureau of Circulations said Monday that average daily circulation declined 7.1 percent in the October-March period from the same six-month span in 2007-2008. The latest figure represents data from 395 daily U.S. newspapers that reported in both the current and year-ago periods.
The most recent drop was faster than the 4.6 percent fall recorded in the April-September period of 2008, and the 3.6 percent fall recorded in the October 2007-March 2008 span.
USA Today remains the No. 1 newspaper, though it suffered the steepest circulation drop in the publication's history. It sank 7.5 percent to 2,113,725 after several periods with little change. The Gannett Co.-owned newspaper attributes the falloff mostly to a drop in hotel occupancy that stemmed from the economic decline and a December price increase for copies sold at newsstands.
The Wall Street Journal, the second-largest newspaper, was the only one in the top 25 to raise its daily circulation.
US newspaper circulation declines faster, falling 7.1 percent in October-March period
By RACHEL METZ , Associated Press
NEW YORK - Circulation declines at the nation's newspapers are speeding up.
The Audit Bureau of Circulations said Monday that average daily circulation declined 7.1 percent in the October-March period from the same six-month span in 2007-2008. The latest figure represents data from 395 daily U.S. newspapers that reported in both the current and year-ago periods.
The most recent drop was faster than the 4.6 percent fall recorded in the April-September period of 2008, and the 3.6 percent fall recorded in the October 2007-March 2008 span.
USA Today remains the No. 1 newspaper, though it suffered the steepest circulation drop in the publication's history. It sank 7.5 percent to 2,113,725 after several periods with little change. The Gannett Co.-owned newspaper attributes the falloff mostly to a drop in hotel occupancy that stemmed from the economic decline and a December price increase for copies sold at newsstands.
The Wall Street Journal, the second-largest newspaper, was the only one in the top 25 to raise its daily circulation.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Look What Chase is Up To!
Here's an excerpt. See the entire article here.
The Cleveland City Stars are excited to announce the launch of the new official home of City Stars videos. Now behind-the-scenes footage of the team is available to all City Stars fans online and for free.
CityStars.tv offers an inside look at the team in action, on and off the field, with player spotlights, candid interviews, match highlights, volunteer work footage, practice outtakes and road trip coverage. CityStars.tv houses online videos of your favorite City Stars players and clips of memorable moments, making them accessible to all CCS fans.
The host of CityStars.tv is Chase Neidig. Chase comes to the City Stars from Plymouth, Indiana where he earned two degrees in both Communications and Journalism at Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana.
Chase played soccer at Grace, an NAIA school, and trained with PDL-side Kalamazoo Outrage and spent a summer traveling with USL-2 club Charlotte Eagles to the Czech Republic in 2007.
Other than his soccer background, Chase has a strong history of success in the sports media industry. He has free-lanced for ESPN, worked as a play-by-play commentator for the Boston Red Sox organization and was also a sports staff intern for a local Fox affiliate in South Bend, Indiana. Recently, he has coached a varsity boy's soccer team and was Athletic Director for another local private high school.
The Cleveland City Stars are excited to announce the launch of the new official home of City Stars videos. Now behind-the-scenes footage of the team is available to all City Stars fans online and for free.
CityStars.tv offers an inside look at the team in action, on and off the field, with player spotlights, candid interviews, match highlights, volunteer work footage, practice outtakes and road trip coverage. CityStars.tv houses online videos of your favorite City Stars players and clips of memorable moments, making them accessible to all CCS fans.
The host of CityStars.tv is Chase Neidig. Chase comes to the City Stars from Plymouth, Indiana where he earned two degrees in both Communications and Journalism at Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana.
Chase played soccer at Grace, an NAIA school, and trained with PDL-side Kalamazoo Outrage and spent a summer traveling with USL-2 club Charlotte Eagles to the Czech Republic in 2007.
Other than his soccer background, Chase has a strong history of success in the sports media industry. He has free-lanced for ESPN, worked as a play-by-play commentator for the Boston Red Sox organization and was also a sports staff intern for a local Fox affiliate in South Bend, Indiana. Recently, he has coached a varsity boy's soccer team and was Athletic Director for another local private high school.
Cedarville Student Newspaper Controversy Erupts
This is a very interesting story from Christianity Today about contoversy swirling around the Cedarville student newspaper. To see the entire article, including comments by the paper's editor, alumni, and editor of newspapers from other Christian schools, click here.
Cedarville Student Newspaper Editors Pull Final Issue in Protest of Review Process
Students upset that administrators asked public relations office to review newspaper.
Sarah Pulliam
Cedarville University students will not publish the final issue of their student newspaper Cedars to protest the school's new policy that public relations staff review the newspaper.
"The public relations department, directed by university trustees and some administrative officials, now reviews, approves, censors and cuts the content of your student newspaper," Cedars staff members wrote in a circulated letter. They wrote that public relations employees approved every published article beginning with the second issue this spring.
The students write that review and censorship by public relations breaks the operating model approved by the administrative council on October 9, 2006, which says “The student editors prepare copy for print and take responsibility for making decisions, along with the Faculty Adviser, for what ends up in print.”
"...the PR department’s excessive attempt to censor Cedars necessarily violates our operating model, and the Cedars staff has thus decided to cease publication," the students write. "Review by the public relations department undermines our ability to think critically and engage culture. We grieve the loss of free expression and healthy discourse once found in your newspaper, traits that ought to characterize all vibrant institutions of higher learning."
Carl A. Ruby, vice president for student life, wrote in a campus-wide e-mail that the newspaper will not be in publication until spring 2010. He said that the newspaper will reorganize and return next year under a new journalism program.
"We acknowledge that finding the right balance of freedom of expression is difficult, especially in the context of a community of believers who voluntarily give up some of our freedoms for the sake of our shared mission," Ruby wrote. "This has been a difficult arrangement, both for the students and for our staff in Public Relations and we recognize that it probably isn’t the most ideal approach to editorial oversight for the future."
Update: Sara Lipka at The Chronicle of Higher Education offers more details of why the public relations office was reviewing the newspaper in the first place.
Cedars attracted attention last fall after the Viewpoints section ran columns disapproving of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps, arguing that "there was nothing wrong with homosexuality," and suggesting that "abortion wasn't a black and white issue," said a writer for the newspaper who preferred to remain anonymous.
Lipka writes that a counterpoint on vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin became "particularly touchy," which led to a decision by the trustees to have public relations review the paper. She reports that the public relations staff did pull material from the newspaper, including satires of Cedarville's mandatory Bible minor and debate over biblical certainty.
The public relations staff asked the newspaper's faculty adviser to ensure that the semester's final issue of Cedars had no controversial content. English professor Scott D. Calhoun eventually resigned from the adviser position.
"It was an understandable request but fundamentally at odds with the enterprise of scholastic journalism," Calhoun told The Chronicle.
Cedarville is a Baptist university with about 3,000 students and a member of the Coalition of Christian Colleges & Universities.
Cedarville Student Newspaper Editors Pull Final Issue in Protest of Review Process
Students upset that administrators asked public relations office to review newspaper.
Sarah Pulliam
Cedarville University students will not publish the final issue of their student newspaper Cedars to protest the school's new policy that public relations staff review the newspaper.
"The public relations department, directed by university trustees and some administrative officials, now reviews, approves, censors and cuts the content of your student newspaper," Cedars staff members wrote in a circulated letter. They wrote that public relations employees approved every published article beginning with the second issue this spring.
The students write that review and censorship by public relations breaks the operating model approved by the administrative council on October 9, 2006, which says “The student editors prepare copy for print and take responsibility for making decisions, along with the Faculty Adviser, for what ends up in print.”
"...the PR department’s excessive attempt to censor Cedars necessarily violates our operating model, and the Cedars staff has thus decided to cease publication," the students write. "Review by the public relations department undermines our ability to think critically and engage culture. We grieve the loss of free expression and healthy discourse once found in your newspaper, traits that ought to characterize all vibrant institutions of higher learning."
Carl A. Ruby, vice president for student life, wrote in a campus-wide e-mail that the newspaper will not be in publication until spring 2010. He said that the newspaper will reorganize and return next year under a new journalism program.
"We acknowledge that finding the right balance of freedom of expression is difficult, especially in the context of a community of believers who voluntarily give up some of our freedoms for the sake of our shared mission," Ruby wrote. "This has been a difficult arrangement, both for the students and for our staff in Public Relations and we recognize that it probably isn’t the most ideal approach to editorial oversight for the future."
Update: Sara Lipka at The Chronicle of Higher Education offers more details of why the public relations office was reviewing the newspaper in the first place.
Cedars attracted attention last fall after the Viewpoints section ran columns disapproving of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps, arguing that "there was nothing wrong with homosexuality," and suggesting that "abortion wasn't a black and white issue," said a writer for the newspaper who preferred to remain anonymous.
Lipka writes that a counterpoint on vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin became "particularly touchy," which led to a decision by the trustees to have public relations review the paper. She reports that the public relations staff did pull material from the newspaper, including satires of Cedarville's mandatory Bible minor and debate over biblical certainty.
The public relations staff asked the newspaper's faculty adviser to ensure that the semester's final issue of Cedars had no controversial content. English professor Scott D. Calhoun eventually resigned from the adviser position.
"It was an understandable request but fundamentally at odds with the enterprise of scholastic journalism," Calhoun told The Chronicle.
Cedarville is a Baptist university with about 3,000 students and a member of the Coalition of Christian Colleges & Universities.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Five Things a Complete Journalist Should Know
From Journalism 2.0. To read the original, click here.
Five things a ‘complete journalist’ should know today
In baseball, a 5-tool player is someone who can hit for power, hit for a good average, runs well, is good defensively and has a strong throwing arm. Basically, this is who you want on your team. It describes a “complete ballplayer.”
I thought about this yesterday as I was speaking to a journalism class at the University of Washington. The instructor, Kathy Gill, asked me at the end of my presentation what 3 things the students in the room should know as they embark on their professional careers.
My initial response:
1. Start a blog on something you’re passionate about and can write authoritatively about and try to grow the readership. Nothing will teach you about the power and responsibility of being publisher as fast or as well.
2. Think about, and begin to study, the business, markets and entrepreneurialism associated with news and journalism in the digital age.
3. Master social networking for professional gain, either as a way to network yourself into a job or as a way to cultivate sources for reporting and journalism. Prospective employers will expect this of you.
But then I remembered the concept of a 5-tool player in baseball (once a sportswriter …) and came up with a quick list of 5 basic tech skills that college journalists should possess to enhance their chances for career success. In other words, if I were still a hiring manager, these are the skills that would make a job candidate a “complete journalist.”
1. Blogging (demonstrated ability to grow an audience)
2. Social networking (to collaborate with others and network professionally)
3. Audio (know how to capture and edit)
4. Video (know how to shoot and edit a basic story)
5. Photography (know how to make good pictures and build slideshows)
Note, these are only tech skills and don’t replace the ability to report, write, edit and tell compelling stories. Nor do they replace the passion, judgment, values and character that have always separated the better journalists from those who are just in it for the paycheck (if there are any left).
And it’s unlikely you’ll do all of them throughout your career.Once you find your niche, you’ll probably be able to specialize some (not as much as earlier generations, of course). But, in order to get going, having a complete array of skills will open more doors than being really good at one or two and oblivious to the others.
Five things a ‘complete journalist’ should know today
In baseball, a 5-tool player is someone who can hit for power, hit for a good average, runs well, is good defensively and has a strong throwing arm. Basically, this is who you want on your team. It describes a “complete ballplayer.”
I thought about this yesterday as I was speaking to a journalism class at the University of Washington. The instructor, Kathy Gill, asked me at the end of my presentation what 3 things the students in the room should know as they embark on their professional careers.
My initial response:
1. Start a blog on something you’re passionate about and can write authoritatively about and try to grow the readership. Nothing will teach you about the power and responsibility of being publisher as fast or as well.
2. Think about, and begin to study, the business, markets and entrepreneurialism associated with news and journalism in the digital age.
3. Master social networking for professional gain, either as a way to network yourself into a job or as a way to cultivate sources for reporting and journalism. Prospective employers will expect this of you.
But then I remembered the concept of a 5-tool player in baseball (once a sportswriter …) and came up with a quick list of 5 basic tech skills that college journalists should possess to enhance their chances for career success. In other words, if I were still a hiring manager, these are the skills that would make a job candidate a “complete journalist.”
1. Blogging (demonstrated ability to grow an audience)
2. Social networking (to collaborate with others and network professionally)
3. Audio (know how to capture and edit)
4. Video (know how to shoot and edit a basic story)
5. Photography (know how to make good pictures and build slideshows)
Note, these are only tech skills and don’t replace the ability to report, write, edit and tell compelling stories. Nor do they replace the passion, judgment, values and character that have always separated the better journalists from those who are just in it for the paycheck (if there are any left).
And it’s unlikely you’ll do all of them throughout your career.Once you find your niche, you’ll probably be able to specialize some (not as much as earlier generations, of course). But, in order to get going, having a complete array of skills will open more doors than being really good at one or two and oblivious to the others.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Non-Quotes From Non-Sources
Let's talk about this article a little bit Monday night. It's from the News-Sentinel. Is there any other way the reporter could have gotten comment? What impression does it create (either for the school or for the newspaper) to have so many non-sources mentioned? Would you have handled this the same way if you were the reporter?
Indiana Tech dismisses athletic director, men's hoops coach
New leadership is coming within the Indiana Tech athletic department, as The News-Sentinel has learned from a source familiar with the situation that both the athletic director and the men's basketball coach have been recently dismissed.
“I would say it's best if I don't comment (on either dismissal) right now,” former athletic director Roger Newton said. “But I will say that the two situations are independent of each other.”
Both positions are listed on the university Web site as being open, and neither person is currently listed among the staff on the Web site.
Jeff Parrish has served as the Warriors head men's basketball coach for four years and been at the university for seven years.
Newton came to Indiana Tech just last summer after serving in the same capacity at Grace College since 2005.
Parrish could not be reached for comment and Warriors assistant athletic director Martin Neuhoff refused comment when contacted.
In addition, neither Warriors sports information director James Lipocky nor Chris Black of the school's Human Resource Department returned phone messages seeking an official comment.
Also, no information regarding either employee being dismissed is posted on either the school's Web site or the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Web site.
Parrish won 84 games in his four seasons at ITU and he has been a fixture on sidelines in the Fort Wayne area for nearly three decades.
The Warriors were selected to finish atop the WHAC this past season and finished 21-10 (9-5 WHAC) for a third-place finish.
Indiana Tech dismisses athletic director, men's hoops coach
New leadership is coming within the Indiana Tech athletic department, as The News-Sentinel has learned from a source familiar with the situation that both the athletic director and the men's basketball coach have been recently dismissed.
“I would say it's best if I don't comment (on either dismissal) right now,” former athletic director Roger Newton said. “But I will say that the two situations are independent of each other.”
Both positions are listed on the university Web site as being open, and neither person is currently listed among the staff on the Web site.
Jeff Parrish has served as the Warriors head men's basketball coach for four years and been at the university for seven years.
Newton came to Indiana Tech just last summer after serving in the same capacity at Grace College since 2005.
Parrish could not be reached for comment and Warriors assistant athletic director Martin Neuhoff refused comment when contacted.
In addition, neither Warriors sports information director James Lipocky nor Chris Black of the school's Human Resource Department returned phone messages seeking an official comment.
Also, no information regarding either employee being dismissed is posted on either the school's Web site or the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Web site.
Parrish won 84 games in his four seasons at ITU and he has been a fixture on sidelines in the Fort Wayne area for nearly three decades.
The Warriors were selected to finish atop the WHAC this past season and finished 21-10 (9-5 WHAC) for a third-place finish.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Journalists Using Facebook
Mary Ann Peteya pointed out to me the following excerpt from a larger news article in which the reporter indicates the use of Facebook to obtain biographical information and also to make extended contact for the story. Interesting use of the medium. To read the entire story, click here. Thanks MaryAnn.
An e-mail message sent to McAllister via her Facebook page was not immediately returned Tuesday. The McAllister family did not respond to knocks of the door of their Little Silver, N.J., home Tuesday. Shortly after, a police officer emerged from the home and said the family did not wish to speak with reporters, and asked the media respect their privacy.
Michael Bernard, who lives in Markoff's building in Quincy, was shocked to recognize his neighbor on television reports of the killing.
"He was smart, he carried himself well, he was clean, a good looking guy," said Bernard, a retired electric company worker. "He seemed like the type that would have it all. It doesn't make sense."
Authorities believe Markoff also may be connected to the attempted robbery Thursday in Warwick, R.I., of a stripper who had posted an ad on Craigslist. She was held at gunpoint before her husband entered the room and her attacker fled.
Markoff is originally from Sherrill, N.Y. A Facebook profile matching Markoff's identity, including his photograph, lists him as a 2007 graduate of State University of New York-Albany and in the 2011 class at BU.
An e-mail message sent to McAllister via her Facebook page was not immediately returned Tuesday. The McAllister family did not respond to knocks of the door of their Little Silver, N.J., home Tuesday. Shortly after, a police officer emerged from the home and said the family did not wish to speak with reporters, and asked the media respect their privacy.
Michael Bernard, who lives in Markoff's building in Quincy, was shocked to recognize his neighbor on television reports of the killing.
"He was smart, he carried himself well, he was clean, a good looking guy," said Bernard, a retired electric company worker. "He seemed like the type that would have it all. It doesn't make sense."
Authorities believe Markoff also may be connected to the attempted robbery Thursday in Warwick, R.I., of a stripper who had posted an ad on Craigslist. She was held at gunpoint before her husband entered the room and her attacker fled.
Markoff is originally from Sherrill, N.Y. A Facebook profile matching Markoff's identity, including his photograph, lists him as a 2007 graduate of State University of New York-Albany and in the 2011 class at BU.
Making a Living by Blogging
Wow--is this ever interesting! From the Wall Street Journal--this is an excerpt. To read the entire article, click here.
America's Newest Profession: Bloggers for Hire
By MARK PENN
In America today, there are almost as many people making their living as bloggers as there are lawyers. Already more Americans are making their primary income from posting their opinions than Americans working as computer programmers or firefighters.
Paid bloggers fit just about every definition of a microtrend: Their ranks have grown dramatically over the years, blogging is an important social and cultural movement that people care passionately about, and the number of people doing it for at least some income is approaching 1% of American adults.
The best studies we can find say we are a nation of over 20 million bloggers, with 1.7 million profiting from the work, and 452,000 of those using blogging as their primary source of income. That's almost 2 million Americans getting paid by the word, the post, or the click -- whether on their site or someone else's. And that's nearly half a million of whom it can be said, as Bob Dylan did of Hurricane Carter: "It's my work he'd say, I do it for pay."
Microtrends
Forget about huge, sweeping megaforces. The biggest trends today are micro: small, under-the-radar patterns of behavior which take on real power when propelled by modern communications and an increasingly independent-minded population. In the U.S., one percent of the nation, or three million people, can create new markets for a business, spark a social movement, or produce political change.
This column is about identifying these important new niches, and acting on that knowledge.
This could make us the most noisily opinionated nation on earth. The Information Age has spawned many new professions, but blogging could well be the one with the most profound effect on our culture. If journalists were the Fourth Estate, bloggers are becoming the Fifth Estate.
What started as a discussion forum for progressive politics and new technologies has now been applied to motherhood, health care, the arts, fashion, dentistry -- and just about every other imaginable area of life. What started as a hobby and an outlet for volunteers is becoming big business for newly emerging sites, for companies that now depend upon their reviews and for the people who work in this new industry.
All this fits with the trend toward Opinion TV. Less and less of our information flow is devoted to gathering facts, and more and more is going toward popularizing opinion. Twenty-four-hour news channels have been replaced by 24-hour opinion channels. The chatter is the story.
Demographically, bloggers are extremely well educated: three out of every four are college graduates. Most are white males reporting above-average incomes. One out of three young people reports blogging, but bloggers who do it for a living successfully are 2% of bloggers overall. It takes about 100,000 unique visitors a month to generate an income of $75,000 a year.
Bloggers can get $75 to $200 for a good post, and some even serve as "spokesbloggers" -- paid by advertisers to blog about products. As a job with zero commuting, blogging could be one of the most environmentally friendly jobs around -- but it can also be quite profitable. For sites at the top, the returns can be substantial. At some point the value of the Huffington Post will no doubt pass the value of the Washington Post.
America's Newest Profession: Bloggers for Hire
By MARK PENN
In America today, there are almost as many people making their living as bloggers as there are lawyers. Already more Americans are making their primary income from posting their opinions than Americans working as computer programmers or firefighters.
Paid bloggers fit just about every definition of a microtrend: Their ranks have grown dramatically over the years, blogging is an important social and cultural movement that people care passionately about, and the number of people doing it for at least some income is approaching 1% of American adults.
The best studies we can find say we are a nation of over 20 million bloggers, with 1.7 million profiting from the work, and 452,000 of those using blogging as their primary source of income. That's almost 2 million Americans getting paid by the word, the post, or the click -- whether on their site or someone else's. And that's nearly half a million of whom it can be said, as Bob Dylan did of Hurricane Carter: "It's my work he'd say, I do it for pay."
Microtrends
Forget about huge, sweeping megaforces. The biggest trends today are micro: small, under-the-radar patterns of behavior which take on real power when propelled by modern communications and an increasingly independent-minded population. In the U.S., one percent of the nation, or three million people, can create new markets for a business, spark a social movement, or produce political change.
This column is about identifying these important new niches, and acting on that knowledge.
This could make us the most noisily opinionated nation on earth. The Information Age has spawned many new professions, but blogging could well be the one with the most profound effect on our culture. If journalists were the Fourth Estate, bloggers are becoming the Fifth Estate.
What started as a discussion forum for progressive politics and new technologies has now been applied to motherhood, health care, the arts, fashion, dentistry -- and just about every other imaginable area of life. What started as a hobby and an outlet for volunteers is becoming big business for newly emerging sites, for companies that now depend upon their reviews and for the people who work in this new industry.
All this fits with the trend toward Opinion TV. Less and less of our information flow is devoted to gathering facts, and more and more is going toward popularizing opinion. Twenty-four-hour news channels have been replaced by 24-hour opinion channels. The chatter is the story.
Demographically, bloggers are extremely well educated: three out of every four are college graduates. Most are white males reporting above-average incomes. One out of three young people reports blogging, but bloggers who do it for a living successfully are 2% of bloggers overall. It takes about 100,000 unique visitors a month to generate an income of $75,000 a year.
Bloggers can get $75 to $200 for a good post, and some even serve as "spokesbloggers" -- paid by advertisers to blog about products. As a job with zero commuting, blogging could be one of the most environmentally friendly jobs around -- but it can also be quite profitable. For sites at the top, the returns can be substantial. At some point the value of the Huffington Post will no doubt pass the value of the Washington Post.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Run, Kristin, Run!
From Lafayette paper:
A first for Grace
Kristin Hawkins (Rossville) will go down in history as Grace College's first female marathon runner when she competes in the NAIA national championships May 22-23 in St. Louis.
The senior prepared for the meet at the Valpo Mini Marathon on April 11, earning second place among the women and first in her age group with a time of 1 hour, 30 minutes and 7 seconds.
A first for Grace
Kristin Hawkins (Rossville) will go down in history as Grace College's first female marathon runner when she competes in the NAIA national championships May 22-23 in St. Louis.
The senior prepared for the meet at the Valpo Mini Marathon on April 11, earning second place among the women and first in her age group with a time of 1 hour, 30 minutes and 7 seconds.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Cal Thomas--25 years, 2,600 columns, 11 books
Here's an excerpt of an interesting Christianity Today interview with columnist Cal Thomas. To see the entire article, click here.
Cal Thomas, 25 Years of Columns Later
After 2,600 columns and 11 books, the syndicated columnist shares his 'wit and wisdom.'
Interview by Sarah Pulliam
Twice a week, he never missed a deadline, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer. "It's like a marriage, or at least a good one." That's how Cal Thomas describes his 25-year stint as a syndicated writer. Today marks the official anniversary since The Washington Times first ran his syndicated column.
Thomas has written over 2,600 columns and 11 books (including The Wit and Wisdom of Cal Thomas) since his first column in The New York Times. He spoke with Christianity Today about Christians in the media, what kept him going as a columnist, and how his political philosophy has emerged.
What have you learned from 25 years of writing your column?
I've learned that there are an awful lot of intolerant people out there who claim to be in favor of pluralism and diversity who demand that I be removed from the newspaper. There are also a lot of people who have been very gracious and have written me saying they never believed they would see ideas they believed in carried in their local rag.
On a personal level, I see this column not as a platform to persuade people to agree with me on political and social issues but as a marvelous opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with my peers in the media. It's given me tremendous entrée into the company and hearts of many, not only in journalism but also in other elements of the media, including the entertainment profession, to share Christ with them.
What are the challenges of sharing the gospel with your peers in the media? How is it different from other professions?
Well, there's a lot of cynicism in the media. I like to say that many journalists behave as if somebody stole their cookies in Sunday school class, and they blame that on God and haven't been back to church since. There's also a heavy strain of anti-faith that runs through much of the profession, and a feeling from journalists that if you demonstrate a healthy interest in the things of God, then you're going to suffer a great deal of ridicule from the reigning secularists in the business, so most people don't even begin the pursuit. Or if they do and they are believers, they pretty much keep it to themselves — not universally, but certainly at the higher levels. There's nobody who's an anchor on the broadcast news programs or even their top reporters who are believers. You just don't get there if you are a believer and are open about your faith.
Is that because Christians have a hard time getting promoted?
Well, you can look at other groups, women, African Americans, who throughout the years you didn't see on television. The bias against people different from the white race or different from men was extreme. There's the same kind of discrimination against Christians. I've been fortunate enough to overcome it because I understood it, and instead of railing against it, I went out and made friends with these people on another level other than faith.
What do you think is the most important column you've ever written?
Cal Thomas, 25 Years of Columns Later
After 2,600 columns and 11 books, the syndicated columnist shares his 'wit and wisdom.'
Interview by Sarah Pulliam
Twice a week, he never missed a deadline, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer. "It's like a marriage, or at least a good one." That's how Cal Thomas describes his 25-year stint as a syndicated writer. Today marks the official anniversary since The Washington Times first ran his syndicated column.
Thomas has written over 2,600 columns and 11 books (including The Wit and Wisdom of Cal Thomas) since his first column in The New York Times. He spoke with Christianity Today about Christians in the media, what kept him going as a columnist, and how his political philosophy has emerged.
What have you learned from 25 years of writing your column?
I've learned that there are an awful lot of intolerant people out there who claim to be in favor of pluralism and diversity who demand that I be removed from the newspaper. There are also a lot of people who have been very gracious and have written me saying they never believed they would see ideas they believed in carried in their local rag.
On a personal level, I see this column not as a platform to persuade people to agree with me on political and social issues but as a marvelous opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with my peers in the media. It's given me tremendous entrée into the company and hearts of many, not only in journalism but also in other elements of the media, including the entertainment profession, to share Christ with them.
What are the challenges of sharing the gospel with your peers in the media? How is it different from other professions?
Well, there's a lot of cynicism in the media. I like to say that many journalists behave as if somebody stole their cookies in Sunday school class, and they blame that on God and haven't been back to church since. There's also a heavy strain of anti-faith that runs through much of the profession, and a feeling from journalists that if you demonstrate a healthy interest in the things of God, then you're going to suffer a great deal of ridicule from the reigning secularists in the business, so most people don't even begin the pursuit. Or if they do and they are believers, they pretty much keep it to themselves — not universally, but certainly at the higher levels. There's nobody who's an anchor on the broadcast news programs or even their top reporters who are believers. You just don't get there if you are a believer and are open about your faith.
Is that because Christians have a hard time getting promoted?
Well, you can look at other groups, women, African Americans, who throughout the years you didn't see on television. The bias against people different from the white race or different from men was extreme. There's the same kind of discrimination against Christians. I've been fortunate enough to overcome it because I understood it, and instead of railing against it, I went out and made friends with these people on another level other than faith.
What do you think is the most important column you've ever written?
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Additional Thoughts From Deb Sprong
I thought of something I wish I had remembered to tell the students, if you would pass it along for me in class next week. It's an example of using literary journalism in a practical fashion - something that actually could be done on the job.
When I did this, I was actually a student a Grace and didn't know what what I was doing was called, only that I tried a more creative approach with the story and it worked very well. After I became older and "educated" (grad school), I realized what I had done actually had a name.
Anyway, I saw a brief in the Times-Union that one of the local high school marching bands had advanced to the state finals. I contacted the band director and asked if I could ride along with the students to cover the event. I went down to the high school one evening before the finals to watch the band practice and talk to some of the kids and the director.
Then, that Saturday, I met them at the high school and rode with them on the bus to Indianapolis. I interviewed several kids in the traditional way, but mostly I took a lot of notes, just watching, listening, observing on the bus and once we got to Indy, right up to the performance.
The story, of course, had the news hook of a local band competing at state (they won!), but I used my observations to weave vignettes of events leading up to the competition with live reporting once they got to Indy and took the field and until the results were announced.
Because they won I would have had a nice little traditional story anyway, but by spending some time with the band - a few hours on Tuesday and all day Saturday - I had a good story with some depth - all the humor, excitement and emotion the students were feeling leading up to their big day.
When I did this, I was actually a student a Grace and didn't know what what I was doing was called, only that I tried a more creative approach with the story and it worked very well. After I became older and "educated" (grad school), I realized what I had done actually had a name.
Anyway, I saw a brief in the Times-Union that one of the local high school marching bands had advanced to the state finals. I contacted the band director and asked if I could ride along with the students to cover the event. I went down to the high school one evening before the finals to watch the band practice and talk to some of the kids and the director.
Then, that Saturday, I met them at the high school and rode with them on the bus to Indianapolis. I interviewed several kids in the traditional way, but mostly I took a lot of notes, just watching, listening, observing on the bus and once we got to Indy, right up to the performance.
The story, of course, had the news hook of a local band competing at state (they won!), but I used my observations to weave vignettes of events leading up to the competition with live reporting once they got to Indy and took the field and until the results were announced.
Because they won I would have had a nice little traditional story anyway, but by spending some time with the band - a few hours on Tuesday and all day Saturday - I had a good story with some depth - all the humor, excitement and emotion the students were feeling leading up to their big day.
Journalists Examine Role in Indo-Pak Tensions
Journalists From India, Pakistan Analyze Role
Media Bias Since Mumbai Siege Discussed
By Rama Lakshmi
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, April 16, 2009
NEW DELHI, April 15 -- Nearly five months after the deadly attacks in Mumbai that revived tensions between India and Pakistan, journalists from both countries gathered in New Delhi on Wednesday to examine their role in fueling regional hostilities.
At a freewheeling panel discussion titled "Is Media Jingoism Fanning Indo-Pak Tensions?" journalists spoke about the challenge of maintaining their professional impartiality since the attacks.
"There is rarely any neutral view. The debate in the media has often showed diplomacy as not only a softer but as an undesirable option, as well. The language of the discourse is couched in 'us' and 'them,' " Aniruddha Bahal of India's Foundation for Media Professionals said in opening remarks.
More than 170 people, including six Americans, were killed in the three-day siege in India's financial capital in November, in which 10 gunmen attacked 10 sites, including two five-star hotels, a restaurant, a train station and a Jewish outreach center. The nation was paralyzed as its nascent 24-hour private television networks showed the horrific events unfolding. India has since accused the Pakistan-based outlawed Islamist group Lashkar-i-Taiba of directing the assault and has abandoned its four-year-old peace talks with Islamabad.
The nuclear-armed neighbors have fought three wars since 1947.
Many blogs and non-mainstream media in India have criticized the country's TV networks for whipping up hysteria and outrage over the Mumbai attacks. Wednesday's meeting was the first time journalists from both countries had sat down together for a session of unflinching self-scrutiny.
Bahal said that since the attacks, about 80 percent of the prime-time coverage of the top 20 Indian news channels has been about Pakistan. He cited programs provocatively titled "Beware, Pakistan" and "Improve Now, Pakistan" and said they were often accompanied by ominous music to create "fear and panic" among viewers.
Saeed Minhas, who edits the Pakistani newspaper Daily Ajkal, said that the race for breaking news was "breaking all the barriers of morality and impartiality."
"We have thrown all caution to the dogs," he added.
In the prevailing climate of distrust, neither country allows the other to beam its news coverage across the border. Last month, when the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team was attacked in Lahore, Pakistan, some Pakistani media commentators blamed India.
Beena Sarwar, a Pakistani freelance journalist and filmmaker, said she is often called "unpatriotic or an Indian agent" when she talks about peace or dialogue with India.
But some Indian editors and columnists at the meeting said the news media's role should not be exaggerated.
"India and Pakistan do not determine their relations and national interest based on what the media is saying," said Bharat Bhushan, editor of the Indian tabloid Mail Today. But he said the Pakistani media were "in denial" after the Mumbai attacks, "even as they pointed a finger at the Indian media for being hysterical."
As the journalists debated and took questions from the audience, a handful of men began chanting anti-Pakistan slogans. "The only solution is war with Pakistan!" they shouted. The men, who identified themselves as members of the radical Hindu group Sri Ram Sena, were immediately removed from the room.
After a few minutes, a member of the audience reported that an Indian TV channel was running a news flash declaring, "Pakistani journalists attacked in India."
Media Bias Since Mumbai Siege Discussed
By Rama Lakshmi
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, April 16, 2009
NEW DELHI, April 15 -- Nearly five months after the deadly attacks in Mumbai that revived tensions between India and Pakistan, journalists from both countries gathered in New Delhi on Wednesday to examine their role in fueling regional hostilities.
At a freewheeling panel discussion titled "Is Media Jingoism Fanning Indo-Pak Tensions?" journalists spoke about the challenge of maintaining their professional impartiality since the attacks.
"There is rarely any neutral view. The debate in the media has often showed diplomacy as not only a softer but as an undesirable option, as well. The language of the discourse is couched in 'us' and 'them,' " Aniruddha Bahal of India's Foundation for Media Professionals said in opening remarks.
More than 170 people, including six Americans, were killed in the three-day siege in India's financial capital in November, in which 10 gunmen attacked 10 sites, including two five-star hotels, a restaurant, a train station and a Jewish outreach center. The nation was paralyzed as its nascent 24-hour private television networks showed the horrific events unfolding. India has since accused the Pakistan-based outlawed Islamist group Lashkar-i-Taiba of directing the assault and has abandoned its four-year-old peace talks with Islamabad.
The nuclear-armed neighbors have fought three wars since 1947.
Many blogs and non-mainstream media in India have criticized the country's TV networks for whipping up hysteria and outrage over the Mumbai attacks. Wednesday's meeting was the first time journalists from both countries had sat down together for a session of unflinching self-scrutiny.
Bahal said that since the attacks, about 80 percent of the prime-time coverage of the top 20 Indian news channels has been about Pakistan. He cited programs provocatively titled "Beware, Pakistan" and "Improve Now, Pakistan" and said they were often accompanied by ominous music to create "fear and panic" among viewers.
Saeed Minhas, who edits the Pakistani newspaper Daily Ajkal, said that the race for breaking news was "breaking all the barriers of morality and impartiality."
"We have thrown all caution to the dogs," he added.
In the prevailing climate of distrust, neither country allows the other to beam its news coverage across the border. Last month, when the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team was attacked in Lahore, Pakistan, some Pakistani media commentators blamed India.
Beena Sarwar, a Pakistani freelance journalist and filmmaker, said she is often called "unpatriotic or an Indian agent" when she talks about peace or dialogue with India.
But some Indian editors and columnists at the meeting said the news media's role should not be exaggerated.
"India and Pakistan do not determine their relations and national interest based on what the media is saying," said Bharat Bhushan, editor of the Indian tabloid Mail Today. But he said the Pakistani media were "in denial" after the Mumbai attacks, "even as they pointed a finger at the Indian media for being hysterical."
As the journalists debated and took questions from the audience, a handful of men began chanting anti-Pakistan slogans. "The only solution is war with Pakistan!" they shouted. The men, who identified themselves as members of the radical Hindu group Sri Ram Sena, were immediately removed from the room.
After a few minutes, a member of the audience reported that an Indian TV channel was running a news flash declaring, "Pakistani journalists attacked in India."
Non-Profit Status Means Loss of Endorsements
Nonprofit model double-edged for newspapers
It's a solution -- but one that would end a key editorial role in the community.
By RYAN BLETHEN, Seattle Times
U.S. Sen. Benjamin Cardin unintentionally injected some gallows humor into newspapers when he introduced the Newspaper Revitalization Act to Congress.
The Maryland Democrat's bill would change the tax code, allowing newspapers to become 501(c)(3) nonprofits. Newspapers operating as nonprofits prompted a collective sad chuckle from newspaper employees. The way things have been going lately, many of us feel like we work for a business that does not make any money and might never again.
In reality, many newspapers are making money, just not as much as the money-printing days of the 1990s. The reduced revenue -- combined with unrealistically high profit margins, loads of debt, a recession, and the disruption of the business model thanks to the Internet -- has left many newspapers gasping for air, especially metropolitan newspapers.
Cardin's proposal is encouraging and intriguing but I am not convinced it is the answer. Newspapers that opt for the nonprofit model leave an opening for politicians to meddle and forfeit political endorsements, a vital component to a newspaper's editorial voice and role in a community.
Nonprofits are not allowed to make political endorsements. The same would go for nonprofit newspapers, which is unfortunate. Endorsements, especially on the local and state level, allow a newspaper to be a part of the community dialogue.
Endorsements are also the framework by which an editorial board builds its identity.
I telephoned David Holwerk, editorial page editor of the Sacramento Bee and the president of the National Conference of Editorial Writers, to get his take on nonprofit newspapers. Not surprisingly, he agreed with me about endorsements. He also raised another concern about Cardin's bill.
"It would be likely to bring the law of unintended consequences to play in ways you can't imagine," Holwerk said.
I share Holwerk's concern. Cardin's much-appreciated worry for newspapers is another politician's tool to control the press. It is entirely plausible that a disgruntled elected official could claim that any news story about politics violates the not-for-profit status.
My skepticism does not preclude me from supporting the Newspaper Revitalization Act. No one model is going to save newspapers.
Beside giving newspaper journalists a chuckle, Cardin is helping make the precarious state of professional journalism a national discussion. That is good news.
It's a solution -- but one that would end a key editorial role in the community.
By RYAN BLETHEN, Seattle Times
U.S. Sen. Benjamin Cardin unintentionally injected some gallows humor into newspapers when he introduced the Newspaper Revitalization Act to Congress.
The Maryland Democrat's bill would change the tax code, allowing newspapers to become 501(c)(3) nonprofits. Newspapers operating as nonprofits prompted a collective sad chuckle from newspaper employees. The way things have been going lately, many of us feel like we work for a business that does not make any money and might never again.
In reality, many newspapers are making money, just not as much as the money-printing days of the 1990s. The reduced revenue -- combined with unrealistically high profit margins, loads of debt, a recession, and the disruption of the business model thanks to the Internet -- has left many newspapers gasping for air, especially metropolitan newspapers.
Cardin's proposal is encouraging and intriguing but I am not convinced it is the answer. Newspapers that opt for the nonprofit model leave an opening for politicians to meddle and forfeit political endorsements, a vital component to a newspaper's editorial voice and role in a community.
Nonprofits are not allowed to make political endorsements. The same would go for nonprofit newspapers, which is unfortunate. Endorsements, especially on the local and state level, allow a newspaper to be a part of the community dialogue.
Endorsements are also the framework by which an editorial board builds its identity.
I telephoned David Holwerk, editorial page editor of the Sacramento Bee and the president of the National Conference of Editorial Writers, to get his take on nonprofit newspapers. Not surprisingly, he agreed with me about endorsements. He also raised another concern about Cardin's bill.
"It would be likely to bring the law of unintended consequences to play in ways you can't imagine," Holwerk said.
I share Holwerk's concern. Cardin's much-appreciated worry for newspapers is another politician's tool to control the press. It is entirely plausible that a disgruntled elected official could claim that any news story about politics violates the not-for-profit status.
My skepticism does not preclude me from supporting the Newspaper Revitalization Act. No one model is going to save newspapers.
Beside giving newspaper journalists a chuckle, Cardin is helping make the precarious state of professional journalism a national discussion. That is good news.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
From the Interviewee's Perspective
Here's an interesting commentary from a representative of the Evangelical Christian Credit Union in Brea, California, who must occasionally decide whether or not to respond to interview requests in this difficult economy. Interesting to hear the reasoning from the "other side" of the reporter.
Boy, won’t Mom be proud of her boy?
by Mark Johnson, ECCU Executive Vice President
A call from a reporter with the Wall Street Journal or Associated Press or a television station should be a pretty exciting thing, right?
In these challenging economic times, when even churches and ministries are often negatively impacted, it is not uncommon for ECCU to receive requests for interviews from major news sources. So, what factors play in to our decision to say “yes” or “no” to these opportunities?
There is, of course, that first personal thought that says, “Boy, won’t Mom be proud of her boy being quoted in the national media?” Then pretty quickly comes the recognition that she won’t be so proud if her boy sounds less than intelligent or is associated with news that readers or viewers might consider to be bad.
From ECCU’s perspective, we also recognize that our own best interests may not always be well-served by answering these calls and the questions that follow. We can be misquoted or quoted out of context. Reporters can sometimes seem to bring personal agendas to their stories, which may not present us in the best light. How do we know this? That’s easy. We have experienced it a time or two over the years. And yet, we generally continue to say “yes” when reporters call.
Why not play it safe and “just say no” to these requests? Because we actually believe we have something to say that supports the work of evangelical ministries and ministry leaders across the country.
We have spoken more than once with a reporter who seems to have already decided to write about the financial mismanagement or instability of ministries in general. And we have been able to positively influence the stories they write by talking about our experience with the overwhelming majority of our ministry members that are well-run and display integrity as they pursue their respective missions.
Yes, we also have to talk about the negative effects of the current economy and the handful of foreclosures that have occurred in the last couple of years. But we do get to point out, even though it’s not always included in the story, that these numbers are very small compared to the thousands of ministries we have served in our nearly 45 years of existence. We also get to talk about the faithfulness of ministry donors and the wisdom that so many ministry leaders demonstrate as they lead their organizations through these challenging times.
So, will we continue to say “yes” to most interview requests? Yes. ECCU is a not-for-profit cooperative of ministries and people who are passionate about ministry. We remain convinced that we best serve our member ministries by speaking forcefully and positively on behalf of ministry in the public square, even at the risk of being misunderstood or misquoted.
And usually it works.
As an added bonus, Mom is usually proud!
Boy, won’t Mom be proud of her boy?
by Mark Johnson, ECCU Executive Vice President
A call from a reporter with the Wall Street Journal or Associated Press or a television station should be a pretty exciting thing, right?
In these challenging economic times, when even churches and ministries are often negatively impacted, it is not uncommon for ECCU to receive requests for interviews from major news sources. So, what factors play in to our decision to say “yes” or “no” to these opportunities?
There is, of course, that first personal thought that says, “Boy, won’t Mom be proud of her boy being quoted in the national media?” Then pretty quickly comes the recognition that she won’t be so proud if her boy sounds less than intelligent or is associated with news that readers or viewers might consider to be bad.
From ECCU’s perspective, we also recognize that our own best interests may not always be well-served by answering these calls and the questions that follow. We can be misquoted or quoted out of context. Reporters can sometimes seem to bring personal agendas to their stories, which may not present us in the best light. How do we know this? That’s easy. We have experienced it a time or two over the years. And yet, we generally continue to say “yes” when reporters call.
Why not play it safe and “just say no” to these requests? Because we actually believe we have something to say that supports the work of evangelical ministries and ministry leaders across the country.
We have spoken more than once with a reporter who seems to have already decided to write about the financial mismanagement or instability of ministries in general. And we have been able to positively influence the stories they write by talking about our experience with the overwhelming majority of our ministry members that are well-run and display integrity as they pursue their respective missions.
Yes, we also have to talk about the negative effects of the current economy and the handful of foreclosures that have occurred in the last couple of years. But we do get to point out, even though it’s not always included in the story, that these numbers are very small compared to the thousands of ministries we have served in our nearly 45 years of existence. We also get to talk about the faithfulness of ministry donors and the wisdom that so many ministry leaders demonstrate as they lead their organizations through these challenging times.
So, will we continue to say “yes” to most interview requests? Yes. ECCU is a not-for-profit cooperative of ministries and people who are passionate about ministry. We remain convinced that we best serve our member ministries by speaking forcefully and positively on behalf of ministry in the public square, even at the risk of being misunderstood or misquoted.
And usually it works.
As an added bonus, Mom is usually proud!
Iran to Try U.S. Journalist on Spy Charges
Iran Puts U.S. Journalist on Trial for Spying Charges
By Aaron J. Leichman
Christian Post Reporter
An Iranian American journalist who has been charged with espionage appeared Monday before a closed-door court in Iran’s capital city, Tehran, to speak on her defense.
"Yesterday, the first session of the trial was held and she (Roxana Saberi, shown in Miss North Dakota pageant photo) was given an opportunity to speak in the court to present her defense," judiciary spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi told reporters Tuesday.
"I think the verdict will be passed within a couple of weeks," Jamshidi added.
Though Saberi, 31, had been arrested in late January for buying alcohol – which is illegal in Iran – an Iranian judge last week accused her of spying for the United States.
"This accused has been coming and going to certain government circles under the cover of reporter and without a permit," Judge Sohrab Heydarifard told state television Wednesday. "She has perpetrated actions to compile and gather information and documents and transferred them to American intelligence services."
U.S. officials, however, say the charges are “baseless” and have repeatedly called for her release.
At an international conference on Afghanistan in The Hague last month, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered a letter to Iranian representatives seeking Saberi's release and appealing on behalf of two other U.S. citizens.
Also petitioning for Saberi has been the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, president of the Lutheran World Federation and presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), whose U.S. denomination founded Saberi’s alma mater, Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn.
In a letter to the Iranian government shortly after news broke of the espionage allegations, Hanson noted the importance of “the light of truth” in Islamic culture as well as Christianity.
“I understand that your culture and government takes a different approach than our own to the vocation of journalism and reporting," the Lutheran head wrote.
"Our culture has grown to value journalists as agents of truth and to give them latitude for investigation and truth-telling," Hanson continued. "Therefore, in addition to our call to advocate for persons in prison, I am called to advocate for the freedom of journalists who are not engaging in espionage but only trying to discover the truth of a given matter.”
Born in the United States and raised by her Iranian father and Japanese mother in Fargo, N.D., Saberi had moved to Iran six years ago to work as a freelance reporter for BBC, NPR, and other media outlets.
Last month, however, Iran’s foreign ministry claimed that Saberi’s press credentials had been revoked in 2006 and that she had since been working illegally. Her parents, meanwhile, have said that Saberi was writing a book when she was arrested and that she has dual Iranian-U.S. citizenship.
Though the heaviest punishment for espionage is death, sentences of two to ten years are usually what results.
Human rights lawyer Abdolfattah Soltani told The Washington Post that heavier sentences such as death are usually given only when the accused is considered to be “in war against the Islamic system.”
“[A spying charge is] a form of intimidation, charging people with spying to frighten them and to destroy their image,” he said. “Many of these spying accusations are not even valid as real charges.”
A verdict for Saberi is expected to come out even as soon as next week.
Assignment for Monday, April 20
For those who were not able to be in class this past Monday, or for those who would like a digital copy, the article you're to critique for class this coming Monday, April 20, is now posted on the portal. Here's the assignment:
The assignment for Monday, April 20 is to turn the tables on your instructor. This is an article which I wrote this past weekend for the GO2 church planting newsletter and/or FGBC World and I'm inviting you to critique it. Exercise your red pen with any suggestions to improve it--look for AP style violations and all the things I look for in your articles--weak sources, weak attributions, passive constructions--and more. Mark it up, come prepared to critique it, and let's make it the best possible article by pooling all our wisdom.
Presenting "shadow-a-reporter" reports this Monday are: Ashlea, Kristin, Julie, Chris, and Octavia
Presenting on Monday, April 27 are Chase, Andrew, Christy, Trevor, and Liane.
The assignment for Monday, April 20 is to turn the tables on your instructor. This is an article which I wrote this past weekend for the GO2 church planting newsletter and/or FGBC World and I'm inviting you to critique it. Exercise your red pen with any suggestions to improve it--look for AP style violations and all the things I look for in your articles--weak sources, weak attributions, passive constructions--and more. Mark it up, come prepared to critique it, and let's make it the best possible article by pooling all our wisdom.
Presenting "shadow-a-reporter" reports this Monday are: Ashlea, Kristin, Julie, Chris, and Octavia
Presenting on Monday, April 27 are Chase, Andrew, Christy, Trevor, and Liane.
Wow! What a Deal for the EPA Convention!
Here's a communication from Doug Trouten, executive director of the Evangelical Press Association. The convention will be held in Indianapolis Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, May 6-8. Program details at www.epassoc.org. See me if interested.
Doug says, "If you have any students who would like to attend the convention, I'd be willing to make them a fabulous deal. Like how about $30 per day, meals included?"
Also, be aware of the following scholarship opportunity:
EPA offers scholarships to journalism students
EPA awards several scholarships each year to students preparing for a career in print journalism. The amount varies from year to year but grants generally range from $1,000 to $2,500. The awards are announced at the annual membership meeting. The application form is available on-line.
Doug says, "If you have any students who would like to attend the convention, I'd be willing to make them a fabulous deal. Like how about $30 per day, meals included?"
Also, be aware of the following scholarship opportunity:
EPA offers scholarships to journalism students
EPA awards several scholarships each year to students preparing for a career in print journalism. The amount varies from year to year but grants generally range from $1,000 to $2,500. The awards are announced at the annual membership meeting. The application form is available on-line.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Sheckler Reports From Silver Lake
WooHoo! From today's Warsaw (IN) Times-Union. For more information, contact Chris Sheckler any Monday evening from 6-8:50 p.m. in Philathea 10.
Charter School Survey Planned At Silver Lake
John Christian Sheckler
Correspondent
SILVER LAKE - Starting later this week, Silver Lake residents can expect to receive mail from the Silver Lake Education Foundation.
The foundation's committee hopes to send out a survey by the end of the week seeking comment about a proposed Silver Lake charter school, said Victoria Owens, president of the committee.
The survey is the latest of the committee's attempts to elicit local opinion on the possibility of a charter school. The committee has been meeting since November and has encouraged the public to attend its meetings every other Monday.
Some community members opined about the proposal at the committee's meeting Monday evening.
Kathy Lokotar, a Silver Lake mother of three, fought the 2003 closing of Silver Lake school and still misses it.
"It's really hurt the community, not having a small school here," she said.
The Silver Lake school provided a place for people to come together, said Lokotar.
"When we lost the school here, we lost the community center, basically," she said.
Lokotar's children, like all Silver Lake students, must ride a bus or drive to Warsaw for school each morning.
The committee hopes to provide a choice for parents who want an alternative to Warsaw Community Schools. According to Owens, the goal is not to undermine local public schools, but simply to provide a choice.
"I think a charter school offers many more options than a public school," said Lokotar, who is also a committee member.
"We really need to have the community involved in this," said Owens Monday. She said that although all the committee's meetings have been open to the public, it's been hard to get the word out.
The application for starting a charter school, which goes through Ball State University, requires that the committee assess local demand for the school. The committee wants to achieve that with the survey.
Then, they can start figuring out other details.
While the school would at first enroll only students in kindergarten through sixth grade, the committee's long-term vision includes expanding the school to include all grades within seven years of its opening.
According to Ball State, a charter school needs at least 250 students to be viable long-term, said Rick Kerlin, committee vice-president.
The former Silver Lake school building, which is owned by Michael Baur, would serve as the home of the new charter school.
Some questions were raised Monday about the capacity of the building, but Kerlin said the building could accommodate at least 250.
"We just want to see education back in our town," said Gale Owens, president of the Silver Lake town council.
She said she is seeking permission to use the city council's drop-box for completed surveys. In the meantime, surveys should be returned to the Silver Lake Education Foundation, 407 N. Elm St.
For more information, call Owens at 260-352-2543, or e-mail owensvictoria@rocketmail.com
Charter School Survey Planned At Silver Lake
John Christian Sheckler
Correspondent
SILVER LAKE - Starting later this week, Silver Lake residents can expect to receive mail from the Silver Lake Education Foundation.
The foundation's committee hopes to send out a survey by the end of the week seeking comment about a proposed Silver Lake charter school, said Victoria Owens, president of the committee.
The survey is the latest of the committee's attempts to elicit local opinion on the possibility of a charter school. The committee has been meeting since November and has encouraged the public to attend its meetings every other Monday.
Some community members opined about the proposal at the committee's meeting Monday evening.
Kathy Lokotar, a Silver Lake mother of three, fought the 2003 closing of Silver Lake school and still misses it.
"It's really hurt the community, not having a small school here," she said.
The Silver Lake school provided a place for people to come together, said Lokotar.
"When we lost the school here, we lost the community center, basically," she said.
Lokotar's children, like all Silver Lake students, must ride a bus or drive to Warsaw for school each morning.
The committee hopes to provide a choice for parents who want an alternative to Warsaw Community Schools. According to Owens, the goal is not to undermine local public schools, but simply to provide a choice.
"I think a charter school offers many more options than a public school," said Lokotar, who is also a committee member.
"We really need to have the community involved in this," said Owens Monday. She said that although all the committee's meetings have been open to the public, it's been hard to get the word out.
The application for starting a charter school, which goes through Ball State University, requires that the committee assess local demand for the school. The committee wants to achieve that with the survey.
Then, they can start figuring out other details.
While the school would at first enroll only students in kindergarten through sixth grade, the committee's long-term vision includes expanding the school to include all grades within seven years of its opening.
According to Ball State, a charter school needs at least 250 students to be viable long-term, said Rick Kerlin, committee vice-president.
The former Silver Lake school building, which is owned by Michael Baur, would serve as the home of the new charter school.
Some questions were raised Monday about the capacity of the building, but Kerlin said the building could accommodate at least 250.
"We just want to see education back in our town," said Gale Owens, president of the Silver Lake town council.
She said she is seeking permission to use the city council's drop-box for completed surveys. In the meantime, surveys should be returned to the Silver Lake Education Foundation, 407 N. Elm St.
For more information, call Owens at 260-352-2543, or e-mail owensvictoria@rocketmail.com
AP Alters Web Strategy
From PR Week. This is an excerpt--to read the entire article click here.
AP alters Web strategy, plans new online news sites
NEW YORK: The Associated Press (AP) is altering its Web strategy by planning online destinations to direct consumers to news Web sites it considers authoritative sources, thereby competing with search engines. The announcement came just after the AP's chairman said the group would seek greater control over its online content.
The planned pages will refer consumers searching for news on prominent topics to Web sites that most thoroughly cover news events, said Jim Kennedy, VP and director of strategic planning at the AP. He added that the collective, which is owned by a coalition of US newspapers, also aims to cut down on the unauthorized use of AP content by Web sources.
“We're contemplating an initiative for news search pages or landing pages tied to keywords and news events,” he said. “In the situation I'm talking about, there would be a page created that would aggregate content on that topic… really meant to be a news map pointing people in the right direction.”
Kennedy added that AP editors would then use Twitter and other social networking tools to alert consumers to the newly created pages.
AP alters Web strategy, plans new online news sites
NEW YORK: The Associated Press (AP) is altering its Web strategy by planning online destinations to direct consumers to news Web sites it considers authoritative sources, thereby competing with search engines. The announcement came just after the AP's chairman said the group would seek greater control over its online content.
The planned pages will refer consumers searching for news on prominent topics to Web sites that most thoroughly cover news events, said Jim Kennedy, VP and director of strategic planning at the AP. He added that the collective, which is owned by a coalition of US newspapers, also aims to cut down on the unauthorized use of AP content by Web sources.
“We're contemplating an initiative for news search pages or landing pages tied to keywords and news events,” he said. “In the situation I'm talking about, there would be a page created that would aggregate content on that topic… really meant to be a news map pointing people in the right direction.”
Kennedy added that AP editors would then use Twitter and other social networking tools to alert consumers to the newly created pages.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Hotels Drop Papers--Not a Good Sign
Marriott Hotels to Cease Automatic Newspaper Delivery
Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 13, 2009
Bethesda, Md. - With demand for daily print newspapers continuing to weaken, Marriott International (NYSE: MAR) said on Monday that it will become the first major hotel chain to cease the automatic delivery of papers to guest rooms.
Beginning June 1, guests of the company's Marriott, JW Marriott and Renaissance properties will have to opt-in to receive a paper -- either USA Today, The Wall Street Journal or a local paper.
In addition, guests of Courtyard, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites, Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites will have access to papers only in hotel lobbies beginning later this month.
Marriott said that the moves come in response to a 25% drop in guest demand for newspaper delivery at its more than 2,600 U.S. hotels.
Based on preliminary data, the company projects that newspaper distribution will be reduced by about 50,000 papers daily or 18 million papers annually.
Marriott became the first major hotel company to offer broad delivery of newspapers through a partnership with Gannett (NYSE: GCI) and USA Today more than 25 years ago.
Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 13, 2009
Bethesda, Md. - With demand for daily print newspapers continuing to weaken, Marriott International (NYSE: MAR) said on Monday that it will become the first major hotel chain to cease the automatic delivery of papers to guest rooms.
Beginning June 1, guests of the company's Marriott, JW Marriott and Renaissance properties will have to opt-in to receive a paper -- either USA Today, The Wall Street Journal or a local paper.
In addition, guests of Courtyard, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites, Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites will have access to papers only in hotel lobbies beginning later this month.
Marriott said that the moves come in response to a 25% drop in guest demand for newspaper delivery at its more than 2,600 U.S. hotels.
Based on preliminary data, the company projects that newspaper distribution will be reduced by about 50,000 papers daily or 18 million papers annually.
Marriott became the first major hotel company to offer broad delivery of newspapers through a partnership with Gannett (NYSE: GCI) and USA Today more than 25 years ago.
'Print is My Best Friend'
How is the magazine reading experience different than that on the web? Trisha McMahon, editor in chief and senior vice president for communications and public relations for the Morris Visitor Publications’ New York division answered that question in a video blog series on innovation, print and the web.
Hear what she has to say regarding her reading and shopping habits, both as an editor of a group of travel publications such as IN York and Where New York and a consumer who is an avid print reader. Click the video above to hear McMahon answer on why we still need print and why print is her best friend.
'Hyperlocal' Websites: News w/o Newspapers
Excerpted from NYT. To read the entire article, click here.
Hyperlocal’ Web Sites Deliver News Without Newspapers
Minh Uong/The New York Times, Published: April 12, 2009
If your local newspaper shuts down, what will take the place of its coverage? Perhaps a package of information about your neighborhood, or even your block, assembled by a computer.
A number of Web start-up companies are creating so-called hyperlocal news sites that let people zoom in on what is happening closest to them, often without involving traditional journalists.
The sites, like EveryBlock, Outside.in, Placeblogger and Patch, collect links to articles and blogs and often supplement them with data from local governments and other sources. They might let a visitor know about an arrest a block away, the sale of a home down the street and reviews of nearby restaurants.
Internet companies have been trying to develop such sites for more than a decade, in part as a way to lure local advertisers to the Web. But the notion of customized news has taken on greater urgency as some newspapers, like The Rocky Mountain News and The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, have stopped printing.
The news business “is in a difficult time period right now, between what was and what will be,” said Gary Kebbel, the journalism program director for the Knight Foundation, which has backed 35 local Web experiments. “Our democracy is based upon geography, and we believe local information is such a core need for our democracy to survive.”
Of course, like traditional media, the hyperlocal sites have to find a way to bring in sufficient revenue to support their business. And so far, they have had only limited success selling ads. Some have shouldered the cost of fielding a sales force to reach mom-and-pop businesses that may know nothing about online advertising.
One problem is that the number of readers for each neighborhood-focused news page is inherently small. “When you slice further and further down, you get smaller and smaller audiences,” said Greg Sterling, an analyst who has followed the hyperlocal market for a decade. “Advertisers want that kind of targeting, but they also want to reach more people, so there’s a paradox.”
Hyperlocal’ Web Sites Deliver News Without Newspapers
Minh Uong/The New York Times, Published: April 12, 2009
If your local newspaper shuts down, what will take the place of its coverage? Perhaps a package of information about your neighborhood, or even your block, assembled by a computer.
A number of Web start-up companies are creating so-called hyperlocal news sites that let people zoom in on what is happening closest to them, often without involving traditional journalists.
The sites, like EveryBlock, Outside.in, Placeblogger and Patch, collect links to articles and blogs and often supplement them with data from local governments and other sources. They might let a visitor know about an arrest a block away, the sale of a home down the street and reviews of nearby restaurants.
Internet companies have been trying to develop such sites for more than a decade, in part as a way to lure local advertisers to the Web. But the notion of customized news has taken on greater urgency as some newspapers, like The Rocky Mountain News and The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, have stopped printing.
The news business “is in a difficult time period right now, between what was and what will be,” said Gary Kebbel, the journalism program director for the Knight Foundation, which has backed 35 local Web experiments. “Our democracy is based upon geography, and we believe local information is such a core need for our democracy to survive.”
Of course, like traditional media, the hyperlocal sites have to find a way to bring in sufficient revenue to support their business. And so far, they have had only limited success selling ads. Some have shouldered the cost of fielding a sales force to reach mom-and-pop businesses that may know nothing about online advertising.
One problem is that the number of readers for each neighborhood-focused news page is inherently small. “When you slice further and further down, you get smaller and smaller audiences,” said Greg Sterling, an analyst who has followed the hyperlocal market for a decade. “Advertisers want that kind of targeting, but they also want to reach more people, so there’s a paradox.”
Thoughts on the Digital Revolution
Here's a stimulating article from Nieman by the former editor of the StarTribune. This is a short excerpt--to read the entire article click here.
The New Front Page: The Digital Revolution
A former newspaper editor figures out how to fund serious digital journalism with an annual budget less than what newsrooms sometimes spent on one investigative project.
By Joel Kramer
A lot of pixels are being spilled these days reflecting on the future of newspapers, news, journalists and journalism. I spent my career in newspapers, first as a journalist and later as a publisher, and I left when the business was financially near its peak. With the for-profit model now shriveling, I’ve spent the past 16 months trying to build one example of what might be coming next—a not-for-profit enterprise providing high-quality regional journalism on the Web.
Here are some reflections from that battlefield.
MinnPost is a certain kind of nonprofit journalism enterprise—one that aims to eventually breakeven on operating revenues, such as advertising, sponsorship, membership and perhaps other sources such as syndication.
This is different from a pure philanthropic endeavor, like ProPublica, which (at least in its current plan) depends for its success on the continuing generosity of foundations or very large individual donors.
MinnPost has had early support from major donors and foundations, and we believe that serious journalism is a community asset, not just a consumer good, which is why we’re nonprofit. But we are focused on breaking even by 2011, or at the latest 2012, without relying on foundation support to keep the lights on.
Why? Because (a) we think it’s possible to reach breakeven; and (b) we think it’s desirable, since foundations already have so many causes to support, and it’s questionable whether they have the capacity to support journalism on the expansive scale that may be needed to replace what’s being lost, especially regionally, in the for-profit industry.
The New Front Page: The Digital Revolution
A former newspaper editor figures out how to fund serious digital journalism with an annual budget less than what newsrooms sometimes spent on one investigative project.
By Joel Kramer
A lot of pixels are being spilled these days reflecting on the future of newspapers, news, journalists and journalism. I spent my career in newspapers, first as a journalist and later as a publisher, and I left when the business was financially near its peak. With the for-profit model now shriveling, I’ve spent the past 16 months trying to build one example of what might be coming next—a not-for-profit enterprise providing high-quality regional journalism on the Web.
Here are some reflections from that battlefield.
MinnPost is a certain kind of nonprofit journalism enterprise—one that aims to eventually breakeven on operating revenues, such as advertising, sponsorship, membership and perhaps other sources such as syndication.
This is different from a pure philanthropic endeavor, like ProPublica, which (at least in its current plan) depends for its success on the continuing generosity of foundations or very large individual donors.
MinnPost has had early support from major donors and foundations, and we believe that serious journalism is a community asset, not just a consumer good, which is why we’re nonprofit. But we are focused on breaking even by 2011, or at the latest 2012, without relying on foundation support to keep the lights on.
Why? Because (a) we think it’s possible to reach breakeven; and (b) we think it’s desirable, since foundations already have so many causes to support, and it’s questionable whether they have the capacity to support journalism on the expansive scale that may be needed to replace what’s being lost, especially regionally, in the for-profit industry.
Journalist Places Second in Mini
Here's an article about what Kristin did over the weekend. Congratulations!
http://www.post-trib.com:80/sports/1523138,Mini.article
http://www.post-trib.com:80/sports/1523138,Mini.article
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Top 100 Works of Journalism in the U.S. in 20th Century
Here is a list Deb Sprong wanted class members to have before the Monday night class April 13. It is also uploaded onto the portal.
The Top 100 Works of Journalism
in the United States in the 20th Century
1. John Hersey. "Hiroshima." 1946
2. Rachel Carson. "Silent Spring." 1962
3. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Watergate investigations for the Washington Post. 1972-73
4. Edward R. Murrow. "This is London . . ." radio reports for CBS on the German bombing of London. Also collected in book form. 1940
5. Ida Tarbell. "The History of the Standard Oil Company" investigation. 1902-1904 (book 1904)
6. Lincoln Steffens. "The Shame of the Cities." 1902-1904 (book 1904)
7. John Reed. "Ten Days That Shook the World." 1919
8. H.L. Mencken. Coverage of the Scopes "monkey" trial. 1925
9. Ernie Pyle. Reports from Europe and the Pacific during World War II. 1940-45
10. Edward R. Murrow and Fred Friendly. See It Now documentary taking on Senator Joseph McCarthy. 1954
11. Edward R. Murrow, David Lowe and Fred Friendly. CBS Reports documentary "Harvest of Shame." 1960
12. Seymour Hersh. Investigation of massacre committed by American soldiers at My Lai in Vietnam. 1969
13. New York Times. Publication of the Pentagon Papers. 1971
14. James Agee and Walker Evans. "Let Us Now Praise Famous Men." 1941
15. W.E.B. DuBois. "The Souls of Black Folk." 1903
16. I.F. Stone. I.F. Stone’s Weekly. 1953-67
17. Henry Hampton. "Eyes on the Prize." 1987
18. Tom Wolfe. "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test." 1968
19. Norman Mailer. "The Armies of the Night." 1968
20. Hannah Arendt. "Eichmann in Jerusalem." 1963
21. William Shirer. "Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondant, 1939-1941." 1941
22. Truman Capote. "In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences." 1965
23. Joan Didion. "Slouching Towards Bethlehem" (collected essays). 1968
24. Tom Wolfe. "The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby." 1965
25. Michael Herr. "Dispatches." 1977
26. Theodore White. "The Making of the President: 1960." 1961
27. Robert Capa. Ten photographs from D-Day. 1944
28. J. Anthony Lukas. "Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families." 1985
29. Richard Harding Davis. Coverage of German march into Belgium. 1914
30. Dorothy Thompson. Reports on the rise of Hitler in Cosmopolitan and Saturday Evening Post. 1931-34
31. John Steinbeck. Reports on Okie migrant camp life for the San Francisco News. 1936
32. A.J. Liebling. "The Road Back to Paris." 1944
33. Ernest Hemingway. Journalistic reports on the Spanish Civil War. 1937-38
34. Martha Gellhorn. "The Face of War." 1959
35. James Baldwin. "The Fire Next Time." 1963
36. Joseph Mitchell. "Up in the Old Hotel and Other Stories." 1992
37. Betty Friedan. "The Feminine Mystique." 1963
38. Ralph Nader. "Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile." 1965
39. Herblock. Political cartoons. 1950
40. James Baldwin. "Letter from the South: Nobody Knows My Name." 1959
41. Huyn Cong Ut. Photograph of a burning girl running from a napalm attack. 1972
42. Pauline Kael. "Trash, Art, and the Movies." 1969
43. Gay Talese. "Fame and Obscurity: Portraits by Gay Talese." 1970
44. Randy Shilts. Reporting on AIDS. 1981-85
45. Janet Flanner (Genet). "Paris Journals" in The New Yorker. 1944-45
46. Neil Sheehan. "A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam." 1988
47. A. J. Liebling. "The Wayward Pressman." 1947
48. Tom Wolfe. "The Right Stuff." 1979
49. Murray Kempton. "America Comes of Middle Age: Columns 1950-1962." 1963
50. Murray Kempton. "Part of Our Time: Some Ruins and Monuments of the Thirties." 1955
51. Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele. Philadelphia Inquirer series: "America: What Went Wrong." 1991
52. Taylor Branch. "Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-63." 1988
53. Harrison Salisbury. Reporting from the Soviet Union for the New York Times. 1949-54
54. John McPhee. "The John McPhee Reader." 1976
55. ABC. Live broadcast of Army-McCarthy hearings. 1954
56. Frederick Wiseman. "Titicut Follies." 1967
57. David Remnick. "Lenin’s Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire." 1993
58. Richard Ben Cramer. "What It Takes: The Way to the White House." 1992
59. Jonathan Schell. "The Fate of the Earth." 1982
60. Russell Baker. "Franks and Beans," in the New York Times. 1975
61. Homer Bigart. Account in the New York Herald-Tribune of being over Japan in a bomber when World War II came to an end. 1945
62. Ben Hecht. Series of columns: "1001 Afternoons in Chicago." 1922
63. Walter Cronkite. Documentary on Vietnam. 1968
64. Walter Lippmann. Early essays for the New Republic. 1914
65. Margaret Bourke-White. Photographs for Life magazine following the defeat of Germany. 1945
66. Lillian Ross. "Reporting." 1964
67. Nicholas Lemann. "The Promised Land." 1991
68. Joe Rosenthal. Photograph of Marines raising a U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi on the island of Iwo Jima. 1945
69. Hodding Carter, Jr. "Go for Broke," in Carter’s Delta Democrat-Times (Greenville, MS). 1945
70. The New Yorker. "The New Yorker Book of War Pieces." 1947
71. Meyer Berger. Report on killings of Howard Unruh in the New York Times. 1949
72. Norman Mailer. "The Executioner’s Song." 1979
73. Robert Capa. Spanish Civil War photos for Life. 1936
74. Susan Sontag. "Notes on Camp." 1964
75. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. "All the President’s Men." 1974
76. John Hersey. "Here To Stay." 1963
77. A.J. Liebling. "The Earl of Louisiana." 1961
78. Mike Davis. "City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles." 1990
79. Melissa Fay Greene. "Praying for Sheetrock." 1991
80. J. Anthony Lukas. "The Two Worlds of Linda Fitzpatrick," in the New York Times. 1967
81. Herbert Bayard Swope. "Klan Exposed." 1921
82. William Allen White. "To an Anxious Friend." 1922
83. Edward R. Murrow. Report of the liberation of Buchenwald. 1945
84. Joseph Mitchell. "McSorley’s Wonderful Saloon." 1943
85. Lillian Ross. "Picture." 1952
86. Earl Brown. Series of articles on race for Harper’s and Life magazines. 1942-44
87. Greil Marcus. "Mystery Train." 1975
88. Morley Safer. Report for CBS on atrocities committed by American soldiers on the hamlet of Cam Ne in Vietnam. 1965
89. Ted Poston. Coverage of the "Little Scottsboro" trial. 1949
90. Leon Dash. "Rosa Lee’s Story" in the Washington Post. 1994
91. Jane Kramer. "The Europeans." 1988
92. Eddie Adams and Vo Suu. Photograph of a Saigon execution. 1968
93. Grantland Rice. "Notre Dame’s ‘Four Horsemen’." 1924
94. Jane Kramer. "The Politics of Memory." 1996
95. Frank McCourt. "Angela’s Ashes." 1996
96. Vincent Sheean. "Personal History." 1935
97. W.E.B. DuBois. Columns on race during his tenure as editor of The Crisis. 1910-34
98. Damon Runyon. Crime reporting. 1926
99. Joe McGinniss. "The Selling of the President 1968." 1969
100. Hunter S. Thompson. "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail." Book. 1973
The Top 100 Works of Journalism
in the United States in the 20th Century
1. John Hersey. "Hiroshima." 1946
2. Rachel Carson. "Silent Spring." 1962
3. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Watergate investigations for the Washington Post. 1972-73
4. Edward R. Murrow. "This is London . . ." radio reports for CBS on the German bombing of London. Also collected in book form. 1940
5. Ida Tarbell. "The History of the Standard Oil Company" investigation. 1902-1904 (book 1904)
6. Lincoln Steffens. "The Shame of the Cities." 1902-1904 (book 1904)
7. John Reed. "Ten Days That Shook the World." 1919
8. H.L. Mencken. Coverage of the Scopes "monkey" trial. 1925
9. Ernie Pyle. Reports from Europe and the Pacific during World War II. 1940-45
10. Edward R. Murrow and Fred Friendly. See It Now documentary taking on Senator Joseph McCarthy. 1954
11. Edward R. Murrow, David Lowe and Fred Friendly. CBS Reports documentary "Harvest of Shame." 1960
12. Seymour Hersh. Investigation of massacre committed by American soldiers at My Lai in Vietnam. 1969
13. New York Times. Publication of the Pentagon Papers. 1971
14. James Agee and Walker Evans. "Let Us Now Praise Famous Men." 1941
15. W.E.B. DuBois. "The Souls of Black Folk." 1903
16. I.F. Stone. I.F. Stone’s Weekly. 1953-67
17. Henry Hampton. "Eyes on the Prize." 1987
18. Tom Wolfe. "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test." 1968
19. Norman Mailer. "The Armies of the Night." 1968
20. Hannah Arendt. "Eichmann in Jerusalem." 1963
21. William Shirer. "Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondant, 1939-1941." 1941
22. Truman Capote. "In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences." 1965
23. Joan Didion. "Slouching Towards Bethlehem" (collected essays). 1968
24. Tom Wolfe. "The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby." 1965
25. Michael Herr. "Dispatches." 1977
26. Theodore White. "The Making of the President: 1960." 1961
27. Robert Capa. Ten photographs from D-Day. 1944
28. J. Anthony Lukas. "Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families." 1985
29. Richard Harding Davis. Coverage of German march into Belgium. 1914
30. Dorothy Thompson. Reports on the rise of Hitler in Cosmopolitan and Saturday Evening Post. 1931-34
31. John Steinbeck. Reports on Okie migrant camp life for the San Francisco News. 1936
32. A.J. Liebling. "The Road Back to Paris." 1944
33. Ernest Hemingway. Journalistic reports on the Spanish Civil War. 1937-38
34. Martha Gellhorn. "The Face of War." 1959
35. James Baldwin. "The Fire Next Time." 1963
36. Joseph Mitchell. "Up in the Old Hotel and Other Stories." 1992
37. Betty Friedan. "The Feminine Mystique." 1963
38. Ralph Nader. "Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile." 1965
39. Herblock. Political cartoons. 1950
40. James Baldwin. "Letter from the South: Nobody Knows My Name." 1959
41. Huyn Cong Ut. Photograph of a burning girl running from a napalm attack. 1972
42. Pauline Kael. "Trash, Art, and the Movies." 1969
43. Gay Talese. "Fame and Obscurity: Portraits by Gay Talese." 1970
44. Randy Shilts. Reporting on AIDS. 1981-85
45. Janet Flanner (Genet). "Paris Journals" in The New Yorker. 1944-45
46. Neil Sheehan. "A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam." 1988
47. A. J. Liebling. "The Wayward Pressman." 1947
48. Tom Wolfe. "The Right Stuff." 1979
49. Murray Kempton. "America Comes of Middle Age: Columns 1950-1962." 1963
50. Murray Kempton. "Part of Our Time: Some Ruins and Monuments of the Thirties." 1955
51. Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele. Philadelphia Inquirer series: "America: What Went Wrong." 1991
52. Taylor Branch. "Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-63." 1988
53. Harrison Salisbury. Reporting from the Soviet Union for the New York Times. 1949-54
54. John McPhee. "The John McPhee Reader." 1976
55. ABC. Live broadcast of Army-McCarthy hearings. 1954
56. Frederick Wiseman. "Titicut Follies." 1967
57. David Remnick. "Lenin’s Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire." 1993
58. Richard Ben Cramer. "What It Takes: The Way to the White House." 1992
59. Jonathan Schell. "The Fate of the Earth." 1982
60. Russell Baker. "Franks and Beans," in the New York Times. 1975
61. Homer Bigart. Account in the New York Herald-Tribune of being over Japan in a bomber when World War II came to an end. 1945
62. Ben Hecht. Series of columns: "1001 Afternoons in Chicago." 1922
63. Walter Cronkite. Documentary on Vietnam. 1968
64. Walter Lippmann. Early essays for the New Republic. 1914
65. Margaret Bourke-White. Photographs for Life magazine following the defeat of Germany. 1945
66. Lillian Ross. "Reporting." 1964
67. Nicholas Lemann. "The Promised Land." 1991
68. Joe Rosenthal. Photograph of Marines raising a U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi on the island of Iwo Jima. 1945
69. Hodding Carter, Jr. "Go for Broke," in Carter’s Delta Democrat-Times (Greenville, MS). 1945
70. The New Yorker. "The New Yorker Book of War Pieces." 1947
71. Meyer Berger. Report on killings of Howard Unruh in the New York Times. 1949
72. Norman Mailer. "The Executioner’s Song." 1979
73. Robert Capa. Spanish Civil War photos for Life. 1936
74. Susan Sontag. "Notes on Camp." 1964
75. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. "All the President’s Men." 1974
76. John Hersey. "Here To Stay." 1963
77. A.J. Liebling. "The Earl of Louisiana." 1961
78. Mike Davis. "City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles." 1990
79. Melissa Fay Greene. "Praying for Sheetrock." 1991
80. J. Anthony Lukas. "The Two Worlds of Linda Fitzpatrick," in the New York Times. 1967
81. Herbert Bayard Swope. "Klan Exposed." 1921
82. William Allen White. "To an Anxious Friend." 1922
83. Edward R. Murrow. Report of the liberation of Buchenwald. 1945
84. Joseph Mitchell. "McSorley’s Wonderful Saloon." 1943
85. Lillian Ross. "Picture." 1952
86. Earl Brown. Series of articles on race for Harper’s and Life magazines. 1942-44
87. Greil Marcus. "Mystery Train." 1975
88. Morley Safer. Report for CBS on atrocities committed by American soldiers on the hamlet of Cam Ne in Vietnam. 1965
89. Ted Poston. Coverage of the "Little Scottsboro" trial. 1949
90. Leon Dash. "Rosa Lee’s Story" in the Washington Post. 1994
91. Jane Kramer. "The Europeans." 1988
92. Eddie Adams and Vo Suu. Photograph of a Saigon execution. 1968
93. Grantland Rice. "Notre Dame’s ‘Four Horsemen’." 1924
94. Jane Kramer. "The Politics of Memory." 1996
95. Frank McCourt. "Angela’s Ashes." 1996
96. Vincent Sheean. "Personal History." 1935
97. W.E.B. DuBois. Columns on race during his tenure as editor of The Crisis. 1910-34
98. Damon Runyon. Crime reporting. 1926
99. Joe McGinniss. "The Selling of the President 1968." 1969
100. Hunter S. Thompson. "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail." Book. 1973
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Report from Newspaper Assn. of Am. Convention
This is an excerpt--to read the entire article click here.
Newspapers: Can things get any worse?
Google proposes new model and exec suggests circulation cut, but gloom pervades annual confab.
SAN DIEGO (Fortune) -- As one might expect, the gathering of the Newspaper Association of America annual convention was a somber and lightly attended affair, relatively speaking. Highlights, if you could call them that, included bold talk of reinvention and threats from the Associated Press to clamp down on online pilfering of its content.
The overall vibe was of an industry that failed to stay ahead of technological change (everything from Craigslist to news aggregators) and has been struggling with the economy like everyone else.
The most interesting session -- after from Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) CEO Eric Schmidt's wrap-up Speech -- was a presentation from executives of two newspapers that have just undergone wrenching format changes. One, the East Valley Tribune in the Phoenix area, in January converted from a seven-day paid newspapers to a four times a week free paper with an expanded web presence. The paper, owned by Freedom Communications, cut about 40% if its employees in the process.
Even more dramatic was the conversion of the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News -- operated under a joint operating agreement between Gannett and Medianews. Two Mondays ago, the papers re-launched and began being delivered only three days a week, on Thursday, Fridays and Sundays, with stripped-down "express" versions for sale the other days.
Dave Hunke, the CEO of the Detroit Media Partnership, said close to 85% of the papers' advertising revenue -- largely through pre-prints like coupons and circulars -- has been generated on those three delivered days. Hunke ran through a litany of challenges in the Detroit market, including skyrocketing unemployment, rampant foreclosures, and a market where 47% of adults are functionally illiterate and "we send more children to prison than to college. So we've got quite a problem on our hands." Neither paper was able to say whether their radical changes were working yet
Newspapers: Can things get any worse?
Google proposes new model and exec suggests circulation cut, but gloom pervades annual confab.
SAN DIEGO (Fortune) -- As one might expect, the gathering of the Newspaper Association of America annual convention was a somber and lightly attended affair, relatively speaking. Highlights, if you could call them that, included bold talk of reinvention and threats from the Associated Press to clamp down on online pilfering of its content.
The overall vibe was of an industry that failed to stay ahead of technological change (everything from Craigslist to news aggregators) and has been struggling with the economy like everyone else.
The most interesting session -- after from Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) CEO Eric Schmidt's wrap-up Speech -- was a presentation from executives of two newspapers that have just undergone wrenching format changes. One, the East Valley Tribune in the Phoenix area, in January converted from a seven-day paid newspapers to a four times a week free paper with an expanded web presence. The paper, owned by Freedom Communications, cut about 40% if its employees in the process.
Even more dramatic was the conversion of the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News -- operated under a joint operating agreement between Gannett and Medianews. Two Mondays ago, the papers re-launched and began being delivered only three days a week, on Thursday, Fridays and Sundays, with stripped-down "express" versions for sale the other days.
Dave Hunke, the CEO of the Detroit Media Partnership, said close to 85% of the papers' advertising revenue -- largely through pre-prints like coupons and circulars -- has been generated on those three delivered days. Hunke ran through a litany of challenges in the Detroit market, including skyrocketing unemployment, rampant foreclosures, and a market where 47% of adults are functionally illiterate and "we send more children to prison than to college. So we've got quite a problem on our hands." Neither paper was able to say whether their radical changes were working yet
Check it Out--Ashlea's in the Times-Union
Groups Work Toward Improved Water Quality
Ashleigh Reinsch
For the Times-Union
Center, Winona, Little Eagle, Pike lakes and the streams which enter into them are available to all for fishing, swimming and boating.
However, these bodies of water would not be safe for the public without the efforts of the local lake associations to keep the water clean.
In the 1970s, the Winona Lake Preservation Association was formed to keep Winona Lake and the surrounding watersheds clean. It became officially incorporated Feb. 15, 1984. The WLPA and town of Winona Lake teamed together to find ways to make this happen.
To read the remainder of the article, click here.
How DO you spell your name, Ashlea?
Birthday of Interesting Writers
Here are two interesting little snippets from today's edition of Garrison Keillor's "Writer's Almanac":
It's the birthday of investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, born in Chicago, Illinois (1937). He has written for The New Yorker for many years. He said, "I don't make deals, I don't party and drink with sources, and I don't play a game of leaks. I read, I listen, I squirrel information. It's fun."
It's the birthday of Barbara Kingsolver, (books by this author) born in Annapolis, Maryland (1955). She started writing fiction when she was pregnant and had horrible insomnia. She wrote every night, but she didn't want to disturb her husband, so she worked on her novel in a closet. It was the story of a young woman who decides she needs to get out of her small town in Kentucky, and drives across the country to Arizona. Along the way, she changes her name from Marietta to Taylor, and she reluctantly takes in a three-year-old child named Turtle.
That novel was The Bean Trees (1988), and it made Kingsolver's name. Since then, she has written poetry, essays, and novels like The Poisonwood Bible (1998) and Prodigal Summer (2001). In 2007, she published Animal, Vegetable, Miracle,a book about her family's year of eating only food that was grown within 100 miles of their house. It was a huge best seller.
She said, "It is harrowing for me to try to teach 20-year-old students, who earnestly want to improve their writing. The best I can think to tell them is: Quit smoking, and observe posted speed limits. This will improve your odds of getting old enough to be wise."
It's the birthday of investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, born in Chicago, Illinois (1937). He has written for The New Yorker for many years. He said, "I don't make deals, I don't party and drink with sources, and I don't play a game of leaks. I read, I listen, I squirrel information. It's fun."
It's the birthday of Barbara Kingsolver, (books by this author) born in Annapolis, Maryland (1955). She started writing fiction when she was pregnant and had horrible insomnia. She wrote every night, but she didn't want to disturb her husband, so she worked on her novel in a closet. It was the story of a young woman who decides she needs to get out of her small town in Kentucky, and drives across the country to Arizona. Along the way, she changes her name from Marietta to Taylor, and she reluctantly takes in a three-year-old child named Turtle.
That novel was The Bean Trees (1988), and it made Kingsolver's name. Since then, she has written poetry, essays, and novels like The Poisonwood Bible (1998) and Prodigal Summer (2001). In 2007, she published Animal, Vegetable, Miracle,a book about her family's year of eating only food that was grown within 100 miles of their house. It was a huge best seller.
She said, "It is harrowing for me to try to teach 20-year-old students, who earnestly want to improve their writing. The best I can think to tell them is: Quit smoking, and observe posted speed limits. This will improve your odds of getting old enough to be wise."
Monday, April 6, 2009
Research: Papers Not Harnessing Social Power
From MediaBuyerPlanner:
Newspapers Not Harnessing Readers’ Social Power
Newspapers are not doing enough to harness the online social power of their readers and - as a result - are missing opportunities to help their biggest supporters boost their brands in cost-effective ways, finds a recent survey by Gartner Inc.
Findings from the research suggest that newspapers are not providing potentially influential “brand stewards” with the necessary tools they need to fully realize their role as influencers, writes Marketing Charts. These shortcomings include the failure to optimize the search experiences at their website and the lack of integration between content and social media functionality.
In the face of declining circulations, falling offline and online revenue, and competition from digital sources, newspapers have not taken adequate steps to integrate social media tools into their content management “ecosystem,” the report said, adding that the most important task for newspapers now is to prioritize the integration of social media into a current or future content management system.
Key survey findings:
49% of respondents use general search engines (such as Google and Yahoo) once a week or more to find content, but only 20% use search tools built into a newspaper or magazine site.
Only 24% share good content “finds” with friends or others via personal communications - such as e-mail and instant messaging (IM), and only 7% say they usually or often share content via embedding into social network sites.
Although many newspapers list their staffers who are on Twitter, few offer Twitter users the ability to tweet stories from their websites.
When asked what they do when they find interesting content online, 52% of respondents say they usually read it immediately. Only 9% said they bookmark it to read later.
“In the wake of the economic challenges facing the U.S. newspaper industry, publishers are losing focus on the crucial imperative of how to capitalize on those consumers who remain loyal, engaged online and print readers,” said Allen Weiner, research VP at Gartner. “Brand-loyal news consumers need to be turned into brand stewards who can wield their influence to two parts of their social graph - those who know them personally, and those who regard the brand stewards as tastemakers with similar points of view.”
About the research: In November and December of 2008, Gartner surveyed 989 Internet users in the US, UK and Italy to understand how consumers discover and share different types of content. The survey looked at the main influences on media consumption, the main factors that prompt people to look for content, the main tools people use to search, what they do when they find interesting content and whether they share this content. The report, “Newspaper Publishers Must Do More to Empower Brand Stewards” is available on Gartner’s website.
Newspapers Not Harnessing Readers’ Social Power
Newspapers are not doing enough to harness the online social power of their readers and - as a result - are missing opportunities to help their biggest supporters boost their brands in cost-effective ways, finds a recent survey by Gartner Inc.
Findings from the research suggest that newspapers are not providing potentially influential “brand stewards” with the necessary tools they need to fully realize their role as influencers, writes Marketing Charts. These shortcomings include the failure to optimize the search experiences at their website and the lack of integration between content and social media functionality.
In the face of declining circulations, falling offline and online revenue, and competition from digital sources, newspapers have not taken adequate steps to integrate social media tools into their content management “ecosystem,” the report said, adding that the most important task for newspapers now is to prioritize the integration of social media into a current or future content management system.
Key survey findings:
49% of respondents use general search engines (such as Google and Yahoo) once a week or more to find content, but only 20% use search tools built into a newspaper or magazine site.
Only 24% share good content “finds” with friends or others via personal communications - such as e-mail and instant messaging (IM), and only 7% say they usually or often share content via embedding into social network sites.
Although many newspapers list their staffers who are on Twitter, few offer Twitter users the ability to tweet stories from their websites.
When asked what they do when they find interesting content online, 52% of respondents say they usually read it immediately. Only 9% said they bookmark it to read later.
“In the wake of the economic challenges facing the U.S. newspaper industry, publishers are losing focus on the crucial imperative of how to capitalize on those consumers who remain loyal, engaged online and print readers,” said Allen Weiner, research VP at Gartner. “Brand-loyal news consumers need to be turned into brand stewards who can wield their influence to two parts of their social graph - those who know them personally, and those who regard the brand stewards as tastemakers with similar points of view.”
About the research: In November and December of 2008, Gartner surveyed 989 Internet users in the US, UK and Italy to understand how consumers discover and share different types of content. The survey looked at the main influences on media consumption, the main factors that prompt people to look for content, the main tools people use to search, what they do when they find interesting content and whether they share this content. The report, “Newspaper Publishers Must Do More to Empower Brand Stewards” is available on Gartner’s website.
More Book Authors Turn to POD
More authors turn to Web and print-on-demand publishing
By Elham Khatami
CNN
(CNN) -- "Still Alice," written by Lisa Genova, is a novel about a 50-year-old Harvard professor's struggle with Alzheimer's disease. It's also a book, Genova was told, that nobody would want to read.
Lisa Genova, author of "Still Alice," found success after self-publishing her novel.
After spending 1½ years writing "Still Alice," Genova spent just as much time trying to find a literary agent. "I never heard a response from most of the query letters I sent," Genova said. "Four literary agents asked to see the book. One of them said she just didn't think there was a general audience that would want to read about Alzheimer's."
When she was turned down by several traditional publishing houses, Genova decided to follow a different route: self-publishing via Web-based companies. When she informed one of the literary agents of her decision, his response was daunting.
"He said, 'Don't do that, you'll kill your writing career before it starts,' " said Genova.
But she decided to press forward. Turning to the Author Solutions self-publishing brand, iUniverse, Genova published her book for $450, a cost that included an ISBN -- the International Standard Book Number that uniquely identifies books -- and the ability to sell on Amazon.com.
Months later, after receiving positive reviews on Amazon.com and a favorable review in the Boston Globe, Genova's book was picked up by Simon & Schuster and is in its 12th week on The New York Times Bestsellers List.
"If you believe in your book, I think you should give it a chance," Genova said. "Still Alice" "was a book that people already identified with and [Simon & Schuster] saw the book's potential in a very real way."
Genova is not alone. As the economy takes its toll on traditional publishing houses -- HarperCollins dropped its Collins division in February, losing major executives and editors, and Random House continues with cutbacks -- more authors are looking to online self-publishing companies.
Companies like Author Solutions or Lulu.com allow any budding author to submit a digital file of their manuscript on any subject matter. Unlike traditional publishing companies, these publishers only produce hard copies of the books when a customer buys one, a process known as print on demand.
"Anyone can publish, that's the beauty of it," said Gail Jordan, Director of Public Relations at Lulu. "Nobody's going to say, 'We don't like your cover. Chapter 10 should be Chapter 6.' "
This means that the author retains the copyright to his or her book and is responsible for almost everything, from the costs for printing to, if they choose, marketing the book.
Manufacturing prices with Lulu range from $4 to $19 per copy, depending on whether the book is a hardback or paperback and on the number of pages. Authors pay only when they buy a book. Lulu also offers publishing packages that include formatting, cover design, editing, marketing and more, beginning at $299.
Since its inception in 2002, Lulu has digitally published more than 820,000 titles, Jordan said. About 5,000 new titles are added each week.
"With this economy, there are people who really need to make money and people with more time on their hands," Jordan said. "We've been seeing a surge since November in people publishing."
Since 1997, Author Solutions has helped more than 70,000 authors publish more than 100,000 titles, according to Keith Ogorek, the company's vice president of marketing.
Depending on the brand chosen, publishing with Author Solutions can cost an author anywhere from $399 to $12,999. Wordclay, another Author Solutions brand, offers basic do-it-yourself publishing free, although other Wordclay services, such as a custom cover or illustrations, are sold individually.
Ogorek cited several pluses of print-on-demand publishing: the speed with which a book gets into the marketplace; the fact that readers, not critics, "decide whether your book is any good or not," and the environmental benefit of fewer printed copies.
"With print on demand, there aren't that many dead trees," said Jordan. "We hear that on our forums that people do like that."
Print on demand also allows for the "opportunity for a greater return on your investment ... it just makes sense from an economic standpoint," said Ogorek, who believes many writers who've worked with Author Solutions have had success they would not have found at traditional publishers.
Similarly, Melinda Roberts, author of "Mommy Confidential: Adventures from the Wonderbelly of Motherhood," saw success after she published with Lulu. Roberts was turned down by three publishing companies that, she said, all told her the same thing.
"People were saying, 'This is fantastic, hilarious. I'm going to throw up if I read another memoir,' " Roberts said.
Publishing companies told Roberts that her book would not appeal to mainstream audiences. But Roberts believed her stories held value for many mothers. Though she says she has sold fewer than 300 books, mostly by word-of-mouth, the book has brought her new visibility.
Roberts has appeared on various panels across the country to share her insight on being a mother and is scheduled to appear on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to talk about a new ABC television show called "In the Motherhood."
"I'm happy about my success because I didn't really set out for it. It just kind of happened," said Roberts.
As authors use print-on-demand publishing in growing numbers, they seem to be abandoning self-publishing through traditional "vanity presses" -- a method in which authors pay to get their books printed in bulk and then sell them on their own.
"Particularly in this economy," said Jordan, "who wants to buy a certain amount of copies of their book? That really doesn't do anybody good."
"On-demand publishing is certainly more flexible," said Kevin Gray, public relations manager at Author Solutions. "So I think more people are turning to on-demand because it's a less of a commitment on the author's part."
Ogorek believes traditional publishers can benefit from the services provided by self-publishing companies.
"Traditional publishers are looking at us to find new and upcoming authors," he said. "We provide that for them."
By Elham Khatami
CNN
(CNN) -- "Still Alice," written by Lisa Genova, is a novel about a 50-year-old Harvard professor's struggle with Alzheimer's disease. It's also a book, Genova was told, that nobody would want to read.
Lisa Genova, author of "Still Alice," found success after self-publishing her novel.
After spending 1½ years writing "Still Alice," Genova spent just as much time trying to find a literary agent. "I never heard a response from most of the query letters I sent," Genova said. "Four literary agents asked to see the book. One of them said she just didn't think there was a general audience that would want to read about Alzheimer's."
When she was turned down by several traditional publishing houses, Genova decided to follow a different route: self-publishing via Web-based companies. When she informed one of the literary agents of her decision, his response was daunting.
"He said, 'Don't do that, you'll kill your writing career before it starts,' " said Genova.
But she decided to press forward. Turning to the Author Solutions self-publishing brand, iUniverse, Genova published her book for $450, a cost that included an ISBN -- the International Standard Book Number that uniquely identifies books -- and the ability to sell on Amazon.com.
Months later, after receiving positive reviews on Amazon.com and a favorable review in the Boston Globe, Genova's book was picked up by Simon & Schuster and is in its 12th week on The New York Times Bestsellers List.
"If you believe in your book, I think you should give it a chance," Genova said. "Still Alice" "was a book that people already identified with and [Simon & Schuster] saw the book's potential in a very real way."
Genova is not alone. As the economy takes its toll on traditional publishing houses -- HarperCollins dropped its Collins division in February, losing major executives and editors, and Random House continues with cutbacks -- more authors are looking to online self-publishing companies.
Companies like Author Solutions or Lulu.com allow any budding author to submit a digital file of their manuscript on any subject matter. Unlike traditional publishing companies, these publishers only produce hard copies of the books when a customer buys one, a process known as print on demand.
"Anyone can publish, that's the beauty of it," said Gail Jordan, Director of Public Relations at Lulu. "Nobody's going to say, 'We don't like your cover. Chapter 10 should be Chapter 6.' "
This means that the author retains the copyright to his or her book and is responsible for almost everything, from the costs for printing to, if they choose, marketing the book.
Manufacturing prices with Lulu range from $4 to $19 per copy, depending on whether the book is a hardback or paperback and on the number of pages. Authors pay only when they buy a book. Lulu also offers publishing packages that include formatting, cover design, editing, marketing and more, beginning at $299.
Since its inception in 2002, Lulu has digitally published more than 820,000 titles, Jordan said. About 5,000 new titles are added each week.
"With this economy, there are people who really need to make money and people with more time on their hands," Jordan said. "We've been seeing a surge since November in people publishing."
Since 1997, Author Solutions has helped more than 70,000 authors publish more than 100,000 titles, according to Keith Ogorek, the company's vice president of marketing.
Depending on the brand chosen, publishing with Author Solutions can cost an author anywhere from $399 to $12,999. Wordclay, another Author Solutions brand, offers basic do-it-yourself publishing free, although other Wordclay services, such as a custom cover or illustrations, are sold individually.
Ogorek cited several pluses of print-on-demand publishing: the speed with which a book gets into the marketplace; the fact that readers, not critics, "decide whether your book is any good or not," and the environmental benefit of fewer printed copies.
"With print on demand, there aren't that many dead trees," said Jordan. "We hear that on our forums that people do like that."
Print on demand also allows for the "opportunity for a greater return on your investment ... it just makes sense from an economic standpoint," said Ogorek, who believes many writers who've worked with Author Solutions have had success they would not have found at traditional publishers.
Similarly, Melinda Roberts, author of "Mommy Confidential: Adventures from the Wonderbelly of Motherhood," saw success after she published with Lulu. Roberts was turned down by three publishing companies that, she said, all told her the same thing.
"People were saying, 'This is fantastic, hilarious. I'm going to throw up if I read another memoir,' " Roberts said.
Publishing companies told Roberts that her book would not appeal to mainstream audiences. But Roberts believed her stories held value for many mothers. Though she says she has sold fewer than 300 books, mostly by word-of-mouth, the book has brought her new visibility.
Roberts has appeared on various panels across the country to share her insight on being a mother and is scheduled to appear on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to talk about a new ABC television show called "In the Motherhood."
"I'm happy about my success because I didn't really set out for it. It just kind of happened," said Roberts.
As authors use print-on-demand publishing in growing numbers, they seem to be abandoning self-publishing through traditional "vanity presses" -- a method in which authors pay to get their books printed in bulk and then sell them on their own.
"Particularly in this economy," said Jordan, "who wants to buy a certain amount of copies of their book? That really doesn't do anybody good."
"On-demand publishing is certainly more flexible," said Kevin Gray, public relations manager at Author Solutions. "So I think more people are turning to on-demand because it's a less of a commitment on the author's part."
Ogorek believes traditional publishers can benefit from the services provided by self-publishing companies.
"Traditional publishers are looking at us to find new and upcoming authors," he said. "We provide that for them."
Sunday, April 5, 2009
DJ and Pray! Bite the Dust
NavPress reorganizes, discontinues two magazines
NavPress, the publishing arm of the Colorado Springs based U.S. Navigators, announced today that in light of varied challenges in the publishing industry it will discontinue publication of its two magazines, Discipleship Journal and Pray! NavPress will enhance the DJ and Pray! web presence, making use of the resources available in both magazines’ archives.
“It is no secret that we are all in the midst of some very challenging times in our economy and the publishing industry,” says Michael D. Miller, President of NavPress and Senior Vice President of The Navigators. “Magazine publishing has been hit hard. The Internet has been dealing a blow to print media for years. Then the economic downturn—it was like a one-two punch.”
In addition, NavPress is further streamlining its book publishing operations by creating a two-pronged structure, dividing the team into trade publishing and direct publishing groups. Sue Kline, Editorial Director and a 16-year veteran of NavPress, will lead the trade group; Mike Linder, who has served seven years in key roles at NavPress, will lead the direct team.
“This new structure positions us for a long and fruitful ministry through publishing,” says Miller. “But it means saying goodbye to some outstanding people. That's always the hardest part.” Navigator staff members were informed of these developments Friday, April 3, and NavPress is now communicating details with its authors.
NavPress is a division of The Navigators, an international Christian organization with a calling “to advance the Gospel of Jesus and His Kingdom into the nations through spiritual generations of laborers living and discipling among the lost.” More than 4,600 Navigator staff of 71 nationalities work to fulfill the Navigator calling among college students, military personnel, business and professional people, communities, and churches in 105 countries.
NavPress, the publishing arm of the Colorado Springs based U.S. Navigators, announced today that in light of varied challenges in the publishing industry it will discontinue publication of its two magazines, Discipleship Journal and Pray! NavPress will enhance the DJ and Pray! web presence, making use of the resources available in both magazines’ archives.
“It is no secret that we are all in the midst of some very challenging times in our economy and the publishing industry,” says Michael D. Miller, President of NavPress and Senior Vice President of The Navigators. “Magazine publishing has been hit hard. The Internet has been dealing a blow to print media for years. Then the economic downturn—it was like a one-two punch.”
In addition, NavPress is further streamlining its book publishing operations by creating a two-pronged structure, dividing the team into trade publishing and direct publishing groups. Sue Kline, Editorial Director and a 16-year veteran of NavPress, will lead the trade group; Mike Linder, who has served seven years in key roles at NavPress, will lead the direct team.
“This new structure positions us for a long and fruitful ministry through publishing,” says Miller. “But it means saying goodbye to some outstanding people. That's always the hardest part.” Navigator staff members were informed of these developments Friday, April 3, and NavPress is now communicating details with its authors.
NavPress is a division of The Navigators, an international Christian organization with a calling “to advance the Gospel of Jesus and His Kingdom into the nations through spiritual generations of laborers living and discipling among the lost.” More than 4,600 Navigator staff of 71 nationalities work to fulfill the Navigator calling among college students, military personnel, business and professional people, communities, and churches in 105 countries.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Sen. Cardin's Plan to Save Newspapers
From Washington Post:
A Plan to Save Our Free Press
By Benjamin L. Cardin
Friday, April 3, 2009
The newspaper industry is turning upside down. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Rocky Mountain News, the Baltimore Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle are among the papers that have ceased daily publication or announced in recent months that they may have to stop publishing. Not long ago, Tribune Co., owner of the Baltimore Sun, filed for bankruptcy.
None of this bodes well for our democracy. Our country depends on an open and free press to monitor what happens in our communities so that Americans can make sound judgments about their lives and leaders. Thomas Jefferson, a man who was frequently vilified by newspapers, summed it up best when he said: "If I had to choose between government without newspapers, and newspapers without government, I wouldn't hesitate to choose the latter."
Like Jefferson, I believe that a well-informed public is the core of our democracy. How can we forget the role newspapers played in uncovering the Watergate and Enron scandals or the AIG bonus debacle? News stories, reported by journalists, often bring to public attention decisions and actions that affect all of us. While the world has increasingly fast access to news, one fact remains unchanged: When it comes to original, in-depth reporting that records and exposes actions, issues and opportunities in our communities, nothing has replaced newspapers. Most, if not all, sources of journalistic information, from Google to broadcast news or punditry, gain their original material from the laborious and expensive work of experienced newspaper reporters diligently working their beats over the course of years. Not hours, years.
The Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism reports that a typical metropolitan paper runs 70 stories a day, counting the national, local and business sections. In contrast, a half-hour of television news includes only 10 to 12 stories. Research shows that broadcast news follows the agenda set by newspapers, often repeating the same items with less detail. And newspaper reporters forge relationships with people; they build a network, which creates avenues to information.
But America is losing its newspaper industry. While the economy has caused an immediate problem, the business model for newspapers, based on circulation and advertising revenue, is broken. That decline is a harbinger of tragedy for communities nationwide and for our democracy.
This is why I introduced the Newspaper Revitalization Act to help our disappearing community and metropolitan papers by allowing them to become nonprofit organizations. My goal is to save local coverage by reporters who know their communities, work their beats and dig up the stories that are important to our daily lives. Today, newspapers do that job; all other outlets -- TV, radio, blogs -- feed off that base. My bill would allow newspapers -- if they choose -- to operate under 501(c)(3) status for educational purposes, similar to public broadcasters.
Under this arrangement, newspapers would not be allowed to make political endorsements but would be permitted to freely report on all issues, including political campaigns. They would be able to editorialize and take positions on issues affecting their communities. Advertising and subscription revenue would be tax-exempt, and contributions to support coverage or operations could be tax-deductible.
The measure is targeted at local newspapers serving communities, not large newspaper conglomerates. There is little chance these conglomerates would find such an arrangement appealing because they depend on a revenue stream to remain operational. I want to make clear that this proposal would involve no infusion of federal taxpayer money. In fact, because newspaper profits have fallen in recent years, no substantial loss of federal revenue is expected.
Under current IRS regulations, a nonprofit entity must operate in a manner in which distribution is accomplished in a way distinguishable from ordinary commercial publishing practices. My legislation would create a category under the Internal Revenue Code for a "qualified newspaper corporation."
Converting to nonprofit status may not be the optimal choice for some newspapers -- particularly those that rely on a significant revenue stream -- but this legislation would provide an alternative business model that could help many newspapers keep operating. I am confident that citizens or foundations in communities across the nation would be willing to step in and preserve their local papers. Newspapers provide a vital service. It is in the interest of our nation and good governance that we ensure their survival.
The writer is a Democratic senator from Maryland.
A Plan to Save Our Free Press
By Benjamin L. Cardin
Friday, April 3, 2009
The newspaper industry is turning upside down. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Rocky Mountain News, the Baltimore Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle are among the papers that have ceased daily publication or announced in recent months that they may have to stop publishing. Not long ago, Tribune Co., owner of the Baltimore Sun, filed for bankruptcy.
None of this bodes well for our democracy. Our country depends on an open and free press to monitor what happens in our communities so that Americans can make sound judgments about their lives and leaders. Thomas Jefferson, a man who was frequently vilified by newspapers, summed it up best when he said: "If I had to choose between government without newspapers, and newspapers without government, I wouldn't hesitate to choose the latter."
Like Jefferson, I believe that a well-informed public is the core of our democracy. How can we forget the role newspapers played in uncovering the Watergate and Enron scandals or the AIG bonus debacle? News stories, reported by journalists, often bring to public attention decisions and actions that affect all of us. While the world has increasingly fast access to news, one fact remains unchanged: When it comes to original, in-depth reporting that records and exposes actions, issues and opportunities in our communities, nothing has replaced newspapers. Most, if not all, sources of journalistic information, from Google to broadcast news or punditry, gain their original material from the laborious and expensive work of experienced newspaper reporters diligently working their beats over the course of years. Not hours, years.
The Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism reports that a typical metropolitan paper runs 70 stories a day, counting the national, local and business sections. In contrast, a half-hour of television news includes only 10 to 12 stories. Research shows that broadcast news follows the agenda set by newspapers, often repeating the same items with less detail. And newspaper reporters forge relationships with people; they build a network, which creates avenues to information.
But America is losing its newspaper industry. While the economy has caused an immediate problem, the business model for newspapers, based on circulation and advertising revenue, is broken. That decline is a harbinger of tragedy for communities nationwide and for our democracy.
This is why I introduced the Newspaper Revitalization Act to help our disappearing community and metropolitan papers by allowing them to become nonprofit organizations. My goal is to save local coverage by reporters who know their communities, work their beats and dig up the stories that are important to our daily lives. Today, newspapers do that job; all other outlets -- TV, radio, blogs -- feed off that base. My bill would allow newspapers -- if they choose -- to operate under 501(c)(3) status for educational purposes, similar to public broadcasters.
Under this arrangement, newspapers would not be allowed to make political endorsements but would be permitted to freely report on all issues, including political campaigns. They would be able to editorialize and take positions on issues affecting their communities. Advertising and subscription revenue would be tax-exempt, and contributions to support coverage or operations could be tax-deductible.
The measure is targeted at local newspapers serving communities, not large newspaper conglomerates. There is little chance these conglomerates would find such an arrangement appealing because they depend on a revenue stream to remain operational. I want to make clear that this proposal would involve no infusion of federal taxpayer money. In fact, because newspaper profits have fallen in recent years, no substantial loss of federal revenue is expected.
Under current IRS regulations, a nonprofit entity must operate in a manner in which distribution is accomplished in a way distinguishable from ordinary commercial publishing practices. My legislation would create a category under the Internal Revenue Code for a "qualified newspaper corporation."
Converting to nonprofit status may not be the optimal choice for some newspapers -- particularly those that rely on a significant revenue stream -- but this legislation would provide an alternative business model that could help many newspapers keep operating. I am confident that citizens or foundations in communities across the nation would be willing to step in and preserve their local papers. Newspapers provide a vital service. It is in the interest of our nation and good governance that we ensure their survival.
The writer is a Democratic senator from Maryland.
New Magazine for College Students to Launch
From DM News:
New magazine aimed at college students to launch in CA
Lauren Bell
University Link Magazine (ULM), a new monthly catering to college students, is slated to launch in Southern California April 10.
The 12,000-circulation magazine will be first distributed only to subscribers at schools in Southern California, although its publisher, University Link Inc., has plans to expand to another major market within two years, with the goal of eventually reaching 10 US markets. Students in colleges native to each market will be in charge of writing and guest-editing each edition.
“During these changing times, young Americans have increasingly shown their presence, and as they begin to discover themselves, we find it important to allow their ideas to be displayed,” wrote Ali Salomi, co-publisher of ULM, in an e-mail to DMNews. “Furthermore, we also noticed that college students are a strong demographic group in which they remain a huge target audience of many companies.
"By launching this magazine, which is strictly for college students, we found a way to bring these two factors together. A magazine that is strictly devoted to college students, while providing companies and mom-and-pop shops a platform to advertise strictly to college students.”
Subscriptions, which can be ordered online or through a phone hotline, were free during a trial period, but are now going for $20 for an annual 10 issues. ULM's subscription push, which started in January, included online marketing, in-person campus visits and viral marketing. The magazine also is leveraging organic search techniques and is depending on a PR boost from school newspapers. The goal is to reach 50,000 subscribers by the fourth quarter of 2010, Salomi said.
Blogs and video blogs are planned for the site. When ULM's college guest editor program launches in September, student guest editors will be tasked with creating blogs and video blogs of their experiences.
New magazine aimed at college students to launch in CA
Lauren Bell
University Link Magazine (ULM), a new monthly catering to college students, is slated to launch in Southern California April 10.
The 12,000-circulation magazine will be first distributed only to subscribers at schools in Southern California, although its publisher, University Link Inc., has plans to expand to another major market within two years, with the goal of eventually reaching 10 US markets. Students in colleges native to each market will be in charge of writing and guest-editing each edition.
“During these changing times, young Americans have increasingly shown their presence, and as they begin to discover themselves, we find it important to allow their ideas to be displayed,” wrote Ali Salomi, co-publisher of ULM, in an e-mail to DMNews. “Furthermore, we also noticed that college students are a strong demographic group in which they remain a huge target audience of many companies.
"By launching this magazine, which is strictly for college students, we found a way to bring these two factors together. A magazine that is strictly devoted to college students, while providing companies and mom-and-pop shops a platform to advertise strictly to college students.”
Subscriptions, which can be ordered online or through a phone hotline, were free during a trial period, but are now going for $20 for an annual 10 issues. ULM's subscription push, which started in January, included online marketing, in-person campus visits and viral marketing. The magazine also is leveraging organic search techniques and is depending on a PR boost from school newspapers. The goal is to reach 50,000 subscribers by the fourth quarter of 2010, Salomi said.
Blogs and video blogs are planned for the site. When ULM's college guest editor program launches in September, student guest editors will be tasked with creating blogs and video blogs of their experiences.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Class Discussion Guide for April 13
Here is a discussion guide Deb Sprong has created for our class on Monday, April 13. Please print this off and, having read the story (on the portal), come prepared to discuss these questions.
Literary Journalism
Thoughts for discussion
In Rosa Lee’s Story
1. As you read the story, imagine you are Leon Dash. What traditional techniques do you think he used to gather information for the story?
2. How does Dash make the characters in his series come alive?
3. What literary techniques does Dash use in telling Rosa Lee’s story? Give examples.
4. Does Dash cross the line between journalist and storyteller? If so, when? What impact does this have on his work as a journalist?
In general
1. How do you see the relationship between literature and journalism?
2. What dangers might a journalist run into with a more creative approach?
3. How much freedom should a journalist have in crafting his work?
4. How might literary journalism appeal to readers when traditional reporting does not?
Literary Journalism
Thoughts for discussion
In Rosa Lee’s Story
1. As you read the story, imagine you are Leon Dash. What traditional techniques do you think he used to gather information for the story?
2. How does Dash make the characters in his series come alive?
3. What literary techniques does Dash use in telling Rosa Lee’s story? Give examples.
4. Does Dash cross the line between journalist and storyteller? If so, when? What impact does this have on his work as a journalist?
In general
1. How do you see the relationship between literature and journalism?
2. What dangers might a journalist run into with a more creative approach?
3. How much freedom should a journalist have in crafting his work?
4. How might literary journalism appeal to readers when traditional reporting does not?
Denominational Papers Must Adjust, Also
Baptist newspapers adapt to changing industry
By Bob Allen
Wednesday, 01 April 2009
DALLAS (ABP) -- Hard times have fallen on the newspaper industry, and the Baptist journalism world isn't being spared.
Recently the Utah-Idaho Southern Baptist Convention sent out a letter announcing it is ceasing publication of the Utah-Idaho Southern Baptist Witness, a tabloid-sized paper with about 1,300 subscribers. It was published 10 times a year.
In the letter, quoted by the Deseret News, convention Executive Director Rob Lee said after several attempts to increase circulation and make the newspaper financially viable, Utah-Idaho Baptist leaders are seeking "alternative ways" to communicate with churches.
That puts the tiny paper in company of historic and respected newspapers such as the Christian Science Monitor, whose printing presses fell silent March 27. The Boston-based Monitor, winner of seven Pulitzer Prizes, announced plans in October to eliminate its print edition, ending a 100-year run as a daily newspaper and making it the first national newspaper in the United States to move exclusively to a web-based operation.
The Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism says newspapers' advertising revenues have fallen 23 percent in the last two years. Nearly one in every five journalists working for newspapers in 2001 are now unemployed or working in different industries and media -- and 2009 may be the worst year yet for newspapers and the people they employ.
At the same time, audience migration to the Internet is accelerating. One survey found the number of Americans who go online for news increased 19 percent in the last two years, and traffic to the top 50 news sites rose 27 percent in 2008 alone.
The Pew report doesn't subscribe to the theory that death of the industry is imminent -- overall it remained profitable in 2008 -- but says the old model of relying on advertising revenue to finance journalism is no longer adequate. Experts believe the recent economic downturn has made even shorter the time left for newspapers to solve the industry's problems.
The recession is already starting to kill off some financially vulnerable papers.
The Denver-based Rocky Mountain News stopped its presses Feb. 27, just short of what would have been the 150th anniversary of one of the oldest newspapers in the American West. Losing $14 million a year, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer followed suit March 17, going online-only after 146 years in print. Denver and Seattle joined the ever-growing ranks of American cities with only one daily newspaper.
For 42 Baptist newspapers historically connected with state conventions affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, these market forces come on top of a number of challenges that have faced them in recent years. The obstacles include audience polarization brought on by decades of denominational controversy, rising costs for printing, ever-increasing postage rates and changing congregational priorities.
For years Southern Baptist churches have, on average, been giving decreasing percentages of their budgets to state and national denominational bodies. That's a double whammy for newspapers that rely on subscriptions in addition to convention subsidies.
Historically, local Baptist congregations typically bought bulk subscriptions to Baptist state newspapers for their members, including them as line items in church budgets. That often means that, when a Baptist newspaper loses a subscriber, the paper has actually lost dozens or hundreds of paid subscriptions.
In their heyday, editors of the Baptist state newspapers envisioned a goal of having a Baptist paper in every Baptist household. From a zenith of 1.8 million subscribing households in 1977, their combined circulation has declined ever since -- dropping, in 2007, below 1 million for the first time since 1953.
The trend has prompted recent innovations.
BaptistLIFE, the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware newspaper that has been around under various names for more than 150 years, began 2009 as a hybrid online-and-print publication. While the paper will continue to publish 11 issues a year, only five will be printed and mailed.
Issues scheduled in March, May, July, September and November will be Web-only. Subscribers receive an e-mail notice when the issue goes online, with excerpts and links to full articles. E-mail will also be used for breaking news and extra features.
The Baptist Standard, the news journal of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, has been publishing since 1892. They recently launched E3, a digital-replica edition published along with the print newspaper. The name stands for "Enhanced Electronic Edition."
Technology allows readers to leaf through facsimiles of the print pages online in a fashion similar to how newspapers and magazines have been read for centuries. But the new edition also allows for readers to experience enhanced content, such as interactive Web and e-mail links, video, audio and photo slide shows.
(The Baptist Standard is part of New Voice Media, a publishing and content-sharing partnership that includes Associated Baptist Press and three historic state Baptist papers.)
Digital publishing, Standard leaders point out, offers advantages such as the speed of electronic delivery and environmental friendliness, conserving paper that otherwise usually ends up in landfills.
It also saves the costs of printing and mailing the paper versions of the newspapers replaced by the electronic issues. As an introductory offer, the Standard is charging $8 a year for its E3 edition -- a third the cost of an individual print subscription and just over half the church bulk-subscription rate of $15 per household.
Brad Russell, the Standard's marketing director, said the newspaper will continue delivering print editions as long as readers support them, but that E3 "provides an economic model that is sustainable in the face of a perfect storm of skyrocketing print production and mailing costs, a 'free' Internet news culture, and the migration from print to digital media by younger readers."
Editor Marv Knox said the newspaper staff has received "positive response" in the three months since launching E3. "Readers tell us they like the idea of an electronic publication that actually looks like a newspaper," Knox said. And the enhancements "add depth and quality far beyond what anyone can offer in a printed publication."
-30-
Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.
By Bob Allen
Wednesday, 01 April 2009
DALLAS (ABP) -- Hard times have fallen on the newspaper industry, and the Baptist journalism world isn't being spared.
Recently the Utah-Idaho Southern Baptist Convention sent out a letter announcing it is ceasing publication of the Utah-Idaho Southern Baptist Witness, a tabloid-sized paper with about 1,300 subscribers. It was published 10 times a year.
In the letter, quoted by the Deseret News, convention Executive Director Rob Lee said after several attempts to increase circulation and make the newspaper financially viable, Utah-Idaho Baptist leaders are seeking "alternative ways" to communicate with churches.
That puts the tiny paper in company of historic and respected newspapers such as the Christian Science Monitor, whose printing presses fell silent March 27. The Boston-based Monitor, winner of seven Pulitzer Prizes, announced plans in October to eliminate its print edition, ending a 100-year run as a daily newspaper and making it the first national newspaper in the United States to move exclusively to a web-based operation.
The Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism says newspapers' advertising revenues have fallen 23 percent in the last two years. Nearly one in every five journalists working for newspapers in 2001 are now unemployed or working in different industries and media -- and 2009 may be the worst year yet for newspapers and the people they employ.
At the same time, audience migration to the Internet is accelerating. One survey found the number of Americans who go online for news increased 19 percent in the last two years, and traffic to the top 50 news sites rose 27 percent in 2008 alone.
The Pew report doesn't subscribe to the theory that death of the industry is imminent -- overall it remained profitable in 2008 -- but says the old model of relying on advertising revenue to finance journalism is no longer adequate. Experts believe the recent economic downturn has made even shorter the time left for newspapers to solve the industry's problems.
The recession is already starting to kill off some financially vulnerable papers.
The Denver-based Rocky Mountain News stopped its presses Feb. 27, just short of what would have been the 150th anniversary of one of the oldest newspapers in the American West. Losing $14 million a year, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer followed suit March 17, going online-only after 146 years in print. Denver and Seattle joined the ever-growing ranks of American cities with only one daily newspaper.
For 42 Baptist newspapers historically connected with state conventions affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, these market forces come on top of a number of challenges that have faced them in recent years. The obstacles include audience polarization brought on by decades of denominational controversy, rising costs for printing, ever-increasing postage rates and changing congregational priorities.
For years Southern Baptist churches have, on average, been giving decreasing percentages of their budgets to state and national denominational bodies. That's a double whammy for newspapers that rely on subscriptions in addition to convention subsidies.
Historically, local Baptist congregations typically bought bulk subscriptions to Baptist state newspapers for their members, including them as line items in church budgets. That often means that, when a Baptist newspaper loses a subscriber, the paper has actually lost dozens or hundreds of paid subscriptions.
In their heyday, editors of the Baptist state newspapers envisioned a goal of having a Baptist paper in every Baptist household. From a zenith of 1.8 million subscribing households in 1977, their combined circulation has declined ever since -- dropping, in 2007, below 1 million for the first time since 1953.
The trend has prompted recent innovations.
BaptistLIFE, the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware newspaper that has been around under various names for more than 150 years, began 2009 as a hybrid online-and-print publication. While the paper will continue to publish 11 issues a year, only five will be printed and mailed.
Issues scheduled in March, May, July, September and November will be Web-only. Subscribers receive an e-mail notice when the issue goes online, with excerpts and links to full articles. E-mail will also be used for breaking news and extra features.
The Baptist Standard, the news journal of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, has been publishing since 1892. They recently launched E3, a digital-replica edition published along with the print newspaper. The name stands for "Enhanced Electronic Edition."
Technology allows readers to leaf through facsimiles of the print pages online in a fashion similar to how newspapers and magazines have been read for centuries. But the new edition also allows for readers to experience enhanced content, such as interactive Web and e-mail links, video, audio and photo slide shows.
(The Baptist Standard is part of New Voice Media, a publishing and content-sharing partnership that includes Associated Baptist Press and three historic state Baptist papers.)
Digital publishing, Standard leaders point out, offers advantages such as the speed of electronic delivery and environmental friendliness, conserving paper that otherwise usually ends up in landfills.
It also saves the costs of printing and mailing the paper versions of the newspapers replaced by the electronic issues. As an introductory offer, the Standard is charging $8 a year for its E3 edition -- a third the cost of an individual print subscription and just over half the church bulk-subscription rate of $15 per household.
Brad Russell, the Standard's marketing director, said the newspaper will continue delivering print editions as long as readers support them, but that E3 "provides an economic model that is sustainable in the face of a perfect storm of skyrocketing print production and mailing costs, a 'free' Internet news culture, and the migration from print to digital media by younger readers."
Editor Marv Knox said the newspaper staff has received "positive response" in the three months since launching E3. "Readers tell us they like the idea of an electronic publication that actually looks like a newspaper," Knox said. And the enhancements "add depth and quality far beyond what anyone can offer in a printed publication."
-30-
Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.
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