Most Often Misspelled English Word
Here's a fun game for all you word geeks: What is the most frequently misspelled word?(And, no, it's not "misspelled," although that would be funny if it were.)
It's "supersede."
That's the word from Collins Dictionaries of Britain, which admittedly has made this pronouncement based only on an estimation. Still, the company says "supersede" is misspelled one out of every 10 times it is used because many other words with phonetically similar endings, such as "intercede" and "precede," are spelled with the letter "c" instead of "s," reports The Daily Telegraph.
Using a software program that analyzed thousands of documents on the Internet, including published books, blogs and news articles, the Collins Dictionaries researchers were able to identify "supersede" as the most misspelled word.
Runners-up are:
* conscience
* indict
* foreign
* mortgage
* phlegm
These are challenging to writers since the spelling of each is different from their phonetic pronunciations.
"The real spelling problems occur when people have (learned) the rules or have a bit of knowledge, but then make mistakes in how they apply this," Ian Brookes, the managing editor of dictionaries at Collins, told the Telegraph.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Does This Open Up Article Ideas?
Can you see any spinoff freelance opportunities in this announcement?
Bill Sunday collection gets new home
January 29th, 2010Stacey Page
Grace College and Theological Seminary announced Thursday that the Billy Sunday Visitor’s Center collection will move to a new home in the Reneker Museum of Winona History, located in Westminster Hall of Grace College.
The building that previously housed the visitor’s center will be occupied by The Remnant Trust, a public educational foundation that archives and preserves rare historical documents. This priceless collection of antiquities is loaned to colleges, universities, and other institutions for display and research by students, faculty, scholars, and the general public.
These archives include significant works, including some of the first copies of the Magna Carta, early printings of the United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, and one of only two existing copies of the ancient Book of Enoch. The Remnant Trust collections will be on public display at select times at Grace and will tour other universities around the country.
Dr. Ron Manahan, president of Grace College and Theological Seminary, said, “We’re thrilled to welcome The Remnant Trust to our community. This organization continues to protect original and first-edition historical documents while making them accessible for research and review. Grace is also proud to continue honoring Billy Sunday’s memory by giving the visitor’s center collection a new home within the Reneker Museum, one that will allow the museum to provide a more complete picture of Winona history.”
Dr. Dane A. Miller, founder and board member of Biomet Inc., serves on the board of directors for The Remnant Trust and echoed Dr. Manahan’s comments. “I am delighted to bring our archives to Winona Lake and look forward to making a significant contribution to the community and the college with our presence.”
Grace expects to reopen the Billy Sunday exhibit by May 2010, and will also continue to provide scheduled tours of the nearby Billy Sunday home, which is still furnished exactly as Sunday’s widow, Helen “Ma” Sunday, left it.
The Remnant Trust plans to complete its move to Winona Lake by September
Bill Sunday collection gets new home
January 29th, 2010Stacey Page
Grace College and Theological Seminary announced Thursday that the Billy Sunday Visitor’s Center collection will move to a new home in the Reneker Museum of Winona History, located in Westminster Hall of Grace College.
The building that previously housed the visitor’s center will be occupied by The Remnant Trust, a public educational foundation that archives and preserves rare historical documents. This priceless collection of antiquities is loaned to colleges, universities, and other institutions for display and research by students, faculty, scholars, and the general public.
These archives include significant works, including some of the first copies of the Magna Carta, early printings of the United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, and one of only two existing copies of the ancient Book of Enoch. The Remnant Trust collections will be on public display at select times at Grace and will tour other universities around the country.
Dr. Ron Manahan, president of Grace College and Theological Seminary, said, “We’re thrilled to welcome The Remnant Trust to our community. This organization continues to protect original and first-edition historical documents while making them accessible for research and review. Grace is also proud to continue honoring Billy Sunday’s memory by giving the visitor’s center collection a new home within the Reneker Museum, one that will allow the museum to provide a more complete picture of Winona history.”
Dr. Dane A. Miller, founder and board member of Biomet Inc., serves on the board of directors for The Remnant Trust and echoed Dr. Manahan’s comments. “I am delighted to bring our archives to Winona Lake and look forward to making a significant contribution to the community and the college with our presence.”
Grace expects to reopen the Billy Sunday exhibit by May 2010, and will also continue to provide scheduled tours of the nearby Billy Sunday home, which is still furnished exactly as Sunday’s widow, Helen “Ma” Sunday, left it.
The Remnant Trust plans to complete its move to Winona Lake by September
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Sheckler on NewswithStaceyPage.com
From Newswithstaceypage.com:
Grace student serves as 2010 Senate Majority intern
Grace College and Theological Seminary junior Christian Sheckler has been chosen to serve as a 2010 Senate majority intern in the Indiana General Assembly.
As an intern, Sheckler’s responsibilities include working with full-time press secretaries to create press releases, e-newsletters, radio feeds, videos, and podcasts. He also staffs Senate committee hearings, streaming them live on the Web.
Sheckler, originally from Goshen, is pursuing a double major in journalism and communications and was chosen as an intern following submission of a transcript, writing sample, essay, and personal references. He is a regular contributor to the Sounding Board, Grace’s student newspaper, and is also active in intramural sports.
“My responsibilities at the Senate have [given] me a unique, behind-the-scenes look at state government,” said Sheckler. “Plus, I’ve been able to see the media from a public relations viewpoint, which I think has made me a fairer, more balanced journalist.”
As an intern, Sheckler works alongside students from Purdue, Ball State, Butler, and Indiana Universities.
Following his graduation from Grace, Sheckler plans to pursue a career covering state politics and government for an Indiana newspaper.
Grace student serves as 2010 Senate Majority intern
Grace College and Theological Seminary junior Christian Sheckler has been chosen to serve as a 2010 Senate majority intern in the Indiana General Assembly.
As an intern, Sheckler’s responsibilities include working with full-time press secretaries to create press releases, e-newsletters, radio feeds, videos, and podcasts. He also staffs Senate committee hearings, streaming them live on the Web.
Sheckler, originally from Goshen, is pursuing a double major in journalism and communications and was chosen as an intern following submission of a transcript, writing sample, essay, and personal references. He is a regular contributor to the Sounding Board, Grace’s student newspaper, and is also active in intramural sports.
“My responsibilities at the Senate have [given] me a unique, behind-the-scenes look at state government,” said Sheckler. “Plus, I’ve been able to see the media from a public relations viewpoint, which I think has made me a fairer, more balanced journalist.”
As an intern, Sheckler works alongside students from Purdue, Ball State, Butler, and Indiana Universities.
Following his graduation from Grace, Sheckler plans to pursue a career covering state politics and government for an Indiana newspaper.
Author J. D. Salinger Dead at 91
(CNN) -- J.D. Salinger, author of "The Catcher in the Rye" and other books, has died, according to his literary agent, Phyllis Westberg.
The author died Wednesday at age 91 of natural causes at his home in New Hampshire, according to a family statement that Westberg provided Thursday.
"Despite having broken his hip in May, his health had been excellent until a rather sudden decline after the new year," the statement said. "He was not in any pain before or at the time of his death."
Salinger has long been known for his reclusiveness, and "in keeping with his life long, uncompromising desire to protect and defend his privacy there will be no service," the statement said.
"The family asks that people's respect for him, his work, and his privacy be extended to them, individually and collectively, during this time."
The author has written other novels and stories, but "The Catcher in the Rye" is considered one of the great American novels of the 20th century, a classic about a cynical and alienated young man named Holden Caulfield.
"Salinger had remarked that he was in this world but not of it. His body is gone but the family hopes that he is still with those he loves, whether they are religious or historical figures, personal friends or fictional characters," the statement said.
"He will be missed by the few he was close to every bit as much as by the readers who loved reading him."
And the Song Goes On
As you know, I'm fond of stressing the stewardship aspect of writing. What you write, I often say, can continue to minister over long periods of time and over great distances, FAR beyond what you can do with a personal or speaking ministry.
This morning I received the following message from a pastor, referencing a chapter in a book which I wrote back in the early 1990s. Hope this is an encouragement to you--what you write WILL continue to minister over time and over distance. I look forward to your getting notes like this a long time in the future!
A few months ago Alice found a book in the local Thrift Store called "Helping a Neighbor in Crisis." I've used it a couple of times and benefited from its counsel. Today I went to the article "Imprisonment of a Family Member" and was pleasantly surprised to discover that YOU are the author!
Why did I go to this article? The local pastors found out yesterday that a halfway house is opening soon here in Flora. There is a duplex very near the center of town that is being converted to hold eight female offenders. It hasn't been publicized at all, which is probably just as well because the residents of this town will pitch a hissy fit once they find out.
I'm looking at it as a possible ministry opportunity. I cannot imagine any church in Flora willing to accept these women into their churches. But after 20 yrs in the USAF and 1 1/2 yrs with the IDOC I am not afraid of them.
Thanks for ministering to me through your writings.
JimF
This morning I received the following message from a pastor, referencing a chapter in a book which I wrote back in the early 1990s. Hope this is an encouragement to you--what you write WILL continue to minister over time and over distance. I look forward to your getting notes like this a long time in the future!
A few months ago Alice found a book in the local Thrift Store called "Helping a Neighbor in Crisis." I've used it a couple of times and benefited from its counsel. Today I went to the article "Imprisonment of a Family Member" and was pleasantly surprised to discover that YOU are the author!
Why did I go to this article? The local pastors found out yesterday that a halfway house is opening soon here in Flora. There is a duplex very near the center of town that is being converted to hold eight female offenders. It hasn't been publicized at all, which is probably just as well because the residents of this town will pitch a hissy fit once they find out.
I'm looking at it as a possible ministry opportunity. I cannot imagine any church in Flora willing to accept these women into their churches. But after 20 yrs in the USAF and 1 1/2 yrs with the IDOC I am not afraid of them.
Thanks for ministering to me through your writings.
JimF
EPA Cause of the Year Opportunity
EPA'S 2010 CAUSE OF THE YEAR (OPPORTUNITY)
Adoption expert talks about American evangelicals adopting traumatized orphans from Haiti (and elsewhere overseas)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Colorado Springs, CO) -- In recent days, the horrific scenes of the devastation Haiti have captured the focus of news organizations all around the world. Our minds struggle to grasp the reality of catastrophic numbers of dead and injured. And now, another reality surfaces to the top, a reality that pierces the heart. A country already overwhelmed to care for over 380,000 orphans now faces the insurmountable task of caring for even more children orphaned by the earthquake.
The cry of the heart of these orphans comes from deep trauma and suffering.
Not just from the earthquake, but — as EPA's 2010 Cause of the Year so clearly addresses -- from abandonment, poverty, exploitation, trafficking, slavery, sexual abuse, and worse.
Thankfully, the American Church has been challenged by the cry of Haiti's orphans. Evangelical Christians are responding to this unprecedented need in phenomenal numbers.
Yet, how can parents prepare to receive these traumatized orphans into their families and hearts?
If they're not careful, they can enter into adopting with high expectations for their child and for themselves, only to be broadsided by shattered assumptions.
Providentially, there's a brand-new tool to help adoptive parents, Wounded Children, Healing Homes: How Traumatized Children Impact Adoptive and Foster Families (NavPress, January 29, 2010). Evangelical award-winning author Jayne E. Schooler, and coauthors Betsy Keefer Smalley and Dr. Timothy J. Callahan, each with more than twenty years experience in the adoption field.
In their new book, Schooler and her coauthors address the reality of expectations and offer validation and solutions for the challenges of parenting deeply traumatized and emotionally disturbed children.
Who are trauma competent parents? They are parents who know that the life events their child survived changed him at the core of who he is. They are parents who recognize that children who live through layers of trauma see the world differently then children without such life altering challenges.
They may feel differently, they may behave differently; they may experience the closeness of family far differently than other children.
Trauma competent parents also know that their child's story will have an impact on them as they repeatedly listen to, hear, and feel the child's story.
In the word, trauma competent parents are parents who have hope.
What can adoptive parents do to equip themselves for their adoptive journey and infuse their hearts with hope?
* Reality-based training that leads to experiential understanding prior to the arrival of their child.
* Post-adoption support, resources, and training, designed to help parents with unfolding needs.
* Connections with experienced adoptive parents who can act as mentors and coaches.
* Connections with safe people who understand the unique challenges of parenting wounded, traumatized children.
To request (1) a review copy of the book Wounded Children, Healing Homes,
(2) an article, or (3) an interview with international adoption educator and author Jayne Schooler -- please contact
Kris Wallen
Director of Author and Public Relations
kris.wallen@navpress.com
719-531-3588
Since its founding in 1975, NavPress has become known as a trusted ministry leader in discipleship and leadership development. The Navigators, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is an interdenominational, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people navigate spiritually.
###
Adoption expert talks about American evangelicals adopting traumatized orphans from Haiti (and elsewhere overseas)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Colorado Springs, CO) -- In recent days, the horrific scenes of the devastation Haiti have captured the focus of news organizations all around the world. Our minds struggle to grasp the reality of catastrophic numbers of dead and injured. And now, another reality surfaces to the top, a reality that pierces the heart. A country already overwhelmed to care for over 380,000 orphans now faces the insurmountable task of caring for even more children orphaned by the earthquake.
The cry of the heart of these orphans comes from deep trauma and suffering.
Not just from the earthquake, but — as EPA's 2010 Cause of the Year so clearly addresses -- from abandonment, poverty, exploitation, trafficking, slavery, sexual abuse, and worse.
Thankfully, the American Church has been challenged by the cry of Haiti's orphans. Evangelical Christians are responding to this unprecedented need in phenomenal numbers.
Yet, how can parents prepare to receive these traumatized orphans into their families and hearts?
If they're not careful, they can enter into adopting with high expectations for their child and for themselves, only to be broadsided by shattered assumptions.
Providentially, there's a brand-new tool to help adoptive parents, Wounded Children, Healing Homes: How Traumatized Children Impact Adoptive and Foster Families (NavPress, January 29, 2010). Evangelical award-winning author Jayne E. Schooler, and coauthors Betsy Keefer Smalley and Dr. Timothy J. Callahan, each with more than twenty years experience in the adoption field.
In their new book, Schooler and her coauthors address the reality of expectations and offer validation and solutions for the challenges of parenting deeply traumatized and emotionally disturbed children.
Who are trauma competent parents? They are parents who know that the life events their child survived changed him at the core of who he is. They are parents who recognize that children who live through layers of trauma see the world differently then children without such life altering challenges.
They may feel differently, they may behave differently; they may experience the closeness of family far differently than other children.
Trauma competent parents also know that their child's story will have an impact on them as they repeatedly listen to, hear, and feel the child's story.
In the word, trauma competent parents are parents who have hope.
What can adoptive parents do to equip themselves for their adoptive journey and infuse their hearts with hope?
* Reality-based training that leads to experiential understanding prior to the arrival of their child.
* Post-adoption support, resources, and training, designed to help parents with unfolding needs.
* Connections with experienced adoptive parents who can act as mentors and coaches.
* Connections with safe people who understand the unique challenges of parenting wounded, traumatized children.
To request (1) a review copy of the book Wounded Children, Healing Homes,
(2) an article, or (3) an interview with international adoption educator and author Jayne Schooler -- please contact
Kris Wallen
Director of Author and Public Relations
kris.wallen@navpress.com
719-531-3588
Since its founding in 1975, NavPress has become known as a trusted ministry leader in discipleship and leadership development. The Navigators, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is an interdenominational, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people navigate spiritually.
###
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Cause of the Year Seeking Articles
Reminder to all magazine writers:
2010 Cause of the Year
"Human Trafficking" has been selected as the Evangelical Press Association's "Cause of the Year" for 2010. EPA will present a special "Higher Goals" award for the best article on that general theme published during the 2010 calendar year.
Read more: 2010 Cause of the Year
The EPA has chosen human trafficking as its cause-of-the-year for 2010, and therefore most of the 300 EPA publications will be looking for good material in this area. Could be ripe pickings for a good freelancer who has an interest and is willing to do some work in this area! See more at www.epassoc.org.
2010 Cause of the Year
"Human Trafficking" has been selected as the Evangelical Press Association's "Cause of the Year" for 2010. EPA will present a special "Higher Goals" award for the best article on that general theme published during the 2010 calendar year.
Read more: 2010 Cause of the Year
The EPA has chosen human trafficking as its cause-of-the-year for 2010, and therefore most of the 300 EPA publications will be looking for good material in this area. Could be ripe pickings for a good freelancer who has an interest and is willing to do some work in this area! See more at www.epassoc.org.
Briscoe Magazine Now Both Print and Web
'Just Between Us' launches Web site, but remains committed to print Just Between Us, a Christian women's magazine edited by Jill Briscoe, recently launched its new Web site, but a letter to supporters from Briscoe said the ministry remains committed to print.
"We don't want to forget about the magazine -- which continues to be used in mighty ways as ministry leaders around the world desire to use the content by translating it into their native languages so it can be distributed to women who would otherwise go without spiritual encouragement," Briscoe wrote.
"Along with the economy, the publishing industry has been hit extremely hard," she continued. "Sadly, several big Christian magazines have closed their doors this past year, and we are one of the few left for Christian women.
"Even though we are feeling the effects, we continue to hear from women all over who want a printed magazine -- women who cannot get all of their encouragement from a web-only magazine. And the magazine has a unique reach and purpose all its own. Many, especially missionaries, tell us this magazine in its printed form is their lifeline."
CTI Forms Editorial Advisory Board
Christianity Today International's Church Management Division Forms Distinguished Editorial Advisory Board
Christianity Today International's church management division, which publishes YOUR CHURCH magazine, the CHURCH LAW & TAX REPORT and CHURCH FINANCE TODAY newsletters, plus resources, such as the annual CHURCH & CLERGY TAX GUIDE and ChurchSafety.co m, recently formed an Editorial Advisory Board. CTI invited well-known and well-respected members from church legal and financial circles to the board to bring an authoritative and qualified discerning eye to its work.
The 14 advisors will regularly contribute to the church management division's publications, websites, and resources, and also will regularly provide ideas, thoughts, and feedback, shaping the articles, videos, books, blog posts, and other resources that guide church leaders on important legal, financial, safety, and administrative decisions.
Noted church and business leaders who will lend their expertise include:
CPA Michael E. Batts, president and managing shareholder of Batts, Morrison, Wales & Lee, P.A., Orlando, Florida;
Attorney Ann J. Buwalda, executive director of Jubilee Campaign USA and owner of Just Law International PC, Fairfax, Virginia;
CPA Gregg Capin, partner of Capin Crouse, LLP, Atlanta, Georgia;
Attorney George Gatgounis, lead counsel of Gatgounis Law and Consulting Firm, LLC, North Charleston, South Carolina;
CPA James Guinn, founding shareholder of Guinn, Smith & Company, Irving, Texas;
CPA Gene Hill, former senior appeals officer with the Internal Revenue Service;
Attorney David Middlebrook, of Anthony & Middlebrook, P.C., Dallas, Texas;
Attorney Midgett Parker, partner of Linowes and Blocher, LLP, Annapolis, Maryland;
Judge Enoch Perry, general counsel of Church of God in Christ, Inc., Mitchellville, Maryland;
Attorney Ken Sande, president of Peacemaker Ministries, Billings, MT;
CPA Elaine Sommerville, of Sommerville & Associates, P.C, Arlington, TX;
Attorney and CPA Frank Sommerville, shareholder of Weycer, Kaplan, Pulaski & Zuber, P.C., Houston and Dallas, Texas;
Richard Vargo, MBA, PH.D., professor of Accounting at Eberhardt School of Business at the University of the Pacific, Stockton, California;
CPA Vonna Laue, partner of Capin Crouse, LLP, Los Angeles, California.
"The decision of these individuals to join this board reinforces the quality, integrity, and usefulness of the publications and resources provided by Christianity Today International for many years," said Matt Branaugh, director of editorial for CTI's church management division. "Their presence on the board also reinforces this division's ongoing commitment to helping church leaders keep their ministries safe, legal, and financially sound."
Noted church law expert Richard Hammar, senior editor of CHURCH LAW & TAX REPORT and CHURCH FINANCE TODAY, concurs. "No one else could even come close in assembling an editorial team of the stature, experience, expertise, and notoriety that Christianity Today International has assembled," he said.
Christianity Today International is a not-for-profit Christian media ministry founded by Billy Graham in 1956, with 9 publications and an award- winning website reaching more than 2.5-million unique visitors monthly.
Christianity Today International's church management division, which publishes YOUR CHURCH magazine, the CHURCH LAW & TAX REPORT and CHURCH FINANCE TODAY newsletters, plus resources, such as the annual CHURCH & CLERGY TAX GUIDE and ChurchSafety.co m, recently formed an Editorial Advisory Board. CTI invited well-known and well-respected members from church legal and financial circles to the board to bring an authoritative and qualified discerning eye to its work.
The 14 advisors will regularly contribute to the church management division's publications, websites, and resources, and also will regularly provide ideas, thoughts, and feedback, shaping the articles, videos, books, blog posts, and other resources that guide church leaders on important legal, financial, safety, and administrative decisions.
Noted church and business leaders who will lend their expertise include:
CPA Michael E. Batts, president and managing shareholder of Batts, Morrison, Wales & Lee, P.A., Orlando, Florida;
Attorney Ann J. Buwalda, executive director of Jubilee Campaign USA and owner of Just Law International PC, Fairfax, Virginia;
CPA Gregg Capin, partner of Capin Crouse, LLP, Atlanta, Georgia;
Attorney George Gatgounis, lead counsel of Gatgounis Law and Consulting Firm, LLC, North Charleston, South Carolina;
CPA James Guinn, founding shareholder of Guinn, Smith & Company, Irving, Texas;
CPA Gene Hill, former senior appeals officer with the Internal Revenue Service;
Attorney David Middlebrook, of Anthony & Middlebrook, P.C., Dallas, Texas;
Attorney Midgett Parker, partner of Linowes and Blocher, LLP, Annapolis, Maryland;
Judge Enoch Perry, general counsel of Church of God in Christ, Inc., Mitchellville, Maryland;
Attorney Ken Sande, president of Peacemaker Ministries, Billings, MT;
CPA Elaine Sommerville, of Sommerville & Associates, P.C, Arlington, TX;
Attorney and CPA Frank Sommerville, shareholder of Weycer, Kaplan, Pulaski & Zuber, P.C., Houston and Dallas, Texas;
Richard Vargo, MBA, PH.D., professor of Accounting at Eberhardt School of Business at the University of the Pacific, Stockton, California;
CPA Vonna Laue, partner of Capin Crouse, LLP, Los Angeles, California.
"The decision of these individuals to join this board reinforces the quality, integrity, and usefulness of the publications and resources provided by Christianity Today International for many years," said Matt Branaugh, director of editorial for CTI's church management division. "Their presence on the board also reinforces this division's ongoing commitment to helping church leaders keep their ministries safe, legal, and financially sound."
Noted church law expert Richard Hammar, senior editor of CHURCH LAW & TAX REPORT and CHURCH FINANCE TODAY, concurs. "No one else could even come close in assembling an editorial team of the stature, experience, expertise, and notoriety that Christianity Today International has assembled," he said.
Christianity Today International is a not-for-profit Christian media ministry founded by Billy Graham in 1956, with 9 publications and an award- winning website reaching more than 2.5-million unique visitors monthly.
Monday, January 25, 2010
E-Readers Approaching Tipping Point
This is an excerpt from Publishing Executive. To read the entire article, click here.
Magazines and Books on E-paper E-reader Displays 'Approaching the Tipping Point,' Says Expert
By Matt Steinmetz
Note: This article first appeared in Publishing Business Insider on Dec. 22, 2009.
A recent report issued by research and advisory firm mediaIDEAS projects sales of e-readers to grow from nearly 6 million units in 2010 to 115 million units in 2013, largely due to falling prices and rapidly advancing technology. "The E-Paper E-Reader Phenomenon" outlines the dramatic growth of these display devices over the next 10 years into a $25 billion market. Nick Hampshire, who authored the report, and his mediaIDEAS partner David Renard told Publishing Business Insider that publishers must recognize the looming shift in the way consumers read content and realize that the "e-reader threat" has arrived and actually presents publishers with a real opportunity.
In anticipation of this shift, mediaIDEAS has announced the launch of its TH(ink) E-readers 2010 Summit, with the support of the Publishing Business Conference & Expo, on Wed., March 10, 2010 at the New York Marriott Marquis Times Square. The half-day summit will offer attendees a better understanding of e-reader technology, developments and financial opportunities. Renard agreed to give Insider readers a glimpse at the upcoming event below.
INSIDER: What are the most significant takeaways from the results of your research?
NICK HAMPSHIRE: The most significant finding of our research has been the rapid future growth of the market. Since the first e-paper e-reader came onto the market in 2004, these devices, with their "green" credentials of reducing paper consumption, have already proven very popular with consumers, and the market for them is booming. By 2006, there were three types of devices available, by 2007, there were five, and currently there are over 40. This number will more than double in the next 12 months. Unit sales are also booming. In 2008, 1.1 million e-paper display-based e-readers were sold, in 2010 that number will rise to about 6 million, and by 2020 global annual e-reader sales will reach 446 million units with a value of over $25 billion.
Another significant result is that the market for e-paper e-readers will divide into four marketplaces by 2020, each with different device specifications and markets. Two of these will feature under 9-inch displays: the "roll-able/foldable" e-reader, similar to a communications device, with sales of 27 million units valued at $3.8 billion in 2020, and the "e-book" e-reader with sales of 115 million units valued at $6.5 billion in 2020. The other two will feature over 9-inch displays, and some significantly larger: first, a monochrome screen-based "paper replacement/newspaper" e-reader with sales of 24 million units valued at $1.2 billion in 2020, and subsequently the high-quality color display-based "magazine" e-reader with sales of 280 million units valued at $14 billion in 2020.
Magazines and Books on E-paper E-reader Displays 'Approaching the Tipping Point,' Says Expert
By Matt Steinmetz
Note: This article first appeared in Publishing Business Insider on Dec. 22, 2009.
A recent report issued by research and advisory firm mediaIDEAS projects sales of e-readers to grow from nearly 6 million units in 2010 to 115 million units in 2013, largely due to falling prices and rapidly advancing technology. "The E-Paper E-Reader Phenomenon" outlines the dramatic growth of these display devices over the next 10 years into a $25 billion market. Nick Hampshire, who authored the report, and his mediaIDEAS partner David Renard told Publishing Business Insider that publishers must recognize the looming shift in the way consumers read content and realize that the "e-reader threat" has arrived and actually presents publishers with a real opportunity.
In anticipation of this shift, mediaIDEAS has announced the launch of its TH(ink) E-readers 2010 Summit, with the support of the Publishing Business Conference & Expo, on Wed., March 10, 2010 at the New York Marriott Marquis Times Square. The half-day summit will offer attendees a better understanding of e-reader technology, developments and financial opportunities. Renard agreed to give Insider readers a glimpse at the upcoming event below.
INSIDER: What are the most significant takeaways from the results of your research?
NICK HAMPSHIRE: The most significant finding of our research has been the rapid future growth of the market. Since the first e-paper e-reader came onto the market in 2004, these devices, with their "green" credentials of reducing paper consumption, have already proven very popular with consumers, and the market for them is booming. By 2006, there were three types of devices available, by 2007, there were five, and currently there are over 40. This number will more than double in the next 12 months. Unit sales are also booming. In 2008, 1.1 million e-paper display-based e-readers were sold, in 2010 that number will rise to about 6 million, and by 2020 global annual e-reader sales will reach 446 million units with a value of over $25 billion.
Another significant result is that the market for e-paper e-readers will divide into four marketplaces by 2020, each with different device specifications and markets. Two of these will feature under 9-inch displays: the "roll-able/foldable" e-reader, similar to a communications device, with sales of 27 million units valued at $3.8 billion in 2020, and the "e-book" e-reader with sales of 115 million units valued at $6.5 billion in 2020. The other two will feature over 9-inch displays, and some significantly larger: first, a monochrome screen-based "paper replacement/newspaper" e-reader with sales of 24 million units valued at $1.2 billion in 2020, and subsequently the high-quality color display-based "magazine" e-reader with sales of 280 million units valued at $14 billion in 2020.
The Changing World of the Writer
Good perspective from a very experienced Christian agent and former publisher:
Changing World of the Writer
By Les Stobbe
Special to ASSIST News Service
TRYON, NC (ANS) -- Writing books, especially novels, has become a growth industry, with hundreds at each Christian writers’ conference -- and more than 500 at the annual conference of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers).
Yet what can writers do when their dream of writing a book is finally realized, only to discover that the publishing world has changed and is not interested in their book? This situation has been happening frequently to authors recently and is most disconcerting. There are, however, alternatives to books in getting out writers’ messages, if that is their purpose for writing a book.
Christian book publishing had already changed a lot before the recession began, but change has accelerated because of the financial pressures of dropping book sales and competing technologies.
What are some of the factors influencing change?
* Changing ownerships, with large general-market houses buying up Christian publishing houses to try to capitalize on the flurry of bestsellers in the Christian market. They are merely going where they think there is money to be made.
* While the advent of television did not have the expected negative effect on book reading, the availability of information and entertainment on the Internet is impacting available reading time and sources people use to get their information.
* The extraordinary growth of storage/listening devices like the i-Pod and MP3 players is also affecting reading time. Add Amazon's Kindle, Sony's electronic reader, and Apple’s new devices and you have a technological change that both reduces time available for traditional ways of reading books and satisfies the need for entertainment.
Regaining Market Share
When a market begins to slip, those participating in it have to make changes to try to regain market share. From the publishers' perspective that means taking several steps:
* Reduce risk as much as possible by refusing to take on books by authors who do not have guaranteed sales through their platforms. That means if you are known only locally or regionally, you have only a small chance of your book being published by a royalty publisher.
* Publishers are moving to print on demand, Kindle, and other opportunities to gain a foothold in the digital information market. Books that were once declared out of print are now having their shelf lives extended through these avenues.
* Authors also have access to these new technologies if all efforts to enlist a royalty publisher have failed. They are, however, a totally different world from traditional book sales and require quite a different marketing approach. Some Christian writers' conferences now have workshops on how to enter these digital markets.
Adapting to Publishing Realities
If getting out the message of what it means to be a Christian and live as a Christian is important, writers will quickly adapt to the new realities. There are two alternatives to books to do so.
* One, writers can refocus from book writing to article writing. There is still a wealth of print media available for writers who know what it takes to write and market articles. Print media editors also show up consistently at Christian writers' conferences in all parts of the country and may be approached on what they are looking for. The reality is that while book authors might reach 2,500 to 10,000 homes, with an article they can reach up to 100,000 or more homes.
* Two, writers can explore the digital world of articles on the Internet. More and more e-zines are popping up. Many of them still do not pay for articles, but they provide writing experience and exposure. Blogs are also great opportunities to get exposure as a writer.
Getting the Word Out
We live in a fast-moving, technological age in terms of information dissemination. Traditional means are shrinking. Even the newspaper is now an endangered species. But as writers who are Christians, our job is to get the Word out by whatever means we can. In reading through 1 Thessalonians in "The Message", I was. struck by the apostle Paul's admonition in 4:1, “We ask you -- urge is more like it -- that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a Jiving, spirited dance.”
That is the writer’s challenge in a publishing world that's constantly changing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Changing World of the Writer
By Les Stobbe
Special to ASSIST News Service
TRYON, NC (ANS) -- Writing books, especially novels, has become a growth industry, with hundreds at each Christian writers’ conference -- and more than 500 at the annual conference of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers).
Yet what can writers do when their dream of writing a book is finally realized, only to discover that the publishing world has changed and is not interested in their book? This situation has been happening frequently to authors recently and is most disconcerting. There are, however, alternatives to books in getting out writers’ messages, if that is their purpose for writing a book.
Christian book publishing had already changed a lot before the recession began, but change has accelerated because of the financial pressures of dropping book sales and competing technologies.
What are some of the factors influencing change?
* Changing ownerships, with large general-market houses buying up Christian publishing houses to try to capitalize on the flurry of bestsellers in the Christian market. They are merely going where they think there is money to be made.
* While the advent of television did not have the expected negative effect on book reading, the availability of information and entertainment on the Internet is impacting available reading time and sources people use to get their information.
* The extraordinary growth of storage/listening devices like the i-Pod and MP3 players is also affecting reading time. Add Amazon's Kindle, Sony's electronic reader, and Apple’s new devices and you have a technological change that both reduces time available for traditional ways of reading books and satisfies the need for entertainment.
Regaining Market Share
When a market begins to slip, those participating in it have to make changes to try to regain market share. From the publishers' perspective that means taking several steps:
* Reduce risk as much as possible by refusing to take on books by authors who do not have guaranteed sales through their platforms. That means if you are known only locally or regionally, you have only a small chance of your book being published by a royalty publisher.
* Publishers are moving to print on demand, Kindle, and other opportunities to gain a foothold in the digital information market. Books that were once declared out of print are now having their shelf lives extended through these avenues.
* Authors also have access to these new technologies if all efforts to enlist a royalty publisher have failed. They are, however, a totally different world from traditional book sales and require quite a different marketing approach. Some Christian writers' conferences now have workshops on how to enter these digital markets.
Adapting to Publishing Realities
If getting out the message of what it means to be a Christian and live as a Christian is important, writers will quickly adapt to the new realities. There are two alternatives to books to do so.
* One, writers can refocus from book writing to article writing. There is still a wealth of print media available for writers who know what it takes to write and market articles. Print media editors also show up consistently at Christian writers' conferences in all parts of the country and may be approached on what they are looking for. The reality is that while book authors might reach 2,500 to 10,000 homes, with an article they can reach up to 100,000 or more homes.
* Two, writers can explore the digital world of articles on the Internet. More and more e-zines are popping up. Many of them still do not pay for articles, but they provide writing experience and exposure. Blogs are also great opportunities to get exposure as a writer.
Getting the Word Out
We live in a fast-moving, technological age in terms of information dissemination. Traditional means are shrinking. Even the newspaper is now an endangered species. But as writers who are Christians, our job is to get the Word out by whatever means we can. In reading through 1 Thessalonians in "The Message", I was. struck by the apostle Paul's admonition in 4:1, “We ask you -- urge is more like it -- that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a Jiving, spirited dance.”
That is the writer’s challenge in a publishing world that's constantly changing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, January 22, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Another Columnist Debuts
Don't Perpetuate the Myth
Here is a great post by literary agent and publishing guru Steve Laube:There is an unsettling myth being perpetuated about the death of print books. The news of print’s demise is simply not true. It sounds a bit like Mark Twain having to write a note to a reporter saying “The report of my death was an exaggeration.”
To fully explain I need to start with the music industry. The impression is that all sales are now digital. And iTunes has killed the physical CD. This is not true.
Approximately 12 songs fit on a CD. And since individual songs can be downloaded, the only way to compare physical CD sales with download sales is to divide the number of songs downloaded by 12. That way you have a one-to-one comparison.
With that assumption in place, Apple is the #1 retailer of CDs in America. No surprise. The surprise is that they only comprise 25% of sales. Walmart is #2 at 14% and Best Buy is #3 (my guess is that Amazon.com is #4 but wasn’t mentioned in the article).
Why is that surprising? Because that means 75% of all sales are still “hard copy.” Physical CDs. It is significant that Apple’s share has increased as a percentage of all sales from 21% in 2008, up from 14% in 2007. But it still means the physical product is outselling the digital by 3 to 1. (In total dollars, across all forms of music, digital downloads comprise only 35% of all music sales.)
Turn that same conversation to the book industry. The Amazon Kindle has impact primarily because they were first and did create a pretty cool device (I bought one the week it came out in Fall 2007 and upgraded in 2008). The Barnes & Noble Nook is shipping with reports of modest success. The Sony Reader has its followers. Plastic Logic just announced their cool tablet sized reader. And everyone is wondering what Apple will announce in the near(?) future regarding their answer to the “hardware” question.
But despite this we really don’t have an “iPod” equivalent. Mike Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, wrote in 2005 that we are “one device away from a digital revolution.” In my opinion we are still waiting for that device. The iPhone is not the answer for most people. The screen is simply too small. And for someone like myself who reads rather fast it can be very annoying…
Don’t get me wrong. My head isn’t buried in the sand. That revolution is coming and some would say it is already here. But the “tipping point” has yet to occur.
Amazon had a lot of fun announcing that they sold more digital books than physical books on Christmas Day 2009. Think about it. On Christmas Day recipients of the Kindle opened their gift and downloaded stuff while playing with their new toy. But who else would be shopping on Christmas Day? No one. So while it made a fun press release it really isn’t as astounding as it first sounded.
I see the royalty statements. I know exactly how many digital versions of my client’s books are being sold. And while there are a lot more sold than there were two years ago (of course there would be) the volume is still less than 1% of the print version sold. LESS THAN ONE PERCENT.
So let’s do some math. Let’s say that e-books have 100% growth in the next year. That would mean they would comprise 2% of all sales. Then let’s say it grows by 100% again, to 4%. We have to keep doubling the number for 4 years before we get to a little less than 20% of all print sales. But that still means that 80% of all sales are still hard copy. Eighty percent.
Certainly this revolution could happen and is quite likely. The implications are huge, especially for the newspaper and magazine community. But it does not mean that print books are dead.
It is even possible that in one generation (twenty years) that the conversion will take place...at least in some form or fashion. If the e-book reader cost drops to under $100. If the device is in every home, on each family member’s nightstand. If the younger generation’s textbooks are placed into e-book format and that generation becomes used to it. A lot of “ifs.”
It is a very exciting time to be in the publishing industry. I almost get giddy when thinking about the possibilities.
If you want to read someone who will challenge every assumption you’ve ever made about “curling up” with your favorite book, get a copy of Print is Dead by Jeff Gomez. Get a group of friends together to talk about his conclusions, I guarantee a rousing discussion. If you want to learn how the music industry was ambushed by technology read Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age by Steve Knopper.
All I’m trying to say is that we need to stop buying into the myth that books are dead. It simply is not true. We are being influenced by the flood of media attention on the “new” and the “cool” and not looking past the sound bite.
It is like relatives or friends writing to say “I saw that there was a flood in Phoenix…are you okay?” Yes. It flooded…in an area with a river wash and someone tried to drive thru it and got stuck. That picture hit the national news. The media gave the impression that the entire city was under water with their breathless coverage.
So when you read that publishers are going under, and print books are dinosaurs, and all authors need to rethink everything…take a deep breath. It is different. It is a time of careful consideration. No publisher wants a repeat of what happened to the record industry. But it is not as bad as you think.
In the end I implore you not to be one who helps perpetuate the myths and misinformation.
Whalin/Stuart Conversation Available Online
Two items:
1. The Sally Stuart 2010 Christian Writer's Market Guide is now on reserve at the Morgan Library. The CD is included so if you take it out and copy material from the CD, please be sure to replace it in the sleeve before you return the guide to the reference desk.
2. Terry Whalin and Sally Stuart had an excellent online conversation this past Wednesday night, and you are welcome to listen to it free. Click on http://ow.ly/YSL7 to access it.
You will need to enter your first name, e-mail address, and a question for Sally (I just entered "Help...Prof. White is making me publish!!" and then you go to an interior page where you can either download the entire conversation with one click for ipod, or the conversation is in five segments which you can either listen to online or can download to your own hard drive.
The conversation is very current, very worthwhile, and it is by two of the most knowledgeable people in the Christian freelance world--well worth your time! Part of the time Sally is answering questions which have been submitted from listeners.
I believe this will also get you in: http://www.asksallystuart.com/replay
1. The Sally Stuart 2010 Christian Writer's Market Guide is now on reserve at the Morgan Library. The CD is included so if you take it out and copy material from the CD, please be sure to replace it in the sleeve before you return the guide to the reference desk.
2. Terry Whalin and Sally Stuart had an excellent online conversation this past Wednesday night, and you are welcome to listen to it free. Click on http://ow.ly/YSL7 to access it.
You will need to enter your first name, e-mail address, and a question for Sally (I just entered "Help...Prof. White is making me publish!!" and then you go to an interior page where you can either download the entire conversation with one click for ipod, or the conversation is in five segments which you can either listen to online or can download to your own hard drive.
The conversation is very current, very worthwhile, and it is by two of the most knowledgeable people in the Christian freelance world--well worth your time! Part of the time Sally is answering questions which have been submitted from listeners.
I believe this will also get you in: http://www.asksallystuart.com/replay
Christian College Target of Investigative Article
Here is a good piece of investigative reporting on a Christian college from the Minneapolis StarTribune. This is an excerpt--to read the entire article click here.
An identity crisis for a Christian college
Star Tribune 1/21/10
A debate dogging the quiet Christian campus
of Northwestern College has the president
apologizing, some alumni calling for his
resignation and everyone doing a lot of
praying.
A group of students and alumni has accused
Northwestern President Alan Cureton of
weeding out conservative professors and
trustees to help push the campus toward
"postmodern" theology. A protest group on
Facebook has drawn more than 1,200
members.
Scholars, Christians and alumni around the
country are watching to see whether the
controversy at the Roseville school once led
by evangelist Billy Graham will reach the
heights of those at such places as Baylor
University in Texas, where years of infighting
led to that president's resignation.
Northwestern denies any shift in its Bible-
based focus and attributes the hubbub to a
small group of disgruntled alumni. Trustees
say they have investigated the charges,
Cureton has apologized to those involved
and said it's time to "put this often un-
biblical process to rest."
"I think we've reached the point where we
have done everything we can to resolve the
differences," said trustee Arnold (Bud)
Lindstrand.
Northwestern espouses a "Christ-centered"
philosophy, including the belief that Christ
will physically return to Earth during his
second coming -- a belief at issue in this
recent controversy. Billy Graham was its
president from 1947 to 1953.
An identity crisis for a Christian college
Star Tribune 1/21/10
A debate dogging the quiet Christian campus
of Northwestern College has the president
apologizing, some alumni calling for his
resignation and everyone doing a lot of
praying.
A group of students and alumni has accused
Northwestern President Alan Cureton of
weeding out conservative professors and
trustees to help push the campus toward
"postmodern" theology. A protest group on
Facebook has drawn more than 1,200
members.
Scholars, Christians and alumni around the
country are watching to see whether the
controversy at the Roseville school once led
by evangelist Billy Graham will reach the
heights of those at such places as Baylor
University in Texas, where years of infighting
led to that president's resignation.
Northwestern denies any shift in its Bible-
based focus and attributes the hubbub to a
small group of disgruntled alumni. Trustees
say they have investigated the charges,
Cureton has apologized to those involved
and said it's time to "put this often un-
biblical process to rest."
"I think we've reached the point where we
have done everything we can to resolve the
differences," said trustee Arnold (Bud)
Lindstrand.
Northwestern espouses a "Christ-centered"
philosophy, including the belief that Christ
will physically return to Earth during his
second coming -- a belief at issue in this
recent controversy. Billy Graham was its
president from 1947 to 1953.
Is Google Hurting Newspapers?
From Editor & Publisher:
More Readers Skimming Google Headlines Than Going Directly to Newspaper Web Sites?
By Jennifer Saba
Published: January 19, 2010 2:33 PM ET
NEW YORK Aggregator sites -- especially Google -- really are hurting newspapers as more people increasingly simply skim the news headlines without bothering to click to linked newspaper Web sites, a new report finds.
This alarming trend for newspapers is occurring as more people are getting their news online and through aggregators, according to the report from Outsell Research. In fact, just as many people turn to aggregators to get news first thing in the day as people who crack open a newspaper.
The “News Users 2009” study conducted by Outsell Research affiliate analyst Ken Doctor found that 19% of people accessed Google, Yahoo, MSN and AOL News for news in 2009, up from 10% in 2006. For newspapers, 19% of those polled went there first, a drop from 23% in 2006.
The report makes a distinction between newspaper print editions and newspaper Web sites. When isolating newspapers online, 6% of those surveyed went to newspaper Web sites first thing in 2009, up from 3% in 2006. Other sites dedicated to specific subjects, such as sports or business, were up 7% in 2009 from 4% in 2006.
The study finds that together, aggregators, newspaper Web sites, and other sites account for 57% of where people turn to first for news, up from 33% in 2006.
When it comes time for people finding local news, newspapers -- particularly their Web sites -- still shine. The study shows that over three years, newspaper Web sites have more than doubled their share to 17% from 8%, while aggregators grew to 4% from 1% during the same period.
Outsell's research shows that readers tend to only skim headlines at aggregator sites -- specifically Google -- for news.
Fully 44% of those polled said they scan headlines on Google “without accessing the newspaper sites,” the report said. For many users, the report continues, “headlines are enough and valuable, and that’s been the crux of news wire and news companies’ increasing complaints about Google’s ‘unfair’ use of the news supply line.”
Meanwhile, 30% said they do not use Google to find news stories; 14% use Google to find local newspaper stories instead of using a news site's search field; and 12% use Google to find local stores than use news site search box.
The study also breaks down respondents -- Outsell surveyed 2,787 U.S. consumers -- into groups including “power users” defined as people who check in on the news at least twice a day. Power users tend to get news through digital means, more so than the total pool of respondents. However, power users rely more on newspapers' print editions.
Outsell found that 39% of the total number of those surveyed report daily newspaper usage in 2009 (down from 49% in 2006). But 41% of power users say they read a daily newspaper (down from 53% in 2006). Fewer power users turn to newspapers first thing in the morning, but “as news-aware people, though, they’re omnivorous, apparently coming back to newspapers later in their days for depth and breadth,” the report said.
Outsell warned that power users are just as quick to cancel their daily print subscriptions to newspapers: 18% of power users did just that in 2009, while 13% of regular users did the same. “That’s a big warning sign as newspapers’ most valuable readers are abandoning their medium.”
More Readers Skimming Google Headlines Than Going Directly to Newspaper Web Sites?
By Jennifer Saba
Published: January 19, 2010 2:33 PM ET
NEW YORK Aggregator sites -- especially Google -- really are hurting newspapers as more people increasingly simply skim the news headlines without bothering to click to linked newspaper Web sites, a new report finds.
This alarming trend for newspapers is occurring as more people are getting their news online and through aggregators, according to the report from Outsell Research. In fact, just as many people turn to aggregators to get news first thing in the day as people who crack open a newspaper.
The “News Users 2009” study conducted by Outsell Research affiliate analyst Ken Doctor found that 19% of people accessed Google, Yahoo, MSN and AOL News for news in 2009, up from 10% in 2006. For newspapers, 19% of those polled went there first, a drop from 23% in 2006.
The report makes a distinction between newspaper print editions and newspaper Web sites. When isolating newspapers online, 6% of those surveyed went to newspaper Web sites first thing in 2009, up from 3% in 2006. Other sites dedicated to specific subjects, such as sports or business, were up 7% in 2009 from 4% in 2006.
The study finds that together, aggregators, newspaper Web sites, and other sites account for 57% of where people turn to first for news, up from 33% in 2006.
When it comes time for people finding local news, newspapers -- particularly their Web sites -- still shine. The study shows that over three years, newspaper Web sites have more than doubled their share to 17% from 8%, while aggregators grew to 4% from 1% during the same period.
Outsell's research shows that readers tend to only skim headlines at aggregator sites -- specifically Google -- for news.
Fully 44% of those polled said they scan headlines on Google “without accessing the newspaper sites,” the report said. For many users, the report continues, “headlines are enough and valuable, and that’s been the crux of news wire and news companies’ increasing complaints about Google’s ‘unfair’ use of the news supply line.”
Meanwhile, 30% said they do not use Google to find news stories; 14% use Google to find local newspaper stories instead of using a news site's search field; and 12% use Google to find local stores than use news site search box.
The study also breaks down respondents -- Outsell surveyed 2,787 U.S. consumers -- into groups including “power users” defined as people who check in on the news at least twice a day. Power users tend to get news through digital means, more so than the total pool of respondents. However, power users rely more on newspapers' print editions.
Outsell found that 39% of the total number of those surveyed report daily newspaper usage in 2009 (down from 49% in 2006). But 41% of power users say they read a daily newspaper (down from 53% in 2006). Fewer power users turn to newspapers first thing in the morning, but “as news-aware people, though, they’re omnivorous, apparently coming back to newspapers later in their days for depth and breadth,” the report said.
Outsell warned that power users are just as quick to cancel their daily print subscriptions to newspapers: 18% of power users did just that in 2009, while 13% of regular users did the same. “That’s a big warning sign as newspapers’ most valuable readers are abandoning their medium.”
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Notre Dame Student Editor Resigns Over Cartoon
From the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette:
Notre Dame newspaper editor resigns over gay-bashing cartoon
SOUTH BEND – An editor of the independent student newspaper for the University of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College has resigned and the paper has discontinued a cartoon strip that made a joke about violence against gays.
The Observer newspaper published a letter of resignation and apology Monday from Kara King, an assistant managing editor. King says miscommunication with another editor led to the strip running without her first reviewing the material.
The cartoon depicted a conversation that says a baseball bat is the "easiest way to turn a fruit into a vegetable."
The Observer also reported Monday that it will no longer publish the comic strip, "The Mobile Party." The authors of the strip apologized in a letter published Friday.
The schools are in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.
Notre Dame newspaper editor resigns over gay-bashing cartoon
SOUTH BEND – An editor of the independent student newspaper for the University of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College has resigned and the paper has discontinued a cartoon strip that made a joke about violence against gays.
The Observer newspaper published a letter of resignation and apology Monday from Kara King, an assistant managing editor. King says miscommunication with another editor led to the strip running without her first reviewing the material.
The cartoon depicted a conversation that says a baseball bat is the "easiest way to turn a fruit into a vegetable."
The Observer also reported Monday that it will no longer publish the comic strip, "The Mobile Party." The authors of the strip apologized in a letter published Friday.
The schools are in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.
Two Prominent Authors Die
Two prominent authors die
Crime novelist Robert Parker, known for his popular “Spenser” series, died Monday in Boston. Parker, who was influenced by classic detective writer Raymond Chandler, was 77.
The day before, Love Story author Erich Segal died of an heart attack in London. Segal, who was 72, suffered from Parkinson’s Disease for a quarter century.
Crime novelist Robert Parker, known for his popular “Spenser” series, died Monday in Boston. Parker, who was influenced by classic detective writer Raymond Chandler, was 77.
The day before, Love Story author Erich Segal died of an heart attack in London. Segal, who was 72, suffered from Parkinson’s Disease for a quarter century.
Poe Gravesite Visitor Has First No-Show in 60 Years
Edgar Allan Poe gravesite visitor fails to show
A celebrated literary tradition may have come to an end after the "Poe Toaster" - an unknown person who visits the poet Edgar Allen Poe's gravesite each year - failed to show up for the first time in more than 60 years.
The Baltimore Sun reports the "Poe Toaster” has visited the Baltimore grave on the poet’s birthday every year since January 19, 1949, each time leaving three roses and a bottle of cognac.
Jeff Jerome, curator of the Edgar Allan Poe House in Baltimore, Maryland told the Baltimore Sun that the toaster usually arrives between midnight and 5.30am every year, but failed to do so this year.
"I've been doing this since 1977, and there was no indication he wasn't going to show up," Mr Jerome told the Sun.
According to Mr Jerome, the toaster sometimes knelt at the tombstone or put his hands on it.
"There's no elaborate ceremony - it's very short and touching," he said.
A group of 30 to 50 people waited around this year to see the “Poe Toaster” but were left disappointed.
"Everybody has their theories about what happened," Mr Jerome told the Sun.
"Somebody said, 'Maybe he just has the flu.'"
Another possibility is that 2009 was the bicentennial of Poe's birthday.
"And if it was going to end, that would be the perfect time to end it," Mr Jerome said.
Mr Jerome said he was surprised that the toaster had mysteriously failed to turn up this year.
"You would have thought he would have left a note saying it's over," he said.
The toaster has left notes at the gravesite before.
Mr Jerome told the Baltimore Sun he would continue to keep vigil each morning of January 19 until 2012.
"After two years if he doesn't show up, I think we can safely assume the tribute has ended," he said.
A celebrated literary tradition may have come to an end after the "Poe Toaster" - an unknown person who visits the poet Edgar Allen Poe's gravesite each year - failed to show up for the first time in more than 60 years.
The Baltimore Sun reports the "Poe Toaster” has visited the Baltimore grave on the poet’s birthday every year since January 19, 1949, each time leaving three roses and a bottle of cognac.
Jeff Jerome, curator of the Edgar Allan Poe House in Baltimore, Maryland told the Baltimore Sun that the toaster usually arrives between midnight and 5.30am every year, but failed to do so this year.
"I've been doing this since 1977, and there was no indication he wasn't going to show up," Mr Jerome told the Sun.
According to Mr Jerome, the toaster sometimes knelt at the tombstone or put his hands on it.
"There's no elaborate ceremony - it's very short and touching," he said.
A group of 30 to 50 people waited around this year to see the “Poe Toaster” but were left disappointed.
"Everybody has their theories about what happened," Mr Jerome told the Sun.
"Somebody said, 'Maybe he just has the flu.'"
Another possibility is that 2009 was the bicentennial of Poe's birthday.
"And if it was going to end, that would be the perfect time to end it," Mr Jerome said.
Mr Jerome said he was surprised that the toaster had mysteriously failed to turn up this year.
"You would have thought he would have left a note saying it's over," he said.
The toaster has left notes at the gravesite before.
Mr Jerome told the Baltimore Sun he would continue to keep vigil each morning of January 19 until 2012.
"After two years if he doesn't show up, I think we can safely assume the tribute has ended," he said.
NYT Might Start Charging Online Readers
Report: New York Times to charge online readers
By Steven Musil
(CNET) -- The New York Times is reportedly getting ready to charge readers for access to the venerable newspaper's online content.
The newspaper is expected to announce in coming weeks that it will institute a metered pay plan in which readers would have access to a limited number of free articles before being invited to subscribe, according to a report in New York magazine that cited sources close to the newsroom.
The report also suggests that a content deal could be in the works for Apple's long-rumored tablet, which many expect to be unveiled on January 27. Apple has reportedly been shopping its device to media companies in Australia to gauge interest in having their products available on the device when it's released.
A New York Times representative's comment seemed to indicate that changes were coming to the Web site.
"We'll announce a decision when we believe that we have crafted the best possible business approach," Times spokesperson Diane McNulty said. "No details till then."
As readers have increasingly gone online for their news, papers have suffered declining subscriber numbers and lower advertising revenue, resulting in a dramatic industry contraction. Newspaper publishers and the Associated Press have blamed Google and other news-aggregation sites for their woes, leading to threats that they will delist their content and begin charging online readers.
In a bold move, New York newspaper Newsday announced plans in February 2009 to begin charging online readers for access to its content.
Newspapers such as the San Francisco Chronicle have tried to push readers back to buying the physical newspaper by promoting "print-only content" that features popular features and columnists formerly also available on the newspaper's Web site.
Among the country's largest newspapers, only The Wall Street Journal has managed to continue charging online subscription fees. The New York Times abandoned a two-year experiment with the Web-subscription model in 2007, suggesting that the company's projections for subscriber revenue were small compared with advertising sales.
However, such a plan isn't likely to garner much support from readers. A Harris poll released earlier this month found that 77 percent said they wouldn't pay anything to read a newspaper's stories on the Web.
Of those who indicated they were willing to be charged for access to content, 19 percent would pay between $1 and $10 a month.
By Steven Musil
(CNET) -- The New York Times is reportedly getting ready to charge readers for access to the venerable newspaper's online content.
The newspaper is expected to announce in coming weeks that it will institute a metered pay plan in which readers would have access to a limited number of free articles before being invited to subscribe, according to a report in New York magazine that cited sources close to the newsroom.
The report also suggests that a content deal could be in the works for Apple's long-rumored tablet, which many expect to be unveiled on January 27. Apple has reportedly been shopping its device to media companies in Australia to gauge interest in having their products available on the device when it's released.
A New York Times representative's comment seemed to indicate that changes were coming to the Web site.
"We'll announce a decision when we believe that we have crafted the best possible business approach," Times spokesperson Diane McNulty said. "No details till then."
As readers have increasingly gone online for their news, papers have suffered declining subscriber numbers and lower advertising revenue, resulting in a dramatic industry contraction. Newspaper publishers and the Associated Press have blamed Google and other news-aggregation sites for their woes, leading to threats that they will delist their content and begin charging online readers.
In a bold move, New York newspaper Newsday announced plans in February 2009 to begin charging online readers for access to its content.
Newspapers such as the San Francisco Chronicle have tried to push readers back to buying the physical newspaper by promoting "print-only content" that features popular features and columnists formerly also available on the newspaper's Web site.
Among the country's largest newspapers, only The Wall Street Journal has managed to continue charging online subscription fees. The New York Times abandoned a two-year experiment with the Web-subscription model in 2007, suggesting that the company's projections for subscriber revenue were small compared with advertising sales.
However, such a plan isn't likely to garner much support from readers. A Harris poll released earlier this month found that 77 percent said they wouldn't pay anything to read a newspaper's stories on the Web.
Of those who indicated they were willing to be charged for access to content, 19 percent would pay between $1 and $10 a month.
Focus to Air Tebow SuperBowl Ad
Focus on the Family buys Super Bowl ad
By Aaron Smith, staff writer
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Focus on the Family, a Christian non-profit group, said it will air its first Super Bowl spot during the upcoming game.
The 30-second ad will feature Tim Tebow, a former quarterback with the University of Florida's Gators and 2007 winner of the Heisman Trophy, along with his mother Pam.
"Tim and Pam share our respect for life and our passion for helping families thrive," Jim Daly, president of Focus of the Family, said in a written statement on Jan. 15.
The Tebows decided to participate in the ad "because the issue of life is one they feel very strongly about," the Colorado-based organization, said in a press release.
The Web site for the Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association, which is run by Tim Tebow's father, said that Pam has "a national platform to encourage the pro-life message," noting that she refused to abort Tim when she was advised to do so. Tim was born in 1987 in Manila, Philippines.
Focus on the Family is opposed to abortion "under all circumstances, expect in the rare instance when the mother's life is threatened by continuing the pregnancy," according to the organization's web site.
Attempts to contact the Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association in Jacksonville, Fla. were unsuccessful.
CBS, broadcaster of the 2010 Super Bowl game, is charging about $3 million for 30-second spots, according to spokesman Dana McClintock. But CBS would not reveal how much it charged Focus on the Family for their ad.
Focus on the Family spokeswoman Lisa Anderson would not reveal how much her organization paid for the ad. But she told CNNMoney.com that the funds were donated specifically for this purpose by unnamed individuals. She said the money did not come from the organization's general fund.
The Super Bowl is the biggest televised event in the world. Last year was a record high for viewer volume, according to The Nielsen Company, with 98.7 million people tuning in to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals.
The game will be played Feb. 7 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
By Aaron Smith, staff writer
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Focus on the Family, a Christian non-profit group, said it will air its first Super Bowl spot during the upcoming game.
The 30-second ad will feature Tim Tebow, a former quarterback with the University of Florida's Gators and 2007 winner of the Heisman Trophy, along with his mother Pam.
"Tim and Pam share our respect for life and our passion for helping families thrive," Jim Daly, president of Focus of the Family, said in a written statement on Jan. 15.
The Tebows decided to participate in the ad "because the issue of life is one they feel very strongly about," the Colorado-based organization, said in a press release.
The Web site for the Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association, which is run by Tim Tebow's father, said that Pam has "a national platform to encourage the pro-life message," noting that she refused to abort Tim when she was advised to do so. Tim was born in 1987 in Manila, Philippines.
Focus on the Family is opposed to abortion "under all circumstances, expect in the rare instance when the mother's life is threatened by continuing the pregnancy," according to the organization's web site.
Attempts to contact the Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association in Jacksonville, Fla. were unsuccessful.
CBS, broadcaster of the 2010 Super Bowl game, is charging about $3 million for 30-second spots, according to spokesman Dana McClintock. But CBS would not reveal how much it charged Focus on the Family for their ad.
Focus on the Family spokeswoman Lisa Anderson would not reveal how much her organization paid for the ad. But she told CNNMoney.com that the funds were donated specifically for this purpose by unnamed individuals. She said the money did not come from the organization's general fund.
The Super Bowl is the biggest televised event in the world. Last year was a record high for viewer volume, according to The Nielsen Company, with 98.7 million people tuning in to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals.
The game will be played Feb. 7 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Facebook Church Has Service Six Times per Week
FACEBOOK CHURCH
Continuing with its mission to "connect the unconnected," Las Vegas-based Central Christian Church in the U.S. recently became the world's first church to launch a Facebook campus, holding live church services 6 times per week.
The site
Facebook has over 250 million members spanning the globe. The Church partnered with Plainjoe studios and Facebook to develop the campus after positive response from its year-old online campus. With four valley campuses and two online campuses, Central Christian has more than 15,000 attendees worldwide. [INSPIRE online magazine]
Continuing with its mission to "connect the unconnected," Las Vegas-based Central Christian Church in the U.S. recently became the world's first church to launch a Facebook campus, holding live church services 6 times per week.
The site
Facebook has over 250 million members spanning the globe. The Church partnered with Plainjoe studios and Facebook to develop the campus after positive response from its year-old online campus. With four valley campuses and two online campuses, Central Christian has more than 15,000 attendees worldwide. [INSPIRE online magazine]
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Dahlman's Religion Column Cancelled
A good friend and fellow Christian college journalism professor, Jim Dahlman, today wrote his last religion column for his local paper. The column is reproduced below, but on top of it is Jim's blog entry explaining why the paper cancelled the column. It is very thought-provoking, and the Johnson City area is the poorer without Jim's regular input. Your comments welcomed.
Postscript: Why the column ended, and “now what”?
Posted by sjdahlman under Culture, Media, Religion reporting
As today’s column says, my weekly “Face to Faith” column in the Johnson City (Tenn.) Press has ended. My column did not explain why.
The column is another casualty of the shaky economics of the newspaper business. The editors decided to end my column as one of their cost-cutting measures. It wasn’t that expensive, but I guess things add up, and a “freelance” column (rather than being from the Press staff), it was an obvious target for the accountant’s spreadsheet.
The Johnson City Press is a midsize paper in midsize town, so I don’t expect this change to rattle any windows in New York City or Chicago. (Read that last clause in a dry, ironic tone of voice.) But this move could be read as another example of two trends: the erosion of local journalism and the erosion of religion coverage.
In the short term, this kind of change makes financial sense. Wire-service copy is quicker and cheaper than consistently good on-the-ground reporting. But in the Internet age, local newspapers and other news outlets actually have one exclusive commodity to sell: consistently good on-the-ground local coverage. Then there’s the point about good journalism being necessary for a functioning democracy and other such high-minded notions. In a more perfect world, owners of news organizations, including newspapers, would bite the bullet in the short term to safeguard and build up their real franchise for the long run. In other words, they would choose to support solid local journalism, both as good citizens and as good businesspeople.
As for religion coverage, we come back to an argument made again and again by many people: how can we understand our world without understanding religion? If we scan headlines from around the world, we can find matters of faith, religion, spirituality and ethics every day. I’m not referring to the obvious ones, either (“Pope Forgives Assailant”). As today’s column suggests, a strong religion vein runs through many of the biggest or more important stories, often not very deeply (Just this week: Haiti … French marriage … health care … the Middle East (always) … Kurt Warner …). I may be biased, but I’m not sure it’s the wisest move for news organizations to reduce or eliminate their religion coverage at this particular point in history.
Thus endeth the lesson.
As for this blog: I will leave it in place for now but will take a break for a few weeks. I’m not sure what will come next, but I’ll get back to you about that. In the meantime, I’ll be glad to receive your comments, suggestions, ideas and questions, and I’ll respond as soon as I can. In the meantime, best wishes.
Grace and peace to you.
Here's the text of the final column:
January 16, 2010
F2F Finale: That’s all, folks
Posted by sjdahlman under Christianity, Culture, Economy, Media, Newspapers, Pop Culture, Religion reporting, Science and Technology | Tags: Johnson City Press, Newspapers, religion |
This is my final “Face to Faith” column. It’s been a good run, since June 2003. If you’re keeping score, that’s 346 columns.
First, the thank-you notes. Thanks to the editors of the Johnson City Press for the opportunity to explore a lot of interesting territory. Thanks also to friends and colleagues who have generously offered their ideas, suggestions and encouragement.
Thanks to the countless people who let me share their expertise, insights, experiences and voices in this space. One of my favorite parts of being a journalist is the privilege of meeting people I would never otherwise get to know.
Finally, thanks to you for reading and for sending your comments, criticisms (honest!) and compliments. Even more, I appreciate your joining me in looking at all sorts of subjects through the lens of religion. One of my favorite parts of covering religion has been the variety, with the chance to write about everything from Trinitarian doctrine to tax law.
The breadth of religion, as well as its depth, is not a small point. More than ever, we need all the tools we can manage to help us understand our world, and it’s no secret that dozens of important news stories every week – whether in our front yard or on the other side of the globe – are ripe with religious meanings, causes and effects.
So before I go, let me suggest seven topics to keep tabs on, listed in no particular order. These aren’t predictions. Let’s just call this a kind of heads-up memo.
The unbuckling of the Bible Belt. I’ve regularly called our region “the area formerly known as the Bible Belt.” No doubt this place still has a different religious climate than, say, New York or Los Angeles. Even so, church attendance is lower than the national average and actual behavior and attitudes about several key social issues mirror the rest of America. With the increasing secularization of society and growing cultural diversity, we’re not as distinct as we used to be (or maybe like to think we are).
The continuing rise of syncretism. “Syncretism” is a fancy word for mixing beliefs and practices into a kind of spiritual stew, an inclination some people have tagged with labels like “me-ism” or “cafeteria religion.” This is a long-time trend, but I was reminded of its power and attraction when I saw “Avatar” last week. (See below, “impact of media, The.”) Regardless of what someone thinks of this development, it’s one that has real implications for how we view the world.
The politics of sex. I can’t think of one sex-related controversy being debated in the public square – birth control, homosexuality, the meaning of marriage (including same-sex marriage and civil unions) – that isn’t shaped by religious belief.
The impact of media. This issue goes beyond debates over the content of TV shows and movies. The media we invent – and how we use them – affect us. For example: In a digital world, how do you define a “community”? Is a church a church if it’s only on the Internet, or is a vague acquaintance on Facebook a “friend”?
The definition of “human.” Far from being a philosophical abstraction for eggheads, the question of what it means to be human is on our doorstep in a dozen ways. The abortion and end-of-life debates are prime examples. For future reference, we’ll also need to consider if there’s a point at which someone treated with cloning, genetic engineering or robotics might not be considered a fully human being anymore.
The spiritual dimensions of money. It’s not just the matter of garden-variety greed or even Bernie Madoff’s unfathomable fraud. Dozens of economic answers can raise scores of religious and spiritual questions. In other words: Are any religious, spiritual or moral issues connected to health care, jobs, welfare, education, foreign aid (think of Haiti this week), war, credit and debt (both personal and national), advertising and marketing, crime, the justice system or the care of elderly people?
The persistence of church-state controversies. Thanks to the massive gray area written into the U.S. Constitution and lived out in American history, the familiar tensions over faith and public life will continue. After 223 years, why stop now? This is part of our national DNA.
That’s all. In the words of an ancient Christian greeting: Grace and peace to you. Amen.
First published in the Johnson City (Tenn.) Press, 16 Jan 2010.
Postscript: Why the column ended, and “now what”?
Posted by sjdahlman under Culture, Media, Religion reporting
As today’s column says, my weekly “Face to Faith” column in the Johnson City (Tenn.) Press has ended. My column did not explain why.
The column is another casualty of the shaky economics of the newspaper business. The editors decided to end my column as one of their cost-cutting measures. It wasn’t that expensive, but I guess things add up, and a “freelance” column (rather than being from the Press staff), it was an obvious target for the accountant’s spreadsheet.
The Johnson City Press is a midsize paper in midsize town, so I don’t expect this change to rattle any windows in New York City or Chicago. (Read that last clause in a dry, ironic tone of voice.) But this move could be read as another example of two trends: the erosion of local journalism and the erosion of religion coverage.
In the short term, this kind of change makes financial sense. Wire-service copy is quicker and cheaper than consistently good on-the-ground reporting. But in the Internet age, local newspapers and other news outlets actually have one exclusive commodity to sell: consistently good on-the-ground local coverage. Then there’s the point about good journalism being necessary for a functioning democracy and other such high-minded notions. In a more perfect world, owners of news organizations, including newspapers, would bite the bullet in the short term to safeguard and build up their real franchise for the long run. In other words, they would choose to support solid local journalism, both as good citizens and as good businesspeople.
As for religion coverage, we come back to an argument made again and again by many people: how can we understand our world without understanding religion? If we scan headlines from around the world, we can find matters of faith, religion, spirituality and ethics every day. I’m not referring to the obvious ones, either (“Pope Forgives Assailant”). As today’s column suggests, a strong religion vein runs through many of the biggest or more important stories, often not very deeply (Just this week: Haiti … French marriage … health care … the Middle East (always) … Kurt Warner …). I may be biased, but I’m not sure it’s the wisest move for news organizations to reduce or eliminate their religion coverage at this particular point in history.
Thus endeth the lesson.
As for this blog: I will leave it in place for now but will take a break for a few weeks. I’m not sure what will come next, but I’ll get back to you about that. In the meantime, I’ll be glad to receive your comments, suggestions, ideas and questions, and I’ll respond as soon as I can. In the meantime, best wishes.
Grace and peace to you.
Here's the text of the final column:
January 16, 2010
F2F Finale: That’s all, folks
Posted by sjdahlman under Christianity, Culture, Economy, Media, Newspapers, Pop Culture, Religion reporting, Science and Technology | Tags: Johnson City Press, Newspapers, religion |
This is my final “Face to Faith” column. It’s been a good run, since June 2003. If you’re keeping score, that’s 346 columns.
First, the thank-you notes. Thanks to the editors of the Johnson City Press for the opportunity to explore a lot of interesting territory. Thanks also to friends and colleagues who have generously offered their ideas, suggestions and encouragement.
Thanks to the countless people who let me share their expertise, insights, experiences and voices in this space. One of my favorite parts of being a journalist is the privilege of meeting people I would never otherwise get to know.
Finally, thanks to you for reading and for sending your comments, criticisms (honest!) and compliments. Even more, I appreciate your joining me in looking at all sorts of subjects through the lens of religion. One of my favorite parts of covering religion has been the variety, with the chance to write about everything from Trinitarian doctrine to tax law.
The breadth of religion, as well as its depth, is not a small point. More than ever, we need all the tools we can manage to help us understand our world, and it’s no secret that dozens of important news stories every week – whether in our front yard or on the other side of the globe – are ripe with religious meanings, causes and effects.
So before I go, let me suggest seven topics to keep tabs on, listed in no particular order. These aren’t predictions. Let’s just call this a kind of heads-up memo.
The unbuckling of the Bible Belt. I’ve regularly called our region “the area formerly known as the Bible Belt.” No doubt this place still has a different religious climate than, say, New York or Los Angeles. Even so, church attendance is lower than the national average and actual behavior and attitudes about several key social issues mirror the rest of America. With the increasing secularization of society and growing cultural diversity, we’re not as distinct as we used to be (or maybe like to think we are).
The continuing rise of syncretism. “Syncretism” is a fancy word for mixing beliefs and practices into a kind of spiritual stew, an inclination some people have tagged with labels like “me-ism” or “cafeteria religion.” This is a long-time trend, but I was reminded of its power and attraction when I saw “Avatar” last week. (See below, “impact of media, The.”) Regardless of what someone thinks of this development, it’s one that has real implications for how we view the world.
The politics of sex. I can’t think of one sex-related controversy being debated in the public square – birth control, homosexuality, the meaning of marriage (including same-sex marriage and civil unions) – that isn’t shaped by religious belief.
The impact of media. This issue goes beyond debates over the content of TV shows and movies. The media we invent – and how we use them – affect us. For example: In a digital world, how do you define a “community”? Is a church a church if it’s only on the Internet, or is a vague acquaintance on Facebook a “friend”?
The definition of “human.” Far from being a philosophical abstraction for eggheads, the question of what it means to be human is on our doorstep in a dozen ways. The abortion and end-of-life debates are prime examples. For future reference, we’ll also need to consider if there’s a point at which someone treated with cloning, genetic engineering or robotics might not be considered a fully human being anymore.
The spiritual dimensions of money. It’s not just the matter of garden-variety greed or even Bernie Madoff’s unfathomable fraud. Dozens of economic answers can raise scores of religious and spiritual questions. In other words: Are any religious, spiritual or moral issues connected to health care, jobs, welfare, education, foreign aid (think of Haiti this week), war, credit and debt (both personal and national), advertising and marketing, crime, the justice system or the care of elderly people?
The persistence of church-state controversies. Thanks to the massive gray area written into the U.S. Constitution and lived out in American history, the familiar tensions over faith and public life will continue. After 223 years, why stop now? This is part of our national DNA.
That’s all. In the words of an ancient Christian greeting: Grace and peace to you. Amen.
First published in the Johnson City (Tenn.) Press, 16 Jan 2010.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Associated Press Haiti Correspondent Now Homeless
AP's Correspondent No Longer Has Haiti Beat to HimselfJONATHAN BERR
When the Associated Press sent correspondent Jonathan Katz to Haiti two years ago, it was because of a promotion. The 29-year-old from Louisville, Ky. learned the local Creole language and became the only full-time U.S. journalist based in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. He is now homeless following Tuesday's earthquake.
In a video shot for the news service, Katz showed the "AP house," the wire service's office building in the mountains overlooking Port-au-Prince where he had a living space upstairs lying in ruins. "It was a great place to live until about 4 o'clock Tuesday," the reporter said matter-of-factly. "This was my home."
Borrowed A BlackBerry To Report The News
He pointed out that he borrowed a BlackBerry from someone at a nearby hotel to report the news of the quake, which officials say has left at least 50,000 dead, to AP editors in Puerto Rico.
Like many people in the troubled Caribbean nation today, Katz is worried that his home may no longer be structurally sound. Before his posting in Haiti, he reported for the AP from Jerusalem and the Dominican Republic. He has also covered the U.S. Congress and the Pentagon. His father David told DailyFinance that his overcame their misgivings about Jonathan being in such a poor and potentially dangerous place as Haiti.
"As parents, we knew this is what he wanted to do," says David Katz, a pediatrician. "We knew what we were getting into."
A Small Media Army Sets Up Camp
Katz, who had the Haiti beat largely to himself thanks to newsroom cutbacks in international coverage, is no longer alone.
A small media Army has descended upon Haiti in the days following the tragedy. Some of the biggest names in news, including Diane Sawyer of ABC, NBC's Brian Williams, CNN's Anderson Cooper and Katie Couric of CBS are there. World Vision, which probably runs the biggest relief operation in Haiti, says the media are staying out of the way of the relief operations, according to spokeswoman Rachel Wolff.
One of the biggest challenges reporters face is figuring out where to stay. Haiti had a limited number of hotel rooms even before the quake, and many of them are no longer safe.
Extraordinary Measures To Get To Haiti
"I'm at a hotel here," said NPR's Carrie Kahn during a recent broadcast of "Morning Edition." "This hotel has been damaged itself. The roof is collapsed and two of the stories are pancaked. It's sort of in a V shape in the middle of the hotel."
Reporters have had to take extraordinary measures to get to Haiti. Cooper flew to Santo Domingo in the neighboring Dominican Republic and hitched a ride on a relief helicopter, according to the Washington Post. "Today show anchor Ann Curry slept on a baggage cart at the Port-au-Prince airport Wednesday while NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams and Today weatherman Al Roker shared a tent," the paper says.
Of course, the inconvenience of the media pales in comparison to the suffering of the Haitian people, a point Katz himself eloquently noted.
"The AP house, a footnote in the devastation, is an uninhabitable mess on the verge of collapse," he wrote. "An entire city is screaming for help."
T-Matt on Palin's 'Evangelical-Speak'
Terry Mattingly: Sarah Palin's evangelical-speak
According to a top strategist in the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain, Sarah Palin believed that the decision to pick her as the Arizona Republican’s running mate was actually made by Almighty God.
Translated into the logic of an Associated Press report, this political theology sounded like this.
“In an interview with the CBS news magazine ‘60 Minutes,’ Steve Schmidt described Palin as ‘very calm — nonplused’ after McCain met with her at his Arizona ranch just before putting her on the Republican ticket. ... Schmidt said he asked Palin about her serenity in the face of becoming ‘one of the most famous people in the world.’ He quoted her as saying, ‘It’s God’s plan.’ “
The Washington Post headline proclaimed, “McCain aide: Palin believed candidacy ‘God’s plan.’ “
After this latest Palin firestorm it’s time to ask: Why can’t journalists learn to understand how ordinary evangelicals talk?
To make matters worse, readers have no chance to understand this private, secondhand quotation because it has been stripped of all context. There is no way to know if this snippet is the entire Palin quote or merely what Schmidt has chosen to share as part of the ongoing fighting between factions inside McCain’s failed campaign.
The big question: Did Palin say her nomination was part of “God’s plan for her life” or did she, as implied, dare to claim that it was part of “God’s plan for America”? Most press reports have implied the latter, linking her faith-based confidence with speculation that she will run for president.
This has made her an easy target for critics — again.
“Palin isn’t a minister or priest. She isn’t a bishop. She is a celebrity,” noted Andrew Sullivan, on his Atlantic Monthly Web site.
“When she says ‘it’s God’s will,’ she is saying, it seems to me, either that her destiny is foretold as a modern-day Esther ... or that it doesn’t matter what decisions she makes in office because God is in charge. So she is either filled with delusions of grandeur and prone to say things that believing Christians keep private out of humility; or she thinks she’s some kind of Messiah figure.”
However, anyone with a working knowledge of evangelical lingo will understand that what Palin probably said was that this stunning door onto the national stage was, win or lose, part of “God’s plan” for her life.
This is the approach that she consistently uses in her memoir, “Going Rogue,” when discussing the twists and turns in her life — from an unexpected chance to climb the political ladder in Alaska to the challenge of an unexpected pregnancy, leading to the birth of a child with special needs.
In other words, Palin believes in a God who is mysteriously working through the choices and events — painful and joyful — that have shaped her life. This is a perfectly ordinary belief among millions of evangelical Protestants and, truth be told, many other believers as well.
It may help to recall that, during the 2008 campaign, Charles Gibson of ABC News struggled to understand another piece of evangelical-speak drawn from Palin remarks about the Iraq War.
The governor told a church audience: “Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending (soldiers) out on a task that is from God. That’s what we have to make sure that we’re praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God’s plan.”
However, in his interview with Palin, Gibson said: “You said recently, in your old church, ‘Our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from God.’ Are we fighting a holy war?”
Palin responded: “You know, I don’t know if that was my exact quote.”
Gibson fired back: “Exact words.”
Not exactly. Palin was reminding the worshippers to pray that God had a plan in Iraq and that decisions made by America’s leaders would be consistent with that plan. She was not, as Gibson said, stating that this was a certainty.
Bottom line: It may be time to circulate a basic “How Evangelicals Talk” phrase book that can be used in elite newsrooms, much like the one that journalists needed when then-Gov. Jimmy “born again” Carter first emerged on the national scene.
Terry Mattingly directs the Washington Journalism Center at the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. Contact him at tmattinglyAcccu.org or www.tmatt.net.
According to a top strategist in the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain, Sarah Palin believed that the decision to pick her as the Arizona Republican’s running mate was actually made by Almighty God.
Translated into the logic of an Associated Press report, this political theology sounded like this.
“In an interview with the CBS news magazine ‘60 Minutes,’ Steve Schmidt described Palin as ‘very calm — nonplused’ after McCain met with her at his Arizona ranch just before putting her on the Republican ticket. ... Schmidt said he asked Palin about her serenity in the face of becoming ‘one of the most famous people in the world.’ He quoted her as saying, ‘It’s God’s plan.’ “
The Washington Post headline proclaimed, “McCain aide: Palin believed candidacy ‘God’s plan.’ “
After this latest Palin firestorm it’s time to ask: Why can’t journalists learn to understand how ordinary evangelicals talk?
To make matters worse, readers have no chance to understand this private, secondhand quotation because it has been stripped of all context. There is no way to know if this snippet is the entire Palin quote or merely what Schmidt has chosen to share as part of the ongoing fighting between factions inside McCain’s failed campaign.
The big question: Did Palin say her nomination was part of “God’s plan for her life” or did she, as implied, dare to claim that it was part of “God’s plan for America”? Most press reports have implied the latter, linking her faith-based confidence with speculation that she will run for president.
This has made her an easy target for critics — again.
“Palin isn’t a minister or priest. She isn’t a bishop. She is a celebrity,” noted Andrew Sullivan, on his Atlantic Monthly Web site.
“When she says ‘it’s God’s will,’ she is saying, it seems to me, either that her destiny is foretold as a modern-day Esther ... or that it doesn’t matter what decisions she makes in office because God is in charge. So she is either filled with delusions of grandeur and prone to say things that believing Christians keep private out of humility; or she thinks she’s some kind of Messiah figure.”
However, anyone with a working knowledge of evangelical lingo will understand that what Palin probably said was that this stunning door onto the national stage was, win or lose, part of “God’s plan” for her life.
This is the approach that she consistently uses in her memoir, “Going Rogue,” when discussing the twists and turns in her life — from an unexpected chance to climb the political ladder in Alaska to the challenge of an unexpected pregnancy, leading to the birth of a child with special needs.
In other words, Palin believes in a God who is mysteriously working through the choices and events — painful and joyful — that have shaped her life. This is a perfectly ordinary belief among millions of evangelical Protestants and, truth be told, many other believers as well.
It may help to recall that, during the 2008 campaign, Charles Gibson of ABC News struggled to understand another piece of evangelical-speak drawn from Palin remarks about the Iraq War.
The governor told a church audience: “Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending (soldiers) out on a task that is from God. That’s what we have to make sure that we’re praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God’s plan.”
However, in his interview with Palin, Gibson said: “You said recently, in your old church, ‘Our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from God.’ Are we fighting a holy war?”
Palin responded: “You know, I don’t know if that was my exact quote.”
Gibson fired back: “Exact words.”
Not exactly. Palin was reminding the worshippers to pray that God had a plan in Iraq and that decisions made by America’s leaders would be consistent with that plan. She was not, as Gibson said, stating that this was a certainty.
Bottom line: It may be time to circulate a basic “How Evangelicals Talk” phrase book that can be used in elite newsrooms, much like the one that journalists needed when then-Gov. Jimmy “born again” Carter first emerged on the national scene.
Terry Mattingly directs the Washington Journalism Center at the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. Contact him at tmattinglyAcccu.org or www.tmatt.net.
E&P Sold, Will Resume Publication
Editor & Publisher Sold To Duncan McIntosh Co. Inc.
Will Resume Publication In Print and Online
NEW YORK CITY -- Editor & Publisher, the only independent news organization
reporting on all aspects of the transforming newspaper business, will
resume publication in print and online following its sale Thursday from The
Nielsen Company to Duncan McIntosh Co. Inc., the Irvine, Calif.-based
magazine and newspaper publisher.
The announcement came exactly two weeks after the closing of E&P, the
acknowledged "bible of the newspaper industry," which can trace its roots
back 126 years.
Duncan McIntosh said he knew immediately when Nielsen announced in December
the closing of E&P that he wanted to keep the magazine and its digital
newsgathering properties going.
"Such a critical information source for a newspaper industry so desperately
in need of help should not go away," McIntosh said. "I've been a reader of
E&P over the course of 30 years and know its incredible value to readers and
advertisers."
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Charles "Chas" McKeown, who will continue as publisher of E&P, hailed the
sale and the speed and professionalism with which McIntosh and Nielsen
completed the transaction. "Everyone knew what was at stake here," McKeown
said. "Newspapers, which are transforming beyond the printed page to all
forms of digital media, simply could not lose the one place where the
industry could have a conversation with itself and exchange ideas and best
practices for navigating the uncertain waters ahead, exemplified by our
Interactive Media Conference which includes cable, TV, radio and other
media."
Duncan McIntosh Co. Inc. is the publisher of several well-respected boating
magazines and newspapers, including Boating World magazine; Sea Magazine,
America's Western Boating Magazine; The Log Newspaper; and FishRap. The
company also produces the Newport Boat Show in the spring and the Lido Yacht
Expo in the fall. Both shows are held in California.
Mark Fitzgerald, a 26-year veteran, was named as the new E&P editor. He had
most recently served as E&P's editor-at-large.
"I'm of course grateful to Duncan for stepping up to keep E&P alive, and
I've been extremely impressed by the passion and energy he is bringing to
this enterprise," Fitzgerald said. "I'm humbled to be leading a news
organization that I've always believed produces one of the best news reports
of any industry sector."
E&P's new owners announced plans to publish a February print issue and
continue the monthly print publication schedule. Online reporting on its Web
site, http://nielsencomm.net/r/?ZXU=1064840&ZXD=392011931, began immediately
upon the close of the transaction Thursday, as did posting on its two
blogs, the business-oriented Fitz & Jen Give You The Business,
http://nielsencomm.net/r/?ZXU=1064841&ZXD=392011931, and The E&P Pub,
http://nielsencomm.net/r/?ZXU=1064842&ZXD=392011931.
Will Resume Publication In Print and Online
NEW YORK CITY -- Editor & Publisher, the only independent news organization
reporting on all aspects of the transforming newspaper business, will
resume publication in print and online following its sale Thursday from The
Nielsen Company to Duncan McIntosh Co. Inc., the Irvine, Calif.-based
magazine and newspaper publisher.
The announcement came exactly two weeks after the closing of E&P, the
acknowledged "bible of the newspaper industry," which can trace its roots
back 126 years.
Duncan McIntosh said he knew immediately when Nielsen announced in December
the closing of E&P that he wanted to keep the magazine and its digital
newsgathering properties going.
"Such a critical information source for a newspaper industry so desperately
in need of help should not go away," McIntosh said. "I've been a reader of
E&P over the course of 30 years and know its incredible value to readers and
advertisers."
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Charles "Chas" McKeown, who will continue as publisher of E&P, hailed the
sale and the speed and professionalism with which McIntosh and Nielsen
completed the transaction. "Everyone knew what was at stake here," McKeown
said. "Newspapers, which are transforming beyond the printed page to all
forms of digital media, simply could not lose the one place where the
industry could have a conversation with itself and exchange ideas and best
practices for navigating the uncertain waters ahead, exemplified by our
Interactive Media Conference which includes cable, TV, radio and other
media."
Duncan McIntosh Co. Inc. is the publisher of several well-respected boating
magazines and newspapers, including Boating World magazine; Sea Magazine,
America's Western Boating Magazine; The Log Newspaper; and FishRap. The
company also produces the Newport Boat Show in the spring and the Lido Yacht
Expo in the fall. Both shows are held in California.
Mark Fitzgerald, a 26-year veteran, was named as the new E&P editor. He had
most recently served as E&P's editor-at-large.
"I'm of course grateful to Duncan for stepping up to keep E&P alive, and
I've been extremely impressed by the passion and energy he is bringing to
this enterprise," Fitzgerald said. "I'm humbled to be leading a news
organization that I've always believed produces one of the best news reports
of any industry sector."
E&P's new owners announced plans to publish a February print issue and
continue the monthly print publication schedule. Online reporting on its Web
site, http://nielsencomm.net/r/?ZXU=1064840&ZXD=392011931, began immediately
upon the close of the transaction Thursday, as did posting on its two
blogs, the business-oriented Fitz & Jen Give You The Business,
http://nielsencomm.net/r/?ZXU=1064841&ZXD=392011931, and The E&P Pub,
http://nielsencomm.net/r/?ZXU=1064842&ZXD=392011931.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Sports Coverage is Changing
From Journalism 2.0:
There is no future for sports coverage that is expensive and slow
Editor’s Note: Today’s guest writer is Jay Huerbin, a journalism major at the University of Pittsburgh and intern at Serra Media. You can read more from Jay on his blog and follow him at @jayhuerbin.
By Jay Huerbin
As both a journalism student and the sports editor at my university’s student newspaper, I take the future of journalism very seriously. After all, my life after graduation depends on it.
This is why I found a column about the future of newspapers, specifically the sports section, so interesting. In a Poynter column, Jason Fry, a freelance reporter and journalism consultant in New York, suggested that like newspapers, traveling to games and game recaps are a dying breed in the sports section.
And he’s right. In a world driven by user content, what the user — or reader — wants, the user gets. It’s not always necessary for a game recap to show up in the paper the morning or day after a game. Readers can get that information instantly from a box score or, perhaps more importantly, from watching highlights and press conferences online immediately after the game.
So why waste money on sending a reporter to a game? That’s a good question and I found myself in a similar situation last year. In January, myself, another writer and a photographer traveled roughly five hours from Pittsburgh to Louisville to watch the top-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers take on the No. 20 Louisville Cardinals in a Big East basketball matchup. We rented a car, drove out that Saturday for the game, stayed in a hotel that night and drove back the next day — all, including food, on my newspaper’s dime.
I was hoping that my game recap would be online that night, but it never made it there. Instead it ran in our paper on Monday — a two days after the game. (The paper is published in print Monday through Friday during the school year). Anybody who was a fan already knew the score (Pitt was upset by the way) and what it meant in terms of standings and rankings later in the season.
My story? It meant nothing. Nobody cared. It was old news. And like print newspapers before, news needs to be instant. Otherwise, somebody will beat you to it — and so many people did in my case. Worst of all, my paper wasted money on sending three people to a game that was old news by the time anybody saw it.
But this was actually a turning point at my school’s newspaper. Over the next month, the sports section started using Twitter, live blogs, daily blogs and instant online coverage — even if there wasn’t a paper running the next day — to get sports news out there as soon as possible. We’ve continued to expand and learn like other newspapers around us, making smarter decisions as we go along.
Essentially, we’ve realized that we don’t just make a print newspaper that just happens to have a website. We are a news organization and need to use every possible outlet to get our news to our readers, our users.
We’re learning, as should every other journalist, because we’re all students of the new media world. Those who feel they are content with the way things are will soon be gone. It’s those who have the ambition and desire to learn the changes that will survive. And maybe, then, they can save or more efficiently spend money.
There is no future for sports coverage that is expensive and slow
Editor’s Note: Today’s guest writer is Jay Huerbin, a journalism major at the University of Pittsburgh and intern at Serra Media. You can read more from Jay on his blog and follow him at @jayhuerbin.
By Jay Huerbin
As both a journalism student and the sports editor at my university’s student newspaper, I take the future of journalism very seriously. After all, my life after graduation depends on it.
This is why I found a column about the future of newspapers, specifically the sports section, so interesting. In a Poynter column, Jason Fry, a freelance reporter and journalism consultant in New York, suggested that like newspapers, traveling to games and game recaps are a dying breed in the sports section.
And he’s right. In a world driven by user content, what the user — or reader — wants, the user gets. It’s not always necessary for a game recap to show up in the paper the morning or day after a game. Readers can get that information instantly from a box score or, perhaps more importantly, from watching highlights and press conferences online immediately after the game.
So why waste money on sending a reporter to a game? That’s a good question and I found myself in a similar situation last year. In January, myself, another writer and a photographer traveled roughly five hours from Pittsburgh to Louisville to watch the top-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers take on the No. 20 Louisville Cardinals in a Big East basketball matchup. We rented a car, drove out that Saturday for the game, stayed in a hotel that night and drove back the next day — all, including food, on my newspaper’s dime.
I was hoping that my game recap would be online that night, but it never made it there. Instead it ran in our paper on Monday — a two days after the game. (The paper is published in print Monday through Friday during the school year). Anybody who was a fan already knew the score (Pitt was upset by the way) and what it meant in terms of standings and rankings later in the season.
My story? It meant nothing. Nobody cared. It was old news. And like print newspapers before, news needs to be instant. Otherwise, somebody will beat you to it — and so many people did in my case. Worst of all, my paper wasted money on sending three people to a game that was old news by the time anybody saw it.
But this was actually a turning point at my school’s newspaper. Over the next month, the sports section started using Twitter, live blogs, daily blogs and instant online coverage — even if there wasn’t a paper running the next day — to get sports news out there as soon as possible. We’ve continued to expand and learn like other newspapers around us, making smarter decisions as we go along.
Essentially, we’ve realized that we don’t just make a print newspaper that just happens to have a website. We are a news organization and need to use every possible outlet to get our news to our readers, our users.
We’re learning, as should every other journalist, because we’re all students of the new media world. Those who feel they are content with the way things are will soon be gone. It’s those who have the ambition and desire to learn the changes that will survive. And maybe, then, they can save or more efficiently spend money.
Good News Stops Hosting AP Stories
This is an excerpt. To read the entire article, click here.
Google News stops hosting AP stories
By Julianne Pepitone, staff reporter
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Google News has stopped hosting new articles from the Associated Press the search giant confirmed Monday, in a sign that contract negotiations between the two companies may have broken down.
A source search for "The Associated Press" on Google News doesn't return any stories dated after Dec. 23, 2009.
"We have a licensing agreement with the Associated Press that permits us to host its content on Google properties such as Google News. Some of that content is still available today," a Google spokesman said in an email statement. "At the moment we're not adding new hosted content from the AP."
Google would not elaborate on that statement, and the AP declined to comment on the situation.
Reports say the AP has been hashing out a new licensing contract with Google (GOOG, Fortune 500), which has hosted the news agency's content since August 2007.
Google News displays stories from content providers around the globe, some of whom have negotiated licensing deals with Google, like the AP, while others have not.
The issue of whether news aggregators like Google News and Yahoo! (YHOO, Fortune 500) News should have to pay content providers to host its content has been a hot button issue for the online news industry.
"For most news publishers, cutting out Google doesn't make sense because they make their money from ads on their Web sites," said Karsten Weide, media industry analyst at research group IDC.
Google News stops hosting AP stories
By Julianne Pepitone, staff reporter
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Google News has stopped hosting new articles from the Associated Press the search giant confirmed Monday, in a sign that contract negotiations between the two companies may have broken down.
A source search for "The Associated Press" on Google News doesn't return any stories dated after Dec. 23, 2009.
"We have a licensing agreement with the Associated Press that permits us to host its content on Google properties such as Google News. Some of that content is still available today," a Google spokesman said in an email statement. "At the moment we're not adding new hosted content from the AP."
Google would not elaborate on that statement, and the AP declined to comment on the situation.
Reports say the AP has been hashing out a new licensing contract with Google (GOOG, Fortune 500), which has hosted the news agency's content since August 2007.
Google News displays stories from content providers around the globe, some of whom have negotiated licensing deals with Google, like the AP, while others have not.
The issue of whether news aggregators like Google News and Yahoo! (YHOO, Fortune 500) News should have to pay content providers to host its content has been a hot button issue for the online news industry.
"For most news publishers, cutting out Google doesn't make sense because they make their money from ads on their Web sites," said Karsten Weide, media industry analyst at research group IDC.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Northern MN Paper Switches to Twice Weekly
International Falls paper switches to twice a week
INTERNATIONAL FALLS, Minn. - The Daily Journal of International Falls is sfrom five days a week to twice-a-week publication next month.
Starting Feb. 3, the northern Minnesota newspaper will change its name to The Journal and publish on Wednesdays and Fridays.
The newspaper says it's making the changes to better position itself for the futu
Journal Publisher Rob Davenport says the paper will continue to offer news, advertising and other features. The new schedule will allow for more in-depth news reporting.
The Journal also will add to its products by publishing The Journal Shopper, which will be delivered on Friday to nonsubscribers.
No jobs will be affected at The Journal, but contractors who delivered the Monday edition will no longer be needed.
Last September, the Red Wing Republican Eagle switched to twice-a-week publication.
INTERNATIONAL FALLS, Minn. - The Daily Journal of International Falls is sfrom five days a week to twice-a-week publication next month.
Starting Feb. 3, the northern Minnesota newspaper will change its name to The Journal and publish on Wednesdays and Fridays.
The newspaper says it's making the changes to better position itself for the futu
Journal Publisher Rob Davenport says the paper will continue to offer news, advertising and other features. The new schedule will allow for more in-depth news reporting.
The Journal also will add to its products by publishing The Journal Shopper, which will be delivered on Friday to nonsubscribers.
No jobs will be affected at The Journal, but contractors who delivered the Monday edition will no longer be needed.
Last September, the Red Wing Republican Eagle switched to twice-a-week publication.
Journalism Job Fair Coming January 30
From Dr. Sauders:
Dear Journalism Majors and Minors, Here's another reminder
about the Journalism Job Fair that will take place
on Saturday, January 30, 2010, at Ball State University.
We have three students who have expressed interest in
going. It's a great opportunity to gain skills in the interview
process for the future "real thing," even if you don't
plan to work for a newspaper.
They also have a few seminars/workshops during the
course of the day where you can learn much from the experts
about a number of journalistic issues.
The Job Fair is free and we will provide transportation.
As you can see below, lunch is provided free at the job
fair.
Please let me know if you're interested in going!
Dr. Sauders
There are still several interview slots open for the Indiana Associated
Press Managing Editors and Hoosier State Press Association Foundation
Journalism Job and Career Fair.
This is an event that your students will want to attend. In addition to
the opportunity to interview and network with Indiana editors, there are
workshops, luncheon speaker, and a help desk where students can talk
with photo and print editors throughout the day. A free pizza lunch is
provided.
PLEASE POST
INDIANA ASSOCIATED PRESS MANAGING EDITORS AND HOOSIER STATE PRESS
ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION JOURNALISM JOB AND CAREER FAIR
Recruiters from the following news organizations will be at the Indiana
Associated Press Managing Editors and Hoosier State Press Association
Foundation Journalism Job and Career Fair Jan. 30, 2010. THIS EVENT IS
FREE OF CHARGE TO STUDENTS.
Anderson Herald Bulletin
Associated Press
Bloomington Herald-Times
Columbus Republic
Elkhart Truth
Evansville Courier & Press
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
Fort Wayne News-Sentinel
Greenfield Daily Reporter
Indianapolis Star
Jasper Herald
KPC Media Inc.
Lafayette Journal & Courier
Marion Chronicle-Tribune
Martinsville Reporter-Times
Merrillville Post-Tribune
Muncie Star Press
Munster Times of Northwest Indiana
Portland Commercial Review
Richmond Palladium-Item
Rochester Sentinel
Seymour Tribune
Shelbyville News
Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Illinois Shaw Newspapers
Information on the 2010 HSPA Foundation Eugene S. Pulliam Internship
Program also will be available at the fair.
The event will be on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010, at the Ball State
University Alumni Center in Muncie, Ind. The Alumni Center is located
adjacent to Ball State's football stadium on Tillotson Avenue. Parking
is conveniently located next to the Alumni Center and is free. The job
fair is an all-day event starting at 9 a.m.
Professional development workshops will be presented throughout the day.
A free pizza lunch for students and editors will be provided offering
students an additional opportunity to network.
Editors will conduct 15-minute interviews with journalism students
seeking regular employment or internships. Students can schedule
interviews by e-mailing Phyllis McQueen at pmcqueen@ap.org . Please
list requested newspapers and a confirmation will be returned. Students
and advisers may also call the Indianapolis AP bureau at (800) 382-1582
or (317) 639-5501 with questions.
Phyllis McQueen
Administrative Assistant
The Associated Press
251 North Illinois Street, Suite 1600
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
P: (317) 639-5501
Dear Journalism Majors and Minors, Here's another reminder
about the Journalism Job Fair that will take place
on Saturday, January 30, 2010, at Ball State University.
We have three students who have expressed interest in
going. It's a great opportunity to gain skills in the interview
process for the future "real thing," even if you don't
plan to work for a newspaper.
They also have a few seminars/workshops during the
course of the day where you can learn much from the experts
about a number of journalistic issues.
The Job Fair is free and we will provide transportation.
As you can see below, lunch is provided free at the job
fair.
Please let me know if you're interested in going!
Dr. Sauders
There are still several interview slots open for the Indiana Associated
Press Managing Editors and Hoosier State Press Association Foundation
Journalism Job and Career Fair.
This is an event that your students will want to attend. In addition to
the opportunity to interview and network with Indiana editors, there are
workshops, luncheon speaker, and a help desk where students can talk
with photo and print editors throughout the day. A free pizza lunch is
provided.
PLEASE POST
INDIANA ASSOCIATED PRESS MANAGING EDITORS AND HOOSIER STATE PRESS
ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION JOURNALISM JOB AND CAREER FAIR
Recruiters from the following news organizations will be at the Indiana
Associated Press Managing Editors and Hoosier State Press Association
Foundation Journalism Job and Career Fair Jan. 30, 2010. THIS EVENT IS
FREE OF CHARGE TO STUDENTS.
Anderson Herald Bulletin
Associated Press
Bloomington Herald-Times
Columbus Republic
Elkhart Truth
Evansville Courier & Press
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
Fort Wayne News-Sentinel
Greenfield Daily Reporter
Indianapolis Star
Jasper Herald
KPC Media Inc.
Lafayette Journal & Courier
Marion Chronicle-Tribune
Martinsville Reporter-Times
Merrillville Post-Tribune
Muncie Star Press
Munster Times of Northwest Indiana
Portland Commercial Review
Richmond Palladium-Item
Rochester Sentinel
Seymour Tribune
Shelbyville News
Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Illinois Shaw Newspapers
Information on the 2010 HSPA Foundation Eugene S. Pulliam Internship
Program also will be available at the fair.
The event will be on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010, at the Ball State
University Alumni Center in Muncie, Ind. The Alumni Center is located
adjacent to Ball State's football stadium on Tillotson Avenue. Parking
is conveniently located next to the Alumni Center and is free. The job
fair is an all-day event starting at 9 a.m.
Professional development workshops will be presented throughout the day.
A free pizza lunch for students and editors will be provided offering
students an additional opportunity to network.
Editors will conduct 15-minute interviews with journalism students
seeking regular employment or internships. Students can schedule
interviews by e-mailing Phyllis McQueen at pmcqueen@ap.org . Please
list requested newspapers and a confirmation will be returned. Students
and advisers may also call the Indianapolis AP bureau at (800) 382-1582
or (317) 639-5501 with questions.
Phyllis McQueen
Administrative Assistant
The Associated Press
251 North Illinois Street, Suite 1600
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
P: (317) 639-5501
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Ten Words Every Grad Should Know
10 Words Every Graduate Should Know
If you graduated from high school--no matter the year!--you should know these 10 words, according to the editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Actually you should know 90 more, too. And they're all in "100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know." But let's start with these 10.
Time to test yourself! The definitions are at the end of this page so you don't have to go far to find out what the words mean.
Top 10 words you should know:
abstemious
bellicose
chromosome
filibuster
gauche
gerrymander
interpolate
irony
plagiarize
suffragist
Just as any current high school student preparing for the SAT college admissions test can tell you, words sometimes contain hints as to their meanings either through spelling or sound. For example, "abstemious" means to eat or drink in moderation. It sounds a lot like "abstain," so on a multiple-choice test, you might be able to figure this out from the sound of the word.
"The words we suggest are not meant to be exhaustive but are a benchmark against which graduates and their parents can measure themselves. If you are able to use these words correctly, you are likely to have a superior command of the language," Steven Kleinedler, senior editor of "100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know," says in a news release announcing the book. But he admitted to the Detroit Free Press that few people actually know all 100. Confession time: He told the paper that one of the words on the top 100 list, "quotidian," was completely new to him. (It means commonplace or ordinary.)
The meanings of the 10 words above (on the off chance you need to bone up on your vocabulary):
abstemious: eating and drinking in moderation; self-denying
bellicose: warlike or hostile; belligerent
chromosome: a strand of DNA; genetic material
filibuster: the use of obstructionist tactics, especially prolonged speechmaking
gauche: lacking grace or social polish; vulgar
gerrymander: to divide voting districts so as to give unfair advantage to one party
interpolate: to insert or introduce between other elements or parts; to butt-in
irony: the use of words to express something different from and often opposite to literal meaning
plagiarize: to use and pass off the ideas or writing of another as one's own
suffragist: an advocate of voting rights, especially for women
If you graduated from high school--no matter the year!--you should know these 10 words, according to the editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Actually you should know 90 more, too. And they're all in "100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know." But let's start with these 10.
Time to test yourself! The definitions are at the end of this page so you don't have to go far to find out what the words mean.
Top 10 words you should know:
abstemious
bellicose
chromosome
filibuster
gauche
gerrymander
interpolate
irony
plagiarize
suffragist
Just as any current high school student preparing for the SAT college admissions test can tell you, words sometimes contain hints as to their meanings either through spelling or sound. For example, "abstemious" means to eat or drink in moderation. It sounds a lot like "abstain," so on a multiple-choice test, you might be able to figure this out from the sound of the word.
"The words we suggest are not meant to be exhaustive but are a benchmark against which graduates and their parents can measure themselves. If you are able to use these words correctly, you are likely to have a superior command of the language," Steven Kleinedler, senior editor of "100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know," says in a news release announcing the book. But he admitted to the Detroit Free Press that few people actually know all 100. Confession time: He told the paper that one of the words on the top 100 list, "quotidian," was completely new to him. (It means commonplace or ordinary.)
The meanings of the 10 words above (on the off chance you need to bone up on your vocabulary):
abstemious: eating and drinking in moderation; self-denying
bellicose: warlike or hostile; belligerent
chromosome: a strand of DNA; genetic material
filibuster: the use of obstructionist tactics, especially prolonged speechmaking
gauche: lacking grace or social polish; vulgar
gerrymander: to divide voting districts so as to give unfair advantage to one party
interpolate: to insert or introduce between other elements or parts; to butt-in
irony: the use of words to express something different from and often opposite to literal meaning
plagiarize: to use and pass off the ideas or writing of another as one's own
suffragist: an advocate of voting rights, especially for women
Saturday, January 9, 2010
LA Times Lays off 80, Shrinks Size of Page
From paidcontent.org:
The LA Times is cutting 80 jobs as it closes an Orange County printing plant as it tries to reduce costs further. The paper will rely on just one printing facility, the paper reported.
Over the past year, a number of newspaper publishers have achieved a degree of profitability mainly by lowering expenses, as opposed to growing revenue. The ability to maintain profitability diminishes over time, since there are only so many printing plants to close and only so many staffers than can be laid off, while still being able to operate a newspaper.
With less and less big items to cut, the Tribune Company paper is also looking to rein in expenses by not publishing Monday business section as a stand-alone. It will also shrink the width of the newspaper to 44 inches from 48 inches. To balance things out, the paper is creating a separate section for breaking news called LATExtra, which will publish Monday through Saturday.
The year’s barely gotten started but there have already been at least 431 newspaper jobs lost, according to Paper Cuts. The site counted 14,861 layoffs for 2009, slightly less worse than the prior year’s the 15,984 newspaper jobs that were slashed.
The latest layoffs at the LA Times comes nearly a year after it cut 300 positions—70 of which were in editorial—and folded the local news stand-alone section into the front section.
As for the paper’s parent company, last month, Tribune’s bankruptcy court judge allowed current management more time to come up with a reorg plan to emerge from Chapter 11, rejecting challenges from its creditors who tried to wrest control from the current management team under Chairman Sam Zell and Randy Michaels, who went from COO to CEO.
The LA Times is cutting 80 jobs as it closes an Orange County printing plant as it tries to reduce costs further. The paper will rely on just one printing facility, the paper reported.
Over the past year, a number of newspaper publishers have achieved a degree of profitability mainly by lowering expenses, as opposed to growing revenue. The ability to maintain profitability diminishes over time, since there are only so many printing plants to close and only so many staffers than can be laid off, while still being able to operate a newspaper.
With less and less big items to cut, the Tribune Company paper is also looking to rein in expenses by not publishing Monday business section as a stand-alone. It will also shrink the width of the newspaper to 44 inches from 48 inches. To balance things out, the paper is creating a separate section for breaking news called LATExtra, which will publish Monday through Saturday.
The year’s barely gotten started but there have already been at least 431 newspaper jobs lost, according to Paper Cuts. The site counted 14,861 layoffs for 2009, slightly less worse than the prior year’s the 15,984 newspaper jobs that were slashed.
The latest layoffs at the LA Times comes nearly a year after it cut 300 positions—70 of which were in editorial—and folded the local news stand-alone section into the front section.
As for the paper’s parent company, last month, Tribune’s bankruptcy court judge allowed current management more time to come up with a reorg plan to emerge from Chapter 11, rejecting challenges from its creditors who tried to wrest control from the current management team under Chairman Sam Zell and Randy Michaels, who went from COO to CEO.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Freelance Writing's Unfortunate New Model
From the Los Angeles Times:
Freelance writing's unfortunate new model
With many outlets slashing pay scales, the well-written story is in danger of becoming scarce. The hustle is just beginning for new and seasoned freelancers.
By James Rainey
Trails.com will pay $15 for articles about the outdoors. Livestrong.com wants 500-word pieces on health for $30, or less. In this mix, the 16 cents a word offered by Green Business Quarterly ends up sounding almost bounteous, amounting to more than $100 per submission.
Other publishers pitch the grand opportunities they provide to "extend your personal brand" or to "showcase your work, influence others." That means working for nothing, just like the sailing magazine that offers its next editor-writer not a single doubloon but, instead, the opportunity to "participate in regattas all over the country."
What's sailing away, a decade into the 21st century, is the common conception that writing is a profession -- or at least a skilled craft that should come not only with psychic rewards but with something resembling a living wage.
Freelance writing fees -- beginning with the Internet but extending to newspapers and magazines -- have been spiraling downward for a couple of years and reached what appears to be bottom in 2009.
The trend has gotten scant attention outside the trade. Maybe that's because we live in a culture that holds journalists in low esteem. Or it could be because so much focus has been put on the massive cutbacks in full-time journalism jobs. An estimated 31,000 writers, editors and others have been jettisoned by newspapers in just the last two years.
Today's reality is that much of freelancing has become all too free. Seasoned professionals have seen their income drop by 50% or more as publishers fill the Web's seemingly limitless news hole, drawing on the ever-expanding rank of under-employed writers.
Low compensation
The crumbling pay scales have not only hollowed out household budgets but accompanied a pervasive shift in journalism toward shorter stories, frothier subjects and an increasing emphasis on fast, rather than thorough.
"There are a lot of stories that are being missed, not just at legacy newspapers and TV stations but in the freelance world," said Nick Martin, 27, laid off a year ago by the East Valley Tribune in Mesa, Ariz., and now a freelancer. "A lot of publications used to be able to pay freelancers to do really solid investigations. There's just not much of that going on anymore."
Another writer, based in Los Angeles, said she has been troubled by the lighter fare that many websites prefer to drive up traffic. A new take on any youth obsessions ("Put 'Twilight' in the headline, get paid") has much more chance of winning editorial approval than more complex or substantive material.
The rank of stories unwritten -- like most errors of omission -- is hard to conceive. Even those inside journalism can only guess at what stories they might have paid for, if they had more money.
Media analyst and former newspaper editor Alan Mutter worried last month about the ongoing "journicide" -- the loss of much of a generation of professional journalists who turn to other professions.
Writers say they see stories getting shorter and the reporting that goes into some of them getting thinner.
A former staff writer for a national magazine told me that she has been disturbed not only by low fees (one site offered her $100 for an 800-word essay) but by the way some website editors accept "reporting" that really amounts to reworking previously published material. That's known in the trade as a "clip job" and on the Web as a "write around."
"The definition of reportage has become really loose," said the writer, also a book author, who didn't want to be named for fear of alienating employers. "In this economy, everyone is afraid to turn down any work and it has created this march to the bottom."
One Los Angeles woman who also requested anonymity writes frequently for women's magazines and fondly recalls the days when freelance pieces fetched $2, or even $3, a word. Though some publications still pay those rates, many have cut them at least in half. And story lengths have been reduced even more drastically.
The writer, who once could make $70,000 a year or more, said she is now working harder to bring in half that much. "It's just not a living wage anymore," she said.
Los Angeles freelancer Tina Dupuy gained acclaim last year when she posted a YouTube video to shame editors at the Tampa Tribune into paying her $75 for a humor column on the "birthers" -- the political activists who contest President Obama's U.S. citizenship.
Up for a challenge
She said many other papers have stopped paying for opinion columns altogether --narrowing op-ed contributions at some papers to those already in syndication or those with day jobs at chambers of commerce, corporations, think tanks and the like.
"These corporate-sponsored pieces threaten to push people like me out," Dupuy said.
That's not to say that she is getting out of the business. After an earlier career in stand-up comedy, Dupuy has learned to hustle and to be "psychologically very adept at rejection."
It can be challenging, but Dupuy makes a living. "For someone who had to drive for hours to get to a gig -- to get $100 and a beer bottle thrown at them -- this is heaven," she said.
Indeed, relative newcomers like Dupuy or those who have spent their careers as freelancers -- like Matt Villano of Healdsburg, Calif. -- sound much more resilient about the revolutionary changes in publishing than the former staff writers and longtime freelancers.
The 34-year-old Villano -- whose outlets include the San Francisco Chronicle, Fodor's travel guides, Casino Player and Oceanus magazines -- said some writers struggle because they have fuzzy, arty notions about their work. They need to act more like small business people, Villano said, diversifying their skills and the outlets they write for.
Despite the endless hustle, Villano said he would not give up a career that has taken him from whale watching in Maui to the baccarat tables of Las Vegas. "I like the diversity," he said. "I like doing it on my own terms."
Villano strikes me as considerably more resilient, and sunny, than most people who write for a living. To make a go of it, the majority will require not only his flexibility, but a return of a more stable financial base for journalism.
With the advertising-driven income in a state of disarray, the source of future freelance dollars remains in doubt.
Philanthropic, nonprofit sites (ProPublica) will take up some of the slack, while other new models (Spot.Us) ask consumers to make micro-payments to put writers on specific local stories. Other websites (True/Slant) pay bonuses for stories and commentary, with writers getting paid more as they deliver bigger audiences.
It's hard to say if any, or all, will succeed. But the sooner they can take the free out of freelance, the better. Until they do, we can only imagine what we'll be missing.
Freelance writing's unfortunate new model
With many outlets slashing pay scales, the well-written story is in danger of becoming scarce. The hustle is just beginning for new and seasoned freelancers.
By James Rainey
Trails.com will pay $15 for articles about the outdoors. Livestrong.com wants 500-word pieces on health for $30, or less. In this mix, the 16 cents a word offered by Green Business Quarterly ends up sounding almost bounteous, amounting to more than $100 per submission.
Other publishers pitch the grand opportunities they provide to "extend your personal brand" or to "showcase your work, influence others." That means working for nothing, just like the sailing magazine that offers its next editor-writer not a single doubloon but, instead, the opportunity to "participate in regattas all over the country."
What's sailing away, a decade into the 21st century, is the common conception that writing is a profession -- or at least a skilled craft that should come not only with psychic rewards but with something resembling a living wage.
Freelance writing fees -- beginning with the Internet but extending to newspapers and magazines -- have been spiraling downward for a couple of years and reached what appears to be bottom in 2009.
The trend has gotten scant attention outside the trade. Maybe that's because we live in a culture that holds journalists in low esteem. Or it could be because so much focus has been put on the massive cutbacks in full-time journalism jobs. An estimated 31,000 writers, editors and others have been jettisoned by newspapers in just the last two years.
Today's reality is that much of freelancing has become all too free. Seasoned professionals have seen their income drop by 50% or more as publishers fill the Web's seemingly limitless news hole, drawing on the ever-expanding rank of under-employed writers.
Low compensation
The crumbling pay scales have not only hollowed out household budgets but accompanied a pervasive shift in journalism toward shorter stories, frothier subjects and an increasing emphasis on fast, rather than thorough.
"There are a lot of stories that are being missed, not just at legacy newspapers and TV stations but in the freelance world," said Nick Martin, 27, laid off a year ago by the East Valley Tribune in Mesa, Ariz., and now a freelancer. "A lot of publications used to be able to pay freelancers to do really solid investigations. There's just not much of that going on anymore."
Another writer, based in Los Angeles, said she has been troubled by the lighter fare that many websites prefer to drive up traffic. A new take on any youth obsessions ("Put 'Twilight' in the headline, get paid") has much more chance of winning editorial approval than more complex or substantive material.
The rank of stories unwritten -- like most errors of omission -- is hard to conceive. Even those inside journalism can only guess at what stories they might have paid for, if they had more money.
Media analyst and former newspaper editor Alan Mutter worried last month about the ongoing "journicide" -- the loss of much of a generation of professional journalists who turn to other professions.
Writers say they see stories getting shorter and the reporting that goes into some of them getting thinner.
A former staff writer for a national magazine told me that she has been disturbed not only by low fees (one site offered her $100 for an 800-word essay) but by the way some website editors accept "reporting" that really amounts to reworking previously published material. That's known in the trade as a "clip job" and on the Web as a "write around."
"The definition of reportage has become really loose," said the writer, also a book author, who didn't want to be named for fear of alienating employers. "In this economy, everyone is afraid to turn down any work and it has created this march to the bottom."
One Los Angeles woman who also requested anonymity writes frequently for women's magazines and fondly recalls the days when freelance pieces fetched $2, or even $3, a word. Though some publications still pay those rates, many have cut them at least in half. And story lengths have been reduced even more drastically.
The writer, who once could make $70,000 a year or more, said she is now working harder to bring in half that much. "It's just not a living wage anymore," she said.
Los Angeles freelancer Tina Dupuy gained acclaim last year when she posted a YouTube video to shame editors at the Tampa Tribune into paying her $75 for a humor column on the "birthers" -- the political activists who contest President Obama's U.S. citizenship.
Up for a challenge
She said many other papers have stopped paying for opinion columns altogether --narrowing op-ed contributions at some papers to those already in syndication or those with day jobs at chambers of commerce, corporations, think tanks and the like.
"These corporate-sponsored pieces threaten to push people like me out," Dupuy said.
That's not to say that she is getting out of the business. After an earlier career in stand-up comedy, Dupuy has learned to hustle and to be "psychologically very adept at rejection."
It can be challenging, but Dupuy makes a living. "For someone who had to drive for hours to get to a gig -- to get $100 and a beer bottle thrown at them -- this is heaven," she said.
Indeed, relative newcomers like Dupuy or those who have spent their careers as freelancers -- like Matt Villano of Healdsburg, Calif. -- sound much more resilient about the revolutionary changes in publishing than the former staff writers and longtime freelancers.
The 34-year-old Villano -- whose outlets include the San Francisco Chronicle, Fodor's travel guides, Casino Player and Oceanus magazines -- said some writers struggle because they have fuzzy, arty notions about their work. They need to act more like small business people, Villano said, diversifying their skills and the outlets they write for.
Despite the endless hustle, Villano said he would not give up a career that has taken him from whale watching in Maui to the baccarat tables of Las Vegas. "I like the diversity," he said. "I like doing it on my own terms."
Villano strikes me as considerably more resilient, and sunny, than most people who write for a living. To make a go of it, the majority will require not only his flexibility, but a return of a more stable financial base for journalism.
With the advertising-driven income in a state of disarray, the source of future freelance dollars remains in doubt.
Philanthropic, nonprofit sites (ProPublica) will take up some of the slack, while other new models (Spot.Us) ask consumers to make micro-payments to put writers on specific local stories. Other websites (True/Slant) pay bonuses for stories and commentary, with writers getting paid more as they deliver bigger audiences.
It's hard to say if any, or all, will succeed. But the sooner they can take the free out of freelance, the better. Until they do, we can only imagine what we'll be missing.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Paid Communications Internship Available
Hiring Communications Intern
Grace Brethren International Missions (office beside the Gordon Center) is seeking to hire a Communications Intern for the Spring Semester.
Use your communications skills for the Kingdom! You will assist GBIM’s Communication Officer in mobilizing men, women and children to the Great Commission through web, video and print media.
You will help with major projects, develop some projects on your own and assist the IMC team in other areas as needed. This paid internship lasts through the Spring semester. We will work with you to plan your work hours with your class and break schedule.
View the ministry description or download an application below or contact Jennifer Christenberry at jchristenberry@gbim.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 574-268-1888, ext. 28 for more information.
IMC Internship Ministry Agreement
Title: Communication Intern
Purpose of position: to assist in the Communication department while being mentored in ministry attitudes and skills.
Responsible to: Jim Folsom
Relates closely with: Janelle Armstrong
Main areas of responsibility:
•In the Communications department:
•Assist in projects as assigned by Jim. These could be in writing, graphic design and/or communication administration
•Assist in general office tasks as needed.
Main requirements:
•Self motivated person who is dependable and takes initiative to accomplish tasks and projects.
•Able to organize and care for many different and competing details and projects, creating and effectively using systems to assure timely follow-up
•Able to adjust creative efforts to fit parameters set by those giving direction
•Skills in graphic design and/or writing.
•Adequate skills in typical communications software.
•Comfortable interacting with people on the phone and in person
•Able to flex and rework projects and plans as conditions and needs change
Time Requirements: 10 hours per week, worked in a consistent schedule. Schedule to be developed with Supervisors.
Application available for download at www.gbim.org.
Grace Brethren International Missions (office beside the Gordon Center) is seeking to hire a Communications Intern for the Spring Semester.
Use your communications skills for the Kingdom! You will assist GBIM’s Communication Officer in mobilizing men, women and children to the Great Commission through web, video and print media.
You will help with major projects, develop some projects on your own and assist the IMC team in other areas as needed. This paid internship lasts through the Spring semester. We will work with you to plan your work hours with your class and break schedule.
View the ministry description or download an application below or contact Jennifer Christenberry at jchristenberry@gbim.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 574-268-1888, ext. 28 for more information.
IMC Internship Ministry Agreement
Title: Communication Intern
Purpose of position: to assist in the Communication department while being mentored in ministry attitudes and skills.
Responsible to: Jim Folsom
Relates closely with: Janelle Armstrong
Main areas of responsibility:
•In the Communications department:
•Assist in projects as assigned by Jim. These could be in writing, graphic design and/or communication administration
•Assist in general office tasks as needed.
Main requirements:
•Self motivated person who is dependable and takes initiative to accomplish tasks and projects.
•Able to organize and care for many different and competing details and projects, creating and effectively using systems to assure timely follow-up
•Able to adjust creative efforts to fit parameters set by those giving direction
•Skills in graphic design and/or writing.
•Adequate skills in typical communications software.
•Comfortable interacting with people on the phone and in person
•Able to flex and rework projects and plans as conditions and needs change
Time Requirements: 10 hours per week, worked in a consistent schedule. Schedule to be developed with Supervisors.
Application available for download at www.gbim.org.
Monday, January 4, 2010
A View From Great Britain
In spite of the gloomy talk about the fatal decline of newspapers and even after my abrupt departure from the Evening Standard, I am optimistic about 2010.
Of course doom-laden sentiments seem convincing. Sales are plummeting, advertising yields head south and the under-30s are unwilling to buy papers. The first result of newspapers in retreat is space being squeezed, then good writers and critics are fired and editors demand an inappropriate measure of cheeriness. At the sharper end where newspapers earn their reputation, the long shadow of Schillings falls across every editor's desk as undemocratic libel laws make investigative journalism a hazardous and potentially punitively expensive business.
And worst of all, unsavoury characters who call themselves proprietors withhold investment, imagination and inspiration to regalvanise a tarnished industry.
But there is hope on the horizon. Newspapers have always shown an amazing ability to adapt and survive. Over the past century, journalists – tough, ingenious and canny – have reinvented newspapers battered by taxes, censorship, paper shortages and trade union restrictions. With undying love for their craft, they stubbornly resist surrender.
And the best proprietors, who have never been in the business merely to pocket vast fortunes, back their editors and journalism and discover new ways to reshape the business. Lord Rothermere and David English did it with the Daily Mail. Rupert Murdoch did it at Wapping. Jonathan Rothermere proved with Metro that targeted freesheets can be profitable.
Since then, Murdoch has fallen flat on his face by waging the London freesheet war. And his defeat ignites my confidence for the future. In general, freesheets are losers. Readers want quality journalism.
Murdoch, newspapers' greatest champion, is paving the way. His "paywall" revolution is the only existing solution to the internet threat and the slide towards amateur "journalism". I know that I would happily pay a £25 per annum subscription to the Guardian online with its 24/7 comment and media and arts coverage. Mail Online's mix of celebrity and vulgarity is already an addiction for millions.
Strangely, News International sites are the weakest, with no USP, but no doubt James Harding and John Witherow will fix that. A new, leaner model of newspaper with paid-for digital content will emerge, allowing original journalism, the lifeblood of newspapers, to thrive once again as we finally pull out of recession. A bonus would be if MPs have the courage to reform the libel laws to favour searching journalism. Expos̩s Рand I don't mean sex scandals Рwould flourish. And sales would follow.
Cut loose from editing London's last paid-for newspaper, I am occupied with my new life as a portfolio woman, busy with boards, charities and the task I have set myself for the next six months, to visit every arts organisation in London that receives Arts Council funding. And will I reapply for the chair of the London Arts Council? You bet.
• Veronica Wadley is the former editor of the London Evening Standard
Of course doom-laden sentiments seem convincing. Sales are plummeting, advertising yields head south and the under-30s are unwilling to buy papers. The first result of newspapers in retreat is space being squeezed, then good writers and critics are fired and editors demand an inappropriate measure of cheeriness. At the sharper end where newspapers earn their reputation, the long shadow of Schillings falls across every editor's desk as undemocratic libel laws make investigative journalism a hazardous and potentially punitively expensive business.
And worst of all, unsavoury characters who call themselves proprietors withhold investment, imagination and inspiration to regalvanise a tarnished industry.
But there is hope on the horizon. Newspapers have always shown an amazing ability to adapt and survive. Over the past century, journalists – tough, ingenious and canny – have reinvented newspapers battered by taxes, censorship, paper shortages and trade union restrictions. With undying love for their craft, they stubbornly resist surrender.
And the best proprietors, who have never been in the business merely to pocket vast fortunes, back their editors and journalism and discover new ways to reshape the business. Lord Rothermere and David English did it with the Daily Mail. Rupert Murdoch did it at Wapping. Jonathan Rothermere proved with Metro that targeted freesheets can be profitable.
Since then, Murdoch has fallen flat on his face by waging the London freesheet war. And his defeat ignites my confidence for the future. In general, freesheets are losers. Readers want quality journalism.
Murdoch, newspapers' greatest champion, is paving the way. His "paywall" revolution is the only existing solution to the internet threat and the slide towards amateur "journalism". I know that I would happily pay a £25 per annum subscription to the Guardian online with its 24/7 comment and media and arts coverage. Mail Online's mix of celebrity and vulgarity is already an addiction for millions.
Strangely, News International sites are the weakest, with no USP, but no doubt James Harding and John Witherow will fix that. A new, leaner model of newspaper with paid-for digital content will emerge, allowing original journalism, the lifeblood of newspapers, to thrive once again as we finally pull out of recession. A bonus would be if MPs have the courage to reform the libel laws to favour searching journalism. Expos̩s Рand I don't mean sex scandals Рwould flourish. And sales would follow.
Cut loose from editing London's last paid-for newspaper, I am occupied with my new life as a portfolio woman, busy with boards, charities and the task I have set myself for the next six months, to visit every arts organisation in London that receives Arts Council funding. And will I reapply for the chair of the London Arts Council? You bet.
• Veronica Wadley is the former editor of the London Evening Standard
Banned Words of 2010
From Time magazine:
Say No More: The Banned Words of 2010
By Dan Fletcher Saturday, Jan. 02, 2010
A new year means a chance to leave some of the tired words and phrases of 2009 in the past. At least that's the theory of the wordsmiths at Lake Superior State University, who released their 35th annual (deep breath) List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness.
This year's fifteen offenders make up a tech-heavy list. "Tweet" (and any variation thereof) is included, as is "friending" or "unfriending" someone. "App" — as a shortened word for application — is another offender. And at the end of a rough financial year, much of the jargon of economic pain has run its course: "In these economic times," "toxic assets" and "too big to fail" have no place in 2010.
(See the top 10 buzzwords of 2009.)
Some surprising omissions? None of 2009's most overused health care buzzwords were included ("public option," anyone?). But Obama himself makes the list, though only as a prefix — Obamanomics, Obamanation, etc. — as do his "czars." Glenn Beck could need to come up with a whole new vocabulary in 2010. .
The small Michigan university receives thousands of nominations over the course of the year before culling to the most flagrant offenders. Does the list hold any actual power? Some of the banned words from 2008 still crept into conversation last year: "bailout", "Wall Street/Main Street" and "carbon footprint" continue to be abused. Thankfully, "first dude", "maverick" and "game changer" were relegated to the sidelines.
The complete 2010 list:
1. Shovel-ready
2. Transparent/Transparency
3. Czar
4. Tweet
5. App
6. Sexting
7. Friend as a verb
8. Teachable Moment
9. In These Economic Times...
10. Stimulus
11. Toxic Assets
12. Too Big to Fail
13. Bromance
14. Chillaxin'
15. Obama as a prefix
Say No More: The Banned Words of 2010
By Dan Fletcher Saturday, Jan. 02, 2010
A new year means a chance to leave some of the tired words and phrases of 2009 in the past. At least that's the theory of the wordsmiths at Lake Superior State University, who released their 35th annual (deep breath) List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness.
This year's fifteen offenders make up a tech-heavy list. "Tweet" (and any variation thereof) is included, as is "friending" or "unfriending" someone. "App" — as a shortened word for application — is another offender. And at the end of a rough financial year, much of the jargon of economic pain has run its course: "In these economic times," "toxic assets" and "too big to fail" have no place in 2010.
(See the top 10 buzzwords of 2009.)
Some surprising omissions? None of 2009's most overused health care buzzwords were included ("public option," anyone?). But Obama himself makes the list, though only as a prefix — Obamanomics, Obamanation, etc. — as do his "czars." Glenn Beck could need to come up with a whole new vocabulary in 2010. .
The small Michigan university receives thousands of nominations over the course of the year before culling to the most flagrant offenders. Does the list hold any actual power? Some of the banned words from 2008 still crept into conversation last year: "bailout", "Wall Street/Main Street" and "carbon footprint" continue to be abused. Thankfully, "first dude", "maverick" and "game changer" were relegated to the sidelines.
The complete 2010 list:
1. Shovel-ready
2. Transparent/Transparency
3. Czar
4. Tweet
5. App
6. Sexting
7. Friend as a verb
8. Teachable Moment
9. In These Economic Times...
10. Stimulus
11. Toxic Assets
12. Too Big to Fail
13. Bromance
14. Chillaxin'
15. Obama as a prefix
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