WWW. ANANEWS.COM
GOOGLE NEWS: FRIEND OR FOE? YOU DECIDE
Although ads are not displayed on Google News, Marissa Mayer, who oversees it, said the site has helped Google financially. SLOW GROWTH, PAGE 4
LEE ABRAMS BREAKS IT DOWN: NEWSPAPERS MUST INNOVATE OR DIE. CHECK OUT HIS IDEAS.
First Stardust schools chosen Five Arizona high schools will get fully equipped multimedia newsrooms in time for fall classes as part of a new high school outreach program by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Stardust Foundation of Scottsdale. The five schools are Buckeye Union High School, Coolidge High School, Douglas High School, Miami High School and Snowflake High School. The schools are the first to be chosen for the Stardust High School Journalism Program, a unique initiative to create newsrooms in high schools. Five more Arizona high schools will join the program next year under a grant from the Scottsdale-based Stardust Foundation. The grant targets schools with large minority populations that do not have school newspapers or viable journalism programs. Those are the schools that often don’t have the resources to publish school newspapers, said Cronkite Dean Christopher Callahan. Under the program, the Cronkite School will equip newsrooms at each school with computers, scanners, video cameras, digital cameras and
software necessary for publishing an online newspaper that can also be published as a print product. The Cronkite School staff will install the equipment and manage servers that host schools’ Web sites. More than 100 students will take classes in multimedia reporting and producing this fall, learning skills such as writing, reporting, grammar, editing, page design, Web production, videography and photography as well as journalism ethics
and values. The Cronkite School will provide ongoing training and support for teachers and students in the program. The first group of teachers and advisers will participate in a converged media boot camp this summer at the new Cronkite building in downtown Phoenix, where they will get help developing journalism curricula and learn up-to-date technical skills. Continued on page 3
Dave Cornelius, director of the Cronkite School’s Stardust High School Journalism Program, is installing multimedia newsrooms in five Arizona high schools this summer.
ANF announces scholarship recipients
FIFTEEN WAYS, PAGE 8
ARIZONA NEWSPAPERS ON CUTTING EDGE OF MEDIA CONVERGENCE? ANA’s executive director thinks so. Find out what new things local newspapers are doing on the Internet. PLETHORA, PAGE 2
JULY/AUGUST 2008
Maria Konopken
The Arizona Newspapers Foundation is pleased to announce that Maria Konopken and Candace Begody are the two recipients of its 2008 scholarship program. Each budding journalist was presented with a $1,000 award for tuition and will be introduced at the Arizona Newspapers Association 2008 Fall Convention and Annual Meeting on Oct. 11, 2008. Maria Konopken is a junior at Arizona State University, majoring in Digital Journalism. She is a member ANAgrams Arizona Newspapers Association 1001 N. Central Avenue, Suite 670 Phoenix, AZ 85004 - 1947
GET A TASTE OF ANA’S 2008 FALL CONVENTION You want to know when, where and who’s speaking. We got your back. The tentative schedule and pricing for the convention is all in this issue. Register now for an early-bird discount!
of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and has interned at Latino Perspectives Magazine. Candace Begody is a senior at the University of Arizona majoring in Journalism and minoring in Indian Studies. She has interned at the Tucson Citizen and the Missoulian and has freelanced for the Navajo Times. Both Konopken and Begody show remarkable talent and potential in the journalism field, and are a true asset to their communities. “PRSRT STD” U.S. POSTAGE PAID PHOENIX ARIZONA PERMIT NO. 3429
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
2008 ANA FALL, PAGE 12 Candace Begody
2
July/August 2008 ■ ANAgrams
ANA/Ad Services Board of Directors President John Wolfe, One-Year Director/Non-Daily Independent Newspapers Inc. jsw11@aol.com
Directors Ginger Lamb, Two-Year Director/Non-Daily Arizona Capitol Times ginger.lamb@azcapitoltimes.com
First Vice President Dick Larson, Two-Year Director/Daily Western Newspapers Inc. dlarson@westernnews.com
Rick Schneider, One-Year Dir/Non-Daily Eastern Arizona Courier schneider@eacourier.com
Second Vice President Position Open Third Vice President Tom Arviso, Two-Year Director/Non-Daily Navajo Times tomarviso@navajotimes.com Secretary/Treasurer Teri Hayt, Two-Year Director/At-large Arizona Daily Star terihayt@tucson.com
Don Rowley, One-Year Director/Daily Arizona Daily Sun drowley@pulitzer.net Elvira Espinoza, Two-Year Dir/At-large La Voz elvira.ortiz@lavozpublishing.com Pam Mox, Past President Green Valley News and Sun pmox@gvnews.com OPEN POSITION Two-Year Director/Daily
Arizona Newspapers Foundation Board of Directors The foundation is an educational, charitable 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation. Chairman of the Board Josie Cantu-Weber Tucson Citizen jweber@tucsoncitizen.com Vice Chairman Joann Carranza carranza57@cox.net Treasurer Lee Knapp The Sun (Yuma) lknapp@yumasun.com Secretary Pam Mox Green Valley News & Sun pmox@gvnews.com
Directors L. Alan Cruikshank Fountain Hills Times alan@fhtimes.com John F. Fearing Arizona Newspapers Association j.fearing@ananews.com Steve Doig Arizona State University steve.doig@asu.edu Bret McKeand Independent Newspapers, Inc. SCIbret@aol.com John Wolfe Independent Newspapers Inc. jsw11@aol.com Jeff Weigand The Arizona Republic Jeffrey.Weigand@pni.com
ANA Committees Join one of our committees and make a difference in your association! Marketing/Member Revenue Chairman Dick Larson Western Newspapers dlarson@westernnews.com First Amendment Coalition President Mary Jo Pitzl The Arizona Republic maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com Educational Task Force Chairman Pam Mox Green Valley News and Sun pmox@gvnews.com
Government and Public Policy Chairman Teri Hayt Arizona Daily Star terihayt@tucson.com Awards Committee Chairman Don Rowley Arizona Daily Sun drowley@pulitzer.net Finance Committee Chairman Position Open
Contact ANA Staff
A plethora of innovation coming from Arizona Newspapers up-sell local clients As our industry to a video ad or logo continues to change, ad which will be Arizona newspapers included with their are finding new and Yellow Pages listing. innovative ways to Another future prodkeep up with the ever uct is Verican’s Perchanging technolsonals which is an ogy. The Fountain online dating service Hills Times has been that can be accessed posting their 4:30 through the newspaNews video Monday per’s branded Web through Friday, to site. These products their Web site for a little over a year now. ANA Executive Director Paula Casey have all been created to enhance our The West Valley View members’ Web sites offers readers narrated in order to generate more traffic, slideshows of community events on their Web site. Other innovations which as we all know, translates into include the Arizona Capitol Times more advertising dollars. The ANA Fall convention, Oct. teaming up with PBS to offer local viewers “Highlights at the Capitol” 10-11, will be themed “Today’s New every Wednesday night during the Media…Is your toolbox ready?” legislative session. You can get the We will feature a full day of Online latest business news daily via video at Advertising training presented by The Business Journal’s Web site. The nationally-recognized sale coach Eastern Arizona Courier is posting Mike Blinder, on Oct. 10. Also featheir Special sections online for free tured on Oct. 10 will be a full day of viewing. There is also an abundance ethics training presented by Steve of blogs to choose from like that at Buttry from the American Press The Sun in Yuma or the Sedona Red Institute. This session will center on the Ethics of Digital Journalism. On Rock News. Here at ANA, we have devel- Saturday, Oct. 11, we will conduct oped an aggregation of classified ads sessions including Web Video for published by participating newspa- Dummies, Editing Video for Dumpers at ClassifiedsArizona.com. An mies, Story Ideas which work for e-mail edition is now available thru the Web, Legal issues in dealing a new Verican product to give news- with Today’s New Media, Managing papers another avenue to reach out Change and the Nuts & Bolts of the to their community with additional Wired Journalist. All this, as well as news products, as well as being the FOI Awards luncheon, the Hall of another vehicle for advertising rev- Fame Induction reception and dinner enue. Green Valley News and Sun is and the grand finale: the BNC Awards using the e-edition as a special sec- reception. With Arizona newspapers steption that is e-mailed to subscribers. ANA will soon be able to offer ping up their game during these newspapers a Yellow Pages Direc- changing times so has the ANA. We tory service (also a Verican product) can’t wait to see what innovative new where newspapers will be able to products the future holds.
Executive Director Paula Casey............................... Ext. 102 p.casey@ananews.com
Network Sales Representative Don Ullmann............................. Ext. 111 d.ullmann@ananews.com
Newspaper/renaissance man Chuck Treat dies
Deputy Executive Director of Government Affairs John F. Fearing.............. (602) 793-5040 j.fearing@ananews.com
Advertising Services Assistant Kay Wilmoth.............................. Ext. 103 k.wilmoth@ananews.com
Charles E. Treat, an original Renaissance man, died June 3. Chuck majored in Marketing and Business at the University of Arizona, attended Columbia University and IBM School where he turned his education into a major media career. His lifestyle of diverse interests included airplane pilot, racing yachtsman, army sharpshooter, author, developer, antique car buff, golfer, teacher, community spokesman and volunteer. After service in the Navy during WWII he served in the US Army Reserves retiring as a Captain. Chuck served as an Advertising Manager for the Phoenix Newspapers, Executive Vice-President and General Manager
Accounting Assistant Liisa Straub................................ Ext. 105 l.straub@ananews.com Media Buyer Cindy Meaux............................. Ext. 112 c.meaux@ananews.com Network Advertising Manager Sharon Schwartz....................... Ext. 108 s.schwartz@ananews.com
Communications Manager Perri Collins............................... Ext. 110 p.collins@ananews.com arizona State NIE Coordinator Pat Oso...................................... Ext. 109 beartracks@cox.net Receptionist/Tearsheets Lorraine Bergquist......................... Ext. 0 l.bergquist@ananews.com
ANAgrams is an official publication of the Arizona Newspapers Association 1001 N. Central Ave., Suite 670 Phoenix, AZ 85004
of the Omaha World Herald, General Manager and Vice-President of The Oklahoman and Vice-president and Marketing Director of the Washington Star. He is survived by wife Lael and four children; Candyce, Sherre, Chuck Jr. and Christopher Treat and granddaughters Lindsay Janos and Jamie Hartmann. The memorial service was held at St. Barnabas on the Desert, 6715 N. Mockingbird Lane, Paradise Valley, at 10:00 am Saturday, June 7. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, St. Barnabas on the Desert, or Sigma Nu Fraternity Educational Foundation www.sigmanu.org.
ANAgrams ■ July/August 2008
Stardust schools, con’t Continued from page 1
High school administrators said the program will transform their schools’ journalism programs. At Coolidge High School in Coolidge, about 45 minutes southeast of Phoenix, the school’s journalism program has been limited to a yearbook class. Under the Stardust program, Coolidge will add an introductory journalism class for sophomores and advanced classes in digital media, newspaper, yearbook and broadcast journalism, said Principal Keith Greer. “We knew there was technology out there that we weren’t afforded because we’re a rural school,” Greer said. “This program enables us to compete at a much higher level.” In applying to be part of the program, Stephen Truog, journalism adviser at Buckeye Union High School in Buckeye, Ariz., described his efforts to get a journalism program up and running again after a year without a school newspaper. The Stardust program, he said, will help ensure not just a successful student newspaper but an online school news service for the entire community. The Stardust program is run by Dave Cornelius, a longtime Valley educator who built the state’s premier
high school broadcast education program at Arcadia High School in the Scottsdale Unified School District. He developed programs that have become models for teaching arts, audiovisual technology and communications at the secondary school level. The Stardust Foundation is a nonprofit corporation founded by Jerry Bisgrove in 1993. Headquartered in Scottsdale, the foundation provides grants to organizations that impact the linked concepts of family and neighborhood stability. “Stardust values the opportunity to expose more students to careers in journalism,” Bisgrove said. “The communication skills they will learn in this program will be useful to them, regardless of their chosen profession. In today’s fast-paced, information-driven world, effective communication is vital to achieving success in all facets of one’s life.” Five additional schools will be chosen for the program for the 2009-10 school year. Schools are chosen through a competitive process. Schools interested in participating in the Stardust program should contact Cornelius by email at david.cornelius@asu.edu or by phone at (480) 338-1336.
The one. The only.
3
Arizona Press Woman Gerhardt dies at 92 Frances Gerhardt, 92, of Globe, died June 6, 2008. Services were held at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Globe. She was a longtime member of the Arizona Press Women and
worked for the Arizona Silver Belt before she retired. She is survived by her daughter; her son Ralph Gerhardt of Globe; 5 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren.
Chihak retires from Tucson Citizen Tucson Citizen Editor and Publisher Michael A. Chihak retired July 3, after eight years overseeing the Citizen and 38 years in the news and information business. Chihak said Friday his decision to retire from the Citizen and its parent corporation, Gannett Co. Inc., came after much thought and deliberation and with mixed emotions. He ends his news media career where he started it in 1970, when he was hired as a Citizen photographer and reporting intern for the summer. Before that, the Tucson native was a Citizen newspaper delivery boy for two years and served as a Citizen sports correspondent for two years in high school. “In moving on, I leave behind the best group of journalists with whom I have ever worked, and that includes comparing them to the journalists I worked with in eight years as an editor at USA TODAY. Citizen staff members stand above all others,” Chihak said. “The Citizen staff has worked hard - and successfully - at transitioning to the new information age to
keep us viable and long-lasting, not only in print but in the digital world of new media. “Thus, I depart with a great sense of security that the Citizen will continue to grow as a distinct news, information and editorial voice in the community.” “We thank Mike Chihak for the excellent work he has done in Tucson and in Gannett, and he has our best wishes in retirement,” said Robert J. Dickey, president of Gann e t t ’s U . S . Community Publishing division. He also said that a successor is being sought. “ W e will begin a search for his replacement right away.” Chihak said that in July, he will begin a new career as executive director of the Communications Leadership Institute, a San Francisco-based nonprofit. The institute is dedicated to media reform and providing training to other nonprofits aimed at building their abilities to strategically communicate with the media, their beneficiaries, funders and the communities they serve.
The Arizona Newspapers Association would like to thank Michael Chihak for his years of service to ANA. Michael joined the ANA Board of Directors in 2004 and most recently served as our First Vice President and Chairman of the ANA Finance Committee. We all send Michael our best wishes.
September 24, 2008 Wyndham Phoenix azcapitoltimes.com • 602.889.7125
Corrections to previous ANAgrams issue In the article about Michael Schwatz on page 5 of ANAgrams’ June issue, many of the quotes were taken verbatim from nomination statements posted on the University of Arizona Web site. On page 4 of the same issue, in
an article about Verde Valley’s new managing editor, it should be noted that Christopher Fox Graham won a 2006 ANA Journalistic Achievement/ Community service award as part of a group award given to the staff of the Sedona Red Rock News.
4
July/August 2008 ■ ANAgrams
Slow growth for Google News site BY MIGUEL HELFT NEW YORK TIMES MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — The death of Tim Russert of NBC News this month quickly became a top article on the nation’s biggest news sites. The front page of Google News took about an hour to catch up. Google blamed a technical problem for the delay and said it was not a sign that its news site, whose content is compiled entirely by computer programs, lacks timeliness. Still, while news organizations continue to worry about what Google is doing to their business, the company is far from achieving the kind of dominant position in news that it has in other areas. Six years after its start, Google News appears to be stuck in neutral and struggling to keep up with rivals. Several online news experts say Google News has changed little, especially when compared with services like Google Maps and Gmail, which add new features at a rapid pace. Perhaps as a result, traffic growth is sluggish. With 11.4 million users in May, Google News ranked No. 8 among news sites, far behind Yahoo News, which was No. 1 with 35.8 million visitors, according to Nielsen Online. Its growth rate of 10 percent over the last two years is far slower than those of most other large news Web sites. In the last two years, second-ranked MSNBC.com grew by 42 percent, adding 10.4 million users. Traffic at CNN.com and nytimes.com grew even faster. While it is clearly past the experimental stage, Google News still shows no ads, and there are no signs that Google is serious about making money from the site directly. “I’ve actually been surprised at how little it has evolved, at least on the surface,” said Dan Gillmor, director of the Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship at the journalism school of Arizona State University. “I’m guessing that Google isn’t so sure what to do with it.” Google executives defend the news site, saying traffic is not a paramount goal. Google News, they say, helps the company produce better search results and helps users find news sources that they might not know about otherwise. “For us, news is about search and helping people find information,” said Marissa Mayer, Google’s vice president for search and user experience, who oversees Google News. Ms. Mayer called Google News
one of the company’s most innovative products, and said that it helped the bottom line because Google News readers were among the most active users of Google’s search and other services. News results also show up on the company’s main search pages, along with ads. “It directly feeds the main business,” Ms. Mayer said. From its inception, Google News was built differently from most other large news Web sites. While news aggregators, like Yahoo and AOL, and original news sites, like CNN.com and MSNBC.com, create and license content and rely on editors to select and package articles, Google News is entirely automated. In the same way that Google’s computers crawl through the Web to add pages to its search engine, the company’s news service scans Web sites and compiles the articles it collects into an index. It then groups together articles on a particular subject and uses various signals — the placement of an article on a news site, the authority of a news publisher on a given topic, whether the article appears elsewhere — to rank those articles by importance. Google News, unlike most other news services, which try to keep readers on their sites, packages the results as a set of links, sending readers to the sites where the articles appear. “Clearly, some people use Google News as a primary news
source, which makes them a competitor,” said Jim Brady, executive editor of WashingtonPost.com. “But they are a driver of a significant amount of traffic, which we appreciate.” Still, the fear persists that news aggregators like Google News have the potential to steal more traffic than they bring. Industry executives fret that aggregators are eroding what little control news sites have over users. Instead of entering a preferred news site through its front page, users are being routed to a single article, perhaps deep inside the site, and when they are done reading it, they move on. Craig Moffett, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Company, said that the Internet had made it possible to aggregate news cheaply and, as a result, reduced the ability of news outlets to charge for their content. “Unfortunately, that’s the problem we are up against,” Mr. Moffett said. “Google may be doing more to accelerate this trend than anyone, but they are not doing it out of malice.” Last year, when he took over the Tribune Company, the real estate magnate Samuel Zell accused Google of stealing newspapers’ content for its own profit. A spokesman for Tribune, Gary Weitman, declined to make company executives available to talk about Google News last week. In Europe, the criticism of Google News has generally been more strident. A Belgian court ruled that Google News had violated copyright laws by publishing links
to newspaper articles without permission. Ms. Mayer and others at Google say that despite the simmering fears of those in the news industry, Google News fits into an effort by the company to help, not hurt, journalism. Google’s chief executive, Eric E. Schmidt, said recently that as a company that depends on the creation of high-quality content, Google feels “a huge moral imperative” to help news outlets be successful online. Google’s search and news products have been successful at driving traffic to news sites, but the company is not as good at turning that traffic into money for itself and for news outlets, Mr. Schmidt said. People close to the company, who asked not to be named because they did not want to jeopardize professional relationships, said that concerns about antagonizing news publishers have guided some decisions at Google News, most notably the decision not to place ads on the site. Like some other Google projects, Google News has at times also struggled internally to get the resources it needed, these people said. In the last year, Google has added several features to the site and expanded its reach. There are versions of Google News for 43 countries in 20 languages. The company has also been working on improving the site by reducing the number of Continued on page 10
ANAgrams ■ July/August 2008
5
Golden Valley Gazette ends publication Former Republic sportswriter dies unexpectedly just shy of three year anniversary Tim Tyers “He was a guy who never After nearly three years of distribution, the Golden Valley Gazette will publish its last issue on Wednesday. Western News&Info Inc., which owns the Golden Valley Gazette, made the decision to close the doors just two months shy of three years in operation. “With the dramatic downturn in the economy, we simply weren’t getting enough advertising support to keep the Gazette going,” Donna Peairs said. During its whole run, Peairs served as managing editor and reporter. She started with The Kingman Daily Miner, also owned by Western News&Info Inc., in April of 2005. “While I loved my job as Miner crimes and cops reporter, I thought it might be nice to stretch my wings
and see if I had learned enough in my 20 years in journalism to make a new newspaper fly,” Peairs said. “I was excited and terrified at the same time, but nothing ventured, nothing gained, as the old saying goes.” Described as ecstatic upon learning she obtained the position, she was an integral piece in the publication of the first issue on Oct. 5, 2005. Her personal touch can be seen in the last issue. “... the Golden Valley Gazette has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life,” Peairs said. “I have met some of the most fascinating people and wonderful people. I even married one of them!” Peairs will return to work with the Miner after a leave of absence. Continued on page 11
Hill answers YOUR questions on public records access and open meetings Elizabeth Hill has been answering your questions about public records and open meetings laws since she became Assistant Ombudsman for Public Access for the state of Arizona in February of 2007, after serving three years as an Arizona Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Division and as a member of the Open Meeting Law Enforcement Team. She takes some time this month to answer a few questions for Arizona journalists. Q: When are competitive bid documents open to the public? A: First it depends on the agency. Governmental units of the state are governed by the state procurement code found under A.R.S. §§ 41-2501 through -41-2673. Section 41-2533(D) explains that the bids shall be opened publicly at the time and place designated in the invitation for bids after a contract is awarded. Many political subdivisions and other local agencies of Arizona are governed by their own procurement code, but may adopt all or any part of the state code and adopted rules. Q: Are members of a public body prohibited from speaking to the media regarding matters that may come before a public body? A: The Arizona Attorney General says no. In a recent Attorney Gen-
eral Opinion, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office concluded that the open meeting law does not prohibit a member of a public body from speaking to the media regarding matters that may come before the public body. A meeting subject to the open meeting law requires a gathering of a quorum of members of the public body, and a gathering does not occur when members merely hear or read a comment, including a proposal for legal action, made by another member in the media. See Arizona Attorney General Opinion I07-013. Q: When a public body violates the open meeting law by discussing, proposing, or taking legal action on a matter not properly noticed on the agenda, does that violation nullify all other legal action taken during the meeting? A. The Arizona Attorney General says no. In a recent Attorney General Opinion , the Arizona Attorney General’s Office concluded that discussing, proposing, or taking legal action on a matter not properly noticed on the agenda, does not nullify all other legal action taken at the meeting as long as the violation has no demonstrated prejudicial effect on the complaining parties. See Arizona Attorney General Opinion I08-001.
Arizona RePublic
Longtime Arizona Republic sportswriter Bob Eger, one of the foremost authorities on Arizona State University’s sports history, died unexpectedly Tuesday afternoon at his Phoenix home. Eger, 66, was known in recent years for his work as an analyst on Arizona State baseball radio broadcasts. He died of an apparent heart attack. “I can’t think of anybody more committed to ASU baseball, or a more authentic, sincere man than Bob Eger,” ASU baseball coach Pat Murphy said. “ASU baseball lost a great friend today. I feel like Bob was a member of our staff. There was a certain comfort when you were around Bob. He just really, truly loved ASU and ASU athletics, and he loved baseball.” Eger was a native of Yuma. He graduated from ASU in 1964 with a degree in mass communications and joined The Republic in 1966. He became one of the paper’s mainstays for 31 years and was named Arizona Sportswriter of the Year seven times. He retired from the paper in 1997 and briefly served as the official scorer for the Arizona Diamondbacks. In 2001 he published his first book: Maroon & Gold - A History of Sun Devil Athletics.
missed deadline,” said Bob Jacobsen, former Republic sports editor. “He was always - and I emphasize the word always - a capable journalist who you could count on to get the job done. Deadlines are tough these days, and he never missed one. Never.” Eger’s coverage of ASU’s 1996 Rose Bowl team drew praise from editors and fans. “Bob was an institution with ASU,” said Mark Brand, associate athletic director at ASU. “We are talking about a man that wrote the history of ASU athletics. His book is the standard of which we reference things here ... .” Eger was an avid fisherman who was frequently accompanied on fishing trips by coaching legend Frank Kush. “I really admired him,” Kush said. “I thought he was one of the most competent writers I knew. He was knowledgeable not only about football but every other sport. “There are some guys you trust, and I always knew that I could tell him just about anything, and he was going to write it accordingly and wasn’t going to embarrass anybody.” Eger is survived by his mother and father; his wife, Linda; daughter, Diane; son, Ronnie; five grandchildren; and a sister, Susie Morse. His son, Ricky, preceded him in death. Jeff Metcalfe and Bob Young contributed to this report.
It’s not print vs. Web anymore
Blurring the lines between print and online, AdBuilder.com is making it easier to increase sales with complete print and Web ad packages. Now offering Flash banner ads that your staff can easily edit—no experience needed. 800.245.9278, ext. 5324 • sales_builder@multiad.com
6
July/August 2008 ■ ANAgrams
McClanahan a master at sales game
Rebecca McClanahan
The Arizona Newspapers Association would like to recognize Rebecca McClanahan, classified sales rep at the West Valley View, for consistently being a top sales person in the “ANA Network Ads 500” summer bonus program. For every ad that reps sell, they earn an additional $25, $50 or $100 (depending on the type of ad sold), as well as cash prizes and gift cards through periodic incentives and drawings. “I think incentives are very important,” said McClanahan. With her fierce competitive
nature, it’s no surprise that she’s already been the winner of two $100 Circle K gift cards. She plans to use them to take a short trip to Sedona later this summer. She said she likes competition and she’s happy to have won twice. McClanahan, who has been with the West Valley View for more than 11 years, won’t let her recent earnings distract her from the grand prize - $500 cash - which will be awarded to the sales person who sells the most network ads between May 23, 2008 and Aug. 22, 2008. “I think the network programs
are great for advertisers. They get one-stop shopping. And it’s great for the sales reps, too,” she said. So far, nine newspapers combined have earned more $7,300 profit in the past two months by selling AzCAN and 2by2 ads. Want to get in on the action? Contact Sharon Schwartz by email at s.schwartz@ananews.com or by phone at (602) 261-7655 ext. 108 for more information. In addition to network ad programs, ANA offers a multitude of ways for your newspaper to increase its bottom line.
Cronkite School secures $7.5M grant to lead digital media program The Carnegie Corporation of New York and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation are giving Arizona State University a $7.5 million grant to direct a bold, experimental digital media program at 12 leading U.S. universities. The News21 initiative, which the foundations hope will help redefine journalism education and prepare a new generation of journalists capable of reshaping the struggling news industry, will be headquartered at the new Phoenix home of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The Cronkite School also will operate one of the initiative’s eight digital media “incubator” sites. As part of the incubator program, advanced journalism students will travel the country to produce in-depth news coverage on critical issues facing the nation and then experiment with innovative digital methods to distribute the news on multiple
platforms. of Nebraska at Lincoln, the UniverThe News21 program started in sity of Texas at Austin and the John 2006 with incubators at the University F. Kennedy School of Government at of California at Harvard UniverBerkeley, Columsity – will send bia University, students to the Northwestern eight incubators. University and “Although the University of traditional Southern Califormodels of newsnia. paper, radio and Under the local television three-year grant news disseminato ASU, four new tion are severely incubators will challenged,” be created at the said Alberto Cronkite School, Ibargüen, presithe University dent and CEO of of Maryland at “News21 is precisely the kind of innovative, the Knight FounC o l l e g e P a r k , unconventional and intensive learning dation, “every the University of experience that journalism schools c o m m u n i t y i n North Carolina at desperately need,” says Chris Callahan, this democracy Cronkite School dean. Chapel Hill and continues to have Syracuse Univera core need for sity. In addition, four other Carnegie- reliable information, news that Knight schools – the University of informs and news that helps build the Missouri at Columbia, the University common language that builds com-
munity. That need will not go away and provide hope for future journalists. They will tell those stories with traditional, verification-journalism values but on multiple platforms and structures influenced by new technology. Journalism can train them to do that and, in that sense, journalism schools have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lead the industry. Carnegie and Knight want them to succeed.” ASU President Michael Crow applauded the Carnegie Corporation and the Knight Foundation for their investments in the future of the news and journalism education. “ASU is an institution that is forward-looking and one that takes as a major part of its mission solving the most significant problems facing our nation and our world,” Crow said. “In that regard we are especially pleased to be involved in a project focused on the future of news, which is so vitally important to a free society. I Continued on page 11
Journalists celebrate diversity and toast UNITY Journalists from all over met poolside at the Hotel Clarendon on June 19, in remembrance of Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles, who was attacked by a car bomb in the hotel’s parking lot 32 years ago and to toast UNITY 2008. Over 100 Arizona journlists came to eat, drink and talk about the past, present and future of the industry. UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc. is a coalition of the four alliances, the Asian American Journalists Association, the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and
the Native American Journalists Association, whose mission is to advocate fair and accurate news coverage about people of color, and aggressively challenge the industry
to staff its organizations at all levels to reflect the nation’s diversity. Every four years, UNITY hosts a large convention. This year, more than 5,000 journalists gathered in
Chicago from July 23 to July 27 for training, student projects, a career fair and media expo, as well as a press conference with presidential candidate Barack Obama.
ANAgrams ■ July/August 2008
Republic photographer, Pulitzer winner dies BY JOHN FAHERTY THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC Angela Cara Pancrazio, a Pulitzer Prize winning photographer who later became a well-respected writer and storyteller, died Thursday night at her home in Phoenix. She was 51 years old. Pancrazio was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer in May of 2007. She joined The Arizona Republic in 1999 after a distinguished career at the (Portland) Oregonian, the San Jose Mercury News, the Oakland Tribune. Pancrazio won the Pulitzer as a member of the staff of the Tribune for her work covering the Bay Area earthquake of Oct. 17, 1989. In her career she covered presidential elections, floods and fallen soldiers, but she took immense satisfaction in giving full measure to small moments and obscure lives. Pancrazio wrote about map makers and pawn-shops owners and hot dog vendors. She wrote about strip malls and boot makers and professional eaters. Artists, single mothers, and robot competitions. Jack Hart, a writing coach and editor who worked with Pancrazio at
the Oregonian, remembers one story that characterized her curious mind and work ethic. “Angela noticed that the 45th parallel -the line halfway between the equator and the north pole - ran eastwest through the middle of Oregon,” Hart said. “I knew that, too. But unlike me, Angela wondered who lived along that imaginary line. She headed out across Oregon, to deserts and wild canyons and dense forests, and documented the people she found living along the 45th parallel with words and pictures.” Pancrazio would embrace any method of telling a story. When pictures were not enough, she wrote. And when that was not enough, she used video. “Angela is symbolic of the “renaissance” journalist. She had exceptional writing and storytelling skills, but she was able to bring her subjects to life through more than just words,” said Randy Lovely, Editor and Vice President for News at The Arizona Republic. “Her photography was breathtaking and personal. And she was among our first reporters to embrace video as another way to connect readers to her stories.”
7
It is likely that Pancrazio took such good pictures because she wrote such strong stories. And vice versa. “She saw things in the world that other peole would drive by,” said former editor Jacqueline Banaszynski. “She was never a drive-by journalist. Angela always got out of the car.” Pancrazio was remarkably patient with her subjects. She would follow a person for days to capture just the right moment with her camera. She would listen for hours waiting for the one quote that would reveal a person. Angela Pancrazio took great satisfaction in giving full Her patience was a measure to small moments and obscure lives. (Photo by trait that could drive her Carlos Chavez/The Arizona Republic) editors right to the edge, In the end, Angela was surbut the results were a reward for the rounded by those who loved her, reader. Pancrazio adored travel and more than a dozen of whom planted gardens in her honor this spring. food and gardening. The tomatoes are just beginning She loved her family and friends, particularly her long-time partner to ripen and the flowers are now blooming. Kim Williamson. Services will be private.
News flash: Readers have NOT left the building BY Mary Nesbitt Readership Institute The 2008 RI tracking study of newspaper and online readership in 100 U.S communities of various sizes has some good news and bad news. Readership of the local daily newspaper among the general population is down a little from the last reading in 2006, but that result may be due to seasonal variation. Readership among 18-24-yearolds in the general population continues to slowly decline; but the habit is fairly stable for 45-plus. People who read newspapers say they spend, on average, 27 minutes with them on weekdays, and 57 minutes on Sundays. The first figure has stayed stable, but the latter figure has been slowly dropping since we first started tracking in 2002. Readers continue to engage with the newspaper, on average, more than five days a week. On average they complete 60 percent of the paper on weekdays and 62 percent on Sundays – again, stable habits. The penetration of newspaper Web sites is still quite low in most
communities, though it should be noted that we measured response only to the main site, not to related sites whose ownership consumers might not recognize. The 2008 results surprised me, as they did last time in 2006. Why aren’t they much worse, when the imminent demise of newspapers seems to be all we ever hear about?
The short answer is that reading customers aren’t deserting newspapers at anything approaching the rate that advertising customers are. That is no consolation for newspaper company employees who are losing their jobs, and it’s a challenge, to say the least, for a smaller staff to produce, sell and deliver a high-quality local news report for the people who
want it. But make no mistake: lots of people still want it and lots are paying attention to the local newspaper. As the graphic shows, Readership Behavior Scores (calculated on a 1-7 scale) among the general adult population have averaged 3.4 Continued on page 11
8
July/August 2008 ■ ANAgrams
Fifteen ways to grow newspapers BY Lee Abrams Lee Abrams joined Tribune as chief innovation officer on April 1, 2008. He spearheads the company’s innovation efforts across its publishing, broadcasting and interactive divisions. He is the first person to hold the position in the company’s 160-year history. The following commentary is from a memo to Jim Romensko on www.poynter.org. Two months in. There are consistencies I see in every newspaper. Here are 15 things that I strongly believe can GROW newspapers. It’s of course not this simple, but I see these as fundamentally critical from a content perspective. I’ve discusses some of these points, but they are now becoming glaring:
1. COMPARTMENTALIZING: Want baseball scores? It’s all there on the baseball pages of the Sports section. Market report? It’s all there on the stock market page. But why aren’t other important categories compartmentalized?? In LA, I noticed that the entertainment business stories are there...but they are scattered around the paper. I believe, as an example, the LA Times could OWN Entertainment Business information, IF it was all on one page (es). Right now, you find a story on it...then turn a few pages and there’s another story...then turn the page, and another story, it’s kind of all-over-the-road. The content is there, but it’s not consolidated. The result is that they are not getting the credit or ownership. Same thing with literally ANY important category. Consolidate Crime, environment, gas etc....Newspapers generally “kinda” do this, but as with literally everything, it’s so underplayed that it’s not noticed. Again, think 10pm News on TV. It’s organized. It’s consistent. Newspapers are not-or at least not to the point they NEED to be in 2008. If grocery stores were organized like newspapers, you’d wear out your shoes looking for vegetables, as carrots would be in aisle 6, tomatoes in aisle 8, etc...
2. ASSUMPTIONS: Possibly the biggest problem. Assuming. I met a reporter who spent 4 years in Baghdad. Dodging bullets...staying in Hotels protected by the Marines. Yet, I’ll bet NO-one outside of the building knew this person was risking their life in Iraq to get YOU the news. If it were CNN, you’d see rockets and RPG’s in the background as the reporter ducks shrapnel. In the paper, it’s usually a
small byline. Hell, papers should have photos of the reporter with Iraqi kids...be writing diaries. Before I joined Tribune, I had NO idea that reporters were around the globe reporting the news...Because the paper “assumed” I knew. Then I saw an article on Broadway shows. Again a small byline with no mention of “Reporting from New York”. These are assumptions that are shooting ourselves in the foot. People DON’T know that you have REAL people exclusively reporting, because we ASSUME they do.
3. THE NPR FEEL? Newspapers strike me as being a little TOO NPR. I like NPR, and their shows like Morning Edition do well. But NPR can also be a bit elitist. Morning News Radio has a lot of similarities to papers: Similar target audience; Old Media; Time restraints. It’s probably a good thing to study the feel of a well honed All News Radio station. Yeah, a different medium, but I sometimes get a slower more intellectual NPR feel from papers than a usually quicker paced and more mainstream News Radio delivery. It’s all about being INTELLIGENT...not intellectual. We are in the mainstream business. The 2008 Mainstream business. SMART...but not elite....and we DO get a little NPR at times. (And I DO like NPR...)
4. BRAGGING RIGHTS: Ever watch ESPN? They OWN sports. Tiger Woods has a hangnail and they will have the exclusive report. Newspapers need to live in that world a little more. Not sensational...but a little swagger. Words like Exclusive are okay, especially since you ARE often exclusive. Papers still seem rooted in the 50’s, before CNN, FOX, ESPN and other modern news vehicles. The thing is, the content is there...but it’s SO weakly packaged that the other guys are running right over the papers... we look tired next to 21st Century media...we ARE tired compared to ESPN types. Our tiredness is in our packaging, assumptions and lack of COMPETITIVE DRIVE that insures EVERY page is THE BEST...not OK...THE BEST.
5. a) LIBERATE THE DESIGNERS. I heard one paper had sections “off limits” to designers. Huh???!!! That makes NO sense. They are the ones that will package the information into greater engagement. Eye power!! THE ENGAGEMENT IS NOT THE HEADLINE AS MUCH
AS THE LOOK. The right headline AND an amazing look and you WILL get engagement into the content. That engagement turns users into Fans. But headlines alone, short of a HUGE story ain’t going to do it. You need BOTH.
5. b) LIBERATE THE PHOTOGRAPHERS ...Or at least do everything in your power to maximize this STRENGTH,
6. THROWAWAYS: Ninety percent of the section indexes are throwaways ...afterthoughts. Take a look. It’s sort of like “Oh...incidentally, here’s what’s inside”. These are DRIVERS. In 1958 maybe people had time to discover what’s inside.... today they don’t. Or how about “For More...go to www.thenewspaper. com” More what??? Another throwaway. In one re-design I saw an article followed by three web comments with a pointer to the Web site. That was great. Gave you a TASTE. A generic “For More...” is a waste of ink. Go through EVERY page and you’ll see generic throwaways that assume.
7. CONSISTENCY: At most papers, the folks show me their greatest hits. Great pages they’ve done. Then, I’ll look at the date and it’s 2004. Yes, it was an amazing piece that LOOKED right... had great graphics, compelling writing and cool support (graphs etc...). But it was 4 years old. We need to do that every page...every day. Why? a) That’s the ONLY way it’ll get noticed. b) You HAVE TO...to survive... and grow. Difficult? Yes...I know. But it is a reality of competing in 2008. EVERY PAGE...EVERY DAY needs to be amazing.
8. LIVING IN THE NEWSPAPER WORLD: Being satisfied with a good traditional looking newspaper isn’t going to do it. Gotta break free. Gotta accept what’s going on out there and adapt (and flourish) or tweak (and die a slow death). Don’t look to other papers (except foreign ones). YOU are in the position to re-invent. If you look at other papers...you’ll continue to live in the past.
9. GETTING NOTICED: An ongoing theme. Papers DO things that’ll get noticed, but package it so it’s a mystery. I already said this,
but it warrants a repeat. The look...the intelligence...the 2x4...day in and day out. Tweaking will kill you. Aggressively and NOTICEABLY changing the look and feel can and most likely WILL grow you.
10. MANANA: Urgency! It’s a media war out there that is NOT being won...but CAN. Recipe for failure: Focus Group...evaluate the focus group... have a committee meeting to evaluate...more focus groups. This isn’t rocket science. It’s HARD logistically...but GROWING isn’t rocket science. The biggest problem is lack of urgency. Dramatic problems require dramatic solutions.
11. HITS: That’s the focus. Use the 2x4. Gas Crisis. I don’t think a box on the front page EVERY DAY with a Gas update is out of the question. I still see stories that, well, are kind of obscure (a.k.a. boring)...OR worse... great stories that are SO under-packaged, they just don’t get noticed.
12. LUDDITE PENALIZATION: Don’t hide cool stuff on the web. Reverse publish to the paper when it makes sense. Can’t quite figure out why we ASSUME people will find cool stuff on the web. They may. But the newspaper should SHARE in the often amazing Web content-particularly the graphy stuff that is pure eye stimulation and can go miles in supporting a story.
13. FREE PUBLICATIONS: I can’t help noticing that there’s some very cool things being designed into free publications, existing and prototype. Why can’t some of that be in the Continued on page 11
ANAgrams ■ July/August 2008
Kevin Slimp answers your questions about software Quark hopes to keep - and attract - designers with QuarkXPress 8
content into a single document with the new concept of PDF Portfolios. PDF Portfolios enable users to Is it too little, too assemble multiple media late for QuarkXPress? types, such as documents, I hope not. The more video, audio and even 3D competition the better, I objects, into one comsay. Unless it’s a competpressed PDF file. ing paper in my market, - Acrobat now comes that is. Kevin Slimp in three primary flavors: The press releases Acrobat 9 Standard, Acrocame out recently touting the launch of QuarkXPress 8. When I received bat 9 Pro and the new Acrobat 9 Pro an invitation to attend the unveiling Extended. The Extended version of the application in Denver, I really includes Adobe Presenter software wanted to attend. Unfortunately for easily turning Microsoft Power(well, not really unfortunately - I Point presentations into multimedia had a great time in Montreal), I was experiences that can be published as already booked to speak in Montreal PDF files. More later. I promise. the same day. But I would like to have been there to see if the folks at Adobe RecoSoft offers tempting PDhave anything to worry about. On their Web site, Quark prom- F2ID plug-in for designers and ises to make the page-layout and ad departdesign experience easier, faster and ments fun. I hope it’s as fun as InDesign. I recently Or as easy. Or as fast. If past experi- took a quick trip ence is any indication, Quark needs well, three hours to make a major leap to accomplish - to Nashville to any of the three. I’m pulling for them, have lunch with though. Software only improves with David Blatner, competition. author of more Thinking about upgrading to books than I can Quark? Purchase version 7 by August remember related 1, 2008, and you can upgrade to t o I n D e s i g n , QuarkXPress 8 free. Order online QuarkXPress and at quark.com and receive a 15% other design prodiscount. grams. David was It can’t be too much longer till in town hosting a we start hearing rumblings about Creative Suite Tour event. Adobe Creative Suite CS4. Adobe While there, we ran into Paramjit seems to come out with a new ver- Chadha, who manages a software sion about every 18 months or so. If that holds true, maybe we’ll have new versions of QuarkXPress and InDesign before the year is up. Only BY MARK GLASER time will tell. MEDIASHIFT/PBS.ORG
company - RecoSoft - based in Japan. A quick look at their Web site indicates they specialize in PDF conversion plug-ins. Paramjit told me a little about one of his products, PDF2ID, and I knew it was something I would be testing as soon as I could get my hands on it. First, the good news. PDF2ID allows users to open PDF files in InDesign. Read that again. I didn’t say it allowed users to “place PDF files.” I said “open PDF files.” There’s a vast difference. Like Q2ID (Quark to InDesign) and PUB2ID (Publisher to InDesign) from Markzware (yes, I suspect Markzware might be a little peeved about the similarity in software names), PDF2ID allows users to open PDF files in InDesign simply by selecting File>Open. This immediately opens the PDF file as a native InDesign file, meaning the contents can be moved and edited as if they were
9
created in InDesign. Now for the bad news. In the tests I did, there was a good bit of shifting when I opened PDF files in InDesign. Most of these were related to fonts that weren’t available - no fault of the plug-in. Over the years I’ve seen speakers offer classes in PDF correction using Adobe Illustrator. I’ve never been a fan of this because you can never be sure the text hasn’t shifted - or changed - when a PDF file is opened in Illustrator. PDF2ID won’t fix all the problematic PDF files you receive from advertisers every day. However, there are lots of times when I wish I could open a PDF file in InDesign to use part of the contents on my page. PDF2ID is a great tool for this. Would I spend $249 (US) for a plug-in to open PDF files in InDesign? It depends. Individuals might find this a hefty price to pay for a tool used sparingly. However, a newspaper would be wise to consider making PDF2ID a part of its design arsenal. As always, the decision is up to you. PUB2ID is compatible with both PC and Mac. For more information concerning PDF2ID, visit recosoft.com.
Newspapers aren’t changing fast enough for many young journalists
And speaking of upgrades, Adobe makes an announcement of its own Adobe had its own announcement in June: Acrobat 9 is ready for public consumption. I’ve been involved in beta testing version 9 for the past year and plan to write a full review in the near future. But for the moment, let me share a few morsels to whet your appetite. - For the first time, Acrobat 9 provides deep support for Adobe Flash technology, enabling users to include Adobe Flash Player compatible video and application files in PDF documents. Recipients simply need free Adobe Reader 9 software to view these files. - Acrobat 9 also includes the ability to unify a wide range of
As the layoffs and buyouts pile up in U.S. the newspaper industry, and Romenesko becomes a daily wake, there is one other troubling problem: Young journalists are less willing to stay at newspapers because the papers are so slow to change their culture. Newspapers have a history as top-down organizations where senior management huddles in conference rooms to decide what everyone else will do. Innovative ideas usually die on the vine or in bureaucratic red tape. And that’s frustrating for young folks who want to be change agents at newspapers and make a difference. Vickey Williams studied 10 print newsrooms as part of the Learning Newsroom project from 2004 to 2007, releasing the report All Eyes Forward to detail the challenges in
changing newsroom culture. One finding surprised the research team and upset the newsroom veterans: While a certain amount of turnover is expected and normal among the youngest practitioners of any craft — in pursuit of career advancement or reflecting a simple change of heart — these messages seemed different in both volume and intensity. A majority of younger journalists (age 29 and below) seemed to us to be saying, “We’re leaving because the changes we see as necessary aren’t happening fast enough.” Williams joined the Media Management Center at Northwestern University in April 2007 as director of its Digital Workforce Initiative. She recently sounded the alarm about young folks fleeing newspapers in a blog post on the Readership Institute’s website: “[Young journalists] are turned off by the tendency of veteran jour-
nalists to argue down new ideas, cling to old ways, and avoid risks,” she wrote. “As Readership Institute research has shown, those are outcomes of newspaper people’s tendencies to be oppositional, perfectionist and conventional. I’ve seen the generational friction play out dozens of times as younger voices get shut down by veterans who fall back on ingrained behaviors.” Williams called for newsroom leaders to engage young folks in meaningful ways, give them timely responses to ideas, and teach them more about the business side of journalism. When I talked to Williams recently, she told me that young journalists — and really, all journalists — are going to have to become more business-savvy, whether they stay in media organizations or go freelance. Continued on page 11
10
July/August 2008 ■ ANAgrams
Who’s a journalist? New shield bill may soon tell BY SCOTT GRANT LOS ANGELES TIMES As the August recess for Congress fast approaches, supporters of a federal shield law for journalists are pressing for a vote on the Senate floor. A version of the bill, called the Free Flow of Information Act, passed in the House 398 to 21 in October, and now Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has promised to take it up before lawmakers leave Washington for the rest of the summer. Shield laws protect journalists from having to turn over certain information to courts -- such as the identity of a source, story notes or documents. Advocates contend that safeguarding journalists and their sources ensures that the public has access to the information it needs to watch over the government, powerful corporations
and other important social institutions. Forty-nine states and the District of Columbia protect some journalists through such laws or court rulings. Although state shield laws are important, they do not apply when federal law is at issue -- an enormous gap. That means in federal criminal cases (such as the trial of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby), federal grand juries or civil cases brought under any federal law, journalists and their materials can be subpoenaed. Reporters, and their news organizations, can be held in contempt of court if they refuse to comply -- as happened to former New York Times reporter Judith Miller, who spent 85 days in prison for protecting the source who told her Valerie Plame worked for the CIA. The Bush White House, which strongly opposes the idea, argues that a federal shield law would weaken law enforcement efforts and jeopardize national security. The administration enlisted key officials in its efforts to head off the bill: the secretaries of Defense, Treasury, Energy and Homeland Security, as well as the attorney general, wrote to Senate leaders to voice their opposition. The White House has suggested that President Bush will veto it. It is unclear whether the bill can draw veto-proof support in the Senate, although some backers -- which include 42 state attorneys general and numerous news outlets -- are optimistic. There are compelling reasons to support a federal shield law, and reasonable arguments available to skeptics. But neither proponents nor critics are paying attention to a crucial question: Who should be covered by the shield law? That is to say, who is a journalist -- or at least a journalist deserving legal
protection? Not long ago, the boundaries between journalists and the rest of us were relatively clear. If you worked for a TV or radio station’s news division, a newspaper or a magazine -then you were a journalist. Everyone else was not. Those days are gone. The line distinguishing professional journalists from others who disseminate information, ideas and opinions to a wide audience has been blurred, perhaps beyond recognition. But a federal shield law would have to take a stand. The version passed by the House defined journalism broadly as “the gathering, preparing, collecting, photographing, recording, writing, editing, reporting or publishing of news or information that concerns local, national or international events or other matters of public interest for dissemination to the public.” Yet it would have limited the statute’s protections to those who practice journalism “regularly” and “for a substantial portion of the person’s livelihood or for substantial financial gain.” The Senate, if it votes at all, appears likely to incorporate similar language. Should a federal shield law be limited to “professionals,” or ought it reflect a broader view of journalism in the Internet Age? Consider some tough cases. Josh Wolf, a self-described independent journalist and filmmaker, spent 226 days in jail for refusing to hand over a video recording of a June 2005 riot to federal prosecutors, who sought it for their investigation of damage to a San Francisco city police car. Should Wolf and others like him be protected by any federal shield law? How about Mayhill Fowler, in her own words “an over-educated 60-year-old woman with politics in her blood,” who has followed Barack Obama across the country? It was Fowler who recorded Obama’s
remarks about “bitter” citizens who “cling to guns or religion” and then posted it on the Huffington Post’s Off the Bus blog, sending a charge through the Democratic primaries. Should her audiotapes and notes be available to prosecutors or parties to some civil suit? There may be defensible reasons for limiting a federal shield law to those “regularly” engaged in journalism and to those who do it for “substantial” financial gain -terms that are (purposefully) vague and would have to be interpreted and defined by the courts. After all, anyone can create a blog, and Congress surely doesn’t want to make available a journalists’ privilege to anyone with a laptop and an Internet connection. But the reality is that people working outside traditional news organizations -- including some bloggers and citizen journalists -- have become a force in breaking news and analyzing it. In its deliberation about a shield law, Congress has largely ignored these important changes in our media landscape and elided hard questions about who should be considered a journalist worthy of the statute’s protections. There have been no hearings or substantive debate on these points. The bill’s incredibly broad terminology is a congressional punt; it has left all that hard work to the courts. At the same time, a federal shield law that limits its safeguards in this way promotes a narrow view of the 1st Amendment. The freedom of the press is a right and a privilege that belongs to all of us. And if Congress enacts a shield law, it ought to be one that reflects the reality that we’re all capable of being journalists now. Scott Gant, a Washington attorney whose practice includes constitutional law, wrote “We’re All Journalists Now: The Transformation of the Press and Reshaping of the Law in the Internet Age.”
that they have this kind of diversity in the news,” said Danny Sullivan, a search expert and editor of the Web site Search Engine Land. “With the diversity can come weird stuff.” Google said that juxtaposing various viewpoints is part of the appeal of Google News. “If you see opposing points of view battling it out, it makes you wake up and think,” said Krishna Bharat, the research scientist who created Google News. “That’s what makes people news junkies.” In recent months, the company
has added the ability to personalize Google News, emphasize local news sources and map the locations of news events. It also began allowing people named in news articles to post comments and gave users the ability to search quotes from people in the news. Despite the recent innovations, Google News lacks many of the flashier features that have attracted users to more conventional news sites, including interactive graphics and video. At Yahoo News, for instance, users watch about 200 million videos and view 800 mil-
lion photos every month, said Scott Moore, a Yahoo senior vice president and head of media. “We’ve created a very rich stew that is put together by our newsroom editorial staff,” Mr. Moore said. Analysts say that while Google’s computer-driven approach to packaging news is reasonably effective, it may have limitations. “There is only so far you can go with an algorithm,” said Mark Glaser, editor at PBS MediaShift, a site about online media. “In the long run, people want a human touch.”
Google, con’t. Continued from page 4 duplicate articles and by improving its ability to showcase authoritative and original news articles. Last week, for instance, a cluster of articles on gay marriages in California included those from major national and California outlets, like The Los Angeles Times, The San Jose Mercury News and The New York Times. It also included an opinion piece from a radio news service in West Virginia that was critical of gay marriage. “I don’t think it is a negative
ANAgrams ■ July/August 2008
Get a job!
Visit our JobBank online and search listings for free! www.ananews.com/jobbank EDITOR. The Green Valley News and Sun has a vacancy for the top editor’s position. The editor will be a leader in the newsroom, working in reporting, editing and design. We are a growing newspaper on an A.M. cycle, which means we seek applicants willing to work nights and weekends. Community involvement is a must. Please email cover letter, PDF clips, resume and references, including current and past supervisors to: Pam Mox, publisher, at pmox@gvnews.com. Please include a copy of your most recent performance review. (July 11)
Readership Institute study, con’t Continued from page 7 over the last six years, with variations likely due, in whole or part, to seasonal variations. When we take non-readers out of the mix, readers of the local daily newspaper registered a 4.7 score this year, a level that has actually risen slowly since the first measurement in 2002. As well as (pleasantly) surprising me, some of the results disappointed me, especially in respect to Web sites. I don’t think it’s realistic to expect frequent and intense use of a newspaper’s main site by a large proportion of the population. There are too many other goodies on the Web. There are many other sites that “own” categories like national and international news, sports and business, lifestyle or entertainment. A significant proportion of locals don’t care much about local news, at least not enough to seek out regular doses of it. But 62 percent of respondents said they had never visited the local newspaper’s Website, and only 14 percent said they had visited between the last seven to 30 days, numbers that have improved only a little over the last five years. The Site Usage Measurement (SUM) score for the general population is a feeble 1.26 on a 1-7 scale. When non-users are removed from the sample, Web site users score 2.54. Further, readers are more engaged with print than with the Web site. Ratings for four experiences – “gives me something to talk about”, “looks out for my interests”, “ad usefulness” and “touches and inspires me” were significantly higher for the newspaper than for the site. (A fifth experience, “trust and credibility” was equivalent, indicating that
How RI measures readership RBS or Reader Behavior Scores: for the print newspaper, a score on a 1-7 scale that combines the frequency of reading, time spent with the newspaper and completeness of reading. SUM or Site Usage Management: for the newspaper’s Web site, a score on a 1-7 scale that combines frequency of reading and time spent. This year’s study: was conducted in spring 2008 among 3,072 adults in 100 markets. They are the same communities as in the RI Impact study, which is a representative sample of daily U.S. newspapers with circulations above 10,000. the print brand on this experience dimension may carry over to other platforms.) What lies ahead on the readingcustomer side of the equation? The trends are clear, if slow-moving. Low-reading groups will continue to take their low-reading habits with them as they age. The very youngest adults have media and news habits very different from their parents. For the first time in six years we are seeing RBS scores dropping among people who also look at the newspaper’s Web site. Is it asking the impossible to expect newspapers to maintain a relevant, engaging print product for that large swathe of the population that clearly still reads and enjoys print: and to create something differently compelling online; and to build a new business model? Perhaps. But the 110 million adult Americans who rely on their daily newspaper are counting on you and us to find a way.
Golden Valley Gazette Continued from page 5 “I look forward to working with Managing Editor Mark Borgard and his crew,” Peairs said.
11
“He has some talented reporters under his command, and it will be fun to share the banter and exchange of ideas in the newsroom again.”
Cronkite School Continued from page 6 thank the Carnegie Corporation and the Knight Foundation for making these investments and selecting ASU to be the headquarters of the News21 initiative.” The initiative’s credo – to accelerate change at universities educating tomorrow’s journalists – has already begun to have an impact on the news business as the pipeline of young and innovative reporters from initiativesupported schools bring their skills to newsrooms around the country and across all media platforms. Students participating in News21 incubators during the summer already have produced experimental reporting on seldomcovered but important stories, and their work has been published or broadcast by news organizations including The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Miami Herald, L.A. Weekly, Forbes.com, The Associated Press, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and CNN. This summer student-produced reports will be published on NPR.org, the incubator’s current national news partner as well
as at newsinitiative.org. News21 will grow from four to eight campuses next year, increasing the number of competitive, paid summer fellowships to 93 from 44. The summer fellowships, open to students at each of the 12 CarnegieKnight schools, are preceded by a semester of self-guided research and intensive seminar work with professors who are acknowledged experts in the students’ field of inquiry. During the summer, students report their stories and produce material for publication or broadcast across a number of platforms. “News21 is precisely the kind of innovative, unconventional and intensive learning experience that journalism schools desperately need to not only help educate the next generation of journalists, but to find solutions to help the news industry evolve in the digital world,” said Cronkite Dean Christopher Callahan. “It is a great honor to help build on the first three years of News21 with an expanded group of schools.” The grant is the largest in the history of the Cronkite School.
Fifteen ways, con’t. Continued from page 8 core paper? It’s almost as if the core paper is sacred and REAL innovations have to be saved for the free paper. Huh?
14. MAKE IT EASY: Newspapers have a habit of making things SO hard to read, absorb and engage in. We’re in the age of media ease. Make it hard, and they’ll go away faster than a CD buyer. You’ll have to break away from instincts at times... you’ll have to think like a 2008 consumer-easier said than done...
15. MAPS: We are in the GPS age, the eye candy age...I mean MAKE INTELLIGENT CONTENT EASY TO ENGAGE IN. There’s no law that says intelligent content must be difficult. ....More to come. I realize all of this isn’t easy. It’s a tough, challenging and logistically complex business...but these are, in my opinion, a start. I’m thinking that we can, through smart and dramtic evolutions, drive the core papers to new heights, which in turn will drive the ENTIRE BRAND and everyone wins. I think this is all attainable.
Fast enough, con’t. Continued from page 9 As for what organizations can do to retain people who want change to come faster, Williams believes they have to give those people a seat at the table in discussions about innovation, and foster bottom-up communication and collaboration. “If you read one book on organizational development, you’ll get
the message that often in troubled industries like ours, the answers we seek are held by people at the front lines. In newspapers that means giving feet-on-the-street people a seat at the table and gathering their feedback whether they’re in the newsroom or advertising or production about what’s going wrong with the product.”
12
who: What: When: Where:
July/August 2008 ■ ANAgrams
ANA 2008 Fall Convention
r u o y Is lbox too dy? rea
OCTOBER 10-11 TODAY’S NEW MEDIA...IS YOUR TOOLBOX READY?
you! ANA 2008 Fall Convention Oct. 10-11, 2008 The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication Arizona State University 555 N. central Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85004
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11 7:30 a.m.
Registration table opens
Don’t forget to sign up for tours of the new Cronkite School, which will be given throughout the day. 8 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
ANA Annual Meeting and Election of Directors 8:45 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Keynote Opening Session: The Future Digital Media Landscape
Speaker: Dan Gillmor, Arizona State University 9:35 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
Thinking Entreprenurial
8 a.m.
Registration table opens
Speaker: Dan Gillmor
9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
10:30 a.m. - Noon
Speaker: Mike Blinder
Instructors: Serena Carpenter, Steve Elliott, Carol Schwalbe
Multimedia Streetfighting 2008 9 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
Upholding and Updating Ethical Standards: Journalism and social networks Speaker: Steve Buttry, American Press Institute 10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
Ethical dilemmas of user-generated content Speaker: Steve Buttry, American Press Institute 1:45 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Maintaining standards while generating new revenue streams
Video for Dummies 10:30 a.m. - Noon
Managing Change
Speaker: Kristin Gilger 10:30 a.m. - Noon
Legal issues facing today’s new media
Speaker: David Bodney, David Cuillier, Elizabeth Hill Noon - 1:30 p.m.
Foi luNcheoN
Keynote speaker: Rick Rodriguez
Speaker: Steve Buttry, American Press Institute
1:45 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
3:15 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Speakers: Poli Corella, Rick Wiley
Ethical dilemas in the digital age
What works for the Web?
Speaker: Steve Buttry, American Press Institute
1:45 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Instructors: Serena Carpenter, Steve Elliott, Carol Schwalbe
ANA & AiPA hAll oF FAme Dinner and Reception
E V SA
! 5 $2
Nt! u o c dis N d o r oN i y B e $25 trAti d l r eA sAV eGis ceive r Ay nt is re 8) d 0 o e tw paym 26/20 / (If by 9
Video Editing for Dummies 1:45 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
What comes next for NIE? Speaker: Pat Oso
3:45 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
Panel: Nuts and Bolts of the Wired Journalist 5 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Better NewsPAPers coNtest & NewsPAPer oF the yeAr AwArds recePtioN
For more information and pricing, visit:
www.ananews.com and click on “Conventions”