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2016 ANA Legislative Reception
News Hack Arizona 2016
ANA News
Tucson — About 80 journalists representing more than 20 news and publishing organizations gathered in Tucson last weekend for two days of hands-on training and projectbuilding. News Hack Arizona 2016 was put on by a group of Southern Arizona journalists who wanted to create a venue for journalists to learn critical data and programming skills necessary for investigative and enterprise journalism. It provided training in working with data, coding, mapping and data visualization in two different skill levels on Saturday and on Sunday, journalists formed groups to create compelling data journalism projects, the best of which won a $250 cash prize. “Data and technology are never going to be less important than it is today,” said Michael McKisson, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona School of Journalism, who was one of the News Hack organizers. “As reporters, we need to be comfortable with data and we need to understand what it can do.” The event brought in instructors with data expertise from the Arizona Republic, Arizona Daily Star, University of Arizona School of Journalism, Center for Investigative Reporting, The Oregonian, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting and Chicago Reporter. “We were fortunate to get some
The 52nd Arizona Legislature reconvened to Special Thanks to these org anizations begin its Second Regular for thier sponsorship of the Session on Monday, January 2016 Legislators, Publishers 11, 2016. and Editors Reception Each year, soon after, ANA and Arizona Capitol Times sponsor a special event: the Legislators, Publishers and Editors Reception. This year’s event was held January 26. This is the one event each year where newspaper publishers and editors can visit with their legislators in a no pressure, informal atmosphere. ANA members from all parts of the state came to meet and estern news&info, inc. greet with their district representatives and state senators. A few of the newspaper and associate organizations know what their government is that attended were: Navajo Times, doing by keeping government Independent Newsmedia, Eastern records and meetings open as well as Arizona Courier, Sedona Red Rock protecting public notice. ANA and Arizona Capitol Times News, Fountain Hills Times, Kingman Daily Miner, Wick Communications, would like to take this time to thank Associated Press, Casa Grande Valley the sponsoring organizations (pictured Newspapers, Western News&Info, above) for their support that truly Prescott Daily Courier, Verde helped make the evening a success. Valley Independent, AZCIR. Please visit the ANA Flickr page to ANA works tirelessly at the Capitol to protect the people’s right to see all the photos of the event.
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News Hack Arizona ANAgrams is a quarterly e-publication produced by the Arizona Newspapers Association 1001 N. Central Ave., Suite 670 Phoenix, AZ 85004-1947 Office (602) 261-7655 • Fax (602) 261-7525 www.ananews.com
This page: group shots of participants at the 2016 Hack Arizona. Photos: Murphy Woodhouse
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incredible people from all over the country,” McKisson said. Eric Sagara, senior data reporter at the Center for Investigative Reporting, otherwise known as Reveal, based in San Francisco, Calif., said local and regional news coverage suffers from a lack of in-depth investigative projects. “Local and regional newspapers aren’t using these particular skills as much as they could be,” said Sagara, who taught a geographic information systems class at News Hack Arizona. “It’s getting harder and harder to do projects because of staffing cuts and time and resources.” Although it would be impossible to provide all the skills necessary for quality investigative data projects in one event, Sagara, who started out as a reporter at the Tucson Citizen, said News Hack Arizona inspired journalists to discover what is possible. “Every beat reporter needs to be data-literate and understand what data exists on that beat and how to get and cover the things they find,” he said. Page 2 | ANAgrams ■ February 2016
David Yankus, metro reporter at the Maricopa Monitor, attended intro level classes at the event. He said he recently wrote a story using traffic data and could have used the skills he learned at News Hack then. “I kind of wish I knew then what I know now,” he said. On Sunday, his team produced a project based on the Tucson Police Department’s domestic violence arrest data. He produced charts from the data and highlighted key factors, such as age, gender and location, to illustrate a trend. Aside learning new skills, Yankus said News Hack Arizona was a networking opportunity for him. “It was cool working with new people and meeting people,” he said. Team Hooray, which included journalists from the Arizona Daily Star, Arizona Public Media and KVOA, created a project by merging two data sets from the Arizona Department of Education. The group sought to explore the connection between poverty and dropout rates. See News Hack page 5
ANA Staff Paula Casey Executive Director / ext. 102 p.casey@ananews.com Julie O’Keefe Communications Manager / ext. 110 j.okeefe@ananews.com Cindy London Ad Placement Manager / ext. 112 c.meaux@ananews.com Liisa Straub Accounting Assistant / ext. 105 L.straub@ananews.com
The Arizona Newspapers Association (ANA) was established in 1930 and incorporated in 1956. It is the successor to the Arizona Press Association of 1905, and the Arizona Daily Newspaper Association of 1922. The Association is governed by an 11-member board of directors elected by the member newspapers. The ANA is a nonprofit trade association representing more than 115 A rizona newspapers.
ANA Board of Directors President Donovan Kramer Jr. Co-Publisher – Casa Grande Dispatch 1st Vice President Kit Atwell Executive VP – Western News&Info, Inc. 2nd Vice President Manuel Coppola Publisher & Editor – The Nogales Internationa 3rd Vice President Marc Marin Publisher – Arizona Silver Belt and Copper Country News Secretary / Treasurer Rebecca Bradner Publisher – Green Valley News and Sun, Sahuarita Sun Steve Pope General Manager – AZ Local Media Charlene Bisson Publisher – Independent News Media (Sun City) Chase Rankin Arizona Republic /Republic Media (Phoenix) Kyle Larson General Manager – Larson Newspapers Marty Carry VP Advertising Sales/Marketing – Arizona Daily Star Past President Don Rowley Publisher – The Arizona Daily Sun
2016 Legislators,
Photos: Julie O’Keefe
Publishers and Editors Reception
Click here to see more photos on the ANA Flickr page. February 2016 ■ ANAgrams | Page 3
Member News
Carry named to ANA board
Marty Carry VP/ Sales and Marketing, Arizona Daily Star
Arizona Daily Star is proud to announce that Martin E. Carry (Marty), a veteran Midwest newspaper advertising executive was named as their representative for the open position on the ANA board
of directors. Carry, presently serves as Arizona Daily Star’s vice president for advertising sales and marketing since April of 2015. Carry came to the Star from The State Journal-Register in Springfield, Illinois, where he was the newspaper’s vice president of advertising since 2012. His career has also included vice president of advertising at The Wichita Eagle and advertising management positions at The Detroit Media Partnership and The Oakland (MI) Press.
Times Media Group purchases Tribunes
The East Valley Tribune and the Ahwatukee Foothills News have been sold to Times Media Group, led by CEO Steve Strickbine of Mesa. The sales take effect Jan. 31, according to Strickbine and Randy Miller, directing manager of 1013 Communications, which currently owns the papers. The Tribune publishes under four names — the East Valley, Mesa, Chandler and Gilbert Tribunes. Times Media Group, which also does business as Strickbine Publishing, produces 15 community news publications in the Valley. Times Media Group and Strickbine will assume day-to-day operations of both publications, a management scenario that Strickbine describes as “a bit of a dream come true.” “I started in this business almost 20 years ago because I wanted to help tell great stories and better connect people to the communities where Page 4 | ANAgrams ■ February 2016
they live,” Strickbine said. Miller said the sale “is an excellent development for both companies.” 1013 Communications will provide some services to Strickbine Publishing, including national advertising representation, printing and packaging. “These newspapers will continue to work together to offer our customers the best coverage in the Phoenix area,” Miller said. “With the addition of Strickbine Publishing’s other publications, that reach is even greater. I know our employees and our publications will operate closely, just as Steve and I have become close over the past year.” 1013 Communications will continue to own several papers in the West Valley — the Daily News-Sun, Surprise Today and Glendale/Peoria Today. It also owns a direct marketing magazine, Clipper Marketplace. In addition, 1013 owns six publications in Tucson — the Explorer, Tucson Weekly, Inside Tucson Business, Marana News, Foothills News and Desert Times. East Valley Tribune staff report. Posted: Wednesday, January 27, 2016 3:45 p.m. | Updated: 3:53 p.m.
NewMedia IG purchases ACT’s parent company
The Dolan Company, the parent company of Arizona News Service and Arizona Capitol Times, has officially been sold to New Media Investment Group. New Media, formerly known as GateHouse Media, is one of the largest publishers of locally based print and online media in the United States. As of September 2015, it owned 575 publications operates in 490 markets across 32 states, reaching more than 22 million people on a weekly basis. New Media purchased Dolan for $35 million. Dolan publishes 39 print and online publications in 17 markets, including Arizona Capitol Times, Yellow Sheet Report and Arizona Legislative Report. Arizona News Service was founded in 1906. Launched and guided by the Creighton family for nearly a century, Arizona News Service and its many publications, including Arizona Capitol Times, was purchased by Dolan in 2005. “We’re excited about being part of New Media Investment Group and the opportunities it creates for us going forward,” said Ginger Lamb, vice president and publisher of Arizona News Service/ Arizona Capitol Times. “But, right now, it’s business as usual for all of us here. We’re busy preparing for the start of the legislative session on Monday and will continue to provide all of the wonderful products and services our clients expect.” Arizona Capitol Times staff report Posted: January 5, 2016 , 2:39 p.m.
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The team used Tableau, which was taught by Arizona Republic’s data reporter Caitlin McGlade, to illustrate its findings and SQLite, a relational database taught by Chicago Reporter’s data editor Matt Kiefer, to merge the data sets. Alexis Huicochea, education reporter at the Arizona Daily Star, who was on Team Hooray, said the hands-on training at News Hack Arizona helped her team while creating the project. “It gave me confidence that I could actually do it myself in the workplace,” she said. Though her team made the top three, the team to take home the $250 prize was Team Frog, which included
journalists from the Arizona Republic, La Voz Arizona, KJZZ Phoenix and Arizona Daily Star. Team Frog used the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s data and highlighted the disparity between what corporations were actually fined for violations versus what they were able to negotiate the fines down to. The event was sponsored by the Arizona Newspapers Association, Arizona Press Club, Arizona Daily Star, University of Arizona School of Journalism, University of Arizona University Libraries, Nogales International and Wick Communications. Report filed by: Yoohyun Jung, Educational Reporter, Arizona Daily Star. Photos by: Murphy Woodhouse, Nogales International Newspaper.
FTC issues policy statement on Native Advertising Marketers and publishers are using innovative methods to create, format, and deliver d i g i t a l advertising. One form is “native advertising,” content that bears a similarity to the news, feature articles, product reviews, entertainment, and other material that surrounds it online. But as native advertising evolves, are consumers able to differentiate advertising from other content?
The Federal Trade Commission Act prohibits deceptive or unfair practices. It’s the FTC’s job to ensure that long-standing consumer protection principles apply in the digital marketplace, including to native advertising. The FTC has issued an Enforcement Policy Statement on Deceptively Formatted Advertisements that explains how the agency applies established truth-in-advertising standards in this context. This Guide for Businesses supplements the Enforcement Policy Statement by offering informal guidance from FTC staff to help companies apply the Policy Statement in day-today contexts in digital media. The first part of this Guide sum-
marizes the consumer protection principles that serve as the foundation for the Enforcement Policy Statement. The second part includes examples to explain how effective disclosure can help prevent deception. The third part features staff guidance on how to make clear and conspicuous disclosures within the format of native advertising. Of course, this Guide can’t cover every issue associated with native advertising. Nor does it provide a safe harbor from potential liability under Section 5 of the FTC Act. These examples are only general guidance for advertisers. See additional information at NAA. Visit ftc.gov for complete statement.
February 2016 ■ ANAgrams | Page 5
10 things I’d tell publishers about their newspapers Some time back, I was asked to give a quick after-lunch talk to a group of publishers at a statewide newspaper convention. By Ed Henninger It was short notice. I only had a Newspaper half-hour to put Consultant and together some Trainer thoughts. I decided I’d seize the opportunity and give them my “Top Ten” list of ideas for community newspapers. Here they are: 1. PRINT IS NOT DEAD. More new community newspapers are starting up. Advertisers believe in the value of print. Readers still want print. So, please, let’s stop with the “newspapers are dying” garbage! It’s just not true. 2. LOCAL, LOCAL, LOCAL. We all know the mantra. Metro and regional newspapers have tried time and again to go “local.” They can’t. They don’t have (or won’t commit to) the resources it takes - in people, energy and time - to do community journalism. But we can. And we prove that in every issue. We are focused on local people, places and events. It’s what we do ... and we do it very well. 3. SPORTS IS BIG. We often struggle to find ways to get younger readers. To my mind, the answer here is simple - and most of you are already doing a good job with it: Sports. Your sports coverage is about kids. It’s about them, their friends, their classmates. Boost your sports coverage and you’ll boost your number of younger readers. Yes, there are other events, like scouting, classroom achievement, choir, band and the like. But sports is big. Give it big coverage. 4. IT’S OK TO BE A BOOSTER. Nothing disappoints me (and readers, too, I think) more than to see a newspaper in a town where a team has just won Page 6 | ANAgrams ■ February 2016
a district or state championship and the story and photos are ... splashed all over the sports front. It’s disappointing because those stories and those photos should be on the front page. Most of your readers will be happy to see a Page 1 poster of the winning basket or the winning touchdown. Sports is about striving and achievement and dedication and teamwork. What’s wrong with celebrating those qualities? And, yes, on your front page when the achievement is big. 5. BUILD REVENUE. The metros think they have the answer to satisfying their corporate owners and stockholders: cut costs. They’re into hubs and outsourcing and layoffs. At community newspapers, we’re already thin. But we’re also aggressive when it comes to generating new revenue. Let’s keep searching for new approaches, like selling ad position and selling our photos online and creating more options for advertisers. This takes some rethinking on our part but that’s what got us here. 6. INVEST IN YOUR PEOPLE. If your editor and/or writers need some training, look for ways to get that for them. Your state press association is always a good resource. If you’ve just invested in some new software, give those who will use it some training so they can make the best use of it. If your ad staff has won some awards in the annual press association contest, reward them by sending them to the state convention so they’ll know how much you appreciate their work. 7. INVEST IN YOUR PRODUCT. You don’t need to be the first to buy that new Mac, but don’t be the last. You don’t need to be the first to upgrade your system software, but keep it at least reasonably up to date. Your newspaper is your business. It’s just sound business practice to make sure you have the tools you need to get the job done. 8. DESIGN MATTERS. What’s the first thing your readers and advertisers see when they look at your newspaper?
Right: its design. If your design is outdated, if your text makes your paper difficult to read, if your content placement is inconsistent ... your newspaper is less than it can be. And readers and advertisers will find it wanting. Some may choose not to read, some may choose not to advertise ... until you fix those problems. 9. BE THE BEST at who you are. You’re not a metro or a regional newspaper. Most of you don’t carry wire, but you do carry those obits and events listings and city and county council meetings that are important to your readers. Most get only limited national advertising, but you are the only source of advertising for that shoe shop down the street. Don’t try to be what you’re not - but do everything you can to be the best at what you do. Your newspaper is part of the lifeblood of your community. Keeping that in mind will drive you to do your best. 10. REMEMBER who the boss is. Sorry ... you may be the publisher, but you’re not in charge here. Your readers and advertisers are the real boss. It’s your obligation as a publisher to bring them your best - in every issue. You’re the chief support person for your folks who do the writing, editing, designing and selling of your product. You’re all working toward giving readers and advertisers a newspaper they’re proud to call “my paper.” It is theirs, you know ... they’re only letting you run it for them while they go about the important business of living their lives and contributing to the success and welfare of your community. Ed Henninger has been an independent newspaper consultant since 1989 and is the Director of Henninger Consulting in Rock Hill, SC. He is universally recognized as the world’s leading design consultant for community newspapers.
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Why 2016 could be a breakout year for drone journalism Three and a half years ago, journal- BuzzFeed’s Open Lab for Journalism, Technology, and the ist-turned educator Matt Waite won a Arts. “Which is why, when it comes to journalism, my focus $50,000 grant from the Knight Foun- is on exploring the possibilities.” dation to kickstart a fledgling drone The potential applications for journalism are varied. Since program at The University of Nebraska- arriving at BuzzFeed in June, Kreimer has tinkered with putLincoln. Dubbed the “Drone Journalism ting sensors that monitor environmental conditions onto Lab” by Waite (a sometimes Poynter drones. This is inspired in part by an earlier project in Naicontributor), the program sought to robi, where Kreimer made a browser-based 3D reconstrucBy Benjamin establish an early foothold among the tion of a landfill with footage from a drone. That experience Mullin small but growing cohort of journalists prompted him to look into using sensor-equipped drones using unmanned aircraft for reporting. that could monitor pollutants similar to the kind that emaStaff Writer, Within months, Waite and his stu- nate from the dump. The Poynter dents did just that. They built and flew But the most common use for drones among journalists Institute drones to survey the surrounding land- will likely be taking photos and videos of vast swaths of land scape from up above. One project offered a birds-eye view from on high, Waite said. Drones are most useful for coverof a drought-stricken Nebraska landscape enduring one of ing stories with large spatial applications, particularly natural its worst dry spells since the Dust Bowl. or man-made disasters. It’s difficult to convey the scope of Then he got the letter. damage wrought by a tornado or hurricane with street-level In the summer of 2013, Waite opened a cease-and-desist photography, but the loss becomes clear from 50 or 100 feet notice from the Federal Aviation Administration, which had in the air. These visuals can be used to create maps of disastaken notice of his activities and ter areas and combined with demanded the drones be grounddata to explain how different “When you’re a state university, sections of a community fared ed. Nebraska’s lab and a similar you can’t exactly thumb your nose after a storm hit. effort at The University of Missouri had unknowingly run afoul Waite and Kreimer hope the at other agents of the government of the agency’s guidelines, which regulations will be finalized and say, ‘Nah, we’re going to do in 2016, but both noted that prohibit use of drones for comwhat we want,’” Waite said. mercial purposes without special the FAA is already behind its permission. Despite urging from original schedule. The agency associates who suggested bendmissed an earlier deadline in ing the rules a little, Waite and his students followed the October, citing safety concerns and a backlog of 4,600 comFAA’s directions. ments to review before issuing finalized guidelines. “When you’re a state university, you can’t exactly thumb In an email to Poynter, FAA spokesperson Alison Duquette your nose at other agents of the government and say, ‘Nah, said the agency is still on track to release finalized guidelines we’re going to do what we want,’” Waite said. by this spring. Since then, the University of Nebraska’s lab has stopped Despite the current lack of regulation, drones have slowly sending drones skyward in the United States. But that could found their way onto the American journalism scene. The change for Waite and his fellow drone journalists this year, FAA says it has granted more than 3,000 exemptions that when the FAA is slated to release new rules that will legal- allow commercial users to fly drones so long as their operaize commercial use of drones. If the FAA hits its spring 2016 tors have a pilot’s license. Some of these exemptions have deadline to issue guidelines, it will be a big step toward the gone to news organizations like CNN, which the FAA cleared end of a years-long regulatory process Waite says has been to fly drones in December. Television stations in Cox Media unnecessarily fraught with complications. Group, including Atlanta’s WSB, Boston’s WFXT and OrlanAnd it will be a watershed development for American pho- do’s WFTV have also incorporated drones into their covertojournalism writ large, one that will put relatively inexpen- age, using them to report on news, weather conditions and sive aerial photography, videography and airborne sensors feature stories. in play for journalists across the United States. The one catch: Under the current rules, journalists seek“Agriculture, media, public infrastructure, examining ing an exemption from the FAA must have a pilot’s license bridges — there’s so much that drones can do,” said Ben before the FAA will grant their request — a condition Waite Kreimer, who experiments with drones in his fellowship with says is an expensive and time-consuming burden that has Page 8 | ANAgrams ■ February 2016
little bearing on whether the journalist can fly a drone safely. A similar push in the news industry might see drones trotted He complied with the request, but he says the cockpit train- out to spice up coverage of fender benders, house fires and ing didn’t make him a better drone pilot. As a result of the other routine events for the sake of novelty. pilot’s license requirement, many of the media exemptions Observers have also warned of the possibility that jourhave gone to large market TV nalists will use drones for stations that can afford to have overly invasive purposes. a helicopter pilot on the payA June 2013 report from roll, Waite said. the Reuters Institute of “I can’t say that I learned a lot Journalism noted that pain the seat of the aircraft that parazzi were unlikely to has to do with flying drones,” be deterred by fines stemWaite said. “I learned a ton on ming from using drones to the ground. I won’t say it was capture valuable images of all useless. But actually getting celebrities in compromising into the airplane and learning situations. The availability to fly the airplane didn’t do a of drones will inevitably relot for helping me learn how to quire news organizations to fly a drone on the ground.” consider whether it’s ethiThe FAA says it’s important cal to use drones to record for drone operators to have a basic knowledge of the U.S. newsworthy events on private property where journalists aviation system and how it operates in part because of the aren’t welcome. potential danger to pilots and passengers of manned aircraft. The state of California has already passed a law aimed at A spokesperson cited “hundreds” of cases over the last year curbing the use of drones by paparazzi. Waite says drone when drones flew uncomfortably close to manned aircraft at journalism has long been dogged by questions about prialtitudes that violate law. The provacy and suggested those posed rules would offer journalists considerations have more “I can’t say that I learned a lot in a lower-cost alternative to getting a to do with the morals of the pilot’s license. the seat of the aircraft that has to individual journalist than “Because so many new UAS usdo with flying drones,”Waite said. the technology he or she is ers have little or no experience with using. “I learned a ton on the ground. I the US aviation system, education is “If you wouldn’t do it on a vital component of our safety ef- won’t say it was all useless. But the ground, what about a forts,” Duquette said. “We focus on actually getting into the airplane drone makes you think it’s education first, but we can also take and learning to fly the airplane OK?” Waite said. “And is enforcement action.” it the manner in which we didn’t do a lot for helping me violate people’s privacy imFor the record, there has been some dispute among drone users learn how to fly a drone on the portant, or the fact that it’s and pilots as to how many times being done the important ground.” drones have really come close to part?” colliding with manned aircraft. A Now that he’s got his pirecent study by the Academy of Model Aeronautics that lot’s license, Waite says all the hurdles standing between his parsed FAA records “found that of the 764 close-call inci- students and an FAA exemption under the current rules are dents between drones and other aircraft, only 27 were actu- out of the way. But many other journalists are still stuck in ally described by pilots as a ‘near miss.’” limbo, hoping the FAA will meet its spring deadline. Or, failThere are possible downsides to the coming boom in drone ing that, a deadline before the end of the Obama adminisjournalism. Among them: It may usher in an era of gratuitous tration. coverage that Waite is calling “the year of the overdrone.” He “Hope is all we’ve got anymore,” Waite said with a laugh. fears that the new regulations will be greeted by overzealous “Hope is all we’ve got.” news directors who will attempt to inject footage captured Benjamin Mullin is a staff writer at The Poynter Institute. by drones at every turn. By way of example, Waite point- He previously reported for Poynter as a Google Journalism ed to reality television shows whose producers have man- Fellow and Naughton Fellow, covering journalism innovation, aged to obtain exemptions from the FAA. For many of these business practices and ethics. He’s also reported for USA shows, camera shots from drones have already supplanted TODAY College and The Sacramento Bee, and he was editor crane and helicopter shots as the default transition footage. in chief of The Orion, Chico State’s student-run newspaper. February 2016 ■ ANAgrams | Page 9
Is automated journalism here to stay? Soon, all journalism will be carried out by robots — or at least, that was the fear among some journalists when major organizations like the Associated Press turned to automaShan Wang tion technology to churn out some of their more rote news stories, Staff Writer, like quarterly earnings reports and NiemanLab sports game recaps. The AP is not the only news organization to lean on some sort of automation technology to power its journalism: newsrooms from The New York Times to ProPublica to Oregon Public Broadcasting have turned to algorithms as well. Automated journalism is here to stay, according to a new report from Columbia’s Tow Center and research fellow Andreas Graefe. But what are the most efficient uses of this technology, and what are its limitations? What is it good for that news organizations might not have considered yet? How do readers respond to automated articles? How does the spread of automated journalism affect the way human journalists do their jobs? The report explores some of those issues in depth, presenting several case studies (and allaying some fears of a robot takeover). Potentials and limitations Automated journalism is still a fledgling field. It isn’t perfect, and it isn’t going to produce beautifully crafted sentences (any time soon). It won’t work in domains where no structured data is available or the data available is fuzzy, and it can’t provide the why of a story, only the what. Algorithms for generating automated news follow a set of predefined rules and thus cannot innovate. Therefore, their application is limited to providing answers to clearly defined problems for which data are available. Furthermore, at least at the current stage, the quality of writing is limited But its potential in increasing speed, scale, and accuracy is great — algorithms “do not get tired or distracted.” Automation allows for expanding the quantity of news by producing stories that were previously not covered due to limited resources. For example, both the Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press reported that automation increased the amount of published stories by more then ten times. Similarly, while human journalists have traditionally only covered earthquakes that exceeded a certain magnitude or left significant damage, [the Los Angeles Times’s] Quakebot provides comprehensive coverage of all earthquakes detected by seismographic Page 10 | ANAgrams ■ February 2016
sensors in Southern California. While any one of these articles may attract only a few hits in targeting a small audience, total traffic increases with positive effects on advertising revenues. Key questions remain The Tow Center report also outlines some implications of automated journalism as it applies to journalists, news organizations, readers, and even society at large. Human journalists are no match for the speed and scale allowed by algorithms, but journalists can turn their attention to building skills beyond writing speed. New technologies need new masters, too: The Associated Press, for instance, has hired an automation editor to surface which areas of coverage can be automated. Advocates of automated journalism argue that the t echnology benefits news consumers by providing new content that was previously unavailable and personalizes that content to meet the needs of the individual consumer. This raises two important questions. First, how do news consumers perceive the quality of automated news? Second, what are news consumers’ requirements regarding algorithmic transparency? Like journalists, news consumers seem to find the quality of writing of automated content to be quite low. But we don’t know much about what else readers would like to know about such algorithmically generated content, or whether they want any more information at all. The Tow report also brings up the ultimate question of how widespread reliance on algorithms might impact society: If algorithms were employed for public interest journalism, questions will arise as to whether we can and should trust algorithms as a mechanism for providing checks and balances, identifying important issues, and establishing a common agenda for the democratic process of public opinion formation. Furthermore, future research will need to study the implications for democracy if algorithms are to take over journalism’s role as a watchdog for government. The full report, which was partially funded by the Knight Foundation, is available here. Shan Wang is a staff writer at the NiemanLab. She reviously worked in editorial at Harvard University Press, p and has reported for Boston.com and the New England Center for Investigative Reporting. Reprint permission under creative commons license.
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This directory is loaded with useful information: •M ember Newspaper listings •M ember Printing Facilities •A NA Services & Benefits •A NA Advertising Services Media Kit •C ollege & University newspaper listings •A rizona Broadcasters Assoc. listings • And much more
We hope you will find the 2016 directory to be a handy planning tool. Part of your membership with ANA includes a complimentary copy in the mail. Additional directories are available for $40, call (602) 261-7655 Page 12 | ANAgrams ■ February 2016
How to ooze credibility Perry is the marketing manager for a real estate company. I had an interesting conversation with him about his experiences in dealBy John Foust ing with different media sales peoNewspaper ple. “My all-time Consultant and favorite is Brenda, Trainer who works with our local paper,” he said. “She oozes credibility.” Perry went on to say that the strategy of most advertising sales people is to dump a bucket of data on him. “I’ve met with them all,” he said, “broadcast, print, online, outdoor, you name it. They come in here with their spreadsheets and their slick brochures. And they give their canned sales pitches on how their company is the best place in the world to advertise. Their pitches are pretty much the same.” Brenda is not like the others, he explained. “She is a walking encyclopedia of advertising. She knows as much about her competitors’ products as she knows about her own. When we talk, I don’t feel like she is trying to make a sale. She’s just addressing my current concerns with information on how to use available resources. I trust her judgment completely.” Brenda is like veteran sportswriters who collect details about games and athletes. Even if they don’t cover football, they can tell you who won last year’s championships. They can tell you who won back-to-back World Series in 1992-93. They can tell you the differences in the playing fields in the NFL and CFL. And they can tell how many majors Jack Nicklaus won in his career. That’s credibility. It’s also a sign of credibility to know where to find answers. If those sportswriters don’t know an answer, they
know where to look. Perry trusts Brenda, because she “oozes credibility.” Isn’t that what advertising sales should be about? If you want to sell something, you first have to win trust. And a good way to build trust is to demonstrate that you know what you’re talking about. Here are some things to consider: 1. Learn your company’s product. Of course, it’s important to learn all you can about your product. But don’t let it become your only topic of conversation. You don’t want the Perrys in your market to complain that you are dumping buckets of data on them. 2. Learn advertising in general. What are your prospect’s primary media choices? What are the implications of total market coverage? What is the importance of reach and frequency? What is pay-per-click advertising? By percentage breakdown, where do different age groups get their news? What is search engine optimization? What is native advertising? What benefits are your competitors selling? How does co-op advertising work? 3. Learn industry specifics. What types of campaigns work best in your client’s specific industry? Are they impacted by the thin market? Who are the marketing superstars in their industry – and why are they so highly regarded? What were the results from your client’s previous marketing efforts? How did your paper figure into those results? Learning is the key to credibility. And credibility is a cornerstone in selling. (c) Copyright 2016 by John Foust. All rights reserved. John Foust has conducted training programs for thousands of newspaper advertising professionals. Many ad departments are using his training videos to save time and get quick results from in-house training. E-mail for information: john@johnfoust.com
Facing a tough call? Talk it out in on an editors’ hotline, take the pulse of individuals you respect in the business. They have all had their share of difficult decisions and are usually more than willing to be a sounding board. Know your legal rights: State and federal laws dictate what information you can access, which can be a key ingredient in your decision. Many state press associations have a legal hotline; you should have the number memorized. Setting policies for tackling the tough and challenging stories involves three steps: Develop the policy. Implement the policy. Explain the policy. The more effort you put in the process, the more dividends you’ll reap for your newspaper and your readers. Talk with staff. Talk with community members. They may not all tell you what you want to hear, or even agree with your final decision, but you’ll earn their respect for seeking their opinions. We also must be realistic. Many decisions must be made on the spur of the moment and on deadline. Editors don’t always have the time or luxury to seek the feedback of others. That said, newsrooms should regularly set aside time to brainstorm how to approach those challenging decisions that inevitably will come your way. Do you report suicides? What’s your approach to coverage of sexual abuse charges and the subsequent trial? Do you identify high school athletes missing a contest due to violations of high school league or school district rules? Do you publish photos of fatal accident scenes? Do you accept ads that many readers may view as offensive? Do you publish all letters to the editor? In the end, the editor makes the final call. There rarely is an absolute “yes” or ‘no” on what to do. As is frequently the case when facing ethical decisions, there often is more gray than black or white. That’s all the more reason that editors should take the final step in setting policies: Explain your decision in a
column. Most important, your column should not try to convince readers that you made the “right” call. Rather, you should outline what went into the decision – assuring them that you put serious thought and time into how to approach the sensitive circumstance. Jim Pumarlo writes, speaks and provides training on community newsroom success strategies. He is author of “Journalism Primer: A Guide to Community News Coverage,” “Votes and Quotes: A Guide to Outstanding Election Coverage” and “Bad News and Good Judgment: A Guide to Reporting on Sensitive Issues in Small-Town Newspapers.” He can be reached at www.pumarlo.com and welcomes comments and questions at jim@pumarlo.com.
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Newspapers routinely face challenging decisions. Should we run this photo? Should we accept this ad? Should we report on By Jim Pumarlo every monthly meeting of a local Newspaper activist group? Consultant and An editors’ Trainer hotline regularly raises these and many other issues. As you might expect, the opinions vary widely depending on the circumstances and an editor’s perspective. Consensus is frequently reached through a thread of e-mails – and, more often than not, a healthy minority opinion is delivered, too. That shouldn’t surprise. There rarely is a one-size-fits-all response. The discussions are always enlightening, forcing everyone to rethink positions and crystallize their arguments. The hotline underscores one of the most important steps for editors when setting policies for ethical and challenging circumstances: Have a conversation with as many people as possible; you have more resources than you might realize. For example: Quiz your staff: Whether you have a newsroom of two or 10, get the take of other reporters. Two opinions are always better than one. Go beyond the newsroom: Your newspaper family – your co-workers in all departments – often represents a cross-section of the community. Their feedback is as valuable as the instincts of your reporters. Connect with the community: Most editors have their “kitchen cabinet” – key individuals in the community that you connect with on a regular basis. As time permits, seek their perspectives. Who you connect with may well vary with the specific issue at hand. Consult your peers: Short of weighing
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Invested in the future of news media NAA News If you want to know who still believes in a future for news media, just turn to some of our most respected businessmen: Warren Buffett. Jeff Bezos. John Henry. Glen Taylor. All of them have made significant investments in newspapers, despite the media pundits that have been claiming the death of the newspaper industry for years. Just a few weeks ago, Buffett acquired his 32nd paper, the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, demonstrating that print journalism remains relevant even as our digital audience – on David Chavern mobile, social media, virtual President and CEO, reality and a variety of othNewspaper Association of er platforms – continues to America grow rapidly. It can be easy to overestimate the challenges and underestimate the value of any organization. But when an investor as successful as Warren Buffett continues to view newspaper media as worthwhile, profitable investments, it’s time to take a second look. In reality, the demand for original, relevant reporting has only grown. Readers are hungry to understand their world, from the city council to foreign policy. Communities still want to be informed and connected. The format of the news will continue to evolve, but the need for journalism remains – and this need is uniquely met by newspaper organizations. Who else has the resources or dedication to fund reporters to cover key beats, showing up at the city hall, Capitol Hill or school board meetings day after day? To drill down into the messy details of an investigation? To fact-check claims and piece together eyewitness reports, providing context and analysis? There are certainly wonderful digital-only news organizations that hire reporters and devote significant time and energy to journalism, but the vast majority of these stories are produced by newspaper companies. Now, you may or may not open a copy of a print paper every day to get that news. But maybe you open an app, or the links shared on Twitter, or check Google News. All of these successful platforms are aggregators, collecting and curating the original reporting produced by news organizations. Google, Apple and Snapchat don’t have reporters on salary, Page 14 | ANAgrams ■ February 2016
but they do have partnerships with news media that enable them to provide this content. As a result, the news audience continues to grow. In many ways, this reminds me of Hollywood. In the first half of the 1900s, we turned exclusively to movies for video entertainment. To become a star, you had to first make it to Los Angeles and land a major role on the silver screen. Then the advent of television created a new, personalized way to consume content and more opportunities for actors to get noticed. They no longer had to rely exclusively on movies to make it. The model has changed again just in the last 10 years. We have Netflix, Hulu, and self-made stars on YouTube with an even broader fan base than some of Hollywood’s A-list celebrities. Video consumption is even more targeted and personal. And while the format and delivery has varied widely, the demand for such entertainment continues to grow – as evidenced by EMarketer’s estimate that Americans spend 5.5 hours consuming video each day on phones, mobile and television. Similarly, we find that the audience for this in-depth, trusted and local news is soaring on digital platforms. According to comScore research, 179 million adults engaged with digital newspaper media in August 2015. That’s a 10 percent increase year over year, and double the growth rate for the Internet overall. This is why I – and so many other business leaders – remain confident about the future of the news industry: because the need and demand remains high. There is no denying that the last several years have been both challenging and transformative, and the industry has had to make some tough choices to evolve with the culture. But we are evolving, just as the growing audience numbers suggest. I believe this is what Buffett, Bezos, Henry and Taylor see in the future for news. While they value the public service journalism of local news organizations, they are also smart investors. They know how to identify assets that will turn a profit. In a 2013 letter to shareholders, Buffett announced that his company would continue acquiring newspapers “as long as the economics made sense.” His recent purchase is just one more proof point that the economics do, indeed, make sense.About NAA NAA is a nonprofit organization representing nearly 2,000 newspapers and their multiplatform businesses in the United States and Canada. The association focuses on the major issues that affect today’s newspaper industry: public policy/ legal matters, advertising revenue growth and audience development across the medium’s broad portfolio of products and digital platforms. Information about NAA at www.naa. org. Online link to download Word version: here.
Free Advice Getting back to my technology roots...
Kevin Slimp The News Guru
kevin@kevinslimp.com
An editor in South Carolina wrote to me yesterday, “I’m always amazed at your productivity.” I get that a lot these days. Since yesterday, I’ve written an opinion piece that’s already filling my inbox with responses from readers; my fictional weekly serial, The Good Folks of Lennox Valley; and my alarm just reminded me that I’m on deadline to write my column for newspaper professionals. Looking over my email, I noticed there has been an increase in the number of folks asking for technical advice over the past few weeks. Perhaps work slowed down a bit over the holidays, allowing people more time to write. Whatever the reason, I’ve always believed in “dancing with the one who brung ya,” so it seems like a good time to answer some questions from readers.
From Lora, in Nebraska
Hi Kevin: I am trying to tone down the total coverage area for our presses in one easy step. We have a process that is supposed to tone all of our photos for our press so they are consistent, but the total coverage area is still too high. I can take each photo separately and fix the problem, but I am wondering if there is something in Distiller when converting the entire newspaper page that would fix everything all at once. We have a very old press so we need the total ink coverage to be 220. Hi, Lora. Ink coverage is a funny thing. Over the years, the perfect ink coverage will change on a press, due to changes in paper, ink and the press itself. It would be nice if all your ink
issues could be handled when creating the PDF, but life never seems to work that easily. It sounds to me like you need to run some press tests (you might need someone from the outside to help with that) to determine the optimum color settings for your press. These numbers are rarely the same between two presses. Once that’s done, an action can be created in Photoshop which does most of work for you, including specifying the ink settings, when your pictures are saved.
From Steve, in Minnesota
in Acrobat. Once there, check the box by “Output Intent” and select “US Web Uncoated v2.”
From Klaudia, in Wisconsin
Kevin: We are in the process of checking out new computers with updated software for our business. What is your take on the iMac vs. the Mac Pro? What we see is that the iMacs can have more storage, bigger screens and are cheaper. We use the Creative Suite for most of our designing. What do you think?
Kevin: I am thinking about getting a little Apple server, around $1,000 or so, that would serve as a drop box for all of our layout files. To my understanding, however, a server can do more than provide storage. I am wondering if you think such a move would help fix my network problems. Does that make sense?
That’s a good question, Klaudia. And the answer is simple: Go with the iMac. If you were a movie producer or videographer, you might consider the Mac Pro, but for design and production, you would probably never notice a difference in speed between the two computers. So save $1,000 or so to buy my dinner next time I’m in Wisconsin.
Steve and I emailed back and forth a few times before I finally sent this recommendation, which Steve said he would follow: If you only need a server for file sharing, which is what the vast majority of small newspapers use them for, you might be best off to get a NAS/Ethernet Drive. This is a stand-alone drive that plugs into your network and acts as a file-sharing server. If you get a good one, like a Synology, your cost will be around $700, and that will include a main drive and three backup drives, so you never lose your data.
One last bit of advice
From Joe, in Tennessee
Hey, Kevin. There’s no telling where in the world you may be tonight, but I feel sure that you are having a good time. The last time I wrote, you taught me how to convert color to grayscale in Acrobat. Now how do I convert RGB to CMYK? It’s pretty much the same process, Joe. Find your “Convert Colors” tool
Each year, I direct a program called The Institute of Newspaper Technology, held on the campus of The University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Over the years, we’ve had attendees from newspapers in just about every state and province, and we seem to grow each year. Our 20th session will take place October 6-8, 2016. We will be inviting more trainers, bringing back some of the favorites from past years, offering more classes, and hosting an Anniversary Gala on Friday evening. If you’ve been before, come celebrate our anniversary with friends from previous sessions. If you’ve always wanted to attend, this is the year to come. Mark your calendar for October 6-8, 2016. Enjoy the beautiful weather, the Smoky Mountains, and what has come to be known internationally as the finest annual training event in the industry. Find information at: newspaperinstitute.com
February 2016 ■ ANAgrams | Page 15
t
Calendar • Calendar • Calendar ANA Training Partner Local Media Association is a thriving and innovative association that serves more than 2,400 local media companies (newspapers, TV, radio, directories, pure plays, and more) as well as several hundred research & development partners in the industry. LMA assists local media companies with the digital transition via cutting-edge programs, conferences, webinars, research and training. Our motto is “Innovation | Education | Inspiration.”
Webinars • Webinars • Webinars The Opportunity in Localizing National Brands - Local Media Assoc. Tue, February 16, 1 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. BIA/Kelsey’s latest forecast projects total U.S. advertising targeting local audiences will exceed $146B. Over 40% of this total will be spent by national brands to localize their campaigns. We predict this will grow at a 4.6% CAGR from $61.2B in 2016 to $73.2B by 2020. The stakes are rising for those who don’t understand how to localize brands. Local marketing can be challenging for brands but deliver dividends for those who do it well. (The BIA/Kelsey BRANDS conference is in New York on March 22nd. LMA members receive $100 off the registration price.) Presenter: Rick Ducey, Managing Director, BIA/Kelsey Free for LMA members / $29 for media association partners / $59 for nonmembers. Check here to see if your paper is a member: http://bit.ly/1wqkxug Registration: https://www.localmedia.org/webinars/
Building the Right Customer Rapport Local Media Assoc. Fri Feb 26, 2016 9:30 a.m. – 10 a.m. How are you being perceived when you make contact with that critical advertising prospect? Some experts say that they are pre-disposed whether they will do business with you within the first few seconds. Others state that what you say have very little to do with your odds to win their business, as how you say it. Mike Blinder will talk about what it takes to have the right B2B rapport to improve your sales each and every day, Note: This session is for ALL salespeople, management, sales, inside/outside, regardless of product being presented! Presenter: Mike Blinder, President, The Blinder Group Free for LMA members / $29 for media association partners / $59 for nonmembers. Check here to see if your paper is a member: http://bit.ly/1wqkxug Registration: https://www.localmedia.org/webinars/
Click here for a complete listing of Webinars and Training Sessions Page 16 | ANAgrams ■ February 2016
Happenings & Events ANA BOD Meetings Feb. 10, via conference call, 1 p.m. May 12, via conference call, 1 p.m. July 28, via conference call, 1 p.m. Sept. 23, TENTATIVE date, to be determined based on the ANA Fall Convention schedule. Sept. 24, ANA Annual Meeting. TENTATIVE date, to be determined based on the ANA Fall Convention schedule. Dec. 8, via conference call, 1 p.m.
PLan Ahead!
ANA BNC and Exellence in Advertising Contests When: Accepting entries,
May 2 — 31.
What: No better time than NOW to
start going through your saved print copies and digital archives for noteworthy entries in editorial and advertising. Stay tuned for more information in “This Week @ ANA” during the coming months.
Save the Date!
ANA Fall Convention and Annual Meeting Sept. 23, 24 Where: Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino, Chandler, AZ. WhAT: Mark your calendars! Two speakers are already confirmed: Kevin Slimp and Ken Paulson.
And of course, everybody’s favorite events — the award ceremonies Make your plans now!