2016 Winter APME News

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From the Editor

Andrew Oppmann My thanks to the student journalists from Ball State University, San Jose State University and Stanford University for their excellent coverage of our 2015 APMEASNE conference in Palo Alto, California, Oct. 16-18, including this feature on my microphone work at the event. Some of their work appears in this issue’s conference recap. You can find a digital archive at editors3d15.wordpress.com.

By Rachel Podnar Ball State University

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ALO ALTO, Calif. – It’s a difficult job, but somebody has to do it.

Someone has to keep the APME-ASNE conference on task, introduce speakers and let the panels know when they have to wrap up.

Some call him “The Voice of God,” but he also goes

by Andrew Oppmann, or @aoppmann on Twitter.

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inside Jan/Feb.2016

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34 ON THE COVER: Linda Austin with some of the students she taught as a Fulbright Scholar in Myanmar.

Oppmann is the two-time editor of APME News magazine and an adjunct professor of journalism at Middle Tennessee State University. He’s been playing this role at the conference for about 10 years.

“I found myself working the AV table,” he said, on how it all got started. “They said, ‘Why don’t you basically introduce them to the back instead of walking all the way to the podium?’ I did it once and somebody said ‘Hey, you’re the Voice of God!’ It kind of stuck.”

He claims that while he has a face for radio, he’s never done any serious audio work. He worked in newspapers for 25 years.

Oppmann gets to go to all of the sessions when he’s doing the microphone, but he has to prepare for the next sessions, so he doesn’t get to go to many of the breakout sessions.

Morgan Freeman is his voice role model.

“He’s who I aspire to be someday as ‘The Voice of God,’ ” he said.

The President’s Corner: APME relishes role of tackling tough challenges Ken Paulson: Fighting the good fight: Watchdogs in the age of audacity Mission in Myanmar: Linda Austin’s FAQ on teaching journalism abroad Forming in Philly: ‘City of Love’ set to host third APME-ASNE conference Contest Changes: APME unveils new name for its prestigious annual award Hope on Board: NewsTrain’s 2016 schedule includes a stop in Nova Scotia Welcome Aboard: APME greets new executive director Sarah Nordgren 2015 CONFERENCE RECAP Boston Heralded: Creative platform earns “Innovator of the Year” honors Creative Coaching: Stanford’s David Kelley sees creativity in all situations Views: “What’s New, What’s Next” panelists sound off on a number of topics Measuring Millennials: How the next generation deal with media ethics War on Science: Conference panel discusses what and what not to believe Editors Unite: Build trust, spend time with new audiences, group says Member Showcase: APME Photo of the Month winners Editors in the News: Promotions, appointments, awards and recognition AP Stylebook minute: Reviewing common terms along the campaign trail

EDITOR Andrew Oppmann Adjunct Professor of Journalism Middle Tennessee State University Andrew.Oppmann@mtsu.edu DESIGNER Steve Massie smassie@crain.com

APME News is the quarterly magazine of the Associated Press Media Editors, a professional, nonprofit organization founded in 1933 in French Lick, Indiana. Its members include senior editors and leaders from news operations in the United States and Canada who are affiliated with The Associated Press, including more than 1,400 newspapers and online sites and about 2,000 broadcast outlets. The group also includes college journalism educators and college student media editors. APME works with AP to support and recognize journalism excellence and the First Amendment. To learn more about APME’s programs and activities, visit apme.com.

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APME NEWS The President’s Corner

Laura Sellers-Earl

In tumultuous times, APME relishes role of tackling challenges

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ssociated Press Media Editors is charging full speed ahead into 2016.

Many of us have been through a thoroughly tumultuous year, but here is APME’s message: We are strong in our commitment to watchdog news, freedom of information, innovation, training and supporting newsroom leaders in their quest to ensure a vibrant and proactive news force, ready to tackle myriad challenges.

I will not detail the troubles that beset our industry: layoffs, acquisitions, transitions, advertising dollars finding other homes and more. Instead, let’s head in a new direction.

To that end, the APME Board of Directors added a day to its January meeting in New York City to focus on the nonprofit’s goals going forward. The goal was to set a path and determine the best way to travel it.

While this meant another day of meetings, the majority of directors were ready to roll up their sleeves and tackle the future of newsrooms and journalism.

Which is one of the very best things about this APME. Wherever we meet, whatever the topic, there is a contagious energy and purpose that permeates those discussions and lasts well beyond.

There is simply nothing like swapping ideas with a group of your

peers, who are ready to solve problems, look to the future and reenergize and re-engage. Most of us are not fans of large or long meetings, but I have never failed to return from one of APME’s with a skip in my step, a light in my eye and a renewed dedication to carry the banner proudly onward. Oftentimes, it’s the very ingredient needed to restore confidence and imagination for the possibilities ahead. It’s almost like a five-month energy drink.

As we map APME’s road, we have some new players in our midst.

Our longtime executive director, Sally Jacobsen, is enjoying a wellearned retirement. Filling her sneakers is Sarah Nordgen, who also serves as The Associated Press’ director of U.S. news operations — a huge job, for sure.

I had the chance to meet Nordgren in December at the Portland, Oregon, AP bureau on the 15th floor of the World Trade Center. Both of us are new to our roles — me as APME president, her as our linchpin. We both are stepping cautiously, but with urgency, to embrace 2016, confident in the support we have from the board of directors and The Associated Press. APME also has a diverse set of seven new and returning board members: • Michael Anastasi, The (Nashville) Tennessean • Tom Arviso, Navajo Times, Window Rock, Arizona • Ronnie Agnew, Mississippi Public Broadcasting • Anne Brennan, Cape Cod (Massachusetts) Times • Traci Bauer, The Journal News, White Plains, N.Y. • Jane Davenport, Toronto Star, Ontario, Canada • Carlos Sanchez, The Monitor, McAllen, Texas All have stepped in quickly to get up to speed and are eager to help shape APME’s future and assist newsroom leaders around the country.

Our committees are already making solid progress on Freedom of Information and Diversity. The conference planning team is well on the way to ensuring a top-notch ASNE-APME conference Sept. 11-14 in Philadelphia. The APME Journalism Innovation Awards for 2015 are open at http://bit.ly/1JCHtyh, ready to recognize the great work newsrooms are doing. NewsTrain Association board members, foundation board members, alumni and friends of the has four workshops this year: Lexington, Associated Press Media Editors at APME’s January board meeting in New York City.

Kentucky; Lincoln, Nebraska; Halifax, Nova Back row (left to right): Karen Magnuson, Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, New Scotia and Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

York; Ronnie Agnew, Mississippi Public Broadcasting; Brian Carovillano, AP; Thomas APME is ready to make waves, fast-moving, Koetting, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; Alan Miller, Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch; Eric cascading waves, and we hope you join the Ludgood, Fox 5 Atlanta; Dennis Anderson, Peoria (Illinois) Journal Star; Gary Graham, fight, er, fun.

The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington; Tom Arviso, Navajo Times, Window

Rock, Arizona; Jack Lail, Knoxville News Sentinel; Carlos Sanchez, The Monitor, McAllen, Texas; George Rodrigue, The Plain Dealer, Cleveland; Andrew Oppmann, Middle Tennessee State University; Michael Anastasi, The (Nashville) Tennessean; Cate Barron, Patriot-News, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Kurt Franck, The (Toledo, Ohio) Blade; Bill Church, Sarasota (Florida) Herald-Tribune; Michael Days, Philadelphia Daily News.

Front row (left to right): Sarah Nordgren, AP; Traci Bauer, The Journal News, Westchester, New York; Jane Davenport, Toronto Star; Angie Muhs, State JournalRegister, Springfield, Illinois; Deanna Sands, former APME president; APME President Laura Sellers-Earl, The Daily Astorian, Astoria, Oregon.

APME President Laura Sellers-Earl is the managing editor of The Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and the former digital director of EO Media Group’s digital initiatives.

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By Ken Paulson

Fighting the good fight: Watchdogs in the age of audacity

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y guaranteeing a free press in 1791, the first generation of Americans ensured there would always be someone to keep an eye on people in power.

It was a masterstroke for a young democracy. In the 224 years since then, our freedoms of press and speech have helped curb the abuse of power and given journalists the right to challenge authorities who mislead the public.

But it’s one thing to pick a fight with a public figure. It’s another matter if you can’t land a punch.

In recent months, news organizations have documented the misleading statements and the outright fabrications of those who want to to be our nation’s president.

Consider the scorecard from the politically independent Politifact,: • The site analyzed 76 statements by Donald Trump and found 60 percent to be false, and 16 percent to be mostly false. The number of these statements found to be true? None.

• Hillary Clinton has had 140 statements checked, and 12 percent were found to be false, with another 16 percent mostly false. 28 percent were found to be true.

• Sixty-eight statements by Ted Cruz were assessed, and 39 percent were found to be false, with another 29 percent mostly false.

Just 6 percent were found to be true.

And so it goes with candidate after candidate. Their most provocative and headline-fueling claims turn out to be false a large percentage of the time.

It makes you pine for George Washington, who was quoted as saying “I cannot tell a lie.” Of course, the Politifact of 1800 would have correctly debunked that as a fabrication by a Washington biographer.

Despite the avalanche of embellishments and untruths, lying candidates seem to pay little price in terms of popular support.

It’s not that these chronically false are going unnoticed. News organizations have challenged Trump’s claim of seeing “thousands and thousands” of Muslims celebrating 9/11 in Jersey City. They’ve challenged Carly Fiorina’s description of a Planned Parenthood video. And they’ve questioned Hillary Clinton’s credibility for more than two decades.

Even when news organizations went to unprecedented lengths to call out Trump’s plan to bar Muslims from entering the United States, including a front page editorial in New York Times, the candidate’s popularity soared.

Of course, it’s possible that voters who are attracted to a candidate because of his bluster may not want to be bothered with the details. It’s also possible that the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino mean that many members of a frightened public have little interest in niceties like accuracy or civil liberties.

But it’s also possible the press’ watchdog role is being badly undercut in an era when fewer people read daily newspapers, civic engagement is in decline and Americans increasingly tailor their media consumption to match their own political beliefs.

Somehow we need to convey that facts matter, and are not interchangeable with the confident assertions of pundits who are paid to provoke on cable television.

For decades, we’ve dealt with politicians dismissing press reporting as “biased.” But the current climate feels different. We’re seeing a new level of audacity from politicians who lie to the public, get caught lying and then double down on the lie.

Actually, doubling down is not a bad idea for the news media.

When politicians lie, we need to report that, visibly, persistently and repeatedly. And when endorsements roll around, deceit should be a deciding factor.

It’s harder to dismiss the watchdog’s bark when the bite is deep.

Ken Paulson is the dean of the College of Media and Entertainment at Middle Tennessee State University. He can be reached at Ken.Paulson@MTSU.edu

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Linda Austin poses with one of the world's largest reclining Buddha statues.

It is about 11 miles south of Mawlamyine, Myanmar, and is as long as 1 2/3 football fields and 10 stories tall. Below: Linda taught journalism ethics at the National Management College in Yangon

PHOTO / WIN HTEIN

“ ‘Thank You’ and ‘Love You’ for pulling me from my weakness’” FAQ on teaching journalism as a Fulbright Scholar in Myanmar

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By Linda Austin APME News

returned in October from four months in Myanmar, teaching journalism as a Fulbright Scholar. Here are answers to questions that other journalists have asked me about my experience.

Where is Myanmar? Myanmar is a kite-shaped Southeast Asian country of 51.5 million wedged between India and China.

Which is it: Myanmar or Burma? Myanmar is the name given the country by the former military regime. Prodemocracy advocates and the United States government call it Burma. AP Style is Myanmar.

Whom and what were you teaching there? I taught introductory reporting to freshmen and journalism ethics to sophomores at the National Management College in downtown Yangon. Since 2007, it has offered the country’s only university degree in journalism. I had about 40 students who attended each class. I also conducted workshops for ethnic journalists on journalism basics and election reporting in the state capitals of Myitkyina and Mawlamyine.

Why were you teaching journalism in Myanmar? I first got interested in Myanmar in 2003 when I became executive editor of The

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PHOTO / MAY PWINT KYAW

News-Sentinel in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Every week on my way to work, I would spot Myanmar immigrants demonstrating outside the county courthouse. I learned that Fort Wayne was home to the largest group of pro-democracy Myanmar dissidents in the United States. Eager to serve this portion of our audience, in 2006, I >> Continued on next page

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dispatched photojournalist Steve Linsenmayer to Southeast Asia to report on the relatives of local Myanmar immigrants who remained either in Myanmar or Thai refugee camps. In 2013, when the Myanmar government allowed private, daily newspapers to publish for the first time in 49 years, I applied to teach journalism as a Fulbright Scholar.

What is the Fulbright Scholar Program? The Fulbright is a U.S. State Department program. It started in 1946 to encourage international understanding by sending U.S. scholars and students abroad and bringing foreign faculty and students to the United States. It is named after the late Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. The program awards about 8,000 grants annually to 1,600 U.S. students, 4,000 foreign students, 1,200 U.S. scholars and 900 foreign scholars, plus several hundred teachers and professionals, according to its website: www.cies.org.

Where did you live? I was very fortunate to live in an affordable hotel one block from my college.

What was the food like? The food was terrific! I gained 5 pounds. The national Colleagues in the journalism department at the National Management College gave Linda this breakfast dish is a mildly spicy fish soup vest at the end of the semester. called mohinga. I enjoyed a bounty of fruit: pomelo (like less-tart grapefruit), Myanmar. Even the president wears flip-flops! mango, papaya, banana, apple and pear. Another highlight: Shwe What was the most challenging part? From an academic perspechtee, or traditional Myanmar sweets, made with coconut milk, sticky tive, it was teaching in English to students of varying English profirice and white poppy seeds or pink banana. Dinner was usually rice ciency. From a personal standpoint, it was the 90-degree heat and 90 with curry. I also recommend a sweet, pink beer, kaung-ye, made percent humidity. I was there during the rainy season. I went nowhere from sticky rice in Kachin State. Even warm, it was tasty. without an umbrella, fan and wet washcloth to cope with the heat What did you wear? I opted to wear the longyi, the traditional that would melt my makeup. sarong worn by men and women. All of my students wore longyi, as What was the most rewarding? did the faculty. I also wore flip-flops, which are ubiquitous in At the end of the semester, I received this note from a quiet freshman in my reporting class: “At first, I say honestly, I’m not interested in journalism. For me, news writing is a big scare.” She continued that her first assignment made her disappointed and she cried in class. “But cause of your advice and comments,” she said that her last assignment went more smoothly.

“The words I wanna say to you are ‘Thank You’ and ‘Love You’ for pulling me from my weakness.”

What is the state of the media in Myanmar? Myanmar is the ninth most censored country in the world, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. As one of my students wrote, “Media freedom is now a glass with half water. I would like to get a glass with full water. I PHOTO / LINDA AUSTIN would like the reporters, journalists, photographers and editors to follow the ethics. I also want the government to give absolute media freeAfter 49 years, private daily newspapers returned to Myanmar in dom. I want them to stop imprisoning, killing and making attacks.”

2013. These Yangon residents read on a downtown street on a >> Continued on next page Sunday afternoon.

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I was there during the rainy season.

I went nowhere without an umbrella, fan and wet washcloth to cope with the heat that would melt my makeup.

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APME NEWS Linda rings the bell at a Buddhist shrine after climbing a 300-foot limestone outcrop barefooted to get there.

PHOTO / NYAN SOE WIN

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In addition to the threat of imprisonment, Myanmar publishers are struggling against the forces upending newspapers everywhere, including a younger generation who prefer to get news from Facebook on smartphones. The private press also competes against state newspapers that offer cheaper prices and have established distribution. Add to their challenges intermittent electricity and Internet. I met one hard-charging newspaper editor in the far north of the country – serving Myitkyina, population: 300,000 – who produced only three issues a month because she had to mail her pages via thumb drive for production in Mandalay, 343 miles away.

What is likely to happen now that Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s pro-democracy party won a landslide victory in the Nov. 8 election? Hopes are high, but she faces many challenges. Aung San Suu Kyi, 70, must share power with the military, which imprisoned her for 15 years and has ruled the country in one form or another since a coup in 1962.

The military is guaranteed a quarter of the seats in parliament – precisely the number to block any constitutional changes. Decades of military mismanagement have left Myanmar as the world’s 55thpoorest nation, according to Global Finance magazine – despite a wealth of natural resources in oil, gas, teak, jade and rubies.

Myanmar was the world’s largest exporter of rice before World War

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II. Now “some 13 million people, 26 percent of Burma’s population, live below the poverty line, while 35 percent of children are malnourished and not growing properly,” the World Food Program said in a statement to Reuters.

Can professional journalists apply for a Fulbright, or are they just for academics? Professionals can apply, but some awards require a terminal degree. (Mine said it did, but I was accepted with a master’s.) Awards in the Core Scholar program are for teaching and/or research for either one or two semesters. For teaching awards, the Fulbright program seeks to send the best U.S. teachers abroad, so teaching experience is a plus. The competition for academic year 2017-18 will open in February 2016, with a deadline of Aug. 1. In the previous academic year, more than 70 awards were available in communications and/or journalism. For more information on those awards, please see bit.ly/Fulbrightcore.

Awards in the Specialist program are for shorter assignments of two to six weeks. Application deadlines are six times each year.

Please see bit.ly/Fulbrightspecialist.

Linda Austin is the project director for APME’s NewsTrain. You can read more about her Myanmar experience on her blog: bit.ly/fromburmawithlove. Contact her at laustin.newstrain@ gmail.com or @LindaAustin_.

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HUDDLE UP

Traditional newsroom meeting structure takes a sharp digital turn Assignment editors are required to list all known stories before that meeting, which is run by the Digital AME. Regarding the early start, she says, “We had some pushback, but we said it wasn’t open f journalism were a car, daily meetings would be the tires. for discussion. It is possible to find half a dozen humans who don’t They’re glamour-free. In good times you take them for granted. mind starting earlier and getting the day rolling.”

But in tough conditions, you might think about them a lot.

The Miami Herald’s morning meeting starts earlier, and passes Indeed, tough times have prompted legacy newsrooms to even more rapidly. change their meetings, to better serve digital audi“We have an 8 a.m. conference call that only lasts 5 to 7 ences. They’re starting earlier, focusing on the minutes,” said Executive Editor Amanda Marquez immediate needs of the Internet audience, and talking Gonzalez. “The day news editor rattles off what we have about print less, and later in the day. going for digital and key editors – metro, world, business, At The Seattle Times, the morning meeting starts at 9:30 photo – make any breaking-news additions. It gets the ball and focuses on two things: What’s hot, and what are the going earlier than waiting until everyone gets to the office. strongest offerings from each department. The hottest stoKey is to keep it very short.” ries, sometimes based on feel and sometimes on hard data The Los Angeles Times holds its first meeting at 7 a.m., from Chartbeat, are targeted for energetic development. with follow-ups at 9:30 a.m. and at 5:30 p.m. Mitra Kalita, The best offerings are targeted for audience development.

DARDARIAN its managing editor for digital strategy, says there’s a quick “We strategize how we can build out the strongest story print huddle after the 9:30; otherwise, the meetings focus on digital. possible,” says editor Jim Simon. “What elements, such as video, The Spokesman Review, in Spokane, Wash., holds its first meeting photos, or interactives, the story has or needs; how we’ll handle it at 9:30 a.m., and focuses on what has already been posted, and on social media, and when it will be ready for posing. which stories seem to be taking off. Editor Gary Graham asks for The print paper’s needs are discussed only after the morning specific plans to target posts at 10 a.m., noon, 4 pm., and 7 p.m., to meeting ends, and only among a smaller group of editors. ensure the site looks fresh all day.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune holds a “digital huddle” at 8:15

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By George Rodrigue APME News

a.m. Each department must send a representative, “and they need to be informed,” says senior managing editor Suki Dardarian.

Rodrigue is editor of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio.

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City Hall in downtown Philadelphia

FORMING IN

PHILLY T

Historic ‘City of Love’ set to host third APME-ASNE conference

he third APME-ASNE conference will be Sept.

11-14 in Philadelphia. Expect another strong lineup of speakers and panel discussions meant to inspire news leaders.

The conference starts on a Sunday, which means editors will have the weekend to enjoy the Philly experience.

Michael Days, editor of the Philadelphia Daily News, shares these visitor moments courtesy of an article written

by Erica Palan for Philly.com.

From Erica: We think our city has a lot to offer that is off the beaten path but we know there are some tried-and-true tourist attractions that all first-time Philadelphians must experience.

Here, we’ve rounded them up and given you some insiders’only intel so that you can spend most of your time relaxing and less of it waiting in line.

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Run the Rocky Steps Rocky Balboa is our city’s most famous son and every year thousands of visitors lace up their Nikes and recreate the famous scene from his first film.

• WHERE TO DO IT: The Philadelphia Museum of Art • ONLY LOCALS KNOW: Early mornings and late nights are the best time to do the famed run because the area is less crowded. >> Continued on next page

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The legendary Rocky Steps at the Philadelphia Art Museum.

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The LOVE Statue in Philadelphia’s JFK Plaza.

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Snap an Instagram in front of the LOVE Statue Robert Indiana’s iconic statue isn’t the only piece of public art in Philadelphia — we highly recommend signing up for a tour with the city’s Mural Arts Program to peep some of Philadelphia’s coolest outdoor artworks — but it’s certainly the most famous. Tourists line up to have photos taken with the statue in what is affectionately known as Love Park.

• WHERE TO DO IT: JFK Plaza • ONLY LOCALS KNOW: If you want to skip the crowds, avoid the area during the uberhectic lunchtime hours when food trucks pack the park.

The Liberty Bell

• ONLY LOCALS KNOW: Doughnuts might not seem like the highlight of a Philly food haven, but Beiler’s are worth the calories. Also if you want to avoid the lines, DO NOT go during peak lunch hours (11 a.m. -1:30 p.m.).

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Picnic in Rittenhouse Square As one of the city’s original parks, Rittenhouse Square offers more Philly flavor than any cheesesteak shop. On a sunny day, you can find street performers, sunbathers and some of the city’s most well-known socialites milling around the Square. Grab noshes from one of the many nearby eateries and watch the city’s hustlers and bustlers make their moves.

• WHERE TO DO IT: 19th and Walnut streets • ONLY LOCALS KNOW: The Barnes and Noble across the street has one of the only clean and free bathrooms in Center City

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Visit the Liberty Bell In a city brimming with historical artifacts, none is more popular than the Liberty Bell. It’s almost always crowded.

• WHERE TO DO IT: Independence National Historical Park • ONLY LOCALS KNOW: Don’t try to touch the Liberty Bell. The guards get really mad about it.

Reading Terminal Market

Eat at Reading Terminal Market Reading Terminal Market is perfect for group dining. The giant food court offers plenty of options for everyone from your pickiest eater to your most adventurous omnivore. You can also check off all the required Philadelphia eating — soft pretzels, cheesesteaks, whoopie pies — in one big bite. (Though, we recommend several smaller bites.)

• WHERE TO DO IT: 12th and Arch streets

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Journalism Innovation Awards

By Thomas Koetting APME News

he APME’s annual contest has a new name this year – and a sharpened focus.

For years, the contest has recognized journalism that combines fundamental excellence with forwardlooking innovation. But the name of the contest – the APME Journalism Excellence Awards – has recognized the front end of that equation, not the back end.

With innovation key to APME’s brand, the idea now is to capitalize on a contest that draws entrants from across North America. The contest’s name has formally changed to the APME Journalism Innovation Awards. The name reflects the organization’s role as an industry leader in encouraging and empowering journalists to thrive in a rapidly changing environment.

There will be other changes as well.

A new category recognizing breaking news reporting has been added, and the name of the digital storytelling category has been adjusted. The changes will give the contest something of a trifecta in the pillars of reporting: innovation in investigative reporting (http://bit.ly/22YE88N), innovation in news reporting, and innova-

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tion in storytelling.

Beyond that, circulation categories have been simplified, a more explicit welcome to entries from beyond traditional newspapers has been added, and the entire contest form has been re-written to streamline instructions.

The contest will continue to embrace awards – in such categories as community engagement and mobile platforms – that already recognize new ideas. And the Innovator of the Year award will still have a judging process that is unique among journalism awards, with finalists making presentations at APME’s annual convention, followed by the selection of a winner by attendees.

The ultimate goal is to complement the work APME does through NewsTrain workshops, freedom of information efforts, campus mentoring programs, national reporting projects and annual conferences.

The awards will reward – and hopefully foster – journalism innovation that makes a difference.

The deadline for entries is March 1.

Thomas Koetting is the deputy managing editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and a member of the APME Board of Directors.

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2016 NewsTrain schedule includes stops in Nebraska and Nova Scotia

By Linda Austin APME News

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PHOTO / LINDA AUSTIN

PME’s NewsTrain will bring its high-quality, affordable training to Kentucky, Nebraska, Nova Scotia and Tennessee in 2016.

Here’s the lineup for the 2016 workshops, which cost $75 each to attend: • Jan. 21 in Lexington, Kentucky • April 9 in Lincoln, Nebraska • May 6-7 in Halifax, Nova Scotia • A fall date to be determined at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Sessions in Lexington include maximizing social media for branding and reporting, getting started with data-driven enterprise reporting, and shooting compelling smartphone video. Trainers include Daniel Victor, senior staff editor at The New York Times; Kathy Kieliszewski, visuals director for the Detroit Free Press; and Linda J. Johnson, former computer-assisted reporting coordinator for the Lexington HeraldLeader. More info and register at bit.ly/LexingtonNewsTrain.

The skills to be taught at the remaining three workshops in 2016 are being deterPHOTO / LINDA AUSTIN mined by a committee of journalists in Reporter Vicki Ikeogu of the St. Cloud (Minn.) Times loved her NewsTrain experience. each region who assess the needs in their newsrooms. Sign up at and the APME Foundation funds competitive scholarships for jourbit.ly/NewsTraininterest to be emailed when more information nalists from diverse backgrounds that cover the $75 registration fee. becomes available on the agendas in Lincoln, Nebraska; Halifax, Nova If you can’t make it to these NewsTrains, you’ll find the slides and Scotia; and Murfreesboro, Tennessee. handouts from these and past NewsTrain workshops at The sites for 2016 – NewsTrain’s 13th year – were selected competslideshare.net/newstrain. itively from applications received from journalists in the United NewsTrain’s low tuition – $75 – is made possible by donors, big States and Canada. Applications to host a NewsTrain in 2017 are due and small, who in 2015 included Advance Local, The Ethics & Oct. 1, 2016, at bit.ly/HostNewsTrain.

Excellence in Journalism Foundation, The Associated Press, The At each workshop, NewsTrain will offer discounted hotel rooms, APME Foundation, Scripps Howard Foundation, the Gannett Foundation, GateHouse Media, the Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation and APME past and present board members.

We’d also welcome your financial support. To keep NewsTrain helping journalists, please make a tax-deductible donation at the big red button on APME.com.

For updates on NewsTrain, please follow us on Twitter @NewsTrain or like us at Facebook.com/NewsTrain.

Linda Austin is the project director for NewsTrain. Contact her at laustin.newstrain@gmail.com or @LindaAustin_. >> Continued on next page

Kathy Kieliszewski, visuals director at the Detroit Free Press, teaches what makes good video at the DeKalb (Ill.) NewsTrain.

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Carla Jimenez of Springfield’s State Journal-Register, right, makes a paper airplane while DeKalb (Ill.) NewsTrain attendees practice taking sequencing photographs.

NewsTrain in 2015 by the numbers n Number of workshops: 4, in Orlando; Monroe, Louisiana; DeKalb, Illinois; and Philadelphia n Most frequently requested skills to be taught: Social media, video, data n Average attendee rating for content of the 33 NewsTrain sessions: 4.4 on a 1-to-5 scale, with 5 as highly effective and useful n Average attendee rating for presentation: 4.5 n Registrants: 363, same as in 2014 n Percentage of women: 58, compared with 37 percent in newsrooms, according to the 2015 ASNE Census n Percentage of journalists of color: At least 21, compared with 13 percent in newsrooms n Percentage of journalism students: 21 percent, up from 12 percent in 2014 n Percentage of journalism educators: 10 percent, up from 3 percent in 2014 n Number of diversity scholarships awarded by the APME Foundation: 17 n Number of trainers: 14 n Views of 105 NewsTrain slide sets and handouts on slideshare.net/newstrain: 15,232 n Members of new Facebook group for past NewsTrain attendees: 103 n Number of NewsTrain workshops completed since inception in 2003: 80

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NewsTrain in 2015 in comments “It was both affordable and informational. I had at least one takeaway from each session that I plan to implement upon returning to my newsroom.”

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Emily Miller, reporter, Sun Sentinel

“I gave each presentation the highest score, which I wouldn’t have done if I didn’t mean it. This was truly one of the most educational experiences I’ve had – and I’m a full-time student!”

Cassidy Alexander, student/reporter, University of North Florida Spinnaker

“I really enjoyed how presenters had hands-on exercises incorporated with sharing their knowledge.

Great way to engage and get us to use what we just learned.”

Corina Curry, reporter, Rockford Register Star

“This was one of the most practical trainings I’ve been to….It really made me understand more about the importance of mobile.”

Jane Von Bergen, reporter, The Philadelphia Inquirer

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Welcome Sarah Nordgren, APME’s new executive director

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come to the executive director’s position with pride and a great deal of humility. Replacing the ever capable, creative and always organized Sally Jacobsen in a role she commanded is, well, impossible.

That said, APME has long been a part of my blood as a nearly career-long AP journalist. As an AP reporter, an editor and state news director, I’ve entered contests, submitted instant citations, attended and spoken at conferences and generally dipped my toes into APME’s world. Now comes the full immersion.

This year is a critical time for both APME and the industry.

The digital transformation has occurred. Social and mobile are no longer add-ons to mainstream media, but essential components to the future of excellent journalism. UGC, mobile apps, video, GIFs, memes – all play into the innovation and resourcefulness that are the key requirements for our success going forward.

There are massive challenges, of course. But what is heartening, and what hasn’t changed, is the essential function of good journalism.

Our profession is not simply important, but fundamental to a constructive contemporary life.

The (mostly) quiet work that occurs every day in our newsrooms, big, small and in-between, shapes the world’s view of those on the margins of society, those struggling to get ahead, and those who hold the keys to power, both inside and outside of government. People want to hear those stories, in ways and on platforms that become more interesting – and challenging for newsrooms – every year.

Data analysis enables stories we were able to only dream about years ago. The Sacramento Bee’s work, documenting the ‘dumping’ of psychiatric patients in nearly every state, and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s expose on deteriorating natural gas pipelines in the paper’s circulation and far beyond are just two examples of the capabilities journalists now have for analysis via big data.

Beyond data analysis, the storytelling tools that exist today greatly expand the reach of our best work. The last few years at AP, as director of content development, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about monetizing the good journalism we do, via social media, e-books and even documentaries. To reach audience, journalists need to tackle the best approach for their work, for Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and far beyond.

APME fosters that type of innovation by helping editors actively network, learn from others’ mistakes and victories.

Helping reporters and their editors maximize their reach is fundamental to the mission of APME and NewsTrain, which this year provided on-point expert training to hundreds of journalists from Monroe, Louisiana, to DeKalb, Illinois.

It is a challenging but hugely exciting time for the organization. I look forward to helping us address those challenges.

Sarah Nordgren is director of U.S. News Operations at Associated Press. She also serves as executive director of APME.

> About Sarah Nordgren Sarah Nordgren has been a reporter, editor, assistant bureau chief, director of state news and content development director at The Associated Press.

She previously worked as P1 editor of the Daily Herald of Arlington Heights, and began her career at City News Bureau and UPI in Chicago.

A native of Nebraska and a graduate of William Smith College, she lives in New York with her husband, Joseph Cronin, and two ill-behaved Vizslas. Her twins, Benjamin and Caitlin, live in Brooklyn and South Korea, respectively.

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Sen. Lindsey Graham during a recent Boston Herald Radio interview.

BOSTON HERALDED

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Creative platform earns ‘Innovator of the Year’ honors

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ALO ALTO, Calif. — The Boston Herald was named “Innovator of the Year” after a vote of a joint conference of the Associated Press Media Editors and American Society of News Editors at Stanford University.

The coveted APME innovation award recognized the Herald for “its innovative platform called Boston Herald Radio that is fully integrated with its print, online and video divisions.”

“Innovator of the Year is a prestigious national award that speaks to a news organization’s innovative and creative approaches to reach their audience,” said Joe Hight, APME’s program chairman.

“The Boston Herald shows it is a leader in the

country by winning this award. Boston Herald Radio is not only innovative but practical.

“The Boston Herald should be congratulated for winning this tough competition against other innovative news organizations that are investing and building for the future. They show us that journalism is as strong as ever,” Hight said.

The Herald competed for the APME award against the Los Angeles News Group and The Oklahoman.

Herald publisher and president Patrick J. Purcell said, “This distinguished national award is a tribute to the finest multimedia newsroom in the city led by our cutting-edge Boston Herald Radio platform.

I couldn’t be prouder of the incredible work our staff does every day. It is absolutely innovative — >> Continued on next page

“Herald Radio has enhanced our journalism, expanded our reach and empowered us to cover and present news in a true multimedia way in real time.”

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By The Boston Globe

Joe Sciacca

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Herald Editor-in-Chief Joe Sciacca (left) accepts the APME Innovator of the Year Award from APME Awards Program Chair Joe Hight.

With Sciacca was Zuri Berry, deputy managing editor for news; and Herald Radio Executive Director Tom Shattuck. >> Continued from previous page

and it is incredibly rewarding to see that recognized by our peers in journalism.”

Herald Editor-in-Chief Joe Sciacca was joined in making the award-winning presentation at the conference by Boston Herald Radio Executive Producer Tom Shattuck and Deputy Managing Editor for News and Multimedia Zuri Berry.

“Herald Radio has enhanced our journalism, expanded our reach and empowered us to cover and present news in a true multimedia way in real time,” Sciacca said. “But it wouldn’t work without the energy and commitment of our entire newsroom. I couldn’t be prouder of our staff.

“This award demonstrates that they are setting a new standard for

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our industry.”

Boston Herald Radio presents 12 hours of live, local and original programming each weekday and includes robust news, sports, business, lifestyle and feature content from a studio adjacent to its Seaport district newsroom.

Dwayne Desaulniers, New England media director for The Associated Press, said, “The Boston Herald doesn’t just talk innovation, they do it. And they fearlessly break down walls to get it done.

“The Boston Herald isn’t just a newspaper, it’s a newsroom, and with Herald Radio it has become a leading example of journalists aggressively mastering and using each medium to its full potential to get the news out,” Desaulniers said. “It is, quite simply, pioneering and innovative.”

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APME President Laura Sellers-Earl receives her president’s gavel at the APME-ASNE Conference from Alan Miller, now the association’s immediate past president.

APME elects new board members, installs new leaders

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ALO ALTO, Calif. — The Associated Press Media Editors organization elected eight members to its board of directors and installed new leadership during its joint conference with the American Society of News Editors at Stanford University.

Elected to at-large positions were Michael Anastasi, executive editor and vice president of ANASTASI The Tennessean in Nashville; Traci Bauer, vice president/news and executive editor of Lohud.com and The Journal News in New York’s Lower Hudson Valley; Jane Davenport, managing editor of the Toronto Star; and Michael Days, editor of the Philadelphia Daily News.

Also elected to at-large positions were Kurt Franck, executive editor and vice president of The Blade in Toledo, Ohio, and Carlos Sanchez, executive editor of The Monitor in McAllen, Texas.

Ronnie Agnew, executive director of Mississippi Public Broadcasting, was elected as a broadcast representative, and Tom Arviso Jr., chief executive officer of the Navajo Times Publishing Co. and publisher of the Navajo Times, was selected for small-market media.

Anne Brennan, project manager/editor of the Cape Cod (Massachusetts) Times website CapeCodOnline.com, was elected to represent online media.

The new APME officers are president, Laura SellersEarl, managing editor, The Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon; vice president, Bill Church, executive editor, HeraldTribune Media Group in Sarasota, Florida; secretary, Jim Simon, managing editor, The Seattle Times; and journalism studies chair, Angie Muhs, executive editor of The State Journal-Register in Springfield, Illinois. The treasurer is Dennis Anderson, editor of the Peoria (Illinois) Journal Star.

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2015 APME/ASNE STANFORD CONFERENCE

great ideas

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ave you launched a great new feature, page or Web project, or used a social media tool in a great new way?

Well, we want to recognize your great

idea.

Associated Press Media Editors recognizes a Great Idea every month on APME.com and we will showcase monthly winners in our popular

annual Great Ideas book, This year’s book will be released at our conference in Philadelphia.

This is a chance for your newspaper to show off great work and to help fellow editors by providing ideas that might work in their markets.

It’s simple to submit your Great Idea. Just go to the Great Ideas page at APME.com, fill out the online form and attach an image or submit link.

200TH ANNIVERSARY THROUGH STORIFY The Repository, Canton, Ohio Scott Brown WHAT THEY DID: As part of the paper’s 200th anniversary celebration, members of the newsroom used Storify to chronicle a full day in the life of Stark County residents. They crammed constant updates from throughout the county, including a conference with Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer.

ARCHIVE PHOTOS SHARED ON FACEBOOK Fall River (Mass.) Herald News Tony Wild WHAT THEY DID: The Fall River Herald News has been posting old newspaper images on its Facebook page, asking the public for help with the cutline. One gallery got 10,000 views on Facebook in less than 24 hours.

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GREAT IDEAS

SEAFOOD FROM SLAVES

MULTIMEDIA SLIDESHOWS Penn Live/The Patriot News, Harrisburg, Pa. Cate Barron WHAT THEY DID: This highly visual alternative story form has proven very popular with our digital audience. First used for features and sports, it’s been most effective as a way to present complicated hard news in an extremely accessible way.

GRADUATION PHOTO GALLERIES The Gazette, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Joanna Bean WHAT THEY DID: We photo-graphed every high school and most college graduations in our region in May and June (50+ graduations in all), creating a gazette.com photo gallery of each and using photos from many of the ceremonies in print, with a refer to the galleries. Each school had its own gallery on a page devoted to graduations. We used staff photo-graphers, freelance photographers and even a few reporters to photograph the graduations. We also offered reprint sales. We were prolific on social media to promote the galleries, including tagging schools and school districts where we could. The project had a sponsor (local car dealership). Our graduation galleries generated 1 mllion+ page views and great community goodwill.

Associated Press Sally Jacobsen WHAT THEY DID: Veteran AP journalists Robin McDowell, Margie Mason and Martha Mendoza tracked slave-caught fish to the supply chains of some of America’s biggest food sellers. The expose and follow-ups have prompted congressional hearings, new federal legislation, arrests, and business commitments from retailers and distributers, and, most importantly, the rescue of the men.

BITE MAP Rockford (Ill.) Register Star Dorothy Schneider WHAT THEY DID: An interactive map showing the locations and links to each of our restaurant reviews. This is some of our most popular content, so we wanted to give readers a way to search it and use the articles again and again.

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David Kelley: “Journalism is an industry that connects to other people.”

Kelley teaches design thinking with a variety of wild situations

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By Fangzhou Liun Stanford University

ALO ALTO, Calif. – Infant warmers, Snapchat and journalism: Stanford d.school founder and director David Kelley brought together three wildly different situations that rely on design thinking in his opening keynote at the APME-ASNE conference.

The address was a rousing start to the three-day conference, which gathers the nation’s top editors to discuss new ways to spark newsroom innovation.

On the connection between journalism and his design thinking approach, Kelley said, “Journalism is an industry that connects to other people. Journalists get viscerally involved in people, and the non-obvious things they care about.”

He compared the process of uncovering the vital issues behind any story to saving premature babies in developing countries.

Just as the Embrace Warmer for infants grew out of inventors immersing themselves in local communities, journalists should shape their stories as they discover the people they concern, suggested Kelley.

“I don’t think people should go in with one problem, one story in

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mind. I think that problem-setting should be in the middle of the process rather than at the beginning,” he said.

During the question-and-answer session that followed, one member of the audience asked, “How can editors apply design thinking to the brainstorming process?”

Kelley’s advice came fresh from the hotbed of Silicon Valley invention.

“You always have to have a bunch of experiments going on,” he said. “That’s what Google does. You have to think of yourself as the inventor of Snapchat or Instagram, not as the editor of the newspaper.”

If innovation was the watchword of the keynote, the theme of survival also loomed large.

“It’s not the same model anymore. It’s not as though something happens and journalists can just get it out – everyone’s doing that now,” commented Kelley.

But to Kelley, it’s not just journalism that can benefit from innovation. From getting kids to eat more fruits and vegetables, to design in the newsroom, he quipped, “Creativity should be as basic as literacy.”

Luckily, the news industry has a knack for language.

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“Creativity is this way of having a sense of the world and you can accomplish what you set out to do.”

David Kelley, founder and director of Stanford’s Institute of Design, also called d.school (left) and Mike Antonucci, editor of Stanford Magazine.

David Kelley

Stanford design guru sees a creative side in everybody

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By Rachel Podnar Ball State University

edia editors are just as creative as everybody else, according to David Kelley, the founder and director of Stanford’s Institute of Design, also called d.school. Here are some key takeaways: On creativity: “You don’t have to teach creativity. Everybody is already wildly creative, they just have these blocks. Editors are just as creative as everybody else.

It’s just a matter of unblocking the habits they have.”

And creative confidence: “Creativity is this way of having a sense of the world and you can accomplish what you set out to do.

The way to get to that creative confidence is to have that experience that you are a creative person. People that are secure in their creativity tend to be more inspiring to the people that work for them because it comes from this place of self efficacy, that you really believe you can accomplish what you set out to do. Once you believe that, you are a better leader.”

On $2 billion worth of bad advice: “Evan comes in my office and he says, ‘I really want to ask you, I’m trying to decide whether to finish my senior year or start this company called SnapChat.’

And I said, ‘Evan you should really stay in school.’ That was like $2 billion worth of bad advice.”

On inventing Snapchat: “Why aren’t you Evan? You can be Evan. You guys have more knowledge than he does. You should always be doing an experiment or two that will either catch fire or won’t. You try something, you put one toe in the water, you don’t have to commit the whole newspaper, but you have to have a bunch of experiments going on.

“You have to think of yourself as Evan, you can’t think of yourself as the editor of the existing newspaper. You have to think of yourself as the person who’s going to invent Snapchat. Everybody’s a journalist, everybody’s taking videos, everybody’s writing stories. But you guys are the pros. I’m reading a bunch of drivel on the web all the time. Lots and lots of stuff that’s terrible. You guys are the pros, how do we get to the point where you have something that is extraordinary, that resonates so I don’t have to wade through all the other stuff?”

On brainstorming: “Show everybody your story. Let everybody read it. Let them tell you how they would improve it. The No. 1 thing is whatever problem you are given, as you immersed, you become more expert than you were when you started the problem, so the problem is probably antiquated. Move what the problem is you are working on into the middle of the process. Yes, you have a direction but once you get into the problem you start to have insight and you pivot to a better story, a better product.”

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Attendees at the “What’s New, What’s Next” discussion during the APME-ASNE conference.

Making your content better

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By Rachel Podnar Ball State University

ENGAGEMENT METRIC BREAKDOWN

ALO ALTO, Calif. – The executive director of the American Press Institute shared ideas with editors at the “What’s New, What’s Next” discussion at the APME-ASNE conference on how to make content better.

Here are some of Tom Rosentiel’s key points.

Millennials are your pathfinders

“They are the ones that got their parents on Facebook and watching Netflix,” he said. “Millennials are the core audience, thinking of them as somebody you need to get to down the road is ridiculous.”

Millennials look to social media for lifestyle, food, music and TV coverage; while they use search engines for how-to’s, products, careers and hobbies; and they go to news creators for hard news.

“They are what your audience is going to be doing in a year,” he said.

Create a metric that reflects your values Analytics has newsrooms chasing outliers, Rosentiel said. He compared it to newsrooms looking at one-hit-wonders instead of quality journalism.

“We inherited metrics that don’t help us,” he said. “They tell us if a >> Continued on next page

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Views

Reading time

Social shares

Commenting

Social entries

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“ views

When the news meeting changed, the attitudes in the newsroom changed.

When the morning news meeting became how are we doing on digital, what are we doing today, that began to change things.

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Mizell Stewart

Community engagement, specialization and revenue were on the agenda in the “What’s New, What’s Next” panel.

Here are some key takeaways from each panelist.

Alfredo Carabajal, managing editor at Al Dia at The Dallas Morning News On visual storytelling: “What we call news, what we call stories, it’s a mental construct. We need people to read our stories, when actually people consume content very differently. The different kind of storytelling we need to do is very visual. You have a long enterprise story, and you add photos and videos to get traffic. Adding comes after, that’s extra.

The storytelling should be driven by visual. Every content producer needs to be a good marketer. Especially in the intersection of mobile and social media.”

On new audiences: “I believe there are still new audiences to be conquered. We continue to define audience as the people that at some point chose to give us money to get a print paper, and we struggle with that idea to go beyond that. Now, everybody who has a smart phone is potentially your audience.”

Mizell Stewart, managing director/ chief content officer, Journal Media Group On getting away from the “general store” mentality: “We need to be able to do a select number of things extraordinarily well.

It’s not good enough to be all things to all people anymore. Editors have to be far more focused on identifying what’s working and doing more of that and being willing to make the hard decision to do less on areas that are not working.”

On revenue: “Digital transformation on newsroom side is far more advanced than the digital transformation on the revenue side.”

On meetings: “The meeting drives the culture. When the news meeting changed, the attitudes in the newsroom changed. When the morning news meeting became how are we doing on digital, what are we doing today, that began to change things. The reality is that by 10 a.m. or 11 a.m., you kind of have an idea of what you are going to put on page one. We can do print in our sleep. We don’t need to get into a meeting to do print.”

>> Continued from previous page

story did well but they don’t tell us why.”

API has a Metrics for News program; it’s a database with 250,000 stories, metatagged for journalism qualities. It lets media companies understand stories at the reporter level, what works inside each beat.

He suggested creating a Total Engagement Index, instead of looking at page views, likes, time on page, etc. individually. This one metric is a combination

•

From left, Alfredo Carabajal, Ken Doctor and Mizell Stewart.

Ken Doctor, author and industry analyst on emerging Newsonomics On what people really want: “It is absolutely, rigorously starting with what people want. They actually want journalism, they want civic knowledge. The advertising world is in complete chaos, more so now than it was six months ago. Reader revenue can be rebuilt and can pay most of journalism.”

On engagement and money: “[The more engaged a reader is] measured by time on site, frequency and experience of a reader reading more kind of content. [From the NYTimes] they read one kind of content their level is here, if they are reading three types you’re never going to lose them. If they are a paying reader, they are much more likely to stay paying readers and they are much more likely to take a price increase.”

of your key metrics, like views, reading time, social shares, social entries and commenting.

Improve coverage on magnet franchises Newspapers of the past used to be like a general stores – with everything, but nothing well.

“Come here because we have it all,” Rosentiel said. “We cover everything, not

-- Rachel Podnar, Ball State University

very well, but we are really convenient.”

But the web rewards specialization.

Rosentiel said news organizations that focused on franchise coverage, which is revamped coverage in certain area based on the community’s interests, saw success with that approach not just in the franchise content areas, but in all content.

“Better does not mean more, it means different,” he said. “Don’t shrink at everything, get better at a few things.”

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APME grant aids Tribune Star’s series on crisis in Terre Haute

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By Dakota Crawford Ball State University

ALO ALTO, Calif. – The employees were just doing their jobs, or so that’s what they said.

Max Jones, editor of The Terre Haute Tribune Star, gave an unexpected cash bonus to a handful of reporters and editors for the completion of a fivepart investigative series that revealed the city’s financial crisis. The staff was able to research and accurately cover municipal finance thanks to a $2,500 grant from the Associated Press Media Editors.

Municipal finance? Yeah.

“It’s not a sexy topic,” Jones said in a presentation during the APME-ASNE conference. “But here it was, the most pressing issue in our community.”

Complaints, questions and discussions raised through Facebook comments, phone calls and face-to-face conversations caught Jones’ attention. Residents wanted to know where their tax money was being spent.

Typically, Jones said, it’s tough to accurately explain municipal finance because sources have an obvious bias. Talk to a politician, get a political response. That’s the routine for reporters, and so it leads to routine coverage for readers.

Jones broke the cycle by contacting the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute, who put the Tribune Star in touch with a financial expert.

The grant allowed Jones to hire a consultant that brought a higher level of knowledge to the staff as it researched the issues at hand.

“We wanted to step back and start peeling the layers of truth to this thing and explain it to our readers,” Jones said.

In two fast-paced months of reporting, the Terre Haute Tribune Star turned the $2,500 grant into a five-piece series. Every time a story published, the paper’s audience responded. Jones said every post had 20 to 30 Facebook comments appear overnight.

Some commenters had an axe to grind while others thanked the paper for answering their questions.

“We certainly got a lot of appreciation,” Jones said. “It’s never a flood of it … but I did get reactions from more people than I would have ever thought.”

The grant money went toward a special re-print of the series, overtime hours and mileage costs. And, of course, those bonuses paid to editors and reporters responsible for the work. They told Jones they were only doing their jobs, but Jones knew it was more than that.

They completed a project thought impossible without the grant, and did something positive for the community. They answered questions and provided a service nobody else could.

“If one thing saves newspapers,” Jones said. “It’s going to be the fact that newspapers do the thing people find most valuable.

“When we do something like this, I felt like we achieved that.”

An excerpt from Jones’ speech given during the 2015 APME-ASNE conference The APME Community Journalism Public Service Initiative grant played a critical role in our project by allowing us to devote significant newsroom resources to it and enlist the services of an expert consultant in Indiana municipal finance to help us gain independent, indepth insights into financial problems in Terre Haute and other Indiana cities.

We launched our project on Aug. 30. It was a five-day series titled “City on the Brink” and was designed to coincide with the beginning of the budget planning season.

The feedback we received from readers was overwhelmingly positive, although it wasn’t as well received by some of our elected officials. A major byproduct of the series was that it raised the pressure on the mayor and city council to address the financial problems more aggressively, and just last week, a balanced, fundable city budget for 2016 was passed for the first time in seven years. That action doesn’t address the deficit that exists, but it is a start.

Complaints and questions raised through social media helped spark The Terre Haute Tribune’s five-part investigative series on the city’s financial crisis.

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Millennials deal with media ethics

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By Melena Masson Stanford University

ALO ALTO, Calif. – Publish first, ask permission afterward — that’s what seemed to happen with the photo of British Parliament member Alec Shelbrooke that BBC Newsbeat tweeted.

At a trade union debate in early September, BBC captured a photo of Shelbrooke appearing to doze off during the debate. The British Parliament member was not sleeping but had been leaning toward a speaker because of Shelbrooke’s partial deafness. He had blinked his eyes when the photo was taken, and BBC later had to apologize to Shelbrooke for the tweet.

That media practice is a problem, said Mat Honan, Buzzfeed’s San Francisco bureau chief and a “New media, new ethics” panelist at the 2015 APME-ASNE conference.

Honan said that “accuracy, fairness, completeness and factchecking” should be what guide journalists when covering a story.

That’s what needed to happen with the BBC tweet.

Journalism ethics require a journalist to be accurate, fair and thorough, and an ethical journalist should act with integrity, according to the Society of Professional Journalists and the Radio Television Digital News Association’s codes of ethics.

“You need to make sure you know what you’re writing is to be true” said Kristen Go, managing editor at the San Francisco Chronicle, also on the “New media, new ethics” panel.

In early October, Buzzfeed posted an article about a man who died in a Michigan county jail from untreated drug withdrawal.

Although the article included other details surrounding David

Stojcevski’s jail time, it focused on his last agonized moments of life, including a 55-second video before he died.

While the article was informative, Tran Ha, a student of the Institute of Design at Stanford University and panelist on the ASNEAPME convention’s “Next generation news habits,” believes that the video was unnecessary and voyeuristic.

“The nature of how quickly information can be shared and just the digital landscape of news and information as it is right now – that’s the reason for ethically questionable content that gets online,” Ha said in an interview before her panel discussion.

“Some of the other ethical breaches that we might think of are as a result of news organizations trying to compete with each other that are trying to grab as large of an audience as possible.”

Ha wouldn’t necessarily connect the inappropriate use of ethics to the millennials. However, millennials became the largest demographic in the country this year and will be for years to come, said Jesse Holcomb, associate director of research at Pew Research Center.

Millennials want to be entertained; they want to be surprised by something, Holcomb said. It’s not necessarily the inappropriate use of ethics in journalism and media, but “journalism that elicits and takes advantage of those kinds of elements.”

“That’s journalism that probably has a better chance of succeeding,” Holcomb said.

For example, “humor and visual stories do well at capturing the attention of younger generations, said Jennifer Maerz, former editor-in-chief of Gannett’s innovative new media project The Bold Italic. “Visual stories give people different ways of approaching topics. Some degree of interaction.”

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War on science: What and what not to believe

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By Emily Koufakis Stanford University

oo often, people rely on personal experiences, political affiliation, or demographics to formulate opinions about science, said Lee Rainie, director of Internet, science, and technology at PEW research.

Rainie was one of three panelists who discussed scientists’ claims regarding the “War on Science” at the APME-ASNE Conference at Stanford University.

There is no single explanation for why the public thinks the way it does on science issues, said Rainie.

Susan Goldberg, editor-in-chief of National Geographic, posed questions about how readers formulate opinions on science.

“Shouldn’t people be questioning science?” she asked the other panelists.

Science is a method of inquiry, in which people move towards a better understanding of nature, responded Washington Post writer Joel Achenbach.

“The core of science journalism is not the argument from authority; it certainly carries some weight from a credible scientist; however, the core is the actual evidence itself,” he said.

Most people rely on their own personal experiences and anecdotes, rather than statistics, to make assumptions on science, said Achenbach in his March 2015 National Geographic article “Why Do Many Reasonable People Doubt Science?”.

“Scientific results are always provisional, susceptible to being

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overturned by some future experiment or observation. Scientists rarely proclaim an absolute truth or absolute certainty,” said Achenbach.

Rainie suggested scientific issues become “extremely tribalized.”

So many stories are now “inflicted” by political polarization, he added.

During the Republican debate last September, for example, Republican presidential candidates Ben Carson, Donald Trump, and Rand Paul responded to the notion that vaccines cause autism.

“There has – there have been numerous studies, and they have not demonstrated that there is any correlation between vaccinations and autism”, said Carson.

Carson’s statement drew immediate criticism from doctors, scientists, and pediatricians across the country. Trump also disagreed with Carson and suggested again that “vaccinations, or concentrations of them, cause autism.”

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network reacted to Trump’s statement, refuting that there is any link between autism and vaccinations.

“Autism is not caused by vaccines – and Autistic Americans deserve better than a political rhetoric that suggests that we would be better off dead than disabled,” The Autistic Self Advocacy Network said in a statement.

As a society, it is necessary to be aware of how issues are framed for open interpretation and the steps people take for the future, Achenbach said.

“All of science is skepticism.”

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Alfredo Carbaja leads a discussion about how to approach communities that are traditionally under-covered.

Editors group: Build trust, spend time reach new audiences ALO ALTO, Calif. – There’s not an easy way to cover unfamiliar communities. There’s no algorithm for building trust with previously uncovered sources and there’s no covering up perceived divides between reporters and new contacts.

The challenges in connecting with new audiences are numerous, but the payoff is worth it, said Alfredo Carbaja, managing editor of Al Día, The Dallas Morning News’ Spanish publication.

“We know quality isn’t easy, and it’s not cheap,” he said. “I really like the idea of flipping the coverage and thinking about how to portray some of the communities that are traditionally under-covered in our area.”

During an #Editors3d conversation at the APME-ASNE conference, Carbaja and a group of editors discussed challenges that come with finding and engaging new readers.. It was a group that sees promise — some light at the end of a dark tunnel — despite the hurdles they’ve seen.

“We had three reporters; middle-aged white guys,” one editor said, referring to coverage in Ferguson, Missouri. “We all kind of looked like cops to them.”

Another pointed out the importance of being embedded in communities all the time, not just when tragedy occurs. It can lead to a lack of trust with new readers, which he said is detrimental. That’s hard to do, given the trend of downsizing newsrooms.

On the same note, another editor cited the importance of

“

recruiting the right reporters for connecting with new audiences.

“That’s a key part of this,” he said.

“But it can’t be just a few black, brown and a few white [reporters]” another responded. “It’s all about skills.”

Suki Dardarian, senior managing editor and vice president at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, said culture inside the newsroom is important too. For her staff, one mental change started with changing slugs on stories.

The Star-Tribune covered terrorist groups’ recruitment of Somali residents in Minneapolis.

The first slug was “Somali.” That evolved to “terror,” and as the staff challenged itself to really think about the core of the story, it became “recruiting.”

It’s all about having some level of empathy, and locking in with the audience’s needs.

Carbaja walked into a room “full of empty chairs” 13 years ago when he helped start Al Día. Now he works with a staff of 11 writers to cover the Spanish community in the Fort Worth and Dallas metro area.

He said his staff has spent time — with lunches in the newsroom, for example — getting to know new sources. Those conversations helped his staff key-in on the Spanish community’s needs. Then, it’s about taken common myths and assumptions, “stuff about this side of town, or that side of town,” and deconstructing them, he said.

It all takes a lot of time. But it’s worth it, and it’s necessary to engage with ever-growing, and often uncovered audiences.

“Deeper sourcing, that is the key element,” Carbaja said. “We need to go back to a lot more people, and spend time with them.”

“

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By Dakota Crawford Ball State University

“Deeper sourcing, that is the key element. We need to go back to a lot more people, and spend time with them.” Alfredo Carbaja

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An example of how UnRavel presents “need-to-know” content.

One legacy paper’s experiments to reach millennial audience

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By Rachel Podnar Ball State University

ALO ALTO, Calif. – The Herald-Tribune group’s audience in Sarasota, Florida, is very old, rich and white.

Assistant Managing Editor Tony Elkins knew his newsroom could do better.

“We were missing this market, Millennials,” he said during a presentation at the APME-ASNE conference. “It was monolithic. How can we drill down and really serve? Who are we trying to serve?”

They looked into groups in the community and realized they wanted to reach specifically young professionals, who ELKINS are engaged in the community, driven and want to know what’s going on in community.

“That’s the perfect customer. They want local news,” he said.

So Elkins invited them to a a hip art gallery, fed them lunch, and then asked them, “What do you want?”

“It was a little unnerving,” Elkins said. “They did not read the paper, they didn’t care about us.”

But they didn’t say that they don’t care about local journalism, they just don’t want it to be written for their grandparents – or come with a paywall.

His team left the meeting, went and designed a new product, with mobile design first.

But it didn’t work the first time.

“We screwed up,” Elkins said. “We reverted to newsroom think-

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ing. We did this flashy site and did what a lot of legacy organizations do, we repackaged what we had in a shiny new format.”

When they brought the same group back together, it didn’t fly, because the product read like a newspaper.

They went back to the drawing board and came up with unRavel.

Elkins has found the audience cares about reading about their friends, other young professionals who are doing cool things in the community; cheap events; and how news affects them.

“They’re interested in city council, but they don’t want to read a 30-inch story about city council,” he said.

UnRavel has given the young professionals of Sarasota a place to have their voices heard, and they’ve taken notice.

The Herald-Tribune group spring-boarded off of the focus group sessions to build an audience, used social media to connect with influencers, and then wrote stories about those with large social followings.

Advertisers have taken notice, too. Elkins said when the site launched with no fanfare, just a Facebook and Twitter account, an advertiser contacted them within three hours; wanting to advertise on the site.

“We’re not alone in trying to reach these groups,” he said. “Other legacy organizations have no idea how to reach these groups and they are actually looking to us to figure it out.”

Elkins stressed it’s the “wild west” out there, and unRaveled is an experiment in the works. They have to pull resources from their staff to make it work, but so far, it’s working.

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Seelig closes conference with message of creativity, innovation

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By Nicky Sullivan Stanford University

ALO ALTO, Calif. – For an APME-ASNE conference focused in large part on innovation, Tina Seelig’s closing keynote was the perfect finish.

Seelig, a professor of management science and engineering at Stanford University, described what she called the Invention Cycle, a model she created which covers the process from imagination to entrepreneurship.

It was a fitting message for a conference that listed disruption as one of its three themes and had numerous panels look at the future of journalism.

“In the world of journalism, there is a huge need right now for people to rethink the future,” Seelig said in an earlier interview.

“Clearly the world of journalism is in a state of flux. The journalism we all know is changing rapidly, as there are lots of other ways for people to get their news.”

“We’re in an era of chaos and opportunity in journalism,” said Dawn Garcia, managing director of the JSK Journalism Fellowships at Stanford, who was involved in organizing the conference and suggested Seelig as a potential keynote speaker.

Seelig’s Invention Cycle has four steps, as it moves from imagination to creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship. It’s meant to

help people be more creative, and she describes it as “a vocabulary and a set of relationships that are going to help unlock the process of going from the seeds of an idea all the way through to implementation.”

Seelig gave examples of some of the exercises she had her students do to help explain the cycle. One exercise took students to San Quentin State Prison and had them “redesign the experience of going from prison to freedom.” Students had to identify a problem, reframe it, come up with a solution, and inspire interest in their solution, she said.

This reframing was one of the key pieces Seelig emphasized.

When an audience member asked how best to accomplish it she suggested “challenging assumptions” and “asking ‘why’ questions.

It sounds really simple but it’s actually very hard,” she said.

After a conference where lots of new ideas were thrown around in more than 30 presentations, Seelig’s keynote closed the conference with a message of optimism and advice on how to move forward with ideas as the field of journalism continues to adapt and change, said attendees.

“I liked it a lot,” said John Dillon, a journalism professor at Penn State University. “I liked the fact that she organized it in a very clear, step-by-step way. You could take this back and start working with it.”

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member

showcase

AUGUST

APME recognizes contributions to the AP photo report through the Showcase Photo of the Month Award. The competition is judged by AP and member photo editors.

The monthly winners are displayed at the annual conference and a Showcase Photo of the Year Award is presented.

AP Photo/The Flint Journal

Jake May A tear rolls down the cheek of James Tyler, 9, as his mother Alyssa Tyler holds him near the crime tape near the scene of the death of 1-year-old child Genesis General Tyler and Rita Langworthy, 70, in a double shooting as Flint Police investigate on Aug. 10, 2015, at the 200 block of West Home Avenue on Flint’s north side. The double homicide brings the count to 33 in Flint so far this year.

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member

showcase

APME recognizes contributions to the AP photo report through the Showcase Photo of the Month Award. The competition is judged by AP and member photo editors.

The monthly winners are displayed at the annual conference and a Showcase Photo of the Year Award is presented.

SEPT. AP Photo/ Journal Star

Sarah Gardner Larry Fulton, right, of Canton, brings in two Asian carp with Gene Carnes, left, of Bushnell and Larry Saunders, center, of Ocala, Fla. during the 10th annual "Original Redneck Fishin Tournament" in Bath, Ill., on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015. The event was organized to help to eradicate the "flying" Asian carp from the Illinois River.

OCT. AP Photo/ The Gazette

Michael Ciaglo Capt. Debbie Tuttle, of the California State Military Reserve, touches her son Pfc. Keith Williams' name during the Mountain Post Warrior Memorial Ceremony at the Global War on Terrorism Fallen Soldiers' in May 2015, in Colorado Springs, Colo. Williams was honored along with six other Fort Carson soldiers during the ceremony.

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editors in the news

Industry’s promotions, appointments, awards and recognition over in 2012. He started his career in journalism as a reporter at The Record, in northern New Jersey, in the early 1970s. He went on to hold a number of reporting and editing jobs, including the position of managing editor, at the New York Daily News. He was later editor of the Village Voice and global editions editor at The New York Times, overseeing the International Herald Tribune.

Lowary named news director in Clarksville, Tennessee Veteran reporter Jake Lowary was named news director of The LeafChronicle in Clarksville, Tennessee, on Dec. 9. A former Leaf-Chronicle military affairs reporter, he was most recently adviser to the All State at Austin Peay State University. He has also worked for The Cadiz (Ky.) Record and the Kentucky New Era in Hopkinsville.

AP Bureau in Sacramento names new reporter LOWARY

Opelika-Auburn News names Troy Turner new editor The Opelika-Auburn News has named a new editor. The Alabama newspaper reports that Troy Turner began his career at the Opelika-Auburn News as a reporter three decades ago. Turner then worked as a reporter, columnist and editor at several publications throughout the U.S., including newspapers in Gadsden and Florence. He served as executive editor at The Anniston Star. Turner has also worked as an editor at newspapers in Colorado and New Mexico; and was corporate news editor for Digital First Media in New York. He is a former APME director.

GOTTLIEB

Jonathan J. Cooper, state government reporter for The Associated Press in Oregon who scored a series of scoops last year about scandal-plagued Gov. John Kitzhaber, is joining the AP’s Sacramento bureau. Cooper will move to California in January and focus on health care, pensions and the state budget.

Cornwall retiring after 24 years as publisher of The Facts Bill Cornwell has announced his plans to retire after 24 years as publisher in Clute, Tex., of The Facts, Brazoria County's daily newspaper, effective July 1. The newspaper reported that Editor Yvonne Mintz will succeed Cornwell as publisher.

Cornwell has been with Southern Newspapers Inc., owner of The Facts, for 38 years.

CORNWELL

Chris Dolan named executive editor at The Washington Times

Editor of New Jersey’s The Record Gottlieb set to retire in January The editor of The Record newspaper is retiring. The Record said Dec. 11, that editor and vice president Martin “Marty” Gottlieb will step down at the end of January. Gottlieb took

The Washington Times announced Nov. 24, that Christopher Dolan has been promoted to the role of execuDOLAN tive editor. Dolan was previously managing editor for print. Ian Bishop remains in his current role of managing editor for digital products at The Times. >> Continued on next page

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>> Continued from previous page

Autumn Phillips takes top job at Quad-City Times An Illinois editor, Autumn Phillips, has taken the top news job at the Quad-City Times in Davenport, Iowa.

Phillips was previously editor of the Southern Illinoisian in Carbondale, Illinois. Both of the daily newspapers are properties of Lee Enterprises, which is based in Davenport. Phillips PHILLIPS replaces Jan Touney, who retired in September after a 40-year journalism career.

Michael Sasser named Minot (N.D.) Daily News Mirror editor BOUIE

CBS News appoints Jamelle Bouie as political analyst CBS News announced Nov. 13, that Jamelle Bouie has been tapped to be a political analyst. Bouie will contribute to all CBS News platforms and broadcasts, including Face the Nation, CBS Evening News with Scott Pelly, CBS This Morning and CBSN, the division's live streaming network.

He also will be featured in CBS News’ CAMPAIGN 2016 coverage.

AP names Colorado statehouse reporter

The Minot (N.D.) Daily News has a new editor. Forty-six-year-old Michael Sasser is an Oklahoma native who has traveled extensively during his journalism career and written several travel books. Sasser SASSER most recently was doing contract work for a variety of publications from Florida, including serving as editor of the Sun Post in Miami Beach.

AP names new Sante Fe, New Mexico, correspondent

The Associated Press has named Rockies region news editor Jim Anderson as its new Statehouse reporter in Denver, covering the Legislature, politics and government for Colorado. The appointment was announced Monday by West Editor Traci Carl, who oversees news for 13 states west of the Rockies. Anderson has served as news editor in Denver since 2007, supervising the AP report in Colorado, Montana and Wyoming.

The Associated Press has named San Diego Union-Tribune reporter Morgan Lee as its new correspondent in Santa Fe, covering the Legislature, politics and government for New Mexico. Lee was the Union-Tribune's energy and the environment reporter and previously covered immigration for the newspaper.

Veteran Frank Pine named executive editor of Los Angeles News Group

Matt O'Brien, an award-winning journalist with a track record of breaking news and using records to hold big business and public institutions accountable, joined The Associated Press as state government reporter in Rhode Island. O'Brien, 35, most recently has worked as a business and technology reporter for the San Jose Mercury News.

Frank Pine, a veteran journalist with the Los Angeles News Group, has been named executive editor for LANG. Pine, 44, of Rancho Cucamonga will oversee the daily news operations of LANG’s nine daily newspapers and websites, weekly publications, digital products and PINE social channels. The news organizations include the Los Angeles Daily News, Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Long Beach Press-Telegram, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Pasadena StarNews, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts.

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Matt O’Brien joing AP as state government report in Rhode Island

Beaulieu named editor of Herald-Banner in Texas Lovell Beaulieu, a veteran news executive, has been appointed editor of the daily Greenville Herald-Banner in Greenville, Texas, and its sister weekly publications serving Commerce, Rockwall County and Royse City. Beaulieu, a native of New Orleans, comes to Greenville from the Daily Star in Hammond, Louisiana, where he helped lead that >> Continued on next page

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SPECIAL CONFERENCE EDITION

>> Continued from previous page

publication to the top newspaper honor in the annual Louisiana Press Association.

KLUGMAN

Murfreesboro. Anastasi served in a similar position for the Los Angeles News Group — a consortium of nine daily and six weekly newspapers in Southern California. He has led that group to several national accolades, including its first Pulitzer Prize. Anastasi is an APME director and head of the FOI committee.

Mark Rochester names new editor at The Herald of Rock Hill

Journal Gazette editor Craig Klugman announces retirement after 33 years The longtime editor of The (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette, Craig Klugman, announced in October that he would retire in November after 33 years as the top newsroom executive. Sherry Skufca, who was managing editor since 1989, replaced him. Klugman's tenure has seen The Journal Gazette win numerous state and national honors, including the Hoosier State Press Association's Blue Ribbon Newspaper of the Year award. He was inducted into the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame in 2009.

Mark Rochester, a former executive with The Associated Press, has been named the new editor for The Herald of Rock Hill. Rochester succeeds Paul Osmundson, who rejoined The State newspaper of Columbia in August.

The 51-year-old Rochester had been assistant bureau chief for the AP in San Francisco, covering California, ROCHESTER Nevada and Hawaii. He was also deputy managing editor at The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, overseeing digital strategy and content, and investigations.

News director at The Leaf-Chronicle in Tennessee takes early retirement After leading the newsroom of The Leaf-Chronicle in Clarksville, Tennessee, for nearly 17 years, Richard V. Stevens retired on Oct. 30. Stevens, 60, accepted an early retirement offer from Gannett Co. Inc. He has served as news director and general manager of the newspaper since 2010. Before that, he served as executive editor.

Matt Sedensky named to AP National Reporting Team Matt Sedensky, an award-winning writer and multimedia journalist currently serving as West Palm Beach correspondent, has been named to AP's National Reporting Team.

Sedensky's career has taken him from Hartford to Honolulu, Kansas City to South Florida, where his stories have included Rick Scott's successful run for governor and the Gulf oil spill, as well as crime, trials and news on specialized beats including religion and aging.

Providence Journal names David J. Butler new executive editor ANASTASI

The Tennessean names executive editor The Tennessean named Michael A. Anastasi as its vice president of news and executive editor on Nov. 30. He also leads the TN Media network, which includes The LeafChronicle in Clarksville and The Daily News Journal in

David J. Butler, a veteran editor who has held management positions at newspapers around the country during a journalism career that began in 1972, has been named The Providence Journal’s executive editor and senior vice president of news and audience development. Butler was most recently executive vice president and editor-in-chief of Digital First Media, a group of 75 daily newspapers that includes the San Jose Mercury News. He succeeded Karen A. Bordeleau, who retired.

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By David Minthorn

AP Stylebook minute

It’s time to review terms used frequently along the campaign trail

W

ith the 2016 presidential election campaign in full tilt, it's time to review some terms used frequently in political coverage.

Let’s start with a question about the word “politics.”

Which sentence usage is correct? a. Politics are the art of the possible. b. Politics is the art of the possible.

The answer is b. In this aphorism attributed to Otto von Bismarck, Germany’s Iron Chancellor, politics is a collective noun meaning a study or science and takes a singular verb.

Or, in the AP Stylebook entry, “Politics is a demanding profession.”

But more often, the entry notes, politics have a plural meaning and require plural verbs for agreement: “My politics are my own business.”

Nouns that can be either singular or plural aren't the only style and usage challenge in presidential campaign coverage.

Unusual spellings can also trip up the unwary.

One example is “politicking” - don't forget to include the “k.” Other vexations involve when to capitalize or lowercase a political term.

Two examples from the Stylebook: Election Day, election night The first term is capitalized, the second is lowercase for the Nov. 8 national elections. primary, primary day Both are lowercase, including when used with a state name: New Hampshire primary.

Why the differences? Election Day is a formal, legally designed day. The others aren't formal names and thus not capitalized.

Other political descriptions are often wrongly capitalized. For example, “first lady” isn't an official title and is always lowercase.

The same for “spokesman, spokeswoman, spokesperson” of a political campaign. Seldom official titles,, these job descriptions are invariably spelled down.

How about the president and vice president? Capitalize these titles before the names of office holders, but lowercase the terms in other uses: The senator asked for a meeting with President Barack Obama, but the president wasn’t available.

How does AP spell the populist movement that opposes the Washington political establishment? It’s tea party, spelled lowercase, because it's not formally organized like the Democratic and Republican parties. However, offshoot groups with formal structures are capitalized: Tea Party Express.

Finally, some political idioms and other special terms - some self-explanatory, others needing a few words of explanation when used:

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attack ads Always negative, so be sure to describe the contents. battleground states Hotly contested states where one or both campaigns are spending money and polls show the electorate is split. close race Avoid the term to describe a political contest unless backed up by voter surveys dark horse Someone who emerges from the political shadows to seek a nomination. front-runner Candidate who leads a political race; the term is hyphenated. horse race Closely contested political contest is preferred. rhetoric The classical meaning is skillful use of language and speech. But in politics the term is usually shorthand for supposedly empty words or flawed logic. swing states States where voters have vacillated between Republican and Democrat candidates in the last three or four presidential elections.

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2015 2016

APME BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Officers

Directors

n President: Laura Sellers-Earl, The Daily Astorian, Astoria, Oregon, @lsellersearl n Vice President: Bill Church, Herald-Tribune Media Group, Sarasota, Florida, @BillChurchMedia n Secretary: Jim Simon, The Seattle Times, @jsimon88 n Journalism Studies Chair: Angie Muhs, State Journal-Register, Springfield, Illinois, @amuhs n Treasurer: Dennis Anderson, Peoria (Ill.) Journal Star, @dennisedit

(Terms expiring in 2016) n Autumn Phillips, Quad-City Times, Davenport, Iowa, @AutumnEdit n David Arkin, GateHouse Media, @david_arkin n Thomas Koetting, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, @tkoetting n Cate Barron, Patriot-News, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, @catebarron n Jack Lail, Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel, @jacklail

Executive Committee (officers above plus) n Past President: Alan D. Miller, The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, @amiller78 n AP Senior Vice President/Executive Editor: Kathleen Carroll, New York, @kathleenatap n AP Managing Editor: Brian Carovillano, New York, @bcarovillano n Program Chair: Bill Church, Herald-Tribune Media Group, Sarasota, Florida, @BillChurchMedia n Program Co-Chair: Michael Days, Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia, @mikedays n Marketing Chair: Autumn Phillips, The Quad City Times, Davenport, Iowa @AutumnEdit n Marketing Co-Chair: George Rodrigue, The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, @gprodrigue3

Our communication vehicles n www.apme.com n www.facebook.com/APMEnews n www.twitter.com/APME n www.facebook.com/NewsTrain n https://twitter.com/NewsTrain and, APME Update: n www.apme.com/?page=Newsletters

(Terms expiring in 2017) n Michael Days, Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia, @mikedays n Gary Graham, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington, @GLgraham n Eric Ludgood, Fox 5 News, Atlanta n Kelly Dyer Fry, The Oklahoman, @kelfry n George Rodrigue, The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, @gprodrigue3 n Ray Rivera, Santa Fe New Mexican, @raytypos n Kurt Franck, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio, @KGFranck_Blade (Terms expiring in 2018) n Carlos Sanchez, The Monitor, McAllen, Texas, @CarlosASanchez n Jane Davenport, Toronto Star, @janerdavenport7 n Michael Anastasi, The Tennessean, @ma_anastasi n Traci Bauer, The Journal News, New York, @tbauer n Anne Brennan, Cape Cod Times, Maine @AnneBrennanCCT n Ronnie Agnew, Mississippi Public Broadcasting, @ronagnew n Tom Arviso, Navajo Times, Window Rock, Arizona

APME News Editor n Andrew Oppmann, Middle Tennessee State University

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THE THIRD APME-ASNE CONFERENCE

Run, don’t walk!

SEPT P H I L A D E L P H I A

11-14 2016