Arkansas Publisher Weekly: December 15, 2022

Guest Column:

Advertising’s Bill of Rights

By John Foust

Publisher Weekly

Brenda Blagg, veteran Arkansas journalist and champion of freedom of information, dies at 75

Brenda Blagg, veteran Arkansas journalist, columnist and stalwart member of the FOI Coalition, died on Wednesday, Dec. 14. She was 75.

Blagg launched her journalism career at Newport High School as editor of the Greyhound in 1965. A vociferous proponent of journalism curriculum in public schools, she once described herself as “a poster child for journalism education,” saying, “If it hadn’t been for the Newport High School Greyhound, I wouldn’t have started down this trek.”

She attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and studied commercial art until she changed her major to journalism in her junior year. She was editor of the Traveler, the UA student newspaper, at the time the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act was enacted in 1967.

Blagg began her professional career as a college stringer for publications like the Arkansas Gazette and the National Observer in 1970. After a stint at the Newport Independent, she joined the Springdale News in 1971. The News, where she worked for decades, was eventually merged into the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Blagg said that the Springdale newspaper put an emphasis on election coverage in the 1970s, one of the main reasons she got involved in political reporting. Her weekly syndicated political column, “Between the Lines,” was launched in 1979 and ultimately ran in newspapers statewide, reaching more than 90,000 homes. It began after Blagg spent the summer of 1978 traveling the state for the Arkansas Institute of Politics and Government.

on Page 2

More than 240,000 historic Arkansas newspaper pages digitized for Chronicling America project

2022.

Ever

Or want to see how the state’s “longestrunning African American-owned and edited paper” covered the civil-rights

movement of the 1950s?

Then you’re in luck. And you won’t even have to hike down to the Arkansas State Archives in Little Rock to spin through reels of microfilm.

Employees of the State Archives have digitized over 240,000 pages of historic newspapers for the Chronicling America project.

So far, select years of 74 Arkansas

By Bill Bowden. Originally published in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on November 20,

Reprinted with permission.

Blagg received the APA Distinguished Service Award in 2017. Continued

Brenda Blagg, veteran Arkansas journalist and champion of freedom of information, dies at 75

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“During that summer I put 10,000 miles on my car visiting every newsroom in the state, every TV station and every courthouse,” she recalled in an interview with APA in 2018 upon the occasion of her Golden 50 Service Award for 50 or more years in the Arkansas newspaper industry. “I would tell people about the upcoming constitutional convention and how to become a delegate to the convention.” She attributed learning to write about statewide as well as local issues to that exposure.

In 1991, Blagg went to New Hampshire to provide local coverage of the presidential campaign of Gov. Bill Clinton. She followed the famed “Arkansas Travelers,” a group of Arkansans who rolled across the New England state to campaign for their favorite son. She published a book, “Political Magic: The Travels, Trials and Triumphs of the Clintons’ Arkansas Travelers,” based on that experience.

In 2001, she was named Arkansas Journalist of the Year by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Journalism Department. In 2009, she was inducted into the Walter J. Lemke Department of Journalism Hall of Honor at the University of Arkansas and was the recipient of the 18th annual Ernie Deane Award for valor in journalism in 2011.

Blagg was a staunch advocate of free speech and freedom of information. She was a founding member of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Coalition and worked on the 1999 FOI Arkansas Project that audited compliance with the state’s open records law. She was Arkansas coordinator for Sunshine Week, an annual nationwide recognition of the importance of public access to government information, in 2005 and 2006.

She was the recipient of APA’s Freedom of Information Award in both 1995 and 2005, and received the APA Distinguished Service Award in 2017 for her tireless legislative work.

She was inducted into the inaugural class of the Great Plains Journalism Hall of Fame in 2021. In her nomination, Rusty Turner, Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette editor and APA past president, said there aren’t many Arkansas journalists who have had the “wide-ranging and lasting impact” of Blagg.

“She’s had a remarkable career in journalism and made a huge impact on our state,” Turner said at the time of her nomination. “She broke a lot of ground for women in our business. She’s pursued a career in hard news at a time when it was almost exclusively a man’s domain. … Her advocacy on behalf of transparency and open government over the years has helped keep Arkansas’s sunshine law one of the strongest in the country. She’s helped train dozens of young reporters in the importance of community journalism and holding public institutions accountable.”

Blagg was a state president of Arkansas Press Women and a national sweepstakes winner of the National Federation of Press Women when the conference was held in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, in the 1980s. She was for several years the publisher of This Is Arkansas, a biennial magazine of the Arkansas County Judges Association. She also taught news writing as an adjunct professor at the University of Arkansas.

The family will receive friends from 5-7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 19 at Beard’s Funeral Chapel, 855 S. Happy Hollow Road in Fayetteville.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 20 at the funeral home.

As news of her death spread, friends and colleagues statewide offered condolences and memories.

“Brenda was one of my inspirations to never be afraid to stand alone and tell the truth as a journalist,” said Tammy Curtis, publisher and managing editor of the Spring River Chronicle in Hardy. Former publisher and APA Past President Mark Magie described her as “a great example of what a journalist should be.”

“Brenda has been a staple in the Arkansas newspaper industry for decades,” said APA Executive Director Ashley Kemp Wimberley. “She would laugh when I would call her the queen of Arkansas journalism, but it was really true. She was the best of the best. Both a powerful writer and educator, Brenda contributed so much, not only to our industry, but to society in general.

“This loss to the Arkansas newspaper industry is incalculable. I’m going to miss her knowledge and her friendship.”

A full obituary will be in next week’s Arkansas Publisher Weekly

Paper-wad shooting contest in Traveler office in the 1960s. Blagg, Ann Pride, Gerald Jordan and Bill Wright

More than 240,000 historic Arkansas newspaper pages digitized for Chronicling America project

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newspaper titles have been digitized, along with the newspaper of a “free love colony” that moved from Missouri to Arkansas in 1918 and published its final issue in what is now known as The Natural State.

Chronicling America is a website –chroniclingamerica.loc.gov – that provides free access to information about newspapers published from 1777 to 1963 and select digitized newspaper pages. It is produced by the National Digital Newspaper Program, which is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.

So far, the oldest Arkansas newspaper digitized for the website is the first issue of The Arkansas Advocate, published on March 31, 1830, in Little Rock, six years before Arkansas became a state.

Arkansas began its participation in the Chronicling America project in 2017, after receiving the first of three grants —totaling over $600,000 — from the National Endowment for the Humanities to fund three two-year digitization cycles, said Katie Adkins, archivist for the Arkansas Digital Newspaper Project and the state’s manager for the National Digital Newspaper Project.

She said the goal is to digitize 100,000 to 110,000 pages in each two-year cycle. Adkins said they’ll submit another grant application in January to fund a fourth round of digitization for the 2023-25 cycle, which will begin in September.

Adkins said she and Chelsea Cinotto are the only Arkansas State Archives employees who work full time on the Arkansas Digital Newspaper Project. But other employees of the State Archives provide assistance and guidance. And they have contract staff who speak, write and can translate German.

They’ve been trying to focus on historic newspapers that aren’t already digitized and available for free online. Adkins said they planned to digitize two Fort Smith newspapers but learned that the Fort Smith Public Library had already done that, so they pivoted to the Pine Bluff Daily Graphic instead.

The Graphic tried to keep an eye on Fort Smith anyway. According to an Oct. 2, 1893, front-page headline in the Graphic, “Three Desperados, Armed with Iron Spittoons and Water Jugs, Attempt to Break Jail at Fort Smith.”

They were unsuccessful.

One of the “desperados” was Henry Starr, who had a brief stint as a silent film star before being mortally wounded in 1921 when he and three others robbed the People’s National Bank of Harrison

What you won’t find digitized at chroniclingamerica.loc.gov – at least for now – is the Arkansas Democrat and Arkansas Gazette. (They may be included in the future.)

But you will find the Stuttgart Germania, the Paragould Soliphone and The Huttig News.

Many of the Arkansas newspapers that have been digitized for the project are no longer in business.

“Most of them are long closed down,” said Adkins.

The majority of Arkansas newspapers digitized for the project were published before 1927, said Adkins. For newspapers published over 95 years ago, efforts don’t have to be made to make sure anything in the paper is still covered by copyright.

“We can include any paper up to 1963; however we must do copyright research,” said Adkins.

David Ware, director of the Arkansas State Archives, said the current two-year digitization cycle is of particular interest because it includes the Arkansas Echo, one of two long-running German-language newspapers published in Little Rock, and the Arkansas State Press, “our state’s longest-running African American-owned and edited paper.”

Ware said the Arkansas State Press was the “backbone and real-time chronicle” of the state’s civil-rights history in the 1950s.

The Arkansas State Press was founded in 1941 by civil-rights pioneers Lucious Christopher Bates and Daisy Gatson

Chelsea Cinotto (left), an archival assistant, and Katie Adkins, project manager, go through boxed master microfilm negatives Friday, Nov. 18, 2022 in the cold storage at the Arkansas State Archives in One Capitol Mall. (photo by Staci Vandagriff, courtesy Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

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More than 240,000 historic Arkansas newspaper pages digitized for Chronicling America project

Bates, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.

The Arkansas Digital Newspaper Project includes the entire run of the Arkansas State Press’ published issues from 1941 until 1959, when it went out of business the first time.

Ware said it’s a significant time period in civil-rights history. It includes the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision and the desegregation of Little Rock’s Central High School in 1957.

“In the case of the Echo, it was complicated by the fact that the paper’s in German,” said Ware, noting that the Echo used a typeface known as fraktur.

Almost all of the Arkansas newspapers are being digitized from microfilm that was already at the State Archives.

Adkins said the State Archives had the entire run of the Echo on microfilm, but some of the microfilm wasn’t up to the standards required by the National Digital

Luckily, the monks at Subiaco Academy still had the print editions of those newspapers. The monks provided the State Archives with those old Echos so they could be digitized.

Adkins said the archivists also clean up the microfilm during the digitization process, eliminating duplicate pages and reorienting upside-down pages.

She said Arkansas is the only state so far to digitize a newspaper – De Queen Bee – that included columns in Choctaw.

The newspaper also included an English translation.

Adkins said chroniclingamerica.loc. gov is particularly useful because it’s a searchable database that uses optical character recognition.

She said the newspapers being digitized have been available to the public on microfilm, but people had to go to the Arkansas State Archives to view them.

That’s changing as more of the

“You can sit in your house and search them,” said Adkins.”You don’t have to come here to look at them. And you can do it for free. It makes research so much easier. Digitizing these newspapers essentially dusts them off and puts them at the hands of researchers so they can be used as they were intended.”

“In terms of access, digital is wonderful,” said Ware. “It’s a lot more friendly than microfilm.”

Efforts are made to include a diverse group of newspapers that represent all corners of the state.

Besides newspapers published by Black people, the digitization project also includes newspapers published by women, such as the Arkansas Ladies’ Journal, published by Mary W. Loughborough, and Woman’s Chronicle, published by “Miss Kate Cuningham.”

“We’re trying to tell the story of Arkansas through the newspapers and it’s not a complete story if you don’t tell it through

The Arkansas FREEDOM OF INFORMATION Handbook

As an additional member service, APA will be distributing 10 copies of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Handbook to each member newspaper within the coming week.

“The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act ensures government transparency,” said APA Executive Director Ashley Kemp Wimberley

their local city and county officials and school board members.”

Co-Sponsors

“Open meetings and public records requests are used by reporters in their information gathering and fact-checking processes. However, sometimes there are obstacles to the smooth execution of the request, including delays in responding and a lack of understanding about how the process works. We are asking our member newspaper to please distribute the Freedom of Information Handbooks to

APA partners with the Arkansas Attorney General’s office to produce the Arkansas Freedom of Information Handbook, with the most up-to-date information on Arkansas FOIA laws and open meeting requirements, every other year after the legislative session.

“Government openness and transparency is more important now than ever,” said Wimberley. “APA will continue to fight for the public’s right to know through newspaper public notice requirements and the FOIA.”

Please email ashley@arkansaspress.org if you require more than 10 FOIA Handbooks or if you have any questions.

Mobile news platforms to grow more important in ‘23

More newsrooms will go mobile-first in 2023, according to a recent article by Mario Garcia, Senior Adviser on News Design and Adjunct Professor at Columbia Journalism School, in NiemanLab’s “Predictions for Journalism 2023” series.

“The process of transformation continues in newsrooms across the planet,” wrote Garcia. “I remind my students that when they first enter the job market in 2023, they’ll likely work for a boss who may still not be totally comfortable functioning in a multiplatform media world.

“While a majority of those in the audience continue to consume news and information on mobile devices, much content is still conceptualized and prepared for consumption on larger, more horizontal platforms — either the larger screen of a desktop or laptop computer or for print. But most members of the audience are scrolling their way vertically on their phones, expecting more dynamic engagement with audio and video, not just static photos or graphics.”

Garcia predicts that in 2023, newsrooms will move to mobile-first strategies, if they have not already. This may require restructuring the newsroom to incorporate more content managers whose main job is to follow stories, updating them as needed and using more video and audio as accessories to enhance content, and incorporating new blood into the mix. The majority of those making news content decisions should be digital natives, according to Garcia.

“They understand that, in a mobile world, we don’t follow editions — we concentrate on stories and how to keep them constantly updated for those mobile readers who lean forward into their phones at all times.”

THROWBACK THURSDAY

The current APA headquarters at 411 South Victory Street in Little Rock was selected for its proximity to the Arkansas State Capitol and the available upstairs office space.

Six tenants – Arkansas Newspaper Clipping Service, the Arkansas Optometric Association, the Arkansas Legislative Digest, the Homecare Association of

Arkansas, the Arkansas Soft Drink Association and the Arkansas Independent Automobile Dealers Association – moved in over October and November, 2000.

The location was so desirable that prospective tenants signed up for space even before APA itself moved in over the summer.

Today, the association remains at capaity with seven tenants.

Feliz Navidad! APA held a Tenant Appreciation Luncheon on Dec. 14, catered by Tacos 4 Life. Current tenants are the Arkansas Advanced Energy Association, the Arkansas Cable Telecommunication Association, the Arkansas Legislative Digest, the Homecare Association of Arkansas, Hospice and Palliative Care Association of Arkansas, The Reform Alliance and Trace Strategies, LLC.

Hannah Cummings, Emmy Henley and Spencer Watson of The Reform Alliance.

William Gaston with Laurie Lee of Trace Strategies.

L.A. Times takes mental heath education “in hand”

In a unique move, the Los Angeles Times recently partnered with the Bob Baker Marionette Theater in Los Angeles to produce a video series focused on mental health concepts and aimed at children, according to an article by Amaris Castillo for Poynter.

The project is the brainchild of Salma Loum, a member of the 2021-2022 Los Angeles Times Fellowship class. When Loum first visited California more than a decade ago, one of the first places she went was the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“You have this image in your head, when you’re an immigrant, that this is going to be like the finest of Hollywood,” said Loum, a data journalist originally from Egypt. But, every few steps on the iconic walk Loum saw a homeless person, and she wondered how she could help.

Loum’s desire to make an impact led her to pitch the idea for “Head-lines,” a news show for children anchored by puppets.

The Times and the Marionette Theater produced the four-episode video series in October. Two puppets – a palm tree named Palmy Nomanderson who is an award-winning journalist from Jamaica, and Lora Jacaranda, a Pasadena parrot who is the on-the-streets reporter – break down the concepts for children.

“When we’re young, we start building all these skill sets that we put in our toolbox: to talk about mental health, having all this communication open to being able to express our feelings, things like that,” said Loum, creator-director of the series. “I felt like it was really imperative to teach our youth about what it means to be homeless in the United States, especially in L.A.”

The project is part of the newspaper’s mental health initiative, For Your Mind, and will ultimately feature four episodes focused on anxiety, homelessness, fear and grief. “Head-lines” offers coping skills, resources and conversation starters on the subjects to help adults engage the young people in their lives.

“My hope is that this is useful for someone

so they don’t have to figure this information out when they’re in their 30s,” said Loum. “We can add all these tools and our skill sets in our communication, and just be able to talk and have an honest conversation about issues in our society involving mental health.”

Learn more about “Head-lines” at https:// lat.ms/3HBxhOw

The Arkansas Newspaper Connection is a weekly publicaton distributed by APA connecting freelance and independent writers, editors, photographers and designers with Arkansas newspapers in need. The publication also lists available job openings and other opportunities at Arkansas newspapers and associate member organizations.

Salma Loum, a data journalist and the creator-director of the “Head-lines” series, poses with the puppet, Palmy Nomanderson, on set. (Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Times)

Advertising’s Bill of Rights

By John Foust

In the advertising business, there are things which must be done in order to create an effective campaign. Think of it as Advertising’s Bill of Rights: Send the right message…to the right audience… in the right medium…at the right time… about the right product (or service)… which sells for the right price…in the right environment.

Although some other rights might be added to the list, this covers the basics. Here’s a closer look:

1. Send the right message: In other words, watch your language. Instead of using empty claims and exaggerations like “fantastic,” “incredible” and “best ever,” stick to legitimate features and benefits. If you’re putting together a response ad (as opposed to an image, or institutional, ad), make a compelling offer – discounts, timesensitive offers, two-for-price of one, etc.

2. To the right audience: There’s no such thing as selling to “everyone.” On any given day, only a small slice of the total audience is in the market for a new car or a refrigerator or a pair of jeans. Aim your message at the people who want/ need/qualify to buy what your advertiser is selling.

3. In the right medium: It’s rare when a particular product is limited to only one possible media outlet. As a result, most of your advertisers are deciding between two or more choices. The first order of business is to learn as much as possible about the media product(s) you sell. Then learn all you can about the other choices in your market. That will put you in position to make fair – and convincing – comparisons between Choices A, B and C. Along the way, you will confirm ways to present your paper’s print and online products as the right picks.

4. At the right time: While some products and services are viable all year long, others are seasonal. Unless your publication is in a year-round cold climate, don’t try to sell snow shovels in July.

5. About the right product (or service): Likewise, it’s not smart to advertise lawn furniture or residential termite services in a congested area with high-rise apartment buildings.

6. Which sells for the right price: A car dealer told me about a salesperson who approached a man in the used car lot. When the man asked, “How much is this truck?” the salesperson replied, “$19,900.”

The man said, “But the tag says $15,000. Do you think I’m some kind of fool?” The salesman said, “No sir, I was just checking to make sure.” Encourage your advertisers to price their products fairly. If the price is wrong, no one will buy.

7. In the right environment: Measurements of success shouldn’t stop when an ad runs. Sure, advertising can generate traffic, but if consumers encounter rude employees in the advertiser’s place of business, they will leave. And you can say the same for poor parking, inconvenient hours, dirty floors, and complicated return policies.

True advertising success calls for the entire Bill of Rights, not just one or two.

(c) Copyright 2022 by John Foust. All rights reserved.

John Foust has conducted training programs for thousands of newspaper advertising professionals. Many ad departments are using his training videos to save time and get quick results from in-house training. Email for information: john@johnfoust.com