April 2017 – Editor & Publisher

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INSIDE!

‘The Enemy of the American People’ President Trump’s media ire is fueling a news revival

APRIL 2017 | EDITORANDPUBLISHER.COM

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A Section

Features

Departments

BUILDING A NEWSLETTER PLAYBOOK

Mega-Conference Brings Innovation and Insight to Orlando

CRITICAL THINKING

Crosscut News is developing an email newsletter tool for news organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 8

SUNLIGHT PROJECT CNHI newspapers work together to bring transparency to Georgia and Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 9

MEMORIES IN PRINT The World newspaper creates a monthly print obituary compilation . . . . . . . . p. 10

KEEPING WATCH The Caucus aims to cover Pennsylvania’s state government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 11

THE LILY Washington Post plans to launch digital product geared toward millennial women . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 14

PHOTO OF THE MONTH Craig F. Walker/Boston Globe . . . . p. 16

Columns

More than 600 newspaper executives attended this year’s conference . . . p. 32

America East Returns April 10-12 Conference will highlight the entrepreneurial spirit of newspapers . . . . . . p. 34

mediaXchange Set for April 30-May 3 in New Orleans Rebranded News Media Alliance will discuss ‘futures of news’ at annual show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 35

‘The Enemy of the American People’ President Trump’s media ire is fueling a news revival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 36

Can journalists participate in political events if they aren’t covering them? p. 15

DATA PAGE 2017 digital publishing report, internet users worldwide who have used mobile news apps, students on the future of the First Amendment, pathway to online news . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 18

PRODUCTION How to correctly bid on commercial work to achieve profitability . . . . . p. 26

NEWSPEOPLE New hires, promotions and relocations across the industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 66

SHOPTALK Leaks in the age of Trump . . . . . . . p. 74

25 Under 35 The next generation is ready to take the baton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 44 Cover illustration by Tony O. Champagne

INDUSTRY INSIGHT

BUSINESS OF NEWS

DIGITAL PUBLISHING

What Steve Buttry taught us about transforming the news industry p. 20

Now that newspapers are seeing a rise in subscriptions, how can they hold on to these new readers? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 22

How the New York Times and Washington Post are changing the podcast field p. 24

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editorial

Who Will Save Journalism?

W

hen it comes to the latest Facebook project, we’re used to reading headlines like “Facebook Acquires Oculus” or “Facebook Buys Instagram.” That wasn’t the case when Facebook announced its latest endeavor earlier this year. The headline simply read “Introducing: The Facebook Journalism Project.”

The announcement made on their website described the project as a collaboration between Facebook and news organizations to develop products and learn from journalists about ways to be a better partner. In addition, the tech company would be working with publishers and educators on how to inform readers in the digital age. Current publishers partnering with Facebook include the Washington Post and Vox Media with the New York Times reportedly planning to join them in the future.

“The new initiative is something of a peace offering from Facebook to publishers who share news content on the network,” Mike Isaac of the New York Times wrote in January. “Publishers have long considered Facebook a kind of frenemy—increasingly relying on the social network to spread their stories but often wary of depending too much on one medium to reach an audience. Facebook also regularly changes its algorithms, which can make or break a publisher’s traffic and revenue…Facebook is also partly responsible for an upheaval in the advertising industry, with online ad dollars now being spent on the social network and Google instead of directly with publishers.”

But others have wondered why Facebook and other tech giants like Google and Apple have not put their money where their mouth is.

“While training, technology and innovation are critical, what journalism needs most now is money, and lots of it—to fund full-time local journalists,” Steven Waldman wrote in the New York Times. “What these companies have donated so far is too little 4 |

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given how wealthy they are, how much harm they’re (inadvertently) doing—and how much good they could do.”

Since publicly identifying itself as a media company, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has gone out of his way to affirm news organizations and their readers that Facebook was going to be their ally. In fact, Zuckerberg released a long manifesto in February called “Building Global Community,” where he addressed how social media played a big role in reporting accurate information.

“Accuracy of information is very important. We know there is misinformation and even outright hoax content on Facebook, and we take this very seriously. We’ve made progress fighting hoaxes the way we fight spam, but we have more work to do,” he wrote.

He continued, “A strong news industry is also critical to building an informed community. Giving people a voice is not enough without having people dedicated to uncovering new information and analyzing it. There is more we must do to support the news industry to make sure this vital social function is sustainable—from growing local news, to developing formats best suited to mobile devices, to improving the range of business models news organizations rely on.”

All of these statements indicate that Zuckerberg is sincere in his efforts, but I must admit, I’m not going to wait around for a tech billionaire to save journalism. Why should we when the industry is already filled with young news professionals around the same age as the 32-year-old Zuckerberg? You can find 25 of them in this month’s issue.

Our annual 25 Under 35 list recognizes young men and women who are fighting for a free press, doing their part in reporting the truth, and finding new ways to generate revenue in order to keep newspapers alive. As you get to know them, you’ll be encouraged to read how much they still believe in their profession. If a young mind is going to save journalism, it’s going to be one entrenched in the newsroom.—NY

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“Numerous politicians have seized absolute power and muzzled the press. Never in history has the press seized absolute power and muzzled the politicians.”

— David Brinkley

Newspapers strive to ensure the free exchange of information that is accurate, fair and thorough. We fear no one.

E&P is a staunch supporter of the newspaper industry and is dedicated to promoting its success and well-being in the years to come. From time to time, we will print full-page ads such as this, to inspire advertising and marketing ideas — touting the importance of ethical journalism and its value to democracy.

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3/17/17 11:28 AM

comments ))) Only Newspapers Have the Reach Required for Public Notices

illustration by tony o. champagne

Licensing Journalists Would Silence the Free Press

Only a dictator or the uninformed would support licensing of journalists. (“Critical Thinking: Should Journalists Be Required to Earn a License in Order to Practice Journalism?” February 2017) Journalists are imprisoned in third world nations for practicing journalism without a license, and journalists with licenses self censor out of fear of losing them. Not exactly an arrangement that lends itself to holding the powerful accountable, is it? We should want the press to be a watchdog on the powerful, not their lapdogs. Millions of Americans engage in the act of journalism each week when they blog and state their opinions about important issues. Would they be banned from stating their opinions because they do not have licenses? No? OK, but then who would decide among the communicators who must have a license and those who do not, and by what criteria would these decisions be made? Would you support letting Trump’s administration determine this? And what about the fact that most journalism is local, which the Trump people would not want to be bothered with? Imagine the gross inefficiency of a glacially slow government stifling innovation in news delivery as new start ups await licenses. Such a system would be a monstrous waste of taxpayer money and an open invitation to silence the free press.

Freedom of Speech is For Everyone, Not Just Journalists

This foolish idea about “licensing” journalists only ever seems to come from within the ranks of the media priesthood itself. (“Critical Thinking: Should Journalists Be Required to Earn a License in Order to Practice Journalism?” February 2017) There is a constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech (or of expression, if you are Canadian) and that applies to everyone, journalists or not. Journalists apply rules of ethics to what they write, which in theory should add to their credibility, but so do a lot of other writers who aren’t journalists. There are plenty of good, reliable writers who are not “journalists,” and plenty of crap ones who are. The educational background of many journalists can charitably be described as a high school education with some post-secondary writing courses. It is no wonder so many are innumerate, and naive about the workings of courts, government, and business. Other writers who are not “journalists” may have had more extensive post-secondary education, worked in different fields other than journalism, and have seen more of life and humanity in general. Who is going to be the more credible writer? Freedom of speech (or expression) is for everybody.

“Journalists” don’t have a monopoly on it that can be controlled through licenses, no matter who issues them.

ALLAN

TIMOTHY JAQUES

Submitted on editorandpublisher.com

Submitted on editorandpublisher.com

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Having been in this fight for more than 30 years now I truly understand the issue better than most journalists who tend to write about it. (“Industry Insight: Legal Ad Revenue Will Disappear Soon Unless Newspapers Innovate,” February 2017) The first real problem with the government putting all of their legal notices on a government website is it forces the public to search for information they don’t even know is out there.

The people most likely to care are journalists and lawyers. The bulk of newspaper “public notice” or legal ad revenue does not come from the government. It comes from foreclosure notices, calls for bids, and court filing notices intended to make sure the public is aware of custody battles, estate sale notices, etc. The government portion of my legal notice business is less than 5 percent of all legal notices and generally accounts for less than one-tenth of 1 percent of any local government budget I have reviewed. Local governments should be required to publish more local notices, not less. This is clearly about transparency and publishing local newspapers. Despite what they want you to believe publishing their legal notices on the web is not free. In fact most government agencies have already spent a small fortune to build a public website that has little or no readership. What newspapers need to do is recognize we live in a multimedia world and print is no longer the only way to reach our readers. They need a strong website—mine are getting three to four times the readership of my print products. The formula is simple—outsource your printing and as much of your production as possible. Hire good journalists and ad sales staff. Make your products locally indispensable. No one else can provide the information better.

BILL FORHAN

Submitted on editorandpublisher.com

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the A section VOLUME 150

FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL 2017

ISSUE 4

> Look Ahead

Building a Newsletter Playbook Crosscut News is developing an email newsletter tool for news organizations

By Sean Stroh

L

ast spring, staff members at Crosscut News, a nonprofit news site based out of Seattle, found themselves stalled at two questions regarding their email products: What do our subscribers actually want from us, and how can we best deliver that?

Despite finding pieces of answers scattered across platforms and industries, as well as a few strong examples from some news leaders, it became clear that there was no central source with comprehensive guidance on how a smaller newsroom like Crosscut should best recruit and retain subscribers.

In order to fill the void, Crosscut is researching the most effective way to convert unique news readers into engaged email subscribers in partnership with the Reynolds Journalism Institute. Tamara Power-Drutis, former executive director at Crosscut and RJI fellow, served as the project leader.

Later this year, Crosscut will release what Power-Drutis describes as a free “newsletter playbook tool” to serve as a guide for news

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organizations.

“Although we originally intended to focus on nonprofit, online newsrooms, our scope broadened early on to include for-profit, broadcast, and print media,” Power-Drutis said. “To utilize this tool, it doesn’t matter what primary platform you use or what your revenue model is. Every newsroom has a primary platform and every newsroom needs revenue in order to exist.”

During the research process, the } Tamara Power-Drutis, team conducted surveys of leading former Crosscut executive director and RJI fellow newsletter curators and received input from the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and other print publications in addition to digital leaders such as Geekwire and Mic Check Daily.

The tool has two tracks: one for existing newsletters that need to be optimized, and one for building a newsletter from scratch. Both tracks provide context, resources, and examples to guide new or expert curators through the development of their newsletter.

“It walks teams through each decision, such as target audience, monetization, metrics, voice and content, then populates a customized strategy for their newsroom curators to implement,” PowerDrutis said. “It doesn’t just address basic housekeeping and design elements, but forces newsrooms to ask essential questions about who the people are they’re trying to serve, and what outcome they want those subscribers to reach from their product.”

According to Power-Drutis, one of the biggest mistakes continuously made by newsrooms is maintaining a mentality that views the newsletter as an afterthought or merely a re-creation of what’s on their primary platform.

“That’s a missed opportunity. Newsletter subscribers are often a newsroom’s most loyal consumers, and when used effectively, newsletters can become a primary content delivery platform, drive membership or subscriptions, generate revenue, and provide rich audience insight,” Power-Drutis said. “It’s a platform worth putting thought and expertise behind.” editorandpublisher.com

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the A section

SunLight Project

CNHI newspapers work together to bring transparency to Georgia and Florida

 The SunLight Project has investigated issues such as race relations and Georgia’s nonrestrictive gun laws.

S

hortly after he was tapped to oversee Community Newspapers Holdings Inc. publications in Georgia and Florida last year, Jim Zachary devised an investigative project that would bring the best reporters under his watch together as one collaborative team.

The result was the SunLight Project, launched this January, which intends to shine a light on important issues facing CNHI’s readers in Georgia and Florida. Participating newspapers include The Valdosta Daily Times, The Dalton Daily Citizen, the Milledgeville Union-Recorder, The Moultrie Observer, the Tifton Gazette and the Thomasville Times-Enterprise in Georgia, along with the Suwannee Democrat, Jasper News and Mayo Free Press in Florida.

“Strong enterprise reporting requires time and resources and many newspapers have stopped doing in-depth reporting because they do not have either of those things,” Zachary said. “We have put together a great team that is poised to do journalism that matters. We believe these reports will impact the community in positive ways and give readers valuable information they want and need to know.”

Zachary handpicked members of the project after paying a visit to each of the newspapers, where he met with newsrooms and reviewed the work of reporters and editors.

Among those selected include Charles Oliver a veteran reporter at The Dalton Daily Citizen, Eve Guevara of the Tifton Gazette, Thomas Lynn of the Suwannee Democrat and John Stephen of The Valdosta Daily Times, who serves as the team leader of the SunLight Project.

“They are a mixture of seasoned veterans and talented young reporters,” Zachary said. “Some are great with data collection, while others are better storytellers. Collectively they are a strong team, leaning on each other for

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support, advice and critique.”

Every week, each newspaper is given a specific set of responsibilities as part of a report produced by the SunLight Project. A lead reporter collects the data, interviews and other assignment materials from members of the team before writing the report under the direction of two editors. On the visual side, a graphic designer prepares charts and graphics, while photo and video contributions come from various newspapers within the group. The completed package is then sent back to the individual newspapers for print and web publication.

In one of its reports, the team examined criminal activity involving guns and high incidences of gun thefts in pockets of the state. A few weeks later, it produced a data-driven report on poverty.

“We are hearing from readers in each of the coverage areas,” Zachary said. “One reader commented, ‘I always loved the paper, but thought of it as a lightweight when it came to this kind of journalism. Now I think of our local newspaper as a heavyweight.’“ –SS

> Did You Hear?

“Relationships between politicians and reporters are almost entirely transactional, and always have been—even in the bad old days when reporters and politicians went out drinking after hours. Presidents and their aides don’t talk to reporters because they yearn to be held accountable (they don’t). They do it to promote their political agendas.

What’s different this time is the president’s in-your-face style.”  Doyle McManus, Washington columnist for The Los Angeles Times

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the A section

Memories in Print The World newspaper creates a monthly print obituary compilation

“This product provides a nice keepsake for friends and family members and we believe general reader interest as well.”

} “In Loving Memory” compiles all of the obituaries that have been published in The World during the previous month together as a single tabloid print product.

E

ven in age of endless Facebook statuses and Twitter updates, a newspaper obituary still holds value for families and readers alike. For a grieving family, it can provide a lasting record of a loved one’s life while also serving as a way to inform those outside that person’s inner circle of close friends and relatives.

By compiling all of the obituaries from the previous month into a brand new “In Loving Memory” print product, The World newspaper in Coos Bay, Ore. has created a tangible way to remember those in its community. The paper plans to publish the print compilation on the second Saturday of each month.

“The response from family members, funeral homes and our readers has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Mike Hrycko, The World’s director of advertising and circulation. “In addition to our daily obituaries, this product provides a nice keepsake for friends and family members and we believe general reader interest as well.”

The first edition of “In Loving Memory” debuted in January as a trial run with no advertising. The compilation consisted of 16 tabloid pages and more than 60 obituaries.

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“We intentionally held off selling into the first publication because we wanted to show our advertisers what we were doing before we asked them to commit to it,” Hrycko said. “Since then the feedback has been positive and we have several display advertisers onboard with annual commitments.”

For the second edition, The World increased the page count to 24 and included display advertising. All the obits that appear in } Mike Hrycko, The World director of advertising and circulation print are posted throughout the month online as well.

The idea for the special print compilation came from the paper’s advertising department.

“We try to approach things from a readers’ point of view and create things that people will want. Inherently, what works for our readers works for our advertisers,” Hrycko said. “Once we had the concept figured out we were able to move on the implementation pretty quickly. From initial conversation to printed product was roughly 60 days.”

While the industry continues to move toward becoming digitalfirst, publishers can still take advantage of the benefits the print platform continues to offer. The World currently prints 6,200 copies of the paper Monday through Thursday with a Saturday circulation of 6,800.

“A product like this encompasses everything that separates our printed product from our digital doppelganger,” Hrycko said. “It’s something our readers can hold in their hands, browse through at their own pace and, most importantly, can hold onto for years.”

–SS editorandpublisher.com

3/17/17 10:35 AM

the A section

} The first edition of The Caucus investigated why state employees who have been convicted of serious crimes, including homicide, are still collecting their pensions.

Keeping Watch The Caucus aims to cover Pennsylvania’s state government

W

hen members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly returned to Harrisburg last January, a brand new print publication was waiting for them on their desks.

The Caucus, a weekly newspaper published by LNP Media Group, was formally launched on Jan. 3 to act as a watchdog of the state’s government through longform investigative reporting and analysis. The team of reporters include veteran journalist and bureau chief Brad Bumsted, data } Tom Murse, The Caucus editor journalist Mike editorandpublisher.com

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Wereschagin and investigative reporter Paula Knudsen.

“The content strategy of The Caucus really dictates the medium. We’re not trying to compete with the Capitol press corps on the daily, process-type stories,” said Tom Murse, editor of The Caucus. “We want to free up our three reporters from the daily grind and instead allow them to dig and push for the big and insightful story every week.”

The Caucus is distributed to all 253 members of the state House and Senate, the governor, row officers and other key decision makers involved with state government, including the top committee staffers. Each edition is 16 pages, though Murse said he expects the page count to grow in volume as the subscriber and advertising base increases as well. More than 425 copies of the sixth edition of the paper were delivered to

lawmakers and subscribers.

“Our content and content distribution plan provides a vehicle for advocacy groups and special-interest groups who are looking for ways to get their message to policymakers,” Murse said. “We’ve had some early success with those groups, but we’re certainly looking to continue to build the ad revenue.”

So far, the team has covered a wide range of overlooked issues such as how the state Supreme Court quietly adopted a rule that allowed hearsay at preliminary hearings in Pennsylvania and why state employees who have been convicted of serious crimes, including homicide, are still collecting their pensions. A focal point will be placed on transparency and how taxpayer money is being spent.

“Our team is lean and mean, and we’re going for impact,” Murse said. “We intentionally did not create a team to feed a digital audience every five minutes.”

Despite its infancy, The Caucus has already made a lasting impression on some of the most important figures in Pennsylvania.

“One lawmaker asked for a framed copy while the governor sat down with our reporters for the first issue and granted us a big chunk of time,” Murse said. “They’re reading it and talking about the issues we’re raising. We are gratified by the impact we see this is having.” –SS APRIL 2017 | E & P

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the A section > Wise Advice

From the Archive

 Ken Browall

“What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve ever received?”

It was a quote from Steve Jobs, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” I started in the newspaper business in 1974, delivering papers for the Boston Globe. I have been in many positions during my career, and I can honestly say I loved every one of them. I have found that my passion is a huge influencer on people who work with me. My attitude, day in and day out, drives their level of engagement. The intensity to drive revenues and deliver engaging journalism has to be a labor of love. Love what you do. It matters to your team and the bottom line.

Ken Browall has spent 34 years in the newspaper industry. Currently, he is a senior group publisher for GateHouse Media in Pennsylvania and West Virginia and serves as chief revenue and audience engagement officer for his group.

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 Helen Copley, publisher of the San Diego Union and the Tribune, pushes the button to officially start up the cogeneration plant at the Union-Tribune’s facility in San Diego’s Mission Valley. Participating in the ceremony are Gary Goss (left), assistant manager of the Union-Tribune and the assistant chief engineer, Herb Hardman. This photo originally appeared in the Sept. 4, 1982 issue of E&P.

LEGAL BRIEFS New York Post Sued by Former Sports Writer

According to Courthouse News Service, former New York Post sports writer Bart Hubbuch has filed a lawsuit against the newspaper after he was fired for a tweet that equated the inauguration of Donald Trump with the Sept. 11 attacks and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Hubbuch claims his firing violates New York State Labor Law protections against termination for “legal recreational activities outside work hours, off of the employer’s premises and without use of the employer’s equipment or other property.” The Post defended its decision to terminate Hubbuch, stating that it expects their reporters to “interact with the public, including on social media, in a professional manner.” Hubbuch is seeking his job back, lost wages and other damages.

Minnesota High School Newspaper Sues School District

As reported in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the St. Louis Park High School newspaper, The Echo, has sued its school district and superintendent in order to obtain security footage of an incident where a senior student allegedly pulled a hijab off another student’s head. The Echo’s lawsuit claims St. Louis Park Public Schools and superintendent Rob Metz are in violation of the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act by not releasing the video of the incident. The school district responded to the lawsuit by stating that the information is private data and alluded to its “responsibility to comply with the laws relating to student information and to protect personally identifiable information related to our students.”

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S-E&P

the A section

SAY WHAT?

Tornoe’s Corner

New Vocabulary for the Modern Era

Net neutrality (noun): the idea, principal, or requirement that internet service providers should or must treat all internet data as the same regardless of its kind, source, or destination.

“To unravel the net neutrality rules further, the FCC could begin drafting new ones or selectively enforce—or not enforce—rules on the book. Congress could act, too.”

—Mike Snider, USA Today 4:47 PM Page 1 S-E&P-9x5.4375:Layout 1 8/16/16

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the A section

} Amy King, The Lily editor

} The Lily will repackage content specifically for mobile and social platforms with a female audience in mind.

The Lily Washington Post plans to launch digital product geared toward millennial women

M

ore than a decade before the American Civil War, Amelia Bloomer, a women’s rights advocate, took the bold step of creating The Lily, the first newspaper in the United States edited by and for women. Though the paper folded in 1856 after just a seven-year run, its impact was substantial enough to be utilized as inspiration for the Washington Post’s new female-centric digital product of the same name.

The Lily, which is expected to launch later this year, will design and edit content specifically for mobile and social platforms with a female millennial audience in mind.

“We already reach a lot of millennial women, but want to deepen our engagement with this group.

The Post is full of expert storytellers creating high quality journalism, though great content needs a smart distribution strategy,” said Amy King, editor of The Lily. “Experimenting with new platforms is critical to the sustainability of journalism. If readers can’t find the content, it doesn’t matter how high the quality is.”

King says that research has shown that the majority of millennial women get their news from social platforms on mobile devices. The Lily will initially appear on Medium, Facebook and Instagram while maintaining its own editorial staff.

“The original Lily was created to advocate and be a voice for issues important to women,” King said.

“Similarly, I’m hoping we can incorporate many voices and perspectives into this.”

A large portion of the content will come from existing Post content—reimagined in style, format and

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voice. There will also be original content from Post staff and contributors that highlights diverse voices on topics important to women. Additionally, a twiceweekly newsletter will be sent to its readers, presenting highly curated news and features in their inbox.

The Lily is the brainchild of the paper’s Emerging News Products team, where King currently serves as design director.

“Our team encourages experimentation. We have a reputation for solving problems creatively and quickly,” King said. “Other departments see the successes of our efforts and come to us to collaborate.”

Though The Lily has yet to formally launch, King acknowledged that the planning process has been relatively smooth, with the anticipation of its release being perhaps the most challenging aspect involved with the project.

“There’s an eagerness to start telling stories and see how they resonate with our audience. We want this to be a community, so we will be actively looking for feedback, participating in the discussion, and learning from our interactions,” King said. “So if anything we are excited to start that process.” –SS editorandpublisher.com

3/17/17 10:35 AM

critical thinking

If you have a question you would like to see addressed, please send it to sean@editorandpublisher.com.

J-school students and industry vets tackle the tough questions

“Although the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics doesn’t explicitly address the topic of political rallies, it discourages journalists from taking part in political events. Do you think journalists should be allowed to participate in these events if they aren’t covering them?”

A:

Objectivity is often considered a core covenant of journalistic integrity.

Reporters are encouraged to avoid any appearance of bias in both their jobs and their day-to-day lives. However, transparency is another aspect of journalism that is arguably as—if not more—important.

Nahila Bonfiglio, 26 In an effort to maintain the faith senior, The University of Texas of the public we serve, reporters (Austin) have spent decades skirting around Bonfiglio is a journalism major. questions about our political beliefs.

She has worked as a reporter Journalists’ bias—accrued over years and a columnist for The Daily Texan. of researching stories and poring over news—has garnered more resentment from the public in recent months. However, the public needs to understand we have been taught to suppress that bias and produce truthful, informed content. That attending a rally or protest does not negate the credibility or objectivity of a reporter. We are only human and we all have opinions, but we are trained to keep our biases in check.

Journalists routinely take in the black and white of the world, but also see the gritty grey in between. Seeing the world at its best and its worst builds strong opinions. The public should know that their trusted sources are indeed biased. But they should also know that personal bias will never stop them from getting the facts, responding to and rendering them in an honest manner. The good reporters enter every situation searching for the truth of the matter, and regardless of their views, will share it.

There are exceptions. There is a difference between standing up for something and standing against something. Attending a rally in protest of an individual is different from standing up in defense of a common liberty or to protect fundamental rights. The press should always search for the entire story, and we limit ourselves when we attack rather than listen.

Journalists are the public’s first line of defense against falsehood.

We hunt the truth every day to ensure that those we serve are well informed, and we take this responsibility very seriously. But this does not negate our own interests or opinions. We are more than just gatekeepers—we are people who should pursue both objectivity and transparency.

Just remember, acknowledging that the human beings behind the words are biased does not make the news they report any less true. editorandpublisher.com

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A:

The last election cycle brought out a previously unseen brand of divisiveness across the U.S. and put the media at odds with a larger audience than many thought possible.

The primary catalyst for the creation of this gulf between medium and audience could be seen in the Ryan Phillips, 27 editor, Starkville (Miss.) Daily popularity of partisan media—most News notably in the months and days leading up to the November general Before joining the Daily News this year, Phillips previelection. Traditional media famously ously worked as a reporter overlooked a considerable part of the and editor for weather.com, the country and failed in their predictions, Associated Press and the Birmingham Business Journal. leaving the likes of neoconservative and neoliberal outlets to pick up the slack. These outlets don’t hold themselves to the same standards and code of ethics as traditional media and have morphed the public’s understanding of what the media’s role in their society is.

The mission and purpose of the journalist is not to stoke the flame, but inform the masses of its existence.

I don’t see any harm in a journalist being politically active on their own time. It’s a healthy component of what makes an involved citizen. But when those beliefs compromise the objectivity that should be the foundation of their craft, it becomes problematic.

Participating in a physical political protest or event should be allowed by newsrooms, but only if the participant is not taking part in a journalistic capacity as it relates to the larger story. Someone covering the possibility of a protest should never be the first to throw a brick through a window. When considering what events to participate in, it all boils down to grade school maturity, requiring an informed and balanced understanding of what the bigger picture truly.

It may be fun to be a part of a story, but a journalist ceases to be an observer when they become part of the story. Where’s the balance? Where’s the objectivity?

If anything, I would encourage journalists to be politically active—or at least engaged outside of work. As citizens (and journalists), we shouldn’t exclude ourselves from the democratic process. If you register to vote, you should vote and at least be engaged in the policies you want to see put into action by an elected government.

Politics in the workplace should be handled equally across job sectors. Simply put, don’t push your opinions at work unless you are paid to do so.  APRIL 2017 | E & P

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photo of the month

Send us your photos! E&P welcomes reader submissions for our Photo of the Month. sean@editorandpublisher.com.

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A LONG JOURNEY

ď ˝ Craig F. Walker/ Walker/Boston Globe

Vanisi Uzamukunda comforts her sleepy daughter Sarah, 7, while waiting for their baggage at the Manchester–Boston Regional Airport on Feb. 2, 2017. The family is originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo but spent time in Uganda before coming to the United States. Even though, President Trump had issued an executive order at the time barring all refugee admissions for 120 days, the family was allowed entrance due to a waiver for previously approved refugees.

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data page Internet Users Worldwide Who Have Used Mobile News Apps

2017 Digital Publishing Report KEY STRATEGIES TO PROFITABILITY IN 2017 Based on a survey of more than 100 newspaper executives Increasing digital advertising (reach/volume)

45.88%

Optimized digital advertising (CPM/engagement)

38.82%

Increase data-driven revenues

37.65%

Digital & print bundles to reduce churn

32.94%

Digital-only subscriptions

28.24%

Digital to reduce print costs

18.82%

Digital to reduce workflow/staff costs

15.29%

Other

11.76%

Based on a survey of 50,000 internet users, ages 16-64 across 34 countries over a 12-month period in each country

38%

40%

31% 23%

21%

0%

2012

2013

24%

2014

2015

2016

Source: GlobalWebIndex Report

WHICH OF THE BELOW WAS MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU IN 2016?

Pathways to Online News

Increasing digital audience

54.64%

Driving engagement

34.74%

Based on a survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults conducted Feb. 24 to March 1, 2016

Increasing subscription revenue

33.68%

Driving advertising revenue

29.47%

ONLINE NEWS CONSUMERS WERE ASKED WHERE THEY GOT NEWS IN THE PAST TWO HOURS

9.47%

Offering more personalized content

WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN 2016?

Increasing digital audience

48.89%

Increasing digital revenues

45.56%

Increasing engagement Dealing with ad blockers Source: 2017 Digital Publishing Report, survey conducted December 2016

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36%

35%

20%

News org website/app

Social media

Search engine

15%

9%

7%

News org email/ text/alert

Other

Family or friend email/text

30% 3.33%

Source: Pew Research Center editorandpublisher.com

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Students on the Future of the First Amendment HOW MUCH DO YOU TRUST INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA COMPARED TO TRADITIONAL NEWS? Based on a survey of 11,998 high school students and 726 teachers

Students

6%

    

Much more trustworthy Somewhat more Equally trustworthy Somewhat less Much less trustworthy

11% 20%

Teachers 1%

10%

25%

21%

34% 43%

29%

IF YOU WERE TO WITNESS AN EVENT, HOW LIKELY IS IT THAT YOU WOULD USE A RECORDING DEVICE TO POST PICTURES, STORIES OR VIDEO ON SOCIAL MEDIA? Students 9%    

Very likely Somewhat likely Not too likely Not at all likely

22%

26% 42%

Teachers

6%

21%

29% 44%

Source: “The Future of the First Amendment: 2016 Survey of High School Students and Teachers,” The Knight Foundation editorandpublisher.com

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3/17/17 10:59 AM

industry insight

An Editor in Transition What Steve Buttry taught us about transforming the news industry

By Matt DeRienzo

S

even years ago, Steve Buttry graced the cover of Editor & Publisher standing in front of printing presses, holding a laptop computer opened to the Cedar Rapids Gazette’s web page. “An Editor in Transition” was the headline used with his designation as the magazine’s 2010 Editor of the Year.

Buttry, who died Feb. 19 after a third battle with cancer, was recognized as much for his growing role as both a pioneer and scribe of the newspaper industry’s digital transformation as his leadership of a Cedar Rapids newsroom hit by historic flooding days into his tenure.

The newspaper industry never stopped being “in transition,” and neither did Buttry, going from reporter to editor and back a few times before helping lead the American Press Institute’s landmark Newspaper Next project (if only we had listened to its recommendations way back in 2005), playing a critical role in pioneering local news startup TBD.com, teaching at Louisiana State University, and leading innovation and training efforts at Digital First Media, where he was my colleague and became my 20 |

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friend.

One of Buttry’s most important and difficult-to-hear messages to newspaper staffs he was pushing and pulling into the digital age was that constant change was going to be the routine for a long time to come. The transition to digital has no end

point, because new tools and platforms will come along to disrupt what you’re doing as soon as you think you’ve mastered the previous ones.

Among the many other things the industry can learn from Buttry’s career: Share your work. Buttry was constantly learning new things, and constantly teaching others. If he figured something out, or found an example of what others were doing that worked, he would take the time to document what he’d learned and share it with the industry. And if he was leading a training session at an individual newsroom, or presenting at a conference, he’d upload his presentation for the rest of the world to see. His blog, “The Buttry Diary” (stevebuttry.wordpress.com) lives on as an invaluable repository of training materials and guides to not just digital transformation, but also the fundamentals of strong writing, reporting and copy editing.

Engage your community. “Community engagement” was far more than a buzzword term for Buttry because he understood like few others that the transition editorandpublisher.com

3/17/17 11:19 AM

to digital for journalism was not just about a switch from paper to computer and phone screens, but a fundamental change from mass media to a service that required deep relationships with readers, who he believed should be treated as full participants and stakeholders in the work we do.

Grow and transplant digital DNA. Buttry was quick to call out newsrooms who gave lip service to digital but were really just “on the web” and not “of the web.”

Obvious signs, to him, included stories that did not link to other sources of information, stories that were published later than they should have been because of allegiance to print edition timetables or due to the constraints of print-driven staffing, and stories that fail to take advantage of the multimedia tools available on the web— from simple video and document embeds, to interactive data visualizations.

Buttry was a big advocate for “putting the digital people in charge,” believing that

newspapers would never fully make the transition unless there were more people in top leadership positions who were themselves “of the web.” He got into several big arguments with legacy journalists about whether it was necessary for a newspaper’s top editor to be active on social platforms such as Twitter. His stance, of course, was damn right, they should be.

He supported early adopters and experimenters, who were often in a lonely fight against the inertia of legacy newsroom culture. And a book could be written about the lengths that Buttry took to network and help others network, a big part of which was aimed at diversifying the industry in order to strengthen it.

Dismantle excuses. Finally, with his trademark calm (outward, anyway), Buttry pushed back on the many, often quite legitimate, excuses that met his push toward using digital tools to gather and present the news and engage communities. No

time for training? How about the editor formally schedule someone to cover for you an afternoon a month? CMS makes it difficult to put links in stories? Let’s sit down right now and find a workaround. Then, of course, he’d sit down and blog about how they were able to overcome those obstacles.

There’s a big hole in the world of journalism left by Steve Buttry’s passing, but he left many words, examples and protégés to help fill it. 

Matt DeRienzo is executive director of LION Publishers, an organization that supports local independent online news publishers from across the country. He is a longtime former newspaper reporter, editor, publisher and corporate director of news.

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3/17/17 11:19 AM

business of news

Back in the Game Now that newspapers are seeing a rise in subscriptions, how can they hold on to these new readers?

By Tim Gallagher

H

ow can newspapers lose when they have John Oliver, Meryl Streep and Ali Robyn Petersen on their side?

The erudite TV host and the talented actress buoyed our spirits by defending the importance of journalists. And Ali, a sublime office manager and treatment coordinator at an oral surgery and dental implant center, subscribed to the New York Times.

She had not been a newspaper subscriber for two years since quitting the Sacramento Bee, but when she heard President Trump repeatedly declare the Times “a failing newspaper,” she subscribed because “I felt the (Times) journalism was honest.”

Other newspapers can thank President Trump for a bump in circulation. Although 22 |

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audited print numbers will not be available for five months, national newspapers are reporting an increase in digital subscriptions and many local papers expect to report an increase in both print and electronic eyeballs. These trends reverse decades of declining circulation and household penetration.

So now that we have them back, how do we hold onto them? This is like that one time when your boyfriend/girlfriend gave you another chance because you promised to change. Now how will you change? How will you keep them when the daily news out of Washington is no longer as compelling as it is today?

Here are eight ideas: Appoint a “bias” editor. Many read-

ers think we are deliberately biased. Make it the job of one editor each day to proof that newspaper for instances of bias, loaded words, stories that are written with the angle decided before the facts are gathered.

Make your daily report public and make eliminating bias your newsroom’s key goal.

Invite engagement. The Women’s March spurred people to participate in government by writing letters to elected officials. Make it easy for them to continue this. Add the physical and email addresses and telephone numbers of elected to every story about the council, the county board of supervisors, the state legislature and so on. Invite them to copy your newspaper when sending such letters and print them in a special place on your website. editorandpublisher.com

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Fact check. Fact checking the president’s statements is right, and it made us relevant. Continue this on the local level.

Hold the statements of local leaders up to the truth meter.

Dig in. Readers savor investigative reporting that makes a difference. Forgive some family pride, but my brother just finished a series for the Albuquerque Journal on Mexican drug cartels that generated debate from Santa Fe to Washington. The Journal’s reporters set the agenda by incising rhetoric and reporting. And that’s how it ought to be.

Bring back compelling photojournalism. Yes, in an age when photo staffs are dwindling, this is a Sisyphean wish.

But photojournalism moves us. We cannot let this die.

Pay attention to your readers who elected President Trump. His supporters thought he understood their issues and could relate to their struggles. Whether

© 2017 Dart Distribution Solutions

you agree is immaterial, but their struggles aren’t. Dig into those reasons why people voted for him and you will find a trove of stories: frustrations with government; layoffs; banks and lenders who don’t care about the little guy; school districts that seem to be fair to everyone except the middle of the road kid.

Hold ourselves to the highest standards. If you don’t think the president has a point about “fake news” allow me to introduce you to Brian Williams, Stephen Glass, Bill O’Reilly, Jayson Blair, et al.

The public remembers those and a host of other errors made in the rush to be first.

Good journalism demands relentless factchecking. That is how we separate ourselves from the actual fake news sites. We demonstrate though continuous practice that we check the facts before we print.

Explain. Explain. Explain. Many Americans aren’t sure how a bill becomes law, how a Supreme Court justice is ap-

proved or even whether city council can deal with abortion laws. That lack of knowledge about government does not mean they are ignorant. They’re interested in how laws and regulations affect their lives. We need to break through our arrogance and explain government and how it runs. 

Tim Gallagher is president of The 20/20 Network, a public relations and strategic communications firm. He is a former Pulitzer Prizewinning editor and publisher at The Albuquerque Tribune and the Ventura County Star newspapers. Reach him at tim@the2020network.com.

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digital publishing

‘The Beauty of Audio’

How the New York Times and Washington Post are changing the podcast field

By Rob Tornoe

A

t the end of 2015, the Washington Post dubbed itself “America’s new publication of record” when its website surpassed the New York Times in online traffic for the first time.

The rivalry between the two newspapers, both models of how to fund newsrooms in an era of digital change and shrinking print advertising revenue, have pushed both to become industry-leading innovators willing to experiment and develop new products that in some cases wouldn’t have been imaginable even five years ago.

Now the two media companies are ramping up their efforts in the fast-growing but highly-competitive world of podcasting, hoping to build a new habit for their news products among highly-sought-after millennials who ignore print and often only read stories when they show up in their social media feed.

Both organizations have experimented off and on with podcasts, but in the past year, both the Times and the Post have been hiring audio producers to help ramp up efforts 24 |

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to launch new and engaging podcasts. It’s no coincidence that both newspapers also lead the industry in paid digital subscriptions and see podcasting as a way to get potential subscribers to start their day with their products.

But that doesn’t mean podcasts aren’t also seen as potential revenue streams in their own right.

With BMW as an initial sponsor, the Times took star political reporter Michael Barbaro off his reporting beat and put him in the podcasting chair full time to launch an ambitious new daily podcast called, not surprisingly, “The Daily.”

“The Daily,” a 15-20 minute podcast aimed at commuters that is made available every morning around 6 a.m., features interviews with newsmakers and Times reporters, as well as shorter audio stories produced with the help of the Times newsroom.

It’s the fifth and most ambitious podcast launched by the Times since reshaping its audio division last spring, and already its most popular, jumping to #1 on iTunes the day it launched.

Samantha Henig, the editorial director for audio at the Times, says the nice thing about podcasts is they are uniquely suited to promote and bolster the unbiased nature of the newspaper’s reporting.

“There is a way in which audio is really well positioned to combat the narrative about a liberal media bubble,” Henig said.

“When you’re hearing someone’s voice directly, it’s harder to assume media bias is getting in the way.”

Case in point, in the first episode of “The Daily,” Barbaro interviewed Hobby Lobby CEO David Green, whose company won a Supreme Court case over whether family-owned businesses were required to pay for contraception coverage. During the interview, Green accused Barbaro and the “liberal press” of not reporting the 16 other contraceptives the company pays for because it “doesn’t fit your narrative.”

“The beauty of audio is that you’re saying it, and our listeners are hearing it,” Barbaro said.

The Times has found podcasting success drawing on products that are already editorandpublisher.com

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popular among readers. They partnered with WBUR in Boston to launch the “Modern Love” podcast, which is based on the paper’s Style section column and reportedly receives more than 300,000 downloads a week. Then there are podcasts like “Inside the Times” and “Inside the New York Times Book Review,” which aren’t too difficult to produce and offer loyal readers a peek behind the curtain of how the Times does business.

In the next couple of months, Henig says she expects her audio staff to total about a dozen people, a mix between permanent hires and temporary employees brought on to work on specific projects. That will enable the Times to produce a few more podcasts this year, including the possibility of an afternoon version of “The Daily” and a new limited series that will launch in the spring hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Charles Duhigg.

The Post is also hard at work on increasing its footprint in the podcast world. At the end of January, a team led by Jessica Stahl, the Post’s editor for podcasts, launched “Can He Do That?,” which explores the unique presidency of Donald Trump and what makes it unlike any other that’s come before it.

The show, which is hosted by digital editor Allison Michaels and features a rotating cast of Post reporters, is released every Friday morning, a schedule that has already led to a few logistical challenges, thanks to the fastpaced nature of breaking news during the Trump administration.

The second episode of “Can He Do That?” was planned to be about Mar-a-Lago, the Florida resort Trump often refers to as “the summer White House.” But when Trump’s controversial travel ban caused havoc at airports around the country, Stahl and her team had to pivot quickly to produce a new show analyzing the legality of the order (which several federal judges eventually struck down).

During the show’s third week, top White House aide Kellyanne Conway promoted Ivanka Trump’s product line on cable news on a Thursday. Even though it seemed like the perfect kind of story for the podcast to explore, the deadline was too tight to produce the type of thoughtful analysis Stahl’s editorandpublisher.com

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team strives for.

“It’s illustrative of the challenge we’re facing,” said Stahl. “There are lots of podcasts that deal with the news of the day. We’re trying to look at the bigger picture.”

Like the Times, Stahl has found success drawing upon the vast resources of the Post’s newsroom, including recruiting some of the company’s most popular names into the podcasting world. Among the most successful have been the interview podcast “Cape Up,” which is hosted by opinion columnist Jonathan Capehart, and “Ciquizza,” a weekly quiz show hosted by popular political writer Chris Cillizza (Editor’s note: Cillizza recently left the Post to join CNN Politics.)

“We wanted to take some of our big, popular personalities and put them in situations that were unique,” Stahl said, noting that a weekly format allows busy reporters the flexibility to experiment with podcasting.

Stahl has done it all with basically just one full-time producer, success that could be replicated at newsrooms across the country looking to tailor their popular local content to fit a new, emerging format.

But like the Times, the Post is increasing their audio staff, with their sights set on launching a couple of new products by the end of the year and growing their podcast audience with an eye towards monetization.

One area Stahl is watching is the emerging trend of interactive devices like Google Home and Amazon Alexa.

“We’re still figuring it out, but it seem like an obviously space we should be in,” she said, noting that the Post has an interactive news quiz running on Alexa and experimented with providing answers to questions during the Olympics. “I’ll admit, I was a late adopter, but these devices are amazing.” 

Rob Tornoe is a cartoonist and columnist for Editor and Publisher, where he writes about trends in digital media. He is also a digital editor for Philly.com. Reach him at robtornoe@gmail.com.

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production

BY JERRY SIMPKINS

ACCURACY COUNTS How to correctly bid on commercial work to achieve profitability

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T

he importance of getting a commercial quote right cannot be understated. It can mean the difference between your commercial venture being a success or a miserable failure.

Taking everything into account and being 100 percent accurate is essential.

Focus on the goal, which is to make money.

A lot goes into this: filling press time (a.k.a. making money), utilizing downtime of your labor force (a.k.a. making money), or pressure to meet budget goals (a.k.a. making money). Any way you slice it, the goal is fairly obvious.

Now, how do we get there?

Many years ago, I worked in operations at a newspaper in the Midwest. We put together a plan to profit from our commercial division.

Before digital media, the conventional source of revenue for many newspapers was printed products. With a decline in circulation and the constant challenge on advertising revenues, we boldly jumped in to commercial.

Our salesperson boasted a wealth of experience quoting jobs. I soon observed his scientific approach to quoting. A customer called, he calculated paper cost, doubled it, and that was the price quoted to the customer. I became a little concerned about the accuracy of our “bidding process.”

As competition grew and we lost existing jobs on price or simply never landed them in the first place, things called for a more organized and accurate approach. We developed a spreadsheet and a logical approach to quoting commercial work.

Since that day, every shop I’ve been in has had some form of quoting geared to their specific operation. We’re all different, some shops are more capable than others, some run lower waste, some have higher labor costs, etc. Commercial printing is not a one-size-fits-all world.

Based on the particulars of your operation, you need to develop the ability to quote various offerings. Broadsheets, tabs, booklets, newsprint, hi-brite, alternative offset, enamel, stitched products, inserting and mailing operations, to name a few. Then there’s the twist of outsourcing part of your production that your shop may not be able to handle.

Basic communication with the customer on the front-end is essential. If you don’t get the facts right, i.e. what the customer is looking

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PHONE ________________________________________________________________

curate notes (or at least comprehend what they were saying). The solution is to put together a simple fact sheet for the initial conversation outlining critical aspects of the job in an easy to follow format.

EMAIL ________________________________________________________________

Just the Facts

CUSTOMER ____________________________________________________________ CONTACT ______________________________________________________________

QUANTITY _____________________________________________________________ FREQUENCY ___________________________________________________________ PAPER ________________________________________ WEB SIZE ______________ “NORMAL” PAGE COUNT _______________________________________________ “NORMAL” COLOR _____________________________________________________ FILES UPLOADED TO FTP: _______________________________________________ FILES EMAILED? _______________________________________________________ PRESS RUN DAY ________________________________________________________ TIME OF RUN __________________________________________________________ PRODUCT TO CUSTOMER _______________________________________________ DELIVERED OR PICKED-UP OR __________________________________________ DELIVERED ADDRESS _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ BILLING _______________________________________________________________ MISC. __________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________

This simple customer spec sheet can save you trouble in the long run. Taking simple notes when speaking with your potential customer can help to accurately record customer needs and correctly bid the job. for, you’re at an immediate disadvantage.

You can invest time on a quote just to find out that’s not exactly what the customer 28 |

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was looking for.

We’ve all ran into the customer who could talk faster than we could take ac-

Submitted by: You’re not always the one speaking with the customer. Often advertising may bring a potential job your way from a salesperson that hasn’t a clue what your shop is capable of. They have the best interest of the company in mind, but may bring in work you’re simply not cut out to do.

Job/account name: Write it down!

You’d be surprised how offended a customer can be if you don’t refer to their job properly. Keep in mind that it’s “their baby” that they have nurtured and are very proud of. Call it by the wrong name in your quote and you may be surprised at the reaction.

Contact info: You’d think this would be straightforward, but it’s not. Make sure you’re speaking with the right person, hopefully it’s the decision maker.

Phone number and email/contact info: Get it now. It reflects poorly on your professionalism when you have to call back to ask something that you should have noted in the original conversation.

Then it’s time to get down to the real basics of the job.

Requested print date: Make sure it fits into your schedule. Don’t overpromise and under-deliver. If you’re forced into overtime because of the preferred print window, make sure you remember that and adjust accordingly when you’re bidding the job Requested pick-up or delivery date: Of course this ties back to the print date/time. If delivery is needed, you’ll have to include that expense in your quote.

Upload time/date: How much time is the customer going to allow for prepress on this job?

File name: This helps you to eventually (if you sell the job) appear organized and professional. It’s not unheard of that two publications have similar names and it’s better to be safe than sorry when those files

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Editor_P

come in. Along with the quote you can email instructions to access your FTP site and where and how to upload files.

Typical page counts: You’ll need to know what you’re quoting. It’s likely the customer will want several page counts quoted (also include a check box here for self-cover or additional covers for booklets).

Press run: The customer will most likely ask for various counts.

It’s normal to quote a base with additional thousands (or in some cases even hundreds on smaller jobs). This is the place to also fill in page size. If you offer flexible width webs (which most of us do), you’ll need to know this. If you don’t offer flexible widths, your customer will need to know the final page size and image area required to build pages.

Color: Customers want color and lots of it. Make sure the customer’s needs fit your press or you’ll end up with a disappointed and upset customer when they see the quote. Having this information up front is necessary to properly quote the job.

Product type/final size: Broadsheet, flexie (stitch & trim, perfect bound), tall tab, standard tab, etc. and the page size/trim size the customer requires.

Proofs: Are proofs required? If so, does the customer request hard copy proofs (off a plotter or printer) or a soft proof/digital.

Shipping instructions: If during the course of fact gathering it’s determined that delivery is required, you’ll need to get the specifics: date/time expected, address, specifics on where to drop, how the job is prepared, skidded or loose bundles, how many papers per bundle, crosses of X amount, wood or plastic pallets, boxes, shrink wrapped, etc. You’re going to need these specifics to determine material cost and delivery expense in the final bid.

A spot for “special instructions:” This of course is a catchall. There’s always something that comes up that you’ll have to note here.

While fact gathering is imperative to achieving the final outcome, it’s just the start. What we do with this data can make or break your commercial operation.

Getting an Accurate Quote I’ve used several different quote sheets; some more sophisticated than others. When it comes right down to it they’re all based on the same principal: entering the data (facts) is what’s critical.

I’ll briefly step through the information I find essential to putting together an accurate quote based on one of my favorite spreadsheets developed for bidding. Although it lacks a little something without the spreadsheet in front of you, I’m laying out

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+Production.indd 29 Editor_Publisher_9x5.4375_FlexLiner/Pack.indd 1

3/20/17 2/6/17 9:34 4:14AM PM

the basic path below that will allow you to design your own spreadsheet. I’d also be happy to share my spreadsheets with anyone upon request.

As long as you’ve gathered all the facts from the customer that’s what is important.

 First, select the spreadsheet you’ve

developed (or been furnished) for that particular product (broadsheet, tab or flexie).  Enter the number of total pages.  Enter the number of full color pages.

TAB -- EXAMPLE Projected Date of Run

3/1/17 24

Total Tab Pages

Product Name SAMPLE RUN

10,000

Requested Print Quantity

Color Requirements - Page Count:

TAB

How Many Full Color Pages?

Inserts?





COSTING SHEET

February 28, 2017 10:55 AM

Stitch and Trim?

 If the product is a stitch & trim, enter

8

"1" = YES , "0" = NO

1 Sig 0

2 Sigs 0

3 Sigs 0

4 Sigs 0

"1" = YES , "0" = NO

1 into 1 0

2 into 1 0

3 into 1 0

4 into 1 0

$ per kg $0.916 $0.742

factor 5.987 6.161

factor with 12% waste $6.705 $6.900

5 into 1 0

6 into 1 0

NEWSPRINT EXPENSE Paper Premium Stock Standard Newsprint

8 16

COST OF INK: Black Ink 4 Color Process Ink (Per 4 page set)

$0.20 $100

$245.69 $409.60

Pages 24 # Sets 2

11.00

$26.40 $200.00

$226.40

Total Ink Cost

TOTAL COST OF INK AND NEWSPRINT

Plate Cost Black Plate Cost Color

LABOR:



$881.69

ENERGY: OTHER MATERIALS:



$50.00 $4.75 $4.75

Prepress

Fully Loaded Hourly Rate Hours (Std Pgs)

Press

Fully Loaded Hourly Rate Number of People Hours

Press flypersons,

Number of People Hours - Fly

Plate Sets

6 6

$28.50 $28.50

$57.00

$25.00 1

1 1

TOTAL PRODUCTION LABOR COST

$

30.00

$

15.00

$25.00

3 1

$90.00 $

15.00 $130.00

INSERTING CHARGES

$0.00

STITCH TRIM

$0.00

DELIVERY

$0.00

TOTAL JOB COSTS

20.0% 0.00%

Markup Percent Sales Tax (if non-newspaper product)

$1,118.69

$223.74 $0.00

$1,342.43

Notes:



TOTAL

This shows an example of a costing sheet to be filled in and used to bid a simple tab product. Filling it in accurately and with all the pertinent information can make the difference in profitability on a job.

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the number of signatures; this ties to a formula that will roll that expense into the overall cost of the job.

If there are inserts or the product contains multiple sections that need to be collated, there should be an additional area to include those as well.

Next, calculate paper cost. As previously mentioned, you’ll need spaces for the various paper types you offer. This area requires flexibility to enter mixed grades in case the customer requests a Hi-Brite wrap around conventional newsprint or any other combination of stock.

There will have to be a formula here to calculate yield for each stock. Given run length, pages and yield, it’s not hard to write a formula to accurately arrive at the cost of paper.

Anticipated waste goes here. Waste should be a percentage based on the make-up of the job, similar jobs you’ve run in the past, and take into account the press and abilities of your crew.

Next, you’ll need a formula to calculate ink cost. Normally you can base color ink (the most expensive) on approximate yield from a pound of ink multiplied by the cost per pound. Your vendor can help with this formula. Of course yield will differ greatly depending on coverage; this is often difficult to account for and using a basic yield may be your only option. If there is excessive color coverage on a job, you might want to lower your yield in the formula.

Black shouldn’t vary much and can be a standard formula based on the amount of pages printed in a pound. You will also have to have a formula here driven by either spreads of process color or pages of color. Available pages (press layout) based on the quote need to be clearly communicated to the customer up front.

Plate cost is fairly simple. You’ll need a formula that calculates the amount of plates based on pages (black and color) based on the information you entered previously.

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Now you’ll need to account for labor in prepress, press and mailroom.

Prepress: How involved are you going to be here? Are pages just passing through to plate or do photos need toning, pages sized, etc.? If you’re the customer’s prepress department, make certain to charge accordingly by having a labor cost that represents the average hourly rate of your prepress department with benefits.

Press: Include set-up time and running time (after that the next set-up goes onto the following job). Multiply average hourly rate with benefits by the number of individuals you’ll need on press.

Mailroom/other: If the job is a stitch & trim, insert, prepared mail, etc. that needs to be taken into account and charged for.

You also need to account for catching the job off press and stack-down.

I’ve found one of the most challenging numbers to come up with is overhead. We

all have it and someone needs to pay for it. Utilities, management expense, service contracts, sales expense, etc.—the list goes on. How we account for overhead is a tough number to hit and people differ on what percentage to apply here. You can either decide on a reasonable percentage (say 10 percent) or actually go through the process to arrive at it more scientifically (which can be daunting). Either way, you’ll have to include overhead somewhere in the bid.

Your roll-up/summary should now take into account all of the above costs. This is your expense number/total job cost.

The final piece of the puzzle is arriving at a reasonable margin for the job. This can be a simple formula that allows you to enter the markup percentage desired and shows the dollar amount made on the job along with the final price that will be presented to the customer.

Throughout this process it is important to keep in mind that quoting a job is a double-edge sword. On one side, you need to take into account all costs associated with the job to ensure profitability and that you haven’t made a mistake that you could end up living with for a long time to come; and on the other side, if your quote has errors or you’re unrealistic on margin, you could end up not landing the job at all.

It’s competitive out there and most of us have figured out commercial printing is a way to capitalize on downtime, keep the presses running and when done right provide a decent revenue stream. Accurate quoting is instrumental not only in selling the job in the first place, but also to the long-term profit (or loss) of the company.  Jerry Simpkins is vice president of the West Texas Printing Center with Morris Printing Services, LLC in Lubbock, Texas.

DV &M 1013 COMMUNICATIONS HAS SOLD

CONROE (TX) COURIER 8,500 daily circulation

23 weekly newspapers

520,000 weekly distribution

TO

HEARST NEWSPAPERS We are pleased to have represented Hearst Newspapers in this transaction.

Dirks, Van Essen & Murray Santa Fe, NM

editorandpublisher.com

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t: 505.820.2700 www.dirksvanessen.com

APRIL 2017 | E & P

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3/17/17 12:14 PM

Mega-Conference Brings Innovation and Insight to Orlando More than 600 newspaper executives attended this year’s conference

By Sean Stroh

N

early 600 newspaper executives and 70 vendors attended the 2017 Key Executives Mega-Conference in Orlando, Fla. Feb 2325. The annual conference is co-sponsored jointly by the Inland Press Association, Local Media Association and the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association.

This year’s three-day event featured sessions led by Rick Edmonds of The Poynter Institute, Corey Elliott of Borrell Associates and Andy Yost and Kevin Gentzel of Gannett, among others as well.

Program coordinator Carol Hudler noted that while the conference played host to “a lot of great sessions,” the most exciting presentation for her was hearing how the Washington Post had grown its national and global footprint during a presentation from the paper’s managing editor of digital, Emilio Garcia Ruiz.

“It’s refreshing to see how much can be accomplished with a strong strategy and a user-focused approach,” Hudler said. “We all can learn from their work and their success.”

Calkins Media, publisher of the Bucks County Courier Times in Pennsylvania, received this year’s Mega-Innovation Award for the Times’ 24/7 video streaming channel. The video stream is available as a mobile app and through devices such as Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire. It can also be accessed through the paper’s website.

“While I think the product we created is fantastic, I was surprised in winning the award. All of the entries were great, so to be recognized was an honor,” said Jake Volcsko, director of digital media and marketing at Calkins Media. “We have a great team working on this product, and this helps validate their hard work.”

In the near future, Calkins Media plans to add 24-hour channels at The Intelligencer in Doylestown, Pa. and Burlington County Times in Willingboro, N.J. “Innovation isn’t something we say we’re doing, it’s the driving force behind the products and services we build,” Volcsko said. “And sure, this gives us great products, but it also helps to build a more collaborative and creative culture in the organization.”

By the end of the conference, newspaper executives walked away with some new ideas to bring back to their respective organizations.

“I’m always revitalized after the Mega-Conference,” said Mark Cohen, publisher of the Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal. “Meeting new people and catching up with old friends in the business is always one of my highlights. I got plenty of great ideas so I plan to pick a few and move forward with them.”

Said Matt Miller, vice president and chief revenue officer for the Observer Publishing Company: “I really enjoy the Mega-Conference because it exposes me to newspapers and vendors doing so many new and unique things. Many times it also serves as a spark for long lost ideas that need to work their way back on to my to-do list. I always come back with a long list of ideas and this year was no different.”

The 2018 Mega-Conference will take place in San Diego Feb. 26-28. For more information, visit mega-conference.com. 

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 (From left) Rick O’Connor, president/CEO, of Black Press; Lori Maxim, director of revenue, of Morris Multimedia; and Ryan Beauchamp, account executive, of OwnLocal

 (From left) Guy Tasaka, chief digital officer, and Jake Volcsko, director of digital media and marketing, of Calkins Media, pose with their Innovation Award offstage

 (From left) Tom Reinacher, vice president, of ppiMedia Us, Inc.; from Lineup Systems: Michelle Gullia, marketing manager; Daryl Kern, pre-sales executive; Ben Ganje, sales executive; and Pete Lewis, sales executive editorandpublisher.com

3/17/17 12:19 PM

 (From left) J. Tom Shaw, general manager, of Shaw Media; Patrick McCarthy, vice president, operations and business development, and Will Mayo, CEO, of SpokenLayer; Jeremy Mims, co-founder, of OwnLocal; and Kevin Wendt, business development manager, of Beyond Private Label

 Carina Wingel, marketing director, of Content That Works

 (From left) Rex Kastner, owner/partner/founder, Kim Evans, owner/partner/ founder, and Patrick Bingle, owner/partner/founder, of Spark Digital Sales Group

 (From left) Kim Vander Velde, SVP of sales, and Andrew Greb, senior affiliate manager, of Legacy.com

 (From left) Brad Hill, president, Laura Streelman, product manager, and Bill Garber, founder and chairman, of InterLink

editorandpublisher.com

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 Steve Lett, North American sales and distribution, of Libercus

 Nikhil Modi, CEO of Whiz Technologies

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3/20/17 9:37 AM

} The Hershey Lodge will once again host this year’s America East conference.

America East Returns April 10-12 Conference will highlight the entrepreneurial spirit of newspapers

By Nu Yang

M

ore than a 1,000 newspaper professionals are expected in Hershey, Pa. April 10-12 for the annual America East media business and technology conference.

Administered by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association and several co-sponsoring associations, this year’s show promises to offer insights on revenue generators, trends and business models, and cost-savings.

“In general, our goal is to identify topics and speakers that are timely, informative and relevant to news media organizations of all sizes,” said PNA vice president of association services Tricia Greyshock. “We work with our committee to develop sessions and content that addresses the challenges and opportunities in production, digital, audience development and other departments.”

This year’s keynote speaker is Washington Post media columnist Margaret Sullivan.

Previously, Sullivan served as public editor of the New York Times and editor of the Buffalo News.

“We’re really looking forward to Margaret’s keynote presentation this year,” Greyshock said. “In light of today’s rapidlychanging political, economic and news media environment, many organizations are grappling with change on a grand scale and having to respond to issues like ‘fake news’ and more… Margaret is uniquely suited to speak to the enormous challenges newspapers and digital properties are facing on a 34 |

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daily basis.”

Attendees will once again have a wide range of speakers and sessions to choose from, including community newspapers doing things right, recruitment strategies, and the changing newsroom model.

“We are excited to feature a deeper look into the Philadelphia media landscape, which is unique and diverse, including a number of media startups, a wide range of new business models, and a nonprofit media institute as a major media player,” Greyshock said. “We’re also highlighting the innovation at the Washington Post, podcast success stories, technology trends that news organizations should be aware of now and in the near future, and offering a session on project and product management skills.”

In addition, attendees can check out the diverse trade show floor. Greyshock said this year America East will offer guided exhibit hall tours and a speed networking breakfast to help attendees connect with suppliers that best meet their needs.

America East will also host its first-ever Shark Tank workshop, designed to help participants shape and refine their entrepreneurial ideas for new businesses, products, or services. According to Greyshock, the hands-on workshop will help participants learn how to create an elevator pitch, develop a business plan, and present it to an audience at the end of the day. Applications can be found at the America East website

} Casino Night, sponsored by Brainworks, is set to return this year.

} From left: Karen Unland, founder of Seen and Heard in Edmonton, Lex Friedman, Midroll EVP sales and development, and Danny Bowen, director of digital media at The Commercial Appeal, spoke about the business of podcasts at last year’s America East.

(america-east.com) and a limited number of spots are available.

Overall, Greyshock expects another successful conference this year. “At America East, our goal is to provide an affordable, informational, networking event that offers training, top-notch speakers, and a solutions marketplace all in one location,” she said. “We work hard to keep our registration fees affordable (attendees have the option to register for a single day, fulltime or for an exhibit hall pass) which allows for flexibility and encourages people to return year after year. PNA believes in the strength of newspapers and the news media industry, and much of our success comes from the determination to maintain and grow this important industry event for many years to come.”  editorandpublisher.com

3/17/17 12:19 PM

mediaXchange Set for April 30-May 3 in New Orleans Rebranded News Media Alliance will discuss ‘futures of news’ at annual show

By Nu Yang

} At last year’s show, (left to right) Howard Griffin, senior vice president of national sales for Gannett talks to Jef Richards, JD, PhD, professor and chair for the department of advertising and public relations at Michigan State University; Susan Jacobs, vice president and general manager of MediaWorks, Tribune Publishing Co.; and Tom Robinson, chief marketing officer for Coda Ventures, LLC, about the value of newspaper preprints for consumers and advertisers.

} This year’s mediaXchange will take place in New Orleans. The Marriott French Quarter will host the event.

W

hen it comes to the future of news, the News Media Alliance believes there is more than just one. The theme, “Futures of News,” will be front and center at this year’s mediaXchange April 30-May 3 in New Orleans, where more than 700 newspaper professionals are expected to attend.

“The message is that news has a vibrant future,” said NMA president and CEO David Chavern. “We’re optimistic about our solutions, but a solution for one organization may look different to another.”

And that’s where the futures of news come in, and publishers are likely to find at least one based on this year’s program.

The convention room will consist of several areas. Sessions will take place on a main stage and an innovation stage, and both will focus heavily on the business of publishing and growing revenue.

Keynote speakers scheduled for the main stage include author and digital marketing expert Mitch Joel; Jonathan Perelman, former VP of BuzzFeed Motion Pictures and Google’s former global lead for industry relations; and Paul Taylor, author and former executive vice president, special projects, Pew Research Center. By bringing in speakers outside of the industry, Chavern said he hopes publishers learn new lessons when it comes to digital technology.

The innovation stage will showcase inventive presentations and solutions, including the fourth annual Accelerator Pitch program featuring media startups. In addition, table talks will take place on the show floor. So far, scheduled talks include a wide range of topics, editorandpublisher.com

+E+P Feature_Conferences.indd 35

} Brock Berry, founder and CEO of AdCellerant, spoke at last year’s mediaXchange as part of the Accelerator Pitch session.

such as podcast revenue, advertising trends, data, and content marketing. Each table conversation won’t go over 60 minutes and will be led by a facilitator. Attendees can float between table talks.

Formerly known as the Newspaper Association of America, the NMA announced their new name last September. “The newspaper industry has grown to be much bigger than what the specific term ‘newspaper’ conveys,” Chavern said at the time. “In a very real sense, we have outgrown the term.”

Not only did the organization go through a rebranding and a strategic realignment Chavern said they also had to rethink mediaXchange from the ground up. This year, he said, the conference’s two biggest goals are to supply information that will make news media companies a profit, and to also produce a high energy show for attendees.

The city of New Orleans is also something attendees can forward to exploring. Chavern said not only is the city centrally located and a wonderful attraction, but it has seen its own set of challenges, but it continues to persevere—something any newspaper company can relate to.

The show’s ultimate goal, according to Chavern, is that each attendee can take away several ideas they can implement at their companies. “mediaXchange is one of the most powerful and most practical events,” he said. “This is where you go to learn about the future of the newspaper business.”

For more information, visit newsmediaalliance.org/events/mediaxchange.  APRIL 2017 | E & P

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3/17/17 12:33 PM

‘THE ENEMY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE’ President Trump’s media ire is fueling a news revival

B

illustration by tony o. champagne

By Taylor Hill

etween voter fraud allegations against Hillary Clinton, increasing concerns over ties to Russia, and a rescinded “immigration ban” executive order, the early months of Donald Trump’s presidency have been a headline-generating bonanza. A Google search brings up more than 206 million results for “Trump,” and the deluge of content generated during the 2016 political campaign has newspapers eyeing ways to turn the increased digital traffic into longterm readership.

editorandpublisher.com

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3/17/17 12:33 PM

‘THE ENEMY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE’

The early indication was that a Trump administration could mean big subscription increases for national players like the New York Times, which saw its digital subscription total increase by 276,000 members in the last three months of the year, more additions than in 2013 and 2014 combined.

But then Trump’s chief strategist Stephen Bannon called the media “the opposition party” in a January interview, and Trump decided to turn against traditional media completely, calling CNN, the New York Times, ABC, NBC, CBS “fake news,” and “the enemy of the American people,” in a series of tweets. Then on Feb. 24, the White House blocked media outlets including CNN, Politico, the Los Angeles Times and others from attending a briefing with press secretary Sean Spicer, while allowing a select group of journalists in—many of which were from conservative outlets.

Now newspapers across the country are gearing up to market their unbiased reporting in an effort to keep the momentum rolling from the election year.

For example, the New York Times ran a television commercial for the first time since 2010 during this year’s Academy Awards. The ad is part of the company’s new marketing campaign “The truth is more important now than ever.”

The New York Times isn’t the only publication hoping to take the “Trump Bump” from a short-term readership surge to a subscription or membership increases. Below, E&P spoke to a few other news outlets to talk about their recent marketing and brand strategies targeting Trump’s media disparagement and the battle against fake news.

Los Angeles Times: New T-shirts and Real Journalism The Los Angeles Times was one of the outlets shut out of a Feb. 24 press briefing at the White House—a move that led to the paper’s editor-in-chief, Davan Maharaj to release a statement saying, “It is unfortunate that the Los Angeles Times has been excluded from a White House press briefing. The public has a right to know, and that means being informed by a variety of news sources, not just those filtered by the White House press office in hopes of getting friendly coverage.”

The paper started a print ad campaign in January, touting the message “Real Journalism, Real Impact,” 38 |

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and calling 2017 “The Year of Trust” in digital subscription advertisements.

Hillary Manning, director of communications at Los Angeles Times, explained to E&P the recent marketing shifts at the paper.

E&P: What led to the decision to create the new branding campaign?

Manning: There’s been a lot of disparaging talk about the press, and an effort to delegitimize and diminish journalism. We created a t-shirt design with the phrase “We will not shut up,” or something with a similar sentiment, in more than a dozen of the languages commonly spoken in Los Angeles. Our message is that the Los Angeles Times is committed to covering the White House, Sacramento, and city hall—to name a few—without fear or favor. We happened to have that special subscription offer planned before we were excluded from the White House press briefing.

Has the Los Angeles Times experienced any sort of “Trump Bump” in print or digital subscribers?

Print subscriptions are fairly consistent, with a Sunday circulation of more than 955,000, and last November, we reached an all-time high for new paid digital-only subscribers. The week of the election, we saw a 61 percent increase over the average (based on the previous four weeks). The next two weeks after the election, we were up 60 percent compared to the average. Our subscription marketing efforts have led to significant year-over-year growth in general, with 2016 outpacing 2015 by more than 220 percent. However, November 2016 beat November 2015 by 450 percent, which is more than twice the average rate of increase. Also, we had the most web traffic ever on Election Day, Nov. 8, with more than 9 million visits and 15 million page views. The day after the election, Nov. 9, was a close second with 7 million visits and 13 million page views. (Stats are from Omniture.)

Our parent company, tronc, recently released digital subscription results from January. Ten days after Trump’s inauguration—during the week of Jan. 30, which included the #PressOn social media campaign—tronc recorded the most weekly new digital subscribers in its history. Specifically, that week’s starts were 87 percent more than the 2016 weekly

 The Los Angeles Times highlighted past journalism accomplishments in a recent ad to show the importance of its publication. editorandpublisher.com

3/17/17 12:33 PM

The Los Angeles Times has spent more than 135 years establishing a reputation for fairness and accuracy. We believe that means a great deal to our readers, subscribers and society as a whole. average, and 44 percent more than the weekly average we experienced during the last quarter of 2016, which included the election.

now than ever before: latimes.com has a readership of more than 50 million unique visitors each month.

Is there hope that the campaign to emphasize legitimate news sources could positively impact subscriber bases and circulation numbers in the long term? Not just during Trump?

Accountability journalism, including investigations, is a priority for the Los Angeles Times. The message is, “More than ever, the Los Angeles Times is committed to accountability journalism and dedicated to the highest standards of quality, accuracy and fairness. Our mission is to keep you, our readers, informed.”

The need for this type of journalism is constant, regardless of who is in the White House. Think of the corruption in the small city of Bell our reporting uncovered, or our investigation into the Wells Fargo fake-accounts scandal, or even our ongoing coverage of the need for more diversity in the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. These things all make a difference.

Washington Post: What’s in a Slogan

Is there hope that readers will come back to the home pages of news websites and subscribe to print editions, instead of relying on Facebook and social media feeds for their news?

With some of the research that came out after the election, it’s clear that the source of news is vitally important. And it’s a good idea to seek more than one source of news, so you can compare different reports on the same story, to keep yourself fully informed. The Los Angeles Times has spent more than 135 years establishing a reputation for fairness and accuracy. We believe that means a great deal to our readers, subscribers and society as a whole. Not only do we hold others accountable through our reporting, we are accountable to the community through an open dialog with readers and respect for the truth. Although there is a troubling amount of misinformation available, many people probably don’t realize how much they rely on newspapers already. Although print circulation has dropped, we are read by more people editorandpublisher.com

+E+P Feature_Trump_Bump.indd 39

In a call to reinforce its mission statement, the Washington Post is rolled out a catchy, if not somewhat preachy slogan in February—“Democracy Dies in Darkness.”

It’s not a direct shot at the Trump administration, but it’s hard not to draw the lines between its unveiling and the recent efforts from the White House to shut the door on some media outlets.

Washington Post communications manager Molly Gannon Conway said the slogan was originally disseminated on Snapchat targeting the paper’s newest readers, and was subsequently rolled out online, and in print editions, with the new motto top and center, just below the newspaper’s name.

“This is something we’ve said internally for a long time in speaking about our mission,” Conway said. “We thought it would be a good, concise value statement that conveys who we are to the many millions of readers who have come to us for the first time over the last year. We started with our newest readers on Snapchat, and are rolling it out on our other platforms.”

As far as helping in subscriptions, it is too early to tell. But the Post was already on a roll before the new motto, with more subscription starts generated in January than in any other month, beating what had been a record-setting November, with the Post overall reporting “doubled digital subscription revenue in the past 12 months, with a 75 percent increase in new subscribers.”

Southern California News Group: ‘Fake News’ Illustrated Southern California News Group’s—an arm of Digital First Media—has 11 daily newspapers that reach an audience of more than 8.1 million readers each week.

But even with the local readership base, the publishers pushed out APRIL 2017 | E & P

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3/17/17 2:17 PM

‘THE ENEMY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE’

 Using images of UFOs, mermaids and dragons as its visual foundation, the Southern California News Group campaign playfully reiterates the value of fair and objective reporting that’s published by an established local news organization.

a new branding campaign in February that uses images of UFOs, dragons, and mermaids to illustrate the fake news infiltrating the internet and social media streams, and contrasting it with a message that the news produced by journalists, and fact-checked by editors for accuracy is a valuable asset.

Here, key members of SCNG answer E&P’s questions about the branding campaign and the future of local journalism in the Trump era.

E&P: What led to the decision to create a new branding campaign?

Bill VanLaningham, vice president of marketing, SCNG: We wanted to reinforce a time-honored and simple truth that despite an increasingly changing and complex media environment, there’s tremendous value in fair and objective reporting that’s published by an established and locally focused news organization. The brand campaign contrasts the importance of consuming news produced by journalists with editors who fact-check stories for accuracy, versus reading something that’s trying to pass as news from unknown or intentionally biased sources. It’s about planting a flag and saying we’ve never wavered in our mission to produce accurate, trustworthy and unbiased reporting that serves the public’s interest.

In recent months, Trump has called media outlets he disagrees with, or finds stories to be too critical, ‘fake news.’ What could the impact of that type of label have 40 |

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for media companies and the press in general?

Ron Hasse, president and publisher, SCNG: While the narrative is bringing a lot of high profile and unfair criticism to ‘the media’ in general, it is also empowering citizens to exercise discernment in what should be construed as a reliable source. The narrative holds journalists accountable in being fair, balanced and objective in their reporting. And that’s not a bad thing. It is also important to remember the government is accountable to the people—which the media is an important part of, and not the other way around.

Given the shift in how fake news is now disseminated on social media feeds right alongside legitimate media outlets, how do you see your marketing strategy reaching your audience in a meaningful and impactful way?

Frank Pine, executive editor, SCNG: We’re hopeful that the public scrutiny of fake news will bring more audience to credible journalism. At the same time, we’re taking steps to showcase our best journalism with language that underscores its value to democracy as well as the professionalism of the staff members who produce it.

How can you bring the message of your newspapers’ commitment to journalistic standards in the current social media landscape?

Pine: The article page is the new homepage. By far the majority of our readers come to our sites horizontally, via social or search. editorandpublisher.com

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It’s about planting a flag and saying we’ve never wavered in our mission to produce accurate, trustworthy and unbiased reporting that serves the public’s interest.

They’re finding individual stories on our sites. Our goal is to deliver a first-rate user experience when they come to read a story and to package and point to other stories to keep readers inside our network or bring them back for more news later. The same can be said for those who prefer a print edition. When they’re subscribing or paying for single copies, our goal is to create a best-in-class reader experience that they feel is important to their lives and want to refer to every day.

PolitiFact: Membership Matters PolitiFact, a small, fact-checking outfit, was born out of the Poynter-owned Tampa Bay Times in 2007. The site gained notoriety for a simple idea: create an outfit of full-time fact checkers that covered the presidential election year, and give readers an easy-to-understand “Truth-O-Meter” that ranged statements made by politicians from “True” to “Half True” to “Pants on Fire!”

This year, Politifact created a “Trump-O-Meter” to track the 102 promises President Trump made on the campaign trail, and also launched a membership program, aimed at getting readers to contribute directly to the site’s cause.

According to Poynter, PolitiFact raised $105,000 in 20 days in donations and pledges, through its newly launched membership program—more than the site had hoped to raise in all of 2017.

PolitiFact executive director Aaron Sharockman took time with E&P to answer a few questions regarding how the “Trump Bump” has influenced PolitiFacts’ role in objective journalism.

E&P: What led to the decision to launch the membership program, and what is involved?

Sharockman: We thought that we had a very passionate following of fans, and we wanted to try and find ways to better connect them to our work. Of course, the revenue the membership campaign provides will help fund our work, but this project was as much about trying to learn more about our readers and for us to do a better job telling our story. PolitiFact is a polarizing product by its very nature, so it was important to build an army of fans who can help support and promote our work. A membership campaign isn’t editorandpublisher.com

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last summer but it took us until January 2017 to get the program sorted out.

As fact-checkers, our job is to hold politicians accountable and help readers, voters and viewers better understand difficult policy issues to make more informed decisions. easy. At PolitiFact, we’re a staff of 10, and nine of us are journalists. So we had to learn a lot about how membership works, what members expect and how we can deliver. We had hoped to launch

Has PolitiFact experienced any sort of “Trump Bump” in print or digital subscribers?

For PolitiFact, traffic in January and February 2017 is ahead of the pace for 2016. People certainly are interested in the new administration and holding President Donald Trump accountable.

In recent months, Trump has shifted the “Fake News” narrative from its original definition, to a catch-all for news stories he finds disagreeable, or hurting his agenda. What could the impact of that type of label have for media companies and the press in general?

I think you’re seeing a lot of support for journalism in general.

I’m not sure what impact the president’s use of “fake news,” is having. As fact-checkers, our job is to hold politicians accountable and help readers, voters and viewers better understand difficult policy issues to make more informed decisions. We’re not going to alter that mission. 

Sold: Daily Newspaper The Monroe Times Monroe, Wisconsin Cribb, Greene & Cope is pleased to congratulate Bliss Communications, Inc. on the sale of Monroe Publishing, LLC to Morris Multimedia, Inc.

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John Cribb

Gary Greene

Randy Cope

JCribb@Cribb.com 406.579.2925

GGreene@Cribb.com 434.227.0952

RCope@Cribb.com 214.356.3227

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The next generation is ready to take the baton

By Nu Yang and Sean Stroh

 Annah Backstrom (center) looks on as Sen. Ted Cruz prepares to take questions at the Des Moines Register’s Iowa State Fair Political Soapbox during his run for president.

This year’s eclectic group of young newspaper professionals is made up of men and women who all believe in the power of the press. They come from different backgrounds, work in different markets, and serve in different positions, but they all play a crucial part in delivering information and the truth to their communities. Whether it’s a small, weekly paper or a large, daily publication, these men and women are working hard to ensure the success of the newspaper industry. They’re selling ads; they’re writing investigative pieces; they’re balancing budgets; they’re making sure the printers are working; they’re updating websites with breaking news—they’re the leaders guiding us into the future of publishing. (in alphabetical order by last name)

Allison Altobelli, 34

Director, advertising sales and product strategy, Atlanta Journal-Constitution Atlanta, Ga. Education: University of Maryland, master of business administration; Springfield College, bachelor of science, business In her current role, Allison Altobelli directs and executes multimedia revenue initiatives and oversees the multimedia operations fulfillment teams at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“Having only joined (AJC) in April 2016, she has already demonstrated considerable impact not only to the bottom line, but to her peers and direct reports, as well,” said Eric Myers, multi-market vice president of advertising, of Cox Media Group (the paper’s parent company).

Altobelli began her career at the New Haven Register in Connecticut in 2004.

“I had hired Allison straight out of college at the New Haven Register and she took a small training territory, but in three months it was a large regular sized account list that was producing gains of 50 percent over previous year,” said Dan Kollar, revenue development manager

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Annah Backstrom, 32

News director, Des Moines Register Des Moines, Iowa Education: Michigan State University, bachelors of arts, journalism Prior to becoming news director last November, Annah Backstrom made her presence felt as the Des Moines-Register’s political content strategist. At the Iowa Caucuses, she and her team generated more than 60,000 unique visitors to the paper’s website. Backstrom also created a political trivia night that had many political operatives in attendance as well.

At the Iowa State Fair, she managed the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox, where presidential candidates gave speeches to crowds often numbering in the thousands. She encouraged reporter Jason Noble to create the Three Tickets podcast, which received national acclaim and more than 350,000 podcast downloads in a 10-week span.

“She is exactly the type of young mind/old soul that start-up digital properties would love to steal from legacy newspapers/news organizations,” said Allen Vaughan, consumer experience director of the Register. “But her passion to uphold the legacy of the Register and still innovate has kept her here.”

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?

The answer isn’t “yes” if you don’t ask. Raise your hand for projects, even if you think they are out of your league. Ask for opportunity. I attribute some of my success to just being willing to try new things that scared me. It’s okay if your boss tells you “no,” too. Don’t be afraid of that. You’ve shown them that you have an appetite for more than what you’re doing, and they will remember that down the

with Gatehouse Ohio.

After completing her MBA, Altobelli transitioned from a selling role into product strategy at the Washington Post where she became responsible for new product development, sales initiative pricing models, the alternative daily publication, and the preprints category of business. In 2015, she served as director of targeted products with the Philadelphia Inquirer before joining the AJC. “Preparing today for the future of the media landscape is the foundation of Allison’s desire to win,” said Myers. “Her contributions to this industry have been paramount to our current and continued existence for many more years to come.”

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?

“I work in the newspaper industry” is how I proudly answer the question “What do you do?” But, there were times in my twenties when snarky responses about the impending, inevitable death of my industry planted seeds of doubt in my mind. Had I made the right career choice? Will I be out of a job soon? Over the past five years, the newspaper industry has grown leaps and bounds. Our advanceeditorandpublisher.com

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line. It’s not only okay to be an advocate for yourself, it’s imperative for your growth. Be versatile. Be able to report at the capitol and at a county fair. Learn how to write a public records request and a compelling seminal moment lede. Take photos and learn how to edit video. Don’t be “too good” for a story, particularly when you’re just starting out.

Most importantly, don’t let the tools you have available as a journalist overshadow the core responsibilities of journalism. Yes, try to understand the Facebook algorithm. Expand your multimedia skills. Learn who your readers are and what they are looking to you for. But know that none of those things mean anything if you can’t report a story.

How does a “young mind/old soul” mentality help you in today’s industry?

I got my first job in a newsroom about 17 years ago, tearing clips with a pica pole and answering phones at The Muskegon Chronicle in my hometown. Smartphones didn’t exist and the internet was something you went to the library to use. But I got trial-by-fire experience in the real workings of a newsroom: Talking to angry readers, getting ideas shot down by editors, and looking for a way to make my work stand out.

Obviously, a lot has changed for newspapers in the past two decades. But what hasn’t changed is our responsibility to our communities and to our readers. Those first years at the Chronicle (and of course journalism school) gave me a foundation rooted in the core tenants of our craft that easily translates to our evolving digital world. So yes, I have digital skills that didn’t matter (or exist) 20 years ago, but they aren’t worth anything without my traditional foundation.

ments in tech, diversification of products, and streamlined efficiencies have positioned us for a long and sustainable future. Our local brands are unmatched. Our audience reach is unrivaled. For those coming up in the industry, our time is now and tomorrow belongs to us. Be proud of what you do, be respectful of our history, and come to work every day excited for what’s yet to come.

How can newspapers succeed in a multimedia world?

The genesis of revenue growth is our ability to deliver our clients’ message to the right buying audience, regardless of platform. Our print publications, combined with owned and operated sites, reach extension, search and social products, and a discernible live event strategy, provide us access to a wider, and more targetable, audience than ever before. As a result, our opportunity to monetize that audience has expanded. The most significant challenge we face in this industry is a perceived reputation for lack of ingenuity. To overcome that challenge, we must educate consumers and clients alike that, though our foundation for greatness stems from our print publications, our reach and advertising solutions span well beyond our legacy products.

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Justin Beam, 31 Director, performance revenue solutions, USA Today Network Phoenix, Ariz.

Education: Bowling Green State University, bachelor of science, business administration, minor in sports marketing

Justin Beam originally joined the Gannett/USA Today Network team as sales manager, large local accounts at The Arizona Republic. During his time there, he published a series of white papers which focused on innovative strategies for gaining new advertising partners. Ultimately, the papers created a successful model in the Phoenix market, leading the way to regional expansion.

In his current position, Beam focuses solely on innovation within the performance modeling space for the USA Today Network as director of performance revenue solutions. Prior to joining the group, he worked as an account executive for the Washington Examiner, eventually becoming the director of advertising.

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?

Find more than one mentor who embodies a change agent and/or has been responsible for leading change in a specific area of the business. Doing so will indirectly allow you to build a unique skill set that is relevant to the future of our business, increasing your organizational value. A mentor also provides you with someone to talk about and develop new ideas.

Once you have identified the right organization and leaders from whom you choose to learn, you must develop a progression plan. Provide specific benchmarks allowing your success to be clearly defined while also allowing for flexibility along the way. The right mentors will ensure the plan fits with the future of the business unit you’re involved in or aspire towards.

Think outside the box, then execute. Innovative thinking is a standard requirement for the future leaders of our industry. Innovation is only as good as execution. Build your plan to include specific benchmarks against execution, not just good ideas.

What is the most overlooked revenue source for newspapers in 2017?

The most overlooked for 2017 and beyond resides within various performance driven revenue models. The power of the print audience is best displayed with true ROI and amplified when you combine technology with predictive media analytics. This space is ever-changing and continues to offer growth and innovation opportunities.

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Meg Boyer, 35 Publisher, Summit Daily News Frisco, Colo.

Education: University of Nebraska-Lincoln, bachelor of journalism

Meg Boyer made an immediate impact after joining the Summit Daily News and Colorado Mountain News Media (CMNM) team early last year, according to CMNM general manager James Morgan. Whether it be digital analytics, reach of the legacy print product or audience engagement through content changes, the Daily News saw across-the-board positive advances under her direction.

Over the past year, the Daily News has explored in-depth issues such as affordable housing and skier safety, while collecting 16 awards in the Colorado State Press Association’s “Better Newspapers Contest.”

Boyer also initiated a monthly community meeting hosted by the newspaper, which has since grown from a small gathering to a popular event that draws more than 150 local residents.

“She has brought extraordinary energy to her role and created a sense of excitement not seen previously at this operation,” Morgan said. “Most importantly, she has challenged her peers and elevated their game.”

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?

Keep your chin up, especially in times like these when our industry is under attack. Remember the work you do is impactful and important, even if it’s not always recognized as such. At the same time, we can’t allow our strong feelings about the role of journalism in a democracy to cloud our collective need to constantly evaluate and improve our work, to acknowledge plainly and loudly when we’ve fallen short, and to look outside the industry for leadership and inspiration in charting our future course.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of serving as publisher?

I’m fortunate to work with an incredible team of people. We are committed to the news industry and to the community. We’re similarly committed to learning and growing every day, to taking risks, and to meeting our readers where they are—on their phones, tablets, computers and in print. Working with talented journalists, passionate marketing experts and a committed leadership team is by far the most rewarding aspect of my job. I’m the luckiest. editorandpublisher.com

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Jana Boyum, 26

Creative director, Fillmore County Journal Preston, Minn.

Education: Winona State University, bachelor of arts, graphic design

} Jana Boyum with her husband, Justin, at their wedding in January

When Jana Boyum started in May 2013 fresh out of college as a graphic designer with the Fillmore County Journal, she had never worked for a newspaper. But publisher Jason Sethre said it soon became apparent Boyum had a special talent.

“She took on any project, small or large scale, and made it better than any other member of the team,” he said. “Since joining our team, her portfolio and responsibilities have grown along with our revenues.”

When Sethre promoted Boyum to creative director in 2014, he told her that he wanted to see local faces and names in the Fillmore County Journal every single week. “I wanted to turn our local people into celebrities on the front page,” he said. “She started creating cut-outs in Photoshop with high school kids in action moving across the masthead.” As a result, this feature has resonated with readers. “(Boyum) is a perfectionist and always seems to come up with new ways to make the presentation of our content better. We challenge each other at times because I may not initially accept her design concepts as the best way. Eventually, we find our way to the finish line,” Sethre said. “And I can honestly say that I believe businesses and customers in general do business with us because

Annah Backstrom

CONGRATS! We’re so proud that Annah, Dan, and Justin have been recognized

by Editor & Publisher Magazine for their “25 Under 35” edition.

News Director, Des Moines Register

Justin Beam

Director, Performance Revenue Solutions, USA TODAY NETWORK

Dan Norselli

President, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle and D&C Digital

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of the talent on our team. That talent is driven by Jana…she makes everything we do better.”

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?

Don’t be afraid. Give yourself permission to imagine and think differently.

Try new angles. Learn all you can everyday and keep being curious. Research and investigate other newspapers and media, as things are constantly changing. Gather new ideas and work with team members, businesses, and others with different viewpoints, experiences, and tastes. Rely on each other to achieve a truly successful product. Work harder than your competition, put the extra effort into executing each project, and enjoy knowing you can make a positive difference.

What do you enjoy most about designing for newspapers?

I love my job because it gives me the opportunity to express and explore my own ideas through my design. Being able to bring my own style, creativity, and innovation to the mix is so much fun. It’s rewarding to create and build teams and products that change the way we do business. Living in a small community and helping businesses succeed through my own hard work and design is a wonderful thing. I have always had a passion for design, technology, art, and illustration, and I get to fulfill that passion as the creative director for our company. It’s amazing to showcase our local talent through my work.

Neil Burk, 27

Editor, The Paper of Montgomery County Crawfordsville, Ind. Education: Wabash College, bachelor of arts, rhetoric It didn’t take long for Neil Burk to come back to a job he says he loves.

Following a brief tenure at a position with considerably higher pay outside the newspaper industry in Washington, D.C., he returned for his second stint as editor of The Paper of Montgomery County. Publisher Tim Timmons described Burk as having a “quality that is rare at any age.”

Burk’s work has been recognized by the Hoosier State Press Association and is consistently one of the top award winners as part of the paper’s in-house monthly newsroom contest. Despite working on a shoestring budget, he was able to create a “small stringer army” that greatly enhanced its sports and news coverage, according to Timmons.

“He just finds ways to get things done, and done well,” Timmons said. “But more importantly, he finds ways to achieve.”

Giles Bruce, 34

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Health reporter and editor, The Times of Northwest Indiana Munster, Ind. Education: Northern Illinois University, bachelor of arts, journalism According to Times of Northwest Indiana editor Bob Heisse, Giles Bruce never turns down a fitness challenge presented by a reader. Last year, Bruce gathered a group of them for the paper’s first weight loss challenge, “Lose 16 in ‘16.” Contestants kept in touch though Facebook, and shared stories with Bruce on how they were cutting back or falling short. At one point, Bruce even shared his own story of losing weight several years ago, and in December, nine of the readers met the original goal of losing 16 pounds. Bruce is currently assembling a new class for 2017.

Not only is Bruce a “top health care reporter,” Heisse said, but he’s on top of everything from Obamacare to medical advances.

He’s also co-editor of the paper’s Get Healthy magazine, and the main writer for the weekly health and fitness section. Bruce was also rewarded last year with a Health Journalism Fellowship from USC’s Annenberg School of Journalism. As his project, Bruce traveled through Indiana examining why the state has such a high infant mortality rate.

“He’s digitally savvy, taking photos and videos, working social networks with video previews, and making sure his stories get out on various platforms to be read by everyone,” Heisse said. “His work is highly respected by his sources.”

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What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?

“If you’re passionate about journalism, stick with it. You might have to take jobs you don’t want or move around the country or cover beats you don’t want to cover, but eventually your persistence will pay off. If you’re not passionate, go into PR like everybody else.”

What is your favorite junk food?

Sixlets editorandpublisher.com

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to explain to yourself and others why you’re doing the things you are in the way you are. Just don’t be afraid to take the fork in the road if your roadmap isn’t taking you to successful destinations.

The second thing is a simple formula. Your career really comes down to ability, aspirations and achievements. Ability is what you can do, aspirations are what you want to do and achievements are what you’ve done. The latter will only ever be the sum of ability and aspirations, but you have full control over both of those elements.

If you aren’t striving to be better and working to get better, your achievements will be stagnant.

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?

First, don’t let yourself continue to travel down the wrong path just because you have invested a lot of time and effort. It’s easy to find a comfort zone doing things that aren’t moving your career or abilities forward and be lulled into continuing those habits down a path to failure. That said, I think it’s especially important in our industry to have a roadmap and plan to succeed. You should be able

So far, what has been your proudest moment in your journalism career?

The first time I won a state award I was ecstatic. I actually found out while I was taking a break from newspapers exploring the business world on the east coast. I would say that’s my proudest moment, but what I pride myself on is staying involved in our little community. I have the pleasure of working for a company that prides itself on being a steward for community involvement, and I’ve been able to participate in fundraisers and other events for nonprofits regularly. It’s important to me to get to know the differencemakers in our city and towns and to participate in efforts to improve the place we call home.

c o n g r a t u l a t i o n s rayline sebay

25 35

b u s i n e s s o p e r at i o n s m a n a g e r

Congratulations to Rayline for being one of Editor & Publisher’s 25 Under 35! Everyone at the Journal is proud of your accomplishments and your ability to take on any challenge.

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Shira T. Center, 33

Politics/assistant metro editor, The Boston Globe Boston, Mass.

Education: Northwestern University, bachelor of arts, political science Shira T. Center was front and center of the Boston Globe’s coverage of the presidential election as the lead editor on the paper’s two most visible political franchises: Live Political Happy Hour and Ground Game.

She worked with reporter Joshua Miller to turn his afternoon newsletter, Political Happy Hour, into a revenue-generating live event and webcast. The series featured interviews with top lawmakers in Massachusetts while drawing large crowds and interest from advertisers. For Ground Game, Center oversaw reporter James Pindell’s experiment covering the election across all social media platforms. As a result of Center’s “on-the-ground philosophy,” Miller says the paper was the first mainstream outlet to report on President Donald Trump’s burgeoning appeal to voters.

“A font of ideas and anchored in our constantly evolving digital reality, she has an uncanny ability to spot business opportunities and work with departments across the organization to bring them to fruition,” said Miller.

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?

Lean into your unique skill set. Some of my colleagues and bosses have two (even 50 |

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three) times as much experience as I do, and I am humbled by their abilities and knowledge every day.

I try to focus on the strengths I bring to the table—especially those skills I know will be the most valuable in the longterm for this newsroom.

Leave your ego outside. I hate that millennials have a reputation for being entitled and less engaged employees, but a lot of people in management see anyone under age 35 in that mold. Be aware, and always strive to be the exception to this (often unfair) stereotype.

Finally, pick your battles. Figure out which projects really matter to your success and that of your news organization, and knock them out of the park. And try to avoid

anything that even has a whiff of “We’ve always done this thing...” Those are not the kind of projects where you can make your mark, and they’re rarely any fun.

Where do you see the future of political journalism heading?

I’m more optimistic about the future of political journalism than ever. There’s a silver lining to President Trump’s antagonism toward the news media: It has forced us to push and promote the greater-good mission of our journalism.

I believe the future of political journalism, from an editorial and publishing perspective, will embrace this mission in a more public fashion. Our readers should know that, but we can’t take their support for granted. With the value of journalism under assault, it is incumbent upon us as professional journalists to demonstrate the value of our work. This approach is important not only for national politics, but also in our local coverage.

Kristen Czaban, 30

Managing editor, The Sheridan Press Sheridan, Wyo. Education: Northwestern University, bachelor of science, journalism Kristen Czaban’s leadership as managing editor has been essential in the expansion of the paper’s Destination Sheridan magazines, growing from one edition to four annually, according to publisher Stephen M. Woody. The magazine revenues are now second in overall income to the newspaper.

Despite inheriting what Woody describes as a “moribund and clunky website,” Czaban has managed to develop it, and other digital and social media initiatives, to grow the paper’s social media traffic by nearly 88 percent and its mobile traffic by 61 percent. Additionally, the Inland Press Association has regularly recognized the Press during Czaban’s tenure for investigative reporting, explanatory reporting, editorial leadership and page one presentation.

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?

Never lose your curiosity.

No matter your role at a news organization—production, journalist, sales representaeditorandpublisher.com

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tive, etc.—your curiosity will push you to do your job better. Some of the best story ideas can come from a journalist wondering how something works or why something is done a specific way. Curiosity prompts innovation, something our industry will continue to need for years to come.

What lessons have you learned from your older colleagues?

Hire well and add some fun and camaraderie to your workplace. A good hire can add fire to your staff and give everyone an extra boost of energy. When a new employee can see things with a fresh perspective and offer suggestions, it gives everyone an opportunity to reexamine long-held processes. Good hires get staff members excited about the future and what they can accomplish together.

Along those lines, adding fun and camaraderie to the workplace is crucial, especially for today’s young professionals, who want to feel like they are making a difference and connecting with the people around them. The people I have worked for and with who are older have made a point to have some fun. We have regular potluck lunches because it gives us all an opportunity to gather around a desk or two and get to know each other. My publisher, Stephen Woody, also introduced the Press to turkey bowling. There are always prizes, always laughs and always jokes that last through the year.

Phil Devitt, 30

Managing editor, Hathaway Publishing New Bedford, Mass.

Education: Roger Williams University, bachelor of arts, communications As managing editor of Hathaway Publishing, Phil Devitt oversees four newspapers that serve eight communities in southeastern Massachusetts, and he leads a staff of six editors and reporters. As editor of The Chronicle, one of the papers in the Hathaway group, he puts together a weekly print paper with only freelance help, which requires him to write, take photos, shoot video, put content on the

Congratulations, Eric! for being named one of Editor & Publisher’s 25 under 35 for 2017

“If you sit down with Eric to talk about ideas, you’d better be ready to take notes because he’ll have a dozen thoughts about how to push us ahead.

And he’s about the nicest colleague you could ever hope to work alongside.” ~Denver Post Editor LeeAnn Colacioppo Eric Lubbers Innovation Editor

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web and share that content on social media.

Devitt is also spearheading an effort to revamp a community journalism class to be offered by his company, SouthCoast Media Group, with a focus on digital storytelling. The free class would incorporate the perspectives of journalists of various backgrounds. Devitt also speaks frequently at high schools and at his alma mater, Roger Williams University, to students interested in journalism.

“At high school career days, I talk generally about the profession, stressing that rumors of print’s death have been greatly exaggerated,” he said. “I tell them that print journalists these days must be equal parts digital journalist— that online journalism can satisfy our need to know ‘now’ and our need to click and interact with others, and print journalism can add the depth, context and rich writing people want to curl up with on the couch and revisit over and over again.”

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?

Do it all. Most of us have no choice but to do it all these days, but the challenges come with advantages. Taking on various roles makes you a valuable player and helps you master the skills that are

needed in our business now more than ever. If this sounds overwhelming, and at times it certainly can be, remember that compelling storytelling is at the heart of what we do. Aside from thorough reporting, quality writing is the root of any good piece of journalism, whether it’s delivered in a traditional print story, a video, a podcast, an interactive timeline or any number of other formats.

Lead by example. Don’t expect anyone on your team to do what you ask of them if you’re not willing to do it, too.

Finally, remember that we’re all in this together. Nobody has all the answers but we can all work together to find them.

You have the quote “Shared grief is lessened; shared joy is multiplied” taped to your desk. What does that quote mean to you?

It reminds me daily that the stories we tell are all about real humans, even the ones dense with data and seemingly devoid of life. Increasing focus on budgets, revenue, page views, circulation and other matters makes it easy to forget sometimes. Our work, if done right, is a public service to the people who entrust us with their stories and the people consuming those stories.

Maria Luisa Figueroa, 34

Research and information specialist, The Modesto Bee Modesto, Calif.

Education: San Francisco State University, bachelor of arts, communication studies Maria Luisa Figueroa began at The Modesto Bee as a newsroom assistant processing content and assisting with research and archiving. Having a background in writing and digital content creation, she joined other projects and was a feature blogger/columnist when she attended the second inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009. This paved the way for her to contribute in various special sections as a writer and photographer while still assisting the newsroom in her daily duties.

Eventually, Figueroa moved into her role in advertising where she implemented a number of community events, marketing opportunities and digital outreach projects.

In early 2016, Figueroa rejoined the editorial department as the lead research and information specialist. In addition to her specialized news research duties, Figueroa has brought her marketing and community engagement skills to create new efforts to move her paper forward. Namely, Figueroa developed and manages the paper’s Bee Amplified program, a branded effort to engage the community through a series of 52 |

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programs, discussions and panels bringing together local experts and leaders in various fields on a specific topic.

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?

Be vocal and knowledgeable about the changing news landscape. I have been lucky enough to be a part of The Modesto Bee as we transitioned toward a digitalfocused news approach. Our publisher, Ken Riddick, saw the opportunity for our community to be a part of the conversation about issues facing us here in the central valley and to approach this goal in way unique from our regular news reporting.

He created “The Bee, Amplified” which allows us to lift news beyond the page and present it in a multi-faceted way that includes a live event, a dedicated special section and social media engagement through live video and commentary.

It also helps to have great leadership that you trust and allows you to be creative, and I am always learning from our editor, Joe Kieta, and opinions editor, Mike Dunbar, who encourage and support me and these efforts. Every day, it seems there is a new way or tool that allows us to best deliver news to our community. By keeping editorandpublisher.com

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up with technology as it changes and expands, it is important to continue to learn and adapt and always be talking about ways to best to engage the community in our products.

Who would be on your Amplified dream panel?

I would love to present a panel of Modesto’s most famous, to hear from the likes of actors Jeremy Renner and Timothy Olyphant, listen to advice from Olympians Suzy Powell-Roos and Erin Cafaro, learn about business innovation from The Gallo Family, Royal Robbins and Pluot inventor Floyd Zeiger, and visit a galaxy far, far away with George Lucas. With many more famous sons and daughters from Modesto, the possibilities seem endless.

Sarah Holmes, 34

Publisher and owner, Gabriola Sounder Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada Education: Augustana University College, bachelor of arts, drama and concentration in rural development As a fourth generation newspaper publisher, Sarah Holmes became publisher of the Gabriola Sounder at age 25. Her father, both uncles, grandfather, and great-grandfather all owned and ran newspapers, primarily in Saskatchewan and Alberta, as well as an independent printing press in Wainwright, Alberta.

“Sarah is one of those people you meet in the industry who is in it because she loves newspapers,” said Kerry Slater, British Columbia and Yukon Newspaper Association special projects  Sarah Holmes with her husband, Derek, and their two sons: Colin (in white T-shirt) and Linus. Derek also serves manager. “Ink is in her blood, and when she as editor of the Gabriola Sounder. speaks either to her friends and family—or to fellow industry members—you can hear the passion she has for community newspapers.”

After graduation, Holmes spent five years working in the pre-press section of Star Press in Wainwright, while her husband worked as an editor for the Wainwright newspapers. When they

An important part of my job is to add value to our newspapers while also adding value to the communities we serve. - Jake Mienk

Congratulations

Jake Mienk

for being honored

by Editor & Publisher magazine as a top media executive “25 under 35” for 2017.

News you can trust. editorandpublisher.com

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purchased the Gabriola Sounder, Slater said islanders were initially skeptical of the “new people” taking over the newspaper, but Holmes was quick to prove them wrong.

“Holmes has grown a reputation in the community for being tough, but fair, and genuinely having her customers’ interests in mind when selling them advertising,” Slater said. “She sees the bigger picture, and understands what it means to be a part of the community. Should revenue stay on track, Holmes will have the debt of purchasing the Sounder paid off before she is 40.”

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?

You have value. Don’t let advertisers, or society wear you down on your price. Trust your readers’ feedback and the integrity of your newspaper. It’s tough, keep going. Think creatively for your customers and anticipate their needs, problems, or concerns.

Understand how your clients do business and what their priorities are—either to clear out items, increase services, or sell high value items. Knowing that can change your approach, so listen to your advertising clients.

Keep a close eye on your accounts receivable, you need to get paid. Remember: you have value.

Respect your readers, follow up on news tips, take great photos, get names of those photographed. And follow up on the big stories, let the community know what happened after all the other media has left town.

Care about your community. Be an involved citizen. You will be able to draw more connections in your community that the average person will be able to see, share that knowledge. But don’t burn yourself out volunteering for all the great organizations that your newspaper covers.

Growing up in a newspaper family, what are some of your favorite memories?

It was full of adventure, community mindedness, and hard work. I remember going to the Canadian Community Newspaper Association and the provincial conferences. It was at these conferences that I began to view our industry as an extended family.

I remember the hot waxer, the dark room for developing negatives, burning plates. Cleaning an inky sink, and loading printed newspaper bundles and delivering newspapers in the company truck at 16 taught me the value of hard work and the beginning of customer service.

Innovation was also part of growing up in the newspaper industry. Tagging along with my dad to a Valentine’s Day Bull Sale was turned into a great adventure—watching as photos were taken with digital cameras, edited with Photoshop and placed in Quark pages. That’s something we take for granted now. Being a part of both sides of the technology shift has had tremendous value.

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Eric Lubbers, 33

Director of innovation, The Denver Post Denver, Colo.

Education: Chadron State College, bachelor of arts, American history and journalism As director of innovation, Eric Lubbers has been a partner in many of The Denver Post’s strategic initiatives in the newsroom, from consulting on a staff reorganization to developing a push strategy on mobile apps. According to managing editor Linda Shapley, he is also the go-to person in the newsroom for mobile and phone related issues, and is always willing to share expertise to help others be more effective in their jobs.

In October 2015, he led the revamping of a daily newsletter that was floundering in subscribers’ inboxes. In its place, Lubbers introduced the “Mile High Roundup,” a compilation of the day’s news and what editors are reading, told in smart, funny and Colorado-friendly voice. Since its implementation, the newsletter has maintained a 50 percent click-through rate and has quickly become a key element of the paper’s advertising effort focused on millennial readers.

“Not only is he an evangelist for smart digital storytelling, he is a tireless advocate for journalism that matters, at a time when it is most needed,” Shapley said.

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?

There’s never been a better time to be an authoritative, sincere presence in your communities, but don’t be afraid to be human in your coverage.

Find your voice (and you can absolutely have a voice even if you’re not a writer), avoid clichés and you’ll become invaluable to your audience. They’ve already figured out most of the old tricks of the trade and can discover the basics of most news from 1,000 different sources. It’s up to us to respect that and find out how to be useful in a way that no one else can replicate.

How would you describe the newsroom of the future?

Not far off from the newsroom of today. Each individual newsroom should embrace its unique flavor and explore new avenues of creation and distribution outside of the standards of print, web and traditional social — think email, push notifications, events and other direct and personalized channels. Marry that new, personalized distribution with the high standards of real journalism and we can really help people separate signal from noise. editorandpublisher.com

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Emilie Lutostanski, 29

Digital product manager, Community Impact Newspaper Pflugerville, Texas Education: Texas State University-San Marcos, bachelor of arts, journalism In her position as digital product manager, Emilie Lutostanski played a significant role in Community Impact Newspaper’s digital evolution in 2016. According to David Arkin, chief content officer, she was the lead driver behind the organization’s new digital strategy which put a premium on breaking news, creating lists and utilizing social media.

Lutostanski also led a new data strategy which included the introduction of a new real-time analytics tool that every Community Impact newsroom now uses. In order to help newspapers better understand how the tool could be used to guide their coverage decisions, she went out and conducted her own one-on-one meetings with members of the group’s newsrooms.

“Emilie is a digital leader in our company and has done a great job not only raising our product game but she’s worked hard to help all areas of our digital business evolve through great metric reporting and coordination on initiatives with sales,” said Arkin.

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What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?

Equip yourself with knowledge to do a variety of tasks outside of your comfort zone and formal education. Teach yourself to code, volunteer for special projects, become a subject matter expert,

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experiment with new tools, and learn about every aspect of the business. While no one can be certain what the newspaper industry will look like in 10, 20 or 30 years, having a deep understanding of operations and a tool belt of professional talents will enable you to anticipate challenges, innovate to improve products, and better inform readers.

What was the biggest challenge you faced when implementing your company’s new digital strategy, and how did you overcome it?

Creating and consistently executing plans for advancing the digital strategy at 22 newspapers throughout Texas has been a challenge. Many internal processes have been completely overhauled, and it’s an

evolution we’re still working on every day.

Traditionally, the company has been very print-focused. Only in the last few years have we built a digital team. Shifting our newsroom’s mindset from print-first to a cohesive hybrid of web and print has been key to our success so far, and we are just getting started.

Julian March, 28

Local news editor, StarNews Wilmington, N.C. Education: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, bachelor of arts, journalism, reporting When Julian March came to the StarNews seven years ago as a summer intern, he would cover anything and everything editors threw at him, said Sherry Jones, managing editor. By the time he was ready to graduate college, she had to find a way to hire him.

Though the only opening was a day cops reporting position, March accepted the challenge and exceeded expectations.

In early 2016, he was promoted to local news editor. In this position, March has revamped coverage of Brunswick County and seen online readership soar. The initiatives he oversaw at the paper in 2016 include organizing a weekly page in the Sunday print edition devoted to Brunswick County news, reinvigorating its Facebook page, and spearheading the StarNews Media Commemorative Cup project.

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?

Always maintain a sense of curiosity and willingness to listen to people. There aren’t many professions that have the privilege of telling regular people’s stories, be it celebrations or everyday life or situations marked by heartache or anger. I’m reminded of a black and white photograph of my grandmother (who spent nearly six decades as a reporter and editor) wearing a skirt and heels in the middle of a field, smiling up at a farmer on a horse. All these years later I don’t know what the story was, but I can see the curiosity in her face.

Whether you work in a newsroom or on the revenue side, educate yourself on the business of journalism. Everyone should have a basic understanding of the business model, how it’s changing in line with national trends and what effect that has on the future.

Be open to new opportunities for yourself and suggest taking on projects you believe in. Don’t be satisfied with the status quo. I am fortunate to work in a newsroom that embraces the importance of our digital presence alongside the printed newspaper. To me, it is an exciting time to be in journalism—we have constantly evolving technology and tools to aid our storytelling.

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“ What journalism advice do you give to your summer interns?

Treat your internship like an audition. Prepare for it and then show up and work hard. An internship offers a limited amount of time to make an impression, produce work you can be proud of and experience a community. Look for opportunities to pick up extra assignments or pitch a project. Newsrooms are busy places, and interns that seek out stories or projects end up with a better body of work.

Cultivate relationships with colleagues—ask them questions, join them for lunch or step into their office for a conversation. They can offer valuable lessons and tips on the profession and those relationships will enrich your experience and build contacts you can return to for advice.

Turn in your best work. Immerse yourself in your assignments, not just for a quality final product, but to learn more about the world.

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Jake Mienk, 34

Senior publisher and regional sales director, Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. Palestine, Texas Education: Northwood University, bachelor of business administration, business management Jake Mienk began his newspaper career as a retail account executive at the Tyler (Texas) Morning Telegram in 2005. He joined Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. in 2012 as regional advertising director for three daily newspapers in east Texas. He was named publisher at Palestine in 2014 and expanded his responsibilities to include Corsicana in 2015. In addition to his publishing duties, Jake was named regional sales director in 2016 for five of the company’s newspapers in east Texas. In February, Mienk was named a senior publisher for CNHI with added responsibility for the company’s newspapers in east Texas.

CNHI regional executive Henry Bird said in 2016, Mienk bucked an industry trend. “While many newspapers were reducing publishing days, he added a day to the publishing cycle of the Corsicana Daily Sun. The move has not only been a financial success on the advertising front, but paid circulation at the newspaper is up over prior year.”

BRIDGET SIBTHORP-MOECKER

regional digital services director

“

Leadership presence beyond her years

“

The Pantagraph, Herald & Review and JG-TC congratulate Bridget Sibthorp-Moecker on being named to Editor and Publisher’s 25 under 35. Bridget is recognized for her vision, positive attitude and ability to get things done. The Central Illinois newspaper group salutes Bridget on this well-deserved honor.

“

“

‘ lives She can do’

The Southern Illinoisan congratulates Alee Quick on being named to Editor and Publisher’s 25 under 35.

Alee is recognized for her leadership, knowledge and cooperative spirit.

We are proud to have Alee help tell the stories of rural Americans.

ALEE QUICK digital editor

JOURNAL GAZETTE & TIMES-COURIER

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Prior to Mienk becoming publisher in Palestine, the newspaper was facing financial difficulties and had lost much of its connection with the community. Bird said by the end of Mienk’s first year, the paper was back in the black and had become highly regarded by subscribers for its lively content and willingness to tackle tough subjects. He also completely renovated the printing facility at Palestine.

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?

It’s important to align yourself with a mentor and learn everything you can. A good mentor will be someone who is well respected in the industry and has more experience than you do. Knowledge is priceless in the newspaper industry. Utilize them, ask questions and absorb all you can because their understanding will help you succeed in this business.

Secondly, always surround yourself with passionate and positive people. Negativity will get you nowhere in the newspaper world.

People who are passionate about the newspaper business will do what it takes to succeed. Without a doubt, there will be ups and downs, but if you and your team keep an open mind, be creative and remain positive, you’ll find your way through the weeds and will become a better newspaper because of it.

Where do you see the industry in five years?

Growing, however, the growth will be determined by the individual newspaper’s quality of journalism. The newspaper’s role in the communities we serve is more important today than ever before. We must continue to earn our reputation for accuracy and fairness and bond ourselves closer to our communities through reader engagement and feedback. The higher standards we set for ourselves in journalistic principles, immediacy, prominence and relevancy, the more growth we’ll see.

Paul Myers, 28

Editor and vice president, Sun-Gazette Exeter, Calif.

Education: California State University-Fresno, master in public administration and bachelor of arts, public administration In October 2015, the Sun-Gazette, a 115-year-old newspaper, was about to declare bankruptcy and shut down operations. Paul Myers had just been promoted to assistant editor in June 2015 and been working closely with Reggie Ellis, Sun-Gazette president and publisher, to solve the company’s ailing finances.

“We worked long nights, after long days, to apply for business loans to stabilize our finances while we continued to transform the company from a sleepy, small town weekly into a more regional publication to broaden our subscription and advertising base,” Ellis said. “We shut down entire departments, cut staff and consolidated

Daniel Norselli, 34

President, Democrat & Chronicle Rochester, N.Y. Education: Rochester Institute of Technology, master of business administration; Northeastern University, bachelor of science, leadership Daniel Norselli began his career with Gannett in 2012 as digital director of the Democrat and Chronicle Media Group. A year later, he was promoted to senior digital and retail director and received the Gannett Chairman’s Award. After a brief stint as president and publisher of the Springfield News-Leader in Missouri, he returned to the Democrat & Chronicle as vice president of sales. Last August, he was promoted to his current position.

According to Karen Magnuson, editor and vice president of news, Norselli’s achievements include increasing digital marketing services from $100,000 to more than $1.3 million in 2013, and overseeing the launch of a successful pilot program on sports awards at the News-Leader, resulting in over $200,000 in  Daniel Norselli with his daughter, Madeline

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positions in order to survive long enough to get the loan. When we received the loan on Feb. 1, 2016, Myers was promoted to editor.”

Throughout 2016, Ellis said the paper continued to make adjustments, launched new products that diversified revenue, and there are more projects on the horizon. The paper is also just two full-time people away from being back to staffing levels in the pre-housing crisis era.

“In just one year the company has taken a $30,000 loss and turned it into a $50,000 profit,” Ellis said.

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?

Always be learning. So much of what we do as journalists is learning about the world around us. But as editors we have to not only learn about what our communities are doing, what our governments are doing, but what is happening in our own newsrooms as well.

Supervising reporters and photographers is undoubtedly a tough job, but to best run our newsrooms we have to learn how our staves learn best.

Currently, journalism is in a time of revolution. Now, more than ever, editors need to be able to continue to keep a quality journalism culture alive. And the way to do that is to keep your reporters motivated by learning what makes them want to do quality work for your publication, and then teaching them how they can best do that.

Why is community journalism so important?

The day when reporters and journalists can no longer report the news, will be the same day that local government corruption will begin its golden era. At the national level, larger media outlets are qualified to pore over documents and put a check on government power, but they are not looking into the minutia of local government for the citizens of small towns and cities. They may borrow stories and cite sources that smaller print publications have already uncovered, but they are not printing city council Brown Act violations. And they certainly are not running with stories that expose gross misappropriation of local taxpayer dollars. So while watching one of the mass media outlets may be entertaining, albeit on a more abstract level for most citizens, community journalism is about telling readers what is happening in their own backyard.

CONGRATS!

MEG BOYER

Summit Daily News Publisher, on being named one of Editor & Publisher’s 25 under 35!

incremental revenue and Gannett-wide expansion of the program.

Most recently, he inspired his advertising team to exceed both total and digital revenue goals, increasing this category year over year by more than $1 million, producing the most digital revenue ever in Rochester.

“His passion and enthusiasm for the digital media business—both its complexities and potential—are grounded in his desire to make a lasting impact on his team, organization, community and industry,” said Magnuson.

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?

The newspaper industry has huge opportunity, especially in the digital arena. A young leader must be fearless, relentless about challenging the status quo and be willing to experiment and innovate. Think like you are in a startup and run the business with a refuse to lose mentality.

How do you maintain a healthy work-life balance?

I have three young children and most of my time is spent with them and my wife doing family activities. In my free time, though, I enjoy playing golf and playing sports outdoors.

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Josh Peterson, 30

Publisher, Manchester Times Manchester, Tenn.

Education: Coffee County Central High School Josh Peterson started at the Manchester Times in 2005 as a part-time sports writer and has since worked his way through the ranks of the newspaper—moving to full-time sports editor, editor in 2010, and in 2015, he was named publisher of the weekly paper. During his time as editor, Peterson led the Manchester Times to its first Tennessee Press Association’s General Excellence award in 2013.

Since being named publisher, Peterson has worked to help restore the importance of print news media in the Manchester community. He has worked to form a readership panel that meets every other month and consists of community members.

Peterson also implemented the Manchester Times Press Pass subscriber rewards program.

Peterson is also putting a heavy emphasis on newspapers in schools. He helped restart the local high school newspaper by picking up the printing costs, helped an elementary school start a school paper and was recently the keynote speaker at community Literacy Night.

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?

Be fearless but respectful of the institution of quality print journalism. The future of the industry is dependent upon innovative, forward-thinking young journalists to carry the torch. And while I’ve built my career on pushing the envelope and questioning the status quo, it’s important to remember what’s in that torch that we are carrying and the answer is integrity and tradition. Whether you are working at a major daily or a community newspaper that serves as the heartbeat of some small community in rural America, this job isn’t all that complicated—pursue the truth.

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Alee Quick, 28

Digital editor, The Southern Illinoisan Carbondale, Ill. Education: University of Missouri-Columbia, bachelor of journalism and bachelor of arts in Spanish language and literature When Alee Quick joined The Southern Illinoisan team in 2014, the newspaper was behind the digital curve, even for a small paper, according to investigative reporter Molly Parker. Since then, Quick has revolutionized The Southern’s online presence and digital outreach and grown online readership as a result. Not long after arriving, she led redesign efforts for The Southern’s website as a member of parent company Lee Enterprise’s digital team.

“Her knowledge and approach have enhanced reporting capabilities in the field. Alee has trained the news gathering staff to think more critically about digital, interactive elements that can improve stories. All of these things have enriched the reader experience,” said Parker.

Additionally, Quick writes a column and serves as a member of the editorial board. She manages the daily news budget and co-edits stories for online and print. She supervisors obituary writers and is part of a management team that works with reporters on story devel-

If you could compare your newsroom to any sports team, which one would it be and why?

The 2003 World Series champion Miami Marlins (Florida Marlins then) come to mind. That was a team that had some veteran leadership, but the core of that team that shocked the powerhouse Yankees was young, up-and-coming talent, and I feel like we have that in our building. Our news editor, Leila Beem Nunez, is 23, and she is talented and growing all the time. Our sports editor, Demarco Moore, is the same age, and he has helped us integrate more video in our coverage and he has helped to build our social presence.

Our lifestyles and education guy, John Coffelt, he is our veteran piece to the puzzle who helps guide some of this great young talent we have. We don’t have a huge budget just like those Marlins didn’t, but we have talented, hard-working folks who I would take over anybody. And where we may lack in some areas we will make up for it with good work ethic, communication and team chemistry. editorandpublisher.com

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Photo by Byron Hetzler

Make time for fun (go to happy hour; go on a hike; slow cook at home). Advocate for yourself (don’t rely on others to fight for you).

opment and editing. She additionally helps budget and edits the paper’s quarterly Life & Style magazine, and serves as lead editor of the newspaper’s Scene 618 entertainment guide.

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?

Say yes to everything (unless it will cause you great bodily harm).

Take care of yourself (don’t eat takeout at your desk every day).

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You’re known as the human search engine in your newsroom. What’s the craziest question a colleague has asked you?

A discussion about food is sure to get people buzzing in Southern Illinois. One of our most beloved local food carts is referred to simply as “the hot dog lady,” for the woman who serves up weenies and Italian beef from her cart in the parking lot of a major shopping center during the lunch rush. We ran a story about the “hot dog lady’s” plans to open a brick and mortar restaurant called “Chicago It Up.” And the Chicagoans in our newsroom exposed us to the very serious art of the Chicago dog. We found that everyone—from Chicago or not—is pretty particular about what toppings are acceptable on a hot dog. Our editor at the time wondered, “What does a person’s hot dog topping preferences say about his or her personality?” Basically, she wondered, “If I were a hot dog, what kind of hot dog would I be?” So, I created a quiz (bit.ly/2mBJ6bA) in which people could answer a series of questions to find the answer to that pressing question. The options: Chicago dog, for the most meticulous among us; Southern hot dog, which is covered in coleslaw, for people who love the variety of life; corn dog, for life’s most mysterious characters; chili dog, for risk-takers; and pig in a blanket, for the creative and crafty types. Me? I’m a Southern hot dog.

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Brittany Rought, 28

Sales manager, The Sun Newspapers Cherry Hill, N.J. Education: Chaminade University, bachelor of arts, communications, minor in business administration In 2016, Brittany Rought led her group through significant change in culture and work environment to produce a team record for the week of Thanksgiving, surpassing 11 previous years of Black Friday Gift Guide issue sales figures of $96,000 for The Sun Newspapers. She has also set record highs for the company for three consecutive years in a row. Rought began her career with The Sun Newspapers in 2011, growing her territory 166 percent over the course of her first six months on the job.

According to publisher Joe Eisele, Rought always emphasizes cultivating new business, renewing more than half of expiring contracts, and winning back former customers each and every week.

“Her attitude, consistent positivity, and infectious smile are the reasons why her group turns annual profits, and makes her communities believers in our products,” he said. “Brittany is a lightning rod in our company and I personally don’t know where we would be headed without her.”

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?

Get involved. Be the face of your product within the communities you service. I learned early on that in this industry if you want to become successful you have to build relationships with clients and the communities you serve. Become active in the business associations and participate in community events like festivals or town celebrations. This will not only gain you access to new business and potential clients, but it allows you to connect with the readers.

What are the key traits of an efficient newspaper sales manager?

A sales manager should be versatile. They need to be able to juggle the company’s objectives while managing their group of sales representatives and helping them achieve personal sales goals. A sales manager should be confident in their decisions, but not be afraid to ask for help when needed. It is important to continue learning especially in this ever-changing industry.

Rayline Sebay, 34

Circulation/advertising operations manager, Albuquerque Journal Albuquerque, N.M. Education: J.B. Castle High School Within three years of starting her career in the newspaper industry as an office clerk with Oahu Publications, Rayline Sebay had already worked her way up to operations manager of the publishing company. When Sebay joined the Albuquerque Journal nearly a decade later in 2013, she was able to quickly put her experience and skills to use as the paper’s circulation operations manager.

In 2016, Sebay accepted a new role as operation manager for both circulation and advertising departments. One of Sebay’s first tasks was to oversee the paper’s conversion to a new circulation system, which required her to lead the group working with accounting, circulation, IT and system developers to ensure proper set up.

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their system and package setups.

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?

Don’t believe the stigma that newspapers are dying. The industry as a whole has changed and will continue to evolve as more young professionals come up with innovative ideas. Don’t be afraid to share your ideas with your bosses. Think outside of the box, and work hard. Constantly question why things are done the way they’re done, and don’t just accept it because it’s always been done a certain way. Understand the “why” and not just the “how.”

How do you stay organized as an operations manager of both circulation and advertising departments?

It’s important to prioritize. I come into work every morning and make a “To-Do” list in order of priority. Sometimes, priorities shift so keeping a list helps me to stay focused. I also add everything to my email calendar so I don’t need to remember things on my own.

I keep my email inbox clean and organized. As I read my emails, I move my finished emails out of my inbox, and leave my read mails that need to be followed up on in my inbox which helps to remind me what still needs to get done. By keeping up with those three things, and a lot of prayers, I’m able to stay organized and focused.

Illinois. She also recently assumed a new role at the corporate level as a digital product manager specializing in classified initiatives.

“Although Bridget is our local digital expert, she also has a great appreciation for our printed product,” Bechtel said. “She has a foot in both worlds and respects each.”

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?

Don’t give up. There is plenty of room for go-getters and creative thinkers in this business, and there’s no limit to your potential if

Congratulations GILES BRUCE

Bridget Sibthorp-Moecker, 35

Regional digital director/digital product manager, Central Illinois (Lee Enterprises) Decatur, Ill. Education: Illinois State University in Normal, bachelor of science, graphic design

The Times is proud of Giles Bruce, health reporter, and the impressive work he’s doing to address the issues impacting Northwest Indiana.

M E D I A

From the very first day Julie Bechtel, president and publisher of Lee Enterprises’ Central Illinois Group, met Bridget SibthorpMoecker , she was impressed, not only with Sibthorp-Moecker’s “contagious” smile and positive work attitude, but with her ability to plan fun, morale-building events.

Sibthorp-Moecker joined Lee Enterprises at the Decatur Herald & Review in Decatur, Ill. in May 2005. Since then, she has taken on more responsibility and been promoted multiple times. Currently, she serves as regional digital director for three properties in Central editorandpublisher.com

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C O M P A N Y

SUMMER MOORE 25/35 - 2016

JOE BATTISTONI 25/35 - 2015

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25 35 under

you’re willing to challenge yourself. Do soak in the knowledge from your more experienced leaders and peers, but keep your eyes and heart open. You can only achieve your full potential if you’re brave enough to assert yourself, and passionate enough to try things.

How do you stay motivated working in an industry that has seen its ups and downs?

Simple: I remember why we’re here. Our purpose is to collect and distribute news with accuracy and clarity. For hundreds of

years, newspapers have been recording the history of our communities for future generations. Now we’re tasked with distributing this news quickly and in several forms. The execution is more complicated now, but our mission is the same. As technology changes and our audience shifts to new platforms, we have to challenge conventional thinking.

While this time in our industry is challenging, the opportunity to reinvent ourselves is a beautiful gift. So let’s experiment. Let’s find ways to be resourceful and explore the depths of our imagination. Our “job” is to rethink journalism and set it up to thrive.

Trent Spiner, 31

Executive editor, New Hampshire Union Leader Manchester, N.H. Education: Franklin Pierce University, bachelor of arts, mass communications As New Hampshire Union Leader executive editor, Trent Spiner manages a staff of 40 reporters, editors, and photographers. How did he land such a big job? He asked for it, said director of marketing Katie McQuaid Cote.

“During his interview for another editor position, the then 28-year-old Spiner learned the executive editor position was being filled too. He asked the publisher to be considered for the position instead, and it worked,” she said.

Spiner started at the paper as a correspondent, and spent some time in the newsroom of local ABC affiliate WMUR, before returning to the Union Leader as executive editor.

In his two years leading the newsroom, Spiner has led many initiatives. He introduced Parse.ly to the newsroom, and led efforts for a recent reader survey. In August 2015, Spiner helped lead an effort to host and produce the Union Leader’s Voter First Forum. Later in the presidential primary campaign, Spiner advocated for the Democratic National Committee to host a last-minute, unscheduled debate between Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Hillary Clinton. Spiner also secured a grant from the New Hampshire Endowment for Health to fund a one-year reporter position to cover aging in the state. To date, the paper has produced 64 |

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more than 30 stories focused solely on New Hampshire’s aging population. Legislation has been filed at the Statehouse to address some of the issues highlighted in their coverage.

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?

Set aside time every week to connect with someone you’ve never met or haven’t spoken to in awhile. Constantly strengthening your network is critical whether you are a new graduate looking for your first job or you have spent a decade at the same organization.

It is even more valuable for people who have spent time in the business, even if you’ve stayed at the same company. I purposefully make time in my schedule every week—even for just an hour—to reach out to someone I should’ve already met or haven’t spoken to in a few months. I also make sure to trade cell phone numbers. When there’s breaking news or a reporter needs help connecting with the right person, that network already exists.

What are some of the biggest lessons you learned from covering this past election?

Make sure you are taking time to listen to your community. In the same vein as my advice above, it was clear some national news organizations relied too heavily on polls and their own perception of the election’s storyline instead of what was happening on the ground.

Our team covered hundreds of political events. We conducted dozens of interviews with people who were seeking the presidency. We made those available to the public through Meerkat, Periscope, Facebook Live and other social media platforms for instant feedback. We broke a lot of news in the process. But as an editor, I thought it was also important to get out from behind my desk, whether that meant starting early at a breakfast stump speech with a candidate or going home late to catch a town hall. Much of what you hear will be anecdotal but will ensure your coverage accurately represents your community. editorandpublisher.com

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Tiffany Towner, 30

Managing editor, The Daily News Batavia, N.Y. Education: Pennsylvania State University, bachelor of arts, journalism Tiffany Towner has been working as a journalist for the past 10 years. While studying journalism at Pennsylvania State University, she worked at The Daily Collegian, a student-run newspaper. After three semesters covering various beats as a reporter, she graduated and got her first job as a reporter at The Daily Review in Towanda, Pa. During her nearly eight years there, she rose through the ranks, from a reporter, to copy editor, to assistant news editor, to managing editor, and eventually to editorin-chief at age 28.

A year ago, Towner decided to further her career by accepting the position of managing editor at The Daily News in Batavia, N.Y., becoming the first woman to hold the title.

“In just her first year, Tiffany has completely transformed the newsroom of The Daily News from a stuffy, slow and unmotivated staff into a team of fully engaged multimedia journalists who now enjoy what they do and working with their teammates across a variety of platforms,” said Daily News publisher Michael Messerly. “Tiffany has pushed her news team to increasing their individual story counts while transitioning into constant use of live video and other digital platforms.”

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?

Don’t let your age hold you back. Don’t let it keep you from going for that promotion, or from speaking up at a meeting, or approaching your boss with a new idea. You’ll get told no sometimes, but you have to use rejection, learn from it, and push on from it.

Young professionals may not have all of the experience of older generations, but do have different skills and a unique point of view.

Keep up on new technologies and how they can help your company, but also listen to and learn from those who have been in the industry for many years. You should never be done learning. Avoid becoming complaeditorandpublisher.com

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cent; always have goals (small and large) for yourself and for your company, and strive to achieve them.

What digital initiatives should newspapers be taking advantage of right now?

Facebook Live is a great tool for newspapers. We’ve done a lot over the past year with it and had great success, from being the first to report from the scene of breaking news incidents, to live-streaming sports games, and even creating our own live series and talk shows. From there, streaming devices offer a great opportunity to deliver newspapers’ video content to the viewers.

We’re looking forward to creating our own channel, filled with live and produced video content, on devices like Roku and Fire Stick. The gaining popularity of smart home devices (like Amazon Echo and Google Home) also provides a new opportunity for papers to record their news daily and have it be read aloud to listeners. Finally, make sure

you’ve got an intuitive website that’s constantly updated and a user-friendly app. It just comes down to watching how people are getting their information and entertainment, and seeing how your paper can be a part of it. 

Thank you, Trent Spiner, for helping us deliver trusted news, information, and resources connecting New Hampshire.

Congratulations on being named to Editor & Publisher’s 25 under 35 list.

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NEWSPEOPLE Sasha Gallardo-Fleenor has been named the opinion page editor at the Bristol (Va.) Herald Courier. She will write editorials about local and state issues and be responsible for the daily content, design and pagination of the opinion page, and also establish a board of local contributors to write columns and essays.

Daniel Evans has been promoted to news editor of the Selma Times-Journal in Alabama. He will also continue to lead the newspaper’s sports coverage. As part of his new role, Evans will maintain a leadership role in the planning of the daily newspaper and its special sections. He has been with the Times-Journal since 2013.

Terrie Lam has been named regional head Asia-Pacific at the Washington Post. She will be based in the paper’s first Singapore office where she will be responsible for identifying new market opportunities, managing the sales activities and working to build new content partnerships. Lam most recently served as deputy executive director at Forbes Media.

Brian Cox has been promoted to managing editor of the Lewistown (Pa.) Sentinel. Over the last nine years, he has held numerous positions at the paper including sports reporter, news editor, city editor and assistant managing editor.

Rustan Burton has been named publisher of the Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune. He previously served as publisher of the Juneau Empire in Alaska for three years. Burton will replace interim publisher Mark Hinueber, who had held the position since GateHouse Media acquired the Tribune last October.

Burton has spent almost nine years in the newspaper industry after a career in real estate investing.

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By Sean Stroh sean@editorandpublisher.com

Tom English has been named executive editor at The Southern Illinoisan in Carbondale, Ill. Previously, he served as interim editor. English started his career at the paper as a telemarketer before becoming a copy editor, sports copy editor, night editor and city editor.

Doug Lamb has stepped down as chief financial officer of Postmedia. He had served as the company’s executive vice president and chief financial officer since its inception in 2010. Prior to that, he was vice president of corporate development of Metroland, the community publishing business of Torstar Corp. Lamb also held executive roles with Hollinger International Inc. and Southam Inc. Randy Slabaugh has been named director of audience and development at the McAlester News-Capital in Oklahoma. He has worked for more than three decades in the print news industry. In his new role, Slabaugh will be responsible for boosting circulation and growing the overall business market of the paper. He will assume the same position at the News-Capital’s sister publication, the Ada News.

Gareth Henderson has been named editor of The Vermont Standard. For the past three years, he served as business editor at the Rutland (Vt.) Herald. Prior to that, Henderson was a reporter and assistant editor for the Standard for six years.

Mike Beatty has been appointed senior vice president of operations for Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. As part of his new role, Beatty will oversee CNHI’s 16 newspapers in Oklahoma and continue to serve as publisher of The Joplin (Mo.) Globe.

Prior to joining CNHI in 2010, he held senior management positions with the Chicago Sun Times, Baltimore Sun and Baltimore Examiner.

Bradley Roberts has been promoted to

ACQUISITIONS The Dix family, owner of Dix Communications has sold their five daily newspapers, 18 weekly publications, and related websites in northeastern and east-central Ohio to GateHouse Media for $21.2 million. Dix operations include a printing facility and more than 30 daily and weekly newspapers, online-only publications and specialty publications. The family had owned the company since 1893.

Morris Newspaper Corp. of Wisconsin has acquired the assets of Monroe Publishing from Bliss Communications, Inc. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The sale transfers three publications to Morris Newspaper Corp.: the Monroe (Wis.) Times, and two free weekly papers—the Monroe Shopping News and the Freeport Shopping News.

editorandpublisher.com

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NEWSPEOPLE managing editor of the Times-Journal in Fort Payne, Ala. He joined the paper in 2015 as its sports editor before becoming news editor just a few months later. Roberts began his career in 2014 as a staff writer at the Sand Mountain Reporter in Albertville, Ala. Rebecca Blumenstein has been named a deputy managing editor of The New York Times. She will become one of the highest-ranking women in the paper’s newsroom.

Blumenstein previously worked at The Wall Street Journal since 1995, where she held numerous senior positions, including managing editor and international editor. In addition, Carolyn Ryan has been appointed an assistant editor and will oversee the recruiting of journalists to the Times. Before she was named senior editor for politics in 2015, Ryan oversaw coverage of Washington as the paper’s politics editor and Washington bureau chief.

Stan Huskey has retired from his position as editor of The Times Herald in Norristown, Pa. and senior editor for the Philadelphia cluster of Digital First Media. He began his career in journalism as a freelance reporter for the Daily Local News in West Chester, Pa. in 1994. Two years later, he was hired at the Herald as a general assignment reporter before becoming city editor in 1999.

Ron Southwick has been named assistant managing editor of the Reading (Pa.) Eagle. In his new role, Southwick will direct all the digital planning and delivering of news and information, including the paper’s website. He has been the news editor of the Eagle since 2013. Southwick joined the paper after working as assignment editor at The Patriot-News in Mechanicsburg, Pa. Christine Bedell and Zach Ewing have editorandpublisher.com

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NEWSPEOPLE Craig Forman has been named president and chief executive officer of McClatchy. He has been an executive with companies such as Earthlink, Yahoo and Time Warner. He was also a Wall Street Journal foreign correspondent and bureau chief with stints in London and Tokyo. Forman has been a McClatchy board member since 2013.

been named interim executive editors of the Bakersfield Californian. The pair will coordinate the work of the Californian’s news, lifestyles, sports and copy desk divisions. They will also continue to serve as the paper’s news and sports editors, respectively.

Paul Berry has been named audience engagement director for Swift Communications’ 19 newspapers in Colorado, California and Nevada.

Most recently, he served as executive editor of the Springfield News-Leader in Missouri. Before joining the News-Leader in 2014, Berry was digital editor/engagement editor at The Coloradoan.

Grant Moise has been promoted to executive vice president of A.H. Belo Corp. and general manager of the Dallas Morning News. Most recently, Moise served as the senior vice president of business development for A.H. Belo and president of DMN Media. Prior to that, he was vice president of digital for the Morning News.

Agfa Graphics has made several new hires to its sales team. Rick Gargano has been named account manager for the Ontario province, while Gurshawn Hansi will serve as national account manager for wideformat media and applications in Canada.

Tom Molamphy has joined as business development manager for the company’s in-

dustrial inkjet ink division. In his new role, Molamphy will focus on generating new business relationships in the United States and Canada.

Dwayne Bivona has been named president of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times in Texas.

In addition, Bivona will also continue to oversee Gannett operations in Abilene, San Angelo and Wichita Falls, Texas. He has spent the past three decades in the newspaper industry with a focus on circulation, operations, advertising and sales.

Scott Bellile has been promoted to editor of the New London Press Star and Clintonville TribuneGazette in Wisconsin. He joined the papers as a sports and news reporter in 2015.

David Krause has been named editor of the Aspen (Co.) Times. For the past 17 years, minus a brief stint in Denver television, Krause worked at The Denver Post. Most recently, he was deputy city editor, where he led coverage of local government, education and environment. Krause began his career at the Bethany (Okla.) Tribune-Review.

Kim Lamoreaux has been named managing editor of the Times-Tribune in DeForest, Wis. She previously was a reporter for the Sauk Prairie Eagle and the Reedsburg Times Press in Wisconsin. From 2001 to 2009, Lamoreaux was the sole reporter at the News Sickle Arrow in Black Earth, Wis.

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NEWSPEOPLE Brandon Roberts has been named publisher and editor of the Mitchell News-Journal in Spruce Pine, N.C. He previously worked as business editor at the HeraldDispatch in Huntington, W. Va., digital and special sections editor at the Ironton (Ohio) Tribune, editor of the Georgetown (Ky.) News-Graphic and managing editor of the Highland County (Ohio) Press.

Michelle Mitchell has been named vice president of advertising at the Herald-Tribune Media Group. She will be responsible for all print and digital sales and marketing.

Most recently, Mitchell was senior advertising manager at the Tampa Bay Times. She started her career with the Sarasota HeraldTribune in 1991.

Eric Mayberry has been appointed vice president of advertising for the State Journal-Register and SJR Media Group in Springfield, Ill. Mayberry will oversee print and digital advertising operations at the paper and work with SJR Media Group’s numerous publications, including the Springfield Shopper and the Lincoln Courier in Illinois. He previously served as a regional vice president for Digital First Media.

Frank Dubec has been appointed regional advertising director for The Daily Progress in Charlottesville, Va. As regional director, Dubec will manage and direct advertising sales for The Daily Progress, The News Virginian in Waynesboro, the Orange County Review, the Madison Eagle and the Greene County Record.

Tom Fitzgerald has been appointed to oversee KBA North America’s new subsidiary, KBA- Iberica Die Cutters S.A. In his new role, he will be responsible for overseeing the development, 68 |

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Amy Griffith has been named advertising director of the Ocala Star-Banner in Florida. She previously worked as advertising manager. Griffith has held a variety of advertising jobs at newspapers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Florida.

implementation, and management of sales and marketing support for post press products from the new division.

Bob Richardson has been named publisher of the Sun Tribune in Othello, Wash.

He previously served as advertising/circulation director of the Columbia Basin Herald in Moses Lake, Wash. Prior to that, he was the paper’s circulations sales manager and district manager.

David Davis has been named editor of the Chiefland Citizen and the Cedar Key Beacon in Florida. He has previously worked at both weekly and daily newspapers. Davis replaces Lou Jones, who has retired.

Timothy P. Knight has been appointed president of the digital content and commerce division of troncX. He previously served as president of Advance Ohio, where he oversaw the strategy, sales, marketing and content of cleveland.com. Before that, Knight was CEO of Wrapports, president and CEO of Newsday Media Group and general manager of the Chicago Tribune Media Group.

Bedi Singh is leaving his position as chief financial officer of News Corp. He will be replaced by Susan Panuccio, who most recently served as chief financial officer of News Corp Australia since September, 2013. She previously served at News International in several positions, including CFO. She began her career as a senior accountant at KPMG Australia.

David Joyner has been named executive editor of North of Boston Media Group.

In his new role, Joyner will oversee all editorial operations of the group which includes eight newspapers, 15 magazines and multiple digital platforms. He will also become executive editor of The EagleTribune in Andover, Mass. Most recently, Joyner worked as national editor for CNHI, overseeing the company’s Washington and statehouse reporters.

Michael Ellis Langley has been named executive editor of Golden State Newspapers.

The California-based media company owns the Chino-Chino Hills Champion, Tracy Press, Patterson Irrigator and Press Banner of Scott Valley. He had served as editor of Tracy Press since 2013.

Karen Moses has been promoted to editor of the Albuquerque (N.M.) Journal. She has served as managing editor since 2001. Moses succeeds Kent Waltz, who is retiring from the position after 22 years.

She joined the paper in 1981 after working as a reporter at the Gallup (N.M.) Independent.

Dan Herrera will assume duties as managing editor and D’Val Westphal will become editorial page editor. 

Karen Moses Dan Herrera D’Val Westphal editorandpublisher.com

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Help Wanted

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EDITOR: The Kenosha News, founded in 1894, is searching for an editor to lead its newsroom. As editor, you will lead a staff of dedicated and experienced journalists in a vibrant and growing market serving this community with solid, hyper-local journalism.

This is a calling for an energetic and accomplished professional who can create and execute a multi-platform strategy for audience and content development for our daily newspaper, website and digital products. Your prior newsroom leadership experience is a door opener, but gusto for change and passion to succeed will keep it open.

The Kenosha community continues to expect top-notch journalism and excellent advertiser relationships. You will deliver on that expectation by participating in the execution of our new corporate strategic plan that emphasizes a culture of teamwork, collaboration, talent development and strong community connections.

Kenosha dips its toes in the bracing waters of Lake Michigan on the Wisconsin-Illinois border between Milwaukee and Chicago. There has been recent significant economic growth.

We are able to offer a competitive wage and benefit package including a choice of competitively priced health insurance plans, a 401k retirement plan, company-paid life insurance and an opportunity to work with a great group of people.

The Kenosha News division is operated by United Communications Corporation a familyowned multi-media company headquartered in Kenosha, Wis. UCC owns and operates five divisions including the Kenosha News; the Sun Chronicle, a daily newspaper in Attleboro, Mass.; KEYC-TV, a CBS and FOX affiliate in Mankato, Minn.; WWNY/WWNYF- TV, CBS, FOX and MeTV affiliates in Watertown, N.Y.; and a weekly newspaper in Lake Geneva, Wis. Interested candidates should send their resume and a cover letter to dursu@kenoshanews.com. Equal Opportunity Employer

FINANCE DIRECTOR: The Fayetteville Observer is looking for a finance director to provide financial planning & analysis functions and oversees all financial responsibility at the local property level, including the compliance to GAAP standards. Long-range business planning is an inherent part of this position.

Primary Duties Include: • Provide FP&A support to the local Publisher and Group Finance Director.

• Responsible for the review and analysis of local financial statements, East Divisional reporting requirements and internal management reports and deliverables.

• Provide final review and approval of monthly financial statements and general ledger reconciliations.

• Responsible for all aspects of local financial planning, analysis and reporting, including monthly forecasts and the annual plan.

• Responsible for all local capital management, including planning, forecasting and analysis.

• Responsible for internal and external audit compliance support.

Experience/Education BS/BA degree in Accounting or Finance or equivalent experience is required. CPA is preferred.

5 years of progressive financial management experience is preferred. 3+ years, minimum, managing 3+ employees.

We offer a very competitive benefits package that includes health, dental, vision, life and a matching 401k plan.

To apply, submit cover letter and resume to: Diane Cain, HR Manager, caind@fayobserver.com

MANAGING EDITOR: Champion Newspapers, Chino CA. We are looking for a person with just the right blend of editorial skills and personality to lead our small but mighty newsroom.

The successful candidate will have news management/leadership experience, along with a solid understanding of the digital component of today’s newspapers.

Responsibilities include: • Overall supervision of the news staff (3 people plus stringers) • Writing stories, editing and photography • Layout and design of the news pages using Adobe InDesign • Public relations and participation in community affairs • Uploading news to our website, www.championnewspapers.com Salary commensurate with experience. Benefits include medical insurance program, vacation, life insurance, sick leave and 7 paid holidays.

Resumes to wfleet@championnewspapers.com.

You can place your ad by calling 800-887-1615 or emailing classifieds@editorandpublisher.com or place your web only ads online at www.editorandpublisher.com.

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Phone: 800-887-1615

Help Wanted

Fax: 866-605-2323

Help Wanted

MANAGING EDITOR: New Braunfels is the second-fastest growing city in the United States.

That’s no accident. Nestled between Austin and San Antonio on Interstate 35, the community benefits from its proximity to both while maintaining a unique identity all its own. Go boot scootin’ across the dance floor of fabled Gruene Hall, float lazily down the city’s two rivers or spend a day at Schlitterbahn, the world’s best water park. Restaurants and retail are booming and opportunity awaits.

Our goal is to evolve our family of products at the same pace as one of the most truly dynamic markets in the nation. This includes having digital, mobile, social media and print as components to deliver our award-winning coverage. However, our specialty is delivering world-class coverage through the printed newspaper.

A tremendous leadership opportunity has become available as the New Braunfels HeraldZeitung is seeking tomorrow’s newsroom leader today to become the editorial face of the franchise. Our family of products includes the famed Herald-Zeitung, one of the most viewed websites in the county, a host of niche publications and the freshly launched New Braunfels Monthly magazine.

We’re looking for an experienced managing editor to be a hands-on, visible leader. This key leadership position is responsible for content management of our daily newspaper both in print, online and social media. The dynamic visionary that wins this job will oversee all aspects of the news gathering process, editing, story selection, special sections, and management of the newsroom staff.

He/she will also be a skilled designer with expertise in using Adobe InDesign. We will select a candidate who possesses a deep understanding and has proven experience in crafting a weekly editorial budget for a daily newspaper, handing out assignments and news production workflow for print and online products. He/she will be familiar with newsroom functions such as pagination and AP style and be excited about having a written presence in the paper every day.

We are looking for a professional driven to achieve high standards and committed to having a great plan for compelling content in our family of publications every single day. This position oversees a staff of seven. A Bachelor Degree in Journalism is preferred with a minimum of five years demonstrated experience with progressive managerial responsibilities.

We offer a competitive compensation package and many excellent benefit programs. Send resume, cover letter and salary expectations to david.compton@herald-zeitung.com ASAP as we have already begun interviews.

NEWSPAPER DISTRIBUTION BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY The Denver Post is seeking entrepreneurial, business-oriented individuals who want to run their own business and/or diversify their current business.

Help Wanted

Help Wanted

MEDIA SALES MANAGER NEEDED:The Green Valley News/Sahaurita Sun (Arizona) is looking for an innovative and motivated candidate who can take our sales team to the next level.

The Green Valley News is a well-respected community newspaper with over 70% paid penetration in the primary market area. Our readers are primarily retired, and they still value the trustworthiness of our print publications. We publish twice weekly on Wednesday and Sunday. The Sahuarita Sun is a weekly in a community with an average age of 37. Our local news, although distributed free, is valued by the readers especially our focus on education, sports and pets. Both of our print newspapers are paired with local websites that provide the best reach possible for advertisers looking to connect with these rich demographics. Our ideal candidate will have previous experience as a results-driven sales manager, with proven success generating new revenue on multiple-platforms. Our strategy is to work with clients to develop comprehensive long-term campaigns using all our print/online products. You will lead a team of four outside sales executives, one inside-classified representative and an advertising assistant. Our management team operates in a very collaborative environment where your input is expected and valued. Many of our projects are cross-departmental, so you will work hand in hand with our circulation manager and editor on a daily basis. Qualifications include: • 3-5 years of sales management experience with proven success selling/managing in a multi-platform environment, including the latest in digital solutions (SEO, SEM, social media, mobile and other digital). • Strong communication and negotiation skills, both written and oral. • Good understanding of newspaper financials and the ability to identify and solve problems in a constantly changing environment. Wick Communications is a family-owned community media company with newspapers, websites, magazines and specialty publications in 11 states. The home offices are in Sierra Vista, AZ, and we publish newspapers in Arizona, Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon and South Dakota. The Wick family is committed to maintaining quality community newspapers while strategically diversifying the company for the future. We offer a competitive base salary and MBO annual incentives and a comprehensive benefits package that includes 401K. Please send resume and cover letter with salary requirements to: rbradner@gvnews.com.

NEW ENGLAND/NEW YORK CORRESPONDENT: Fast-growing trade publication covering the electric power industry seeks energetic, inquisitive beat reporter. Your job will revolve around coverage of New York and New England, particularly the New York Independent System Operator, New York Public Service Commission and ISO New England. As independent system operators, NYISO (http://www.nyiso.com/) and ISO-NE (www.iso-ne.com) manage the electric grid and wholesale electric markets — a combination of an air traffic controller and the New York Stock Exchange. You’ll also be writing up filings with — and rulings by — the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (www.ferc.gov) plus enterprise stories. We seek someone able to translate complex issues into readable prose. Knowledge of economics, business concepts and basic physics helpful. Travel to meetings in Boston and Albany area required. We are building The Wall Street Journal of the electric power industry. I am an award-winning former reporter and editor with The Philadelphia Inquirer and Bloomberg who believes trade publications don’t have to be dull or poorly written. Trade publishing is one of the few sustainable business models for journalists. We will pay a very competitive hourly rate for the right person.

Send resume, and up to five of your best clips to rich.heidorn@rtoinsider.com.

We are looking for independent contractors to handle distribution of multiple publications including The Denver Post. Circulation volumes may vary but could be as many as 25,000 Sunday newspapers.

Must have distribution experience, valid driver's license, commercial general liability insurance, reliable transportation, and a personal computer/printer.

Minimal start-up expense, bi-weekly reimbursement.

For more information contact Brian Trujillo at 303-954-5391 or email btrujillo@denverpost.com.

MARKETING MANAGER: We are looking for a leader in brand development and strategy for the Albuquerque Journal and its products. The role includes participation in developing marketing materials from creation to implementation, event planning and execution, as well as support for the advertising, circulation & editorial departments. Qualified candidate must be adept at critical thinking, analyzing current and future campaigns, and events, to maximize results. This role demands an energetic self-starter who can lead a team to completion of the task at hand. Bachelor’s degree and proven successful marketing experience required.

Email Resume to: smiaris@abqpubco.com

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shoptalk /commentary Leaks in the Age of Trump

By David Snyder

A

s a candidate and now as president, Donald Trump has displayed two traits that make him virtually impossible for journalists to cover in any conventional way. First, there is Trump’s well-documented talent for sowing informational chaos—making assertions unsupported by facts; assertions directly contradicted by the available facts; and assertions contradicting assertions made just days or even minutes before.

Second, Trump has made clear he has little interest in the traditions of political coverage that have developed over time to subject the president to the routine scrutiny of the press. Just one example: Trump doesn’t do press conferences. Until January this year, he hadn’t held one since last July. In that time, he has tweeted some 1,500 times.

The ability of the White House press corps to extract meaningful information from the Executive Branch during the Trump era will be seriously constrained, to say the least. But for the same reasons Trump is an impossible quarry for the conventional press, he has already proven to be a never-ending fount of leak-inspired journalism.

Chaos begets dissension, and dissension within the close ranks of government bureaucracy leads, inevitably, to leaks. Career public servants ignored by the boss will try to find someone else to tell. Reporters who don’t get their calls returned look elsewhere for information. We have already seen the results of this dynamic time and time again with Trump.

So, prepare for the coming floods—first, of leaks, and then of retribution. What Trump’s chaos giveth away in the form of leaks it may try to taketh back in the form of witch hunts, criminal probes and

routine intimidation of the Fourth Estate and their real and potential sources of information. How well the press stands up to such an onslaught could be critical to freedom of speech and of the press. A press that cannot gather real information is a press without freedom; a government sealed from within by fear is a government that cannot be held accountable.

It’s a safe bet that Trump will pull no punches in pursuing the sources of leaks, or the media outlets that publish them.

Trump has made abundantly clear that he views journalists — as a group — as “scum,” and “disgusting.” He systematically denied press credentials to news outlets that covered him critically during the campaign. He has suggested that “freedom of the press” (among other things) was to blame for September’s series of bombings in New Jersey and New York.

Trump walks into an Executive Branch that is arguably as hostile to the press as any in modern times. President Obama brought more prosecutions of leakers under the vaguely worded Espionage Act of 1917 than all previous presidents combined. He was more aggressive than most presidents in pursuing confidential information from journalists. His Justice Department secretly subpoenaed and seized phone and email records from more than 100 Associated Press reporters over the course of two months in 2012—in direct violation of Justice Department policies governing subpoenas of journalists and news organizations.

The consequences of Obama’s aggressive pursuit of whistleblowers are predictable.

Due to the problem of rampant overclassification of government documents, the release of even relatively mundane information could have serious, even criminal, consequences for would-be leakers.

As McClatchy reported in 2013, under Obama, “leaks to media are equated with espionage.”

It has to be assumed, given Trump’s own words over the past year, that he will make Obama’s escalation of leak prosecution look tame. Trump’s Justice Department could seek more federal grand jury subpoenas against reporters who rely on confidential sources. It could attempt to prosecute a journalist under the Espionage Act—something that has never been tried, but then Trump has shown little compunction in breaking with traditions and norms.

It is also possible that Trump will do none of these things. But his words to date suggest strongly otherwise. We disregard at our peril the threats of the showmandemagogue who is now president.

Journalism in the age of Trump faces formidable challenges, to be sure. But there is hope. Courageous whistleblowers have always been willing to stand up, despite potentially dire consequences, to alert the American people to misdeeds by those elected to govern them.

Although many of the institutions that would protect and defend such whistleblowers, and the media who bring their alarms to the public, have been weakened in recent years, the law that protects them—starting with the United States Constitution—remains intact. Even the President of the United States can’t change that. At least not by himself. 

David Snyder, a lawyer and journalist, is executive director of the First Amendment Coalition. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the FAC Board of Directors.

Printed in the USA. Vol. 150, No 4, EDITOR & PUBLISHER (ISSN: 0013-094X, USPS: 168-120) is published 12 times a year. Regular issues are published monthly by Duncan McIntosh Co. Inc., 18475 Bandilier Circle, Fountain Valley, CA, 92708-7000; Editorial and Advertising (949) 660-6150.

Periodicals postage paid at Fountain Valley, CA 92708, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Please send address changes to: EDITOR & PUBLISHER. P.O. Box 25859, Santa Ana, CA 92799-5859. Copyright 2017, Duncan McIntosh Co. Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Subscription Price: U.S. and its possessions, $99.00 per year, additional postage for Canada & foreign countries $20.00 per year. Single copy price $8.95 in the U.S. only; Back issues, $12.95 (in the U.S. only) includes postage and handling. Canada Post: Publication Mail Agreement No. 40612608. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 682.

Subscriber Services (888) 732-7323; Customer Service Email: circulation@editorandpublisher.com.

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3/17/17 1:37 PM

1,231 journalists killed since 1992 * The truth is journalists report facts, uncover corruption, and serve as a watchdog over repressive governments and villainous organizations whose power and position directly affect you and your fellow citizens — and sadly, this commitment to truth has cost lives. Now more than ever, it's vitally important to stand with those who report with a voice of accuracy and credibility. * Committee to Protect Journalist 2016 data (cpj.org)

Get mad. Fight back.

Subscribe to newspapers.

Newspapers strive to ensure the free exchange of information that is accurate, fair and thorough. We fear no one.

E&P is a staunch supporter of the newspaper industry and is dedicated to promoting its success and well-being in the years to come. From time to time, we will print full-page ads such as this, to inspire advertising and marketing ideas — touting the importance of ethical journalism and its value to democracy.

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