Editor & Publisher - April 2019 Digital Edition

October 4-5, Chicago The ONLY Leadership Networking Event for Newspaper Production/Operations/Logistics Leaders

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Keynote Speakers

Expert Panels

Mr. Jason Taylor Presentation: Leadership, Revenue, and Cost Management in a Consolidating & Declining Market Space President of New Media Investment Group Ventures, and President of GateHouse Live Promotions and Events. Previously President of GateHouse Media's Western U.S. Publishing Operations.

Mr. Joe DeLuca Presentation: Embracing the Challenge & Leading the Charge – Current state of demand for our product; Technologies impact on customer behavior and perception of our industry; The path forward Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Times Publishing Company with overall responsibility for leading the Times strategic planning team and execution of the business strategy across the organization.

Keynote Lunch Motivational Speaker Mr. Keni Thomas Presentation: “Get It On! What It Means To Lead The Way.” Author, speaker, musician, decorated former Task Force Army Ranger, Keni is a graduate of the University of Florida, and the recipient of the bronze star for valor.

Mr. Thomas delivers a message that will inspire and stimulate you with valuable lessons from Black Hawk Down: "Leadership has never been about the rank or the position you hold. It's about the example you set.

There are people to your left and to your right who are counting on you and its up to you to deliver. But you will only be as good as you prepared yourself to be."

Legal Expert

International Print Peers: Quality, Cost, Expertise Mark Hall - ING Vice President, Panel Facilitator Regional Manufacturing Director – Postmedia Network Inc. Responsible for Production and Prepress operations in Ontario, Mark has 37 years of involvement in the industry.

Logistics & DistributionMeeting Today’s Demands Kevin Desmond - ING Secretary, Panel Facilitator Regional Senior Vice President of Operations -- Star Tribune Media Company – Responsible for Manufacturing, Facilities, and Information Technology.

Profits from Nothing, Zero Waste Joe Bowman - ING Immediate Past President,Panel Facilitator Vice President, Operations – The Plain Dealer Publishing Company, Cleveland, OH. Previously Vice President of Operations at the Miami Herald, as well as Director of Production for Knight Ridder Inc.

Network Sessions with Fellow Execs Friday, October 4 • Local Tour of Chicago Tribune Freedom Center (optional) Custom networking and informational tour of the Tribune’s impressive 10-press campus, prepress, newsprint warehouse and prepress area for newspaper exec attendees • Guided Tour at PRINT 19 (optional) Custom APTech/PRINT Presentation and Guided Tour of Show floor at McCormick Place • ING Opening Networking Reception

Ms. Dee Anna Hays Presentation: OSHA, Labor Law, Hot Off the Press Updates Dee Anna Hays is Board Certified in labor and employment law by the Florida Bar. She has been representing employers in all aspects of labor and employment law compliance and litigation for over 11 years.

Labor Expert Mr. TJ Freno Presentation: Attract, Reward, Retain Mfg. Talent in Today’s Market TJ, Manager of Strategic Programs, Orion Talent, helps companies acquire skilled professionals using targeted strategies for optimizing recruitment processes, finely matching employment opportunities with candidate skills.

October 4-5, 2019

• Networking Dinners Saturday, October 5 • Networking Session – Morning Open conversation among peers • Networking Session – Afternoon Open conversation among peers • 2019 – 2020 Networking Plan Discussion re: continuing networking through the year • Closing Remarks & Networking Reception • Networking Dinners

October 3-5, 2019

Come a day early and see the latest in print and graphic technology at PRINT 19 at McCormick Place.

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A Section

Features

Departments

ACCELERATING DIGITAL GROWTH

Transforming Your Business

CRITICAL THINKING

Canadian media outlets collaborate to tackle the biggest challenges in the industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 8

FIGHTING CHILD POVERTY Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tells the story of a community in need . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 9

POWER IN NUMBERS Texas newspapers expose Southern Baptist church leaders and volunteers involved in sexual misconduct . . . . p. 12

ADVERTISING MADE EASY

More than 700 industry leaders attend Mega-Conference in Las Vegas . . p. 30

Digital Media Meltdown

Was the Washington Post’s Super Bowl ad a wise investment? . . . . . . . . . . . p. 15

DATA PAGE

Between laying off hundreds and losing web traffic and dollars, what does the future of news look like now? . . . p. 32

Media distrust around the world, benefits of subscribing, types of mis- and disinformation, AI and the newsroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 18

25 Under 35

PRODUCTION

The next generation of newspaper leaders wants to keep the industry moving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 38

Taking inventory of critical onsite parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 26

Richmond Times-Dispatch launches video marketing solution . . . . . . . . p. 13

NEWSPEOPLE New hires, promotions and relocations across the industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 58

FINDING SOLUTIONS

SHOPTALK

Why the IndyStar is working on a year-long project centered on violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 14

Journalism’s Dunbar number . . . p. 66

PHOTO OF THE MONTH Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 16

Columns INDUSTRY INSIGHT

BUSINESS OF NEWS

DIGITAL PUBLISHING

Why newsroom metrics should have an expiration date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 20

Why the press should stop giving mass shooters publicity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 22

Is there a way for publishers to predict referral web traffic? . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 24

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editorial

Paper or Plastic?

W

hen I was sixteen, I got my very first job, bagging groceries. I learned to keep cold items together, separate the household purchases from the food and compactly pack everything into a bag like I was playing Tetris. Today, I pretty much still do the same thing. Enter any grocery store, and you will hardly see any baggers now. Instead, you see more selfcheckout machines in their place.

I don’t want the same thing to happen in our newsrooms.

As more newspapers cut staff, consumers are heading elsewhere to find their news; most of them are navigating through the swamplands of social media on their own, unaware if what they’re reading is even true or not. That’s why we need journalists—and not the self-checkout kind.

In this issue, we recognize 25 young men and women actively working in our newsrooms. Their job titles range from news editor to interactive producer; their skill sets involve sales, reporting, digital and marketing. As we were putting together the story and learning more about the individuals, I noticed the different backgrounds they had.

Some came from large, metropolitan cities.

Some resided in small, rural communities.

Some of them pursued a career in journalism and communications. Some of them didn’t study journalism, but still chose to work in newspapers.

As you read over their profiles, you’ll find they are fully aware of the struggles taking place inside our industry. They understand the pain of budget cuts, the frustrations of working with limited resources, and the challenges of how to stay relevant and innovative in their communities. But they still believe in newspapers; they still believe in their mission and the power of the press; and they still believe in a future and that their newsroom has a place for them.

What they need is for their newsroom to believe in them. Cultivate their talents. Reward and acknowledge them for their work.

Let them have a seat at the table. Let their 4 |

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CORPORATE OFFICES (949) 660-6150

voices be heard. Let their ideas be seen.

And it’s not just young professionals working at legacy media companies that need that kind of support.

In January, digital brands like BuzzFeed and Vice let go of hundreds of employees (the majority of them probably in their twenties and thirties). Digital start-up Mic, which catered their content toward millennials, was sold at the end of 2018, resulting in more than a 100 people losing their jobs.

Writing for the Columbia Journalism Review, 26-year-old and former Mic platforms editor Spencer Dukoff chronicled how this was his third time getting laid off.

The first was for another website, the second was with the New York Daily News.

“When I entered the industry, I thought that bloodletting was a natural result of publishers failing to evolve. I was horribly naïve,” Dukoff wrote. “I’ve now realized I had a front-row seat for the decisionmaking processes and warped priorities of publishers, who chase scale with abandon, pay gobs of money for traffic, and preach an ethos of independence while quietly maneuvering toward a lucrative exit for themselves following a merger or acquisition.”

It’s a tough lesson for anyone to learn, regardless of your age.

“Should I continue doing this or should I find something else?” Dukoff considered.

His answer: “If there’s something else that will bring you as much joy that journalism does, do that. But if you feel like you have unfinished business, and that your perspective and talent would be wasted by getting out of Dodge, then you’ll always regret leaving.”

My career path may have started by asking people if they wanted paper or plastic, but I always knew I wanted to be a writer.

Working in newspapers and publishing has given me that joy Dukoff described. I can’t imagine myself doing “something else.”

And neither can our 25 Under 35 this year.—NY

FAX (949) 660-6172 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jeff Fleming jeff@editorandpublisher.com MANAGING EDITOR Nu Yang nu.yang@editorandpublisher.com GRAPHIC DESIGN Meredith Ewell ASSISTANT EDITOR Evelyn Mateos evelyn@editorandpublisher.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Rob Tornoe, Tim Gallagher Matt DeRienzo SALES AND MARKETING CONSULTANT Wendy MacDonald, ext. 231 wendy@editorandpublisher.com CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING SALES Jon Sorenson (800) 887-1615 FAX (866) 605-2323 classifieds@editorandpublisher.com SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES (888) 732-7323 CIRCULATION ASSISTANTS Emily Wells Horneff Dustin Nguyen PRODUCTION Mary Monge TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR David Kelsen OPERATIONS MANAGER Jennifer Chen, ext. 214 jennifer@editorandpublisher.com

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EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING MAILING ADDRESS 18475 Bandilier Circle, Fountain Valley, CA 92708 www.editorandpublisher.com Editor & Publisher is printed in the U.S.A.

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3/18/19 3:34 PM

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comments )))

Tech Won’t Replace News Reporting Perhaps I just don’t understand the vastness of AI, but I can’t imagine AI responding to an accident scene, covering a city council meeting, interviewing people on the street or conducting any investigative work (“Critical Thinking: Will Robot Journalism Replace Human Journalists?” February 2019). Someone, somewhere must input the data for it to process, and there’s a lot of information not on the web—ask any journalist waiting for a phone call on deadline. And news outlets must employ editors to weigh the importance of news stories not only against generic importance, urgency and interest, but against their particular group of consumers at any given time. Cell phone cameras, browsers, recorders and even voice-to-text translators do a lot to help a journalist—and have even reduced non-journalist staffing needs—but I don’t see tech replacing the ability to sense news, collect relevant data and comments, and produce compelling articles. And what about feature stories?

I’m constantly amazed by the imagination and innovation of all kinds of R&D, and 6 |

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perhaps some enterprising tech company will take my questions as a challenge and prove me wrong, but I doubt it will happen in my lifetime.

GREGORY NORFLEET

Submitted on editorandpublisher.com

Media Dislike of Trump is Revealing The hatred for Trump demonstrated by mainstream media before and after Trump’s election has been clearly voiced and reported and continues today (“Shoptalk: Are the Media Biased Against Trump or is He Being Held to a Lower Standard?”

February 2019). Interesting, even sad, how so many industry journalists have moved away from professional standards of reporting and chose instead to report from a deep personal bias of dislike for Trump on a daily basis. Even sadder, these journalists and editorial boards fail to recognize Americans get it and they see what media has become as they pursue other avenues of news reporting.

JERRY KURBATOFF

Submitted on editorandpublisher.com

Celebrity Comments Not Worth Reporting If a celebrity asserts really stupid or vile comments, why report it in the first place? (“Business of News: Sorry or Not Sorry,” February 2019). I suspect outside of the celebrity world, few people care what a celebrity thinks. This should be abundantly clear after the last presidential election when Clinton believed the entertainment industry endorsements would help ensure her victory. Further, I am confused as to why the media keeps providing a platform for certain entertainers whose cruel rhetoric is pure volatile hatred and damaging to others. Optics really matter and readers continue seeking alternative news reporting outlets, why?

JERRY KURBATOFF

Submitted on editorandpublisher.com

Send us your comments nu.yang@editorandpublisher.com “Comments,” Editor & Publisher, 18475 Bandilier Circle, Fountain Valley, CA 92708 Please include your name, title, city and state, and email address.

Letters may be edited for all the usual reasons.

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EPPYFPad19.qxp_Layout 1 3/14/19 9:47 AM Page 1

2019 CALL FOR ENTRIES Begins June 4

Honoring the Best in Digital Media The EPPYTM Awards, presented by Editor & Publisher, honor the best in digital media across 30 diverse categories, including excellence in college and university journalism. Now in its 24th year, this international contest has broadened its scope and also includes categories for investigative features, mobile apps,

videos, webcasts, advertising/marketing, photography and community service.

Entries to the EPPYTM Awards are judged by a panel of notable figures in the media industry, chosen by the staff of Editor & Publisher.

For more information, please contact: Entry deadline: Aug. 23, 2019 Martha McIntosh at martha@editorandpublisher.com eppyawards.com

editorandpublisher.com

the A section VOLUME 152

FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL 2019

ISSUE 4

> Look Ahead

Accelerating Digital Growth Canadian media outlets collaborate to tackle the biggest challenges in the industry

By Evelyn Mateos

T

hese days, it’s not uncommon for newspapers to work together and collaborate, but now, digital news media outlets are following the same path.

Last summer, Canadian digital news media company The Discourse began to examine what was working in Canada and the U.S. by focusing on what new media outlets were opening instead of on what newsrooms were closing.

Funding from the McConnell Foundation, Waterloo Global Science Initiative and Canadian Film Centre Media Lab allowed The Discourse to research this thought more thoroughly, write a report on their findings, and gather together a group of industry experts and media outlets.

Their findings led them to focus on three of the biggest chal} Lindsay Sample lenges facing the 8 |

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about how (these goals) will be executed…we’re building it as we go,” said Lindsay Sample, managing editor of The Discourse. “But we felt given the current situation—how many jobs were being cut and other factors—that we needed to at least stamp down our goals.”

Sample mentioned that CJI was inspired by many U.S. models, and } Erin Miller, founder and CEO of The Discourse, speaking with the the group will possibly founder of The Pointer, San Grewal, (right) and the founder of The Public Record, Joey Coleman, (left) at a Canadian Journalism Innovators convene every other week meeting. (Photo by Lindsay Sample) to review priorities and share ideas.

Although their journey is just starting, industry: the lack of money, innovation and the interest in CJI has been extensive. diversity.

Sample said they have been fielding quesIn November 2018, The Discourse invited tions every day because “people want to nine digital news media outlets to gather share and learn…because there’s so much together to discuss these challenges: The need for information.”

Narwhal, Taproot Edmonton, The Pointer, This need to network is, essentially, why Indian and Cowboy, The Sprawl, Media CJI is so important.

Indigena, The Public Record and The Deep.

“Everyone is just trying to make their Together, the companies formed the Canaorganizations succeed,” she said. “(Anyone) dian Journalism Innovators (CJI). in start-up journalism labs can feel overBy January, CJI officially launched with worked and alone and like you’re fighting three main goals: mobilize funding to crean uphill battle. So to have a group that ate sustainable business models for public comes together is really what motivated the service journalism; accelerate innovation founding of the Canadian Journalism Innothrough collaborative research and develvators. We want to hold on to this energy; opment; and ensure women and people of we need to formalize this in some way.” color are equitably respected among foundFor more information, visit join.thedisers and leaders of new digital media. course.ca/canadianjournalisminnovators.

“We’ve had one meeting so far to talk editorandpublisher.com

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the A section

Fighting Child Poverty Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tells the story of a community in need

} The Weems family (left) and Jared Todd (right) were both featured in the first installment of Growing Up Through the Cracks. (Copyright Pittsburgh PostGazette 2019. Reprinted with permission.)

O

ne of the most important missions for newspapers is to give a voice to the voiceless. At the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the paper has turned its attention to one of those communities in need of help: children living in

poverty.

The result was a series called Growing Up Through the Cracks that “captured the focus on children, the infrastructural issues of the neighborhoods and hinted at the fragmentation of the region’s government,” said Post-Gazette investigative reporter Rich Lord.

The series launched in January, and it is available in print, online, and as a graphic novel and interactive website (bit. ly/2D8ErrZ). Because each installment of the ongoing series is so detailed, there is currently no set schedule for when each new one will appear.

The idea started in late 2017 when Lord approached Chris Briem, a demographer at the University of Pittsburgh, about communities in distress. Briem suggested child poverty was a good metric and one that had a certain natural human interest to it.

“You really can’t blame kids for being born into difficult circumstances,” Lord said.

Together, Lord and Briem collected census data, and according to Lord, “worked with that (data in) early 2018 to identify com-

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munities with at least 400 people under the age of 18 and child poverty rate of 50 percent of more in a roughly 10-county area.”

Several communities fit the criteria including seven Allegheny County municipalities, three Fayette County municipalities, and one each in both Armstrong County and Westmoreland County.

Lord said the data surprised him because it proved there was a tight correlation between child poverty rates and non-home ownership, human services and tax base sufficiency.

In addition to the Post-Gazette team, illustrator Stacy Innerst (whose work was supported by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project) worked on drawing images for the article and the graphic novel titled “Jared’s Narrowed World” based on the first story in the series. Because of the added funding and support, the paper was able to produce the series on so many different platforms.

While the graphic novel received the most tangible feedback, Lord told E&P that was not the only positive reaction the project has garnered so far. Local residents of these communities have reached out thanking the newspaper for their work.

Currently, the Post-Gazette is working on about six other installments for the series and have about two dozen other ideas for the future. While the first installment was very broad and covered a lot of ground, Lord said the upcoming ones will have more focused themes.—EM

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the A section Tornoe’s Corner

OF THE MONTH In November 2018, the Camp Fire in Northern California became one of the deadliest wildfires in the state, killing at least 85 people and destroying more than 153,000 acres.

Sacramento Bee video producer Alyssa Hodenfield struggled to convey what the Camp Fire was like and how it affected the community of Paradise, Calif., but she decided to tell the story in its entirety through a documentary. Titled “When Paradise Became Hell: The Story of the Camp Fire,” the film is approximately 30 minutes long and can be viewed at bit.ly/2CMDCEX. In an interview with the Local Media Association, Hodenfield said she was overwhelmed with the quality of coverage she was receiving from Bee journalists and found that it was difficult to create a short three minute clip as she originally intended.

Instead, she spent hours collecting drone and body cam footage and interviews from victims. She also interviewed reporters and photographers themselves so that they too could describe their personal experience.

“When the Camp Fire broke out, the entire newsroom was on board in coverage efforts. Reporters and photographers were in Paradise for countless hours talking to people, getting stories and footage,” Hodenfield told LMA. “The obligation my colleagues have to this community is inspiring, and that’s exactly why I wanted the (Bee) reporters and photographers to be the main narrators in the documentary.” —EM

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> Wise Advice “How can reporters best tackle the gray areas in drone journalism, such as privacy concerns and airspace?”

Respect and stepping carefully are how you handle these areas. Flying over public areas—parks, streets, etc.—gives you some protection from trespassing claims, but there’s still the issue of violating someone’s reasonable expectation of privacy when you, for instance, capture an image of their backyard when you’re 50 feet in the air getting video of a car crash.

You can try and maneuver around to get a shot that seems less invasive or use a different lens. That doesn’t make a difference when someone comes out with a shotgun and accuses you of violating their property.

They don’t even need the shotgun; they can just call the police and complain, and

then it’s roulette as to whether you get an officer who is knowledgeable about law or not. So you have to be respectful.

I’ve found that explaining the National  Judd Slivka Air Space the drone is operating in is actually a public space makes no impression at all. So try and explain what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. And if someone is really perturbed, land the drone and go down the street. There’s a lot more to lose both physically and reputation-wise if you escalate that confrontation.

Judd Slivka is Reynolds Journalism Institute’s first director of aerial journalism as well as an assistant professor of convergence journalism at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. editorandpublisher.com

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the A section From the Archive “Though I did cite these publications and tried to credit everybody perfectly, you know, I fell short.”

Former New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson told NPR after allegations she plagiarized passages in her new book surfaced  This updated newspaper vending machine from Automated News Vending Systems featured an optional device that allowed it to accept payment from cash cards, each embedded with a computer chip. At the time, card-operated newsracks were popular in Europe, but hadn’t caught on in the U.S. Some of the concerns included cost (vending boxes with card readers cost more than $1,000 while basic models with a mechanical coin mechanism cost $250), and the fact that the public was not used to the technology of cash cards. This photo originally appeared in the June 24, 1995 issue of E&P.

LEGAL BRIEFS Sacramento Bee and Los Angeles Times Sue Sacramento Sheriff Department

As reported in the Sacramento (Calif.) Bee, the Bee, along with the Los Angeles Times, have jointly sued the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department. The two newspapers charged that the department refused to follow Senate Bill 1421, which went into effect Jan., 1, 2019 and requires the release of police records in shootings among other cases. The lawsuit was filed in Sacramento Superior Court and states that both newspapers

filed public records act requests under the new law, seeking the release of documents dating back to 2014, which include investigations and findings on deputies involved in dishonesty, sexual assault, and the use of firearms. The department denied the requests stating the bill was not retroactive, but the lawsuit stated that the sheriff’s argument was mistaken and that requirements were indeed retroactive.

HD Media and Washington Post Argue for the Release of Data According to the Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette-Mail, its parent company, HD Media, along with the Washington Post, have filed a request for opioid tracking data from between 2006 to 2014 from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Automation of Reports and Consolidated Orders System. But District Judge Dan A. Polster ruled that the information should remain under seal. In January, the two newspapers filed legal briefs to appeal the judge’s decision. The briefs question the motive behind editorandpublisher.com

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blocking the information despite not having done so to previous data releases. The DEA argued releasing the data would disclose which pharmacies use which distributor services, and also that it would interfere with law enforcement efforts. In addition, another brief was filed by the Reporter’s Committee for Freedom of the Press, which includes more than 30 news media companies, in support of the two newspapers. The case now awaits a decision by the U.S. appeals court to hear oral arguments.

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the A section

Power in Numbers Texas newspapers expose Southern Baptist church leaders and volunteers involved in sexual misconduct

B

y pulling on a thread, reporters at the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News were able to unravel 20 years of sexual abuse and misconduct that took place within the Southern Baptist church.

Their findings appeared in Abuse of Faith, a series that launched in February (bit. ly/2SGD3Gl). It featured a database, three investigative } Gwen Casados sits on her daughter Heather Schneider’s bed.

Heather was sexually abused inside Second Baptist Church in articles that included interHouston, Texas and later died of a drug overdose. views with perpetrators and survivors, several explanatory around how big this problem was, how sidebar articles, and a platform for people to many people (were) involved and how share their own stories. much of it we could document.”

It all started in late 2017 when Chronicle The reporters searched news archives, reporter Robert Downen was working on a websites and databases nationwide going local story about a former Southern Baptist back as far as 1997 to compile a database Convention (SBC) official who had been of allegations of sexual abuse, sexual assued for sexually-based conduct. Through a sault and other sexual misconduct involvsimple LexisNexis search, Downen discoving Southern Baptist church leaders and ered that there were possibly hundreds of volunteers. other cases across the country and presentThey examined federal and state court ed his findings to Stephen Riley, the paper’s databases, prison records and official investigations editor. documents from more than 20 states and In March 2018, Downen began rigorously searched sex offender registries nationresearching the matter, and by June, two wide to verify details in hundreds of other reporters were assigned to the project: accounts. They also interviewed district Chronicle deputy investigations editor and } The front page of the first installment of Abuse of attorneys and police in more than 40 senior investigative reporter Lise Olsen and Faith.

Texas counties. former Express-News investigative reporter When the series was published, the John Tedesco who recently joined the impact of their work spread far and wide.

Chronicle. For nearly a year, the reporters intense,” Riley said.

“We’re getting a lot of people writing us worked with photographer Jon Shapley, He added, “What’s been really interesting about their story and wanting us to add along with others who helped gather inforto me is a lot of local papers have used our people to the database,” Riley said. mation for the database. database to pull the perpetrators in order to The newsroom was also blown away by “The power in the story was the numbers go in and report in their own communities. the attention the project received online. and how many there were,” Riley said. “The I can’t say that was the driving reason that “This has been by far the most read story in extra cloud of the victim’s stories and the we published the database, but I’m glad it’s the history of HoustonChronicle.com…the interviews with the perpetrators came later, there for them to use.”—EM interest from other media has been really but we were really trying to get a frame

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the A section

Advertising Made Easy Richmond Times-Dispatch launches video marketing solution

T

he Richmond (Va.) TimesDispatch has launched Virginia’s first digital out-of-home video marketing solution. Combining data and technology, the Virginia Video Network (VVN) is a location-based video advertising solution delivered through standalone periodical racks and video displays.

According to a press release, the new solution provides a way for advertisers to target VVN racks in desirable locations based on data demographic and market directly to consumers at the point of purchase in high traffic retail locations.

Currently, there are more than 20 active display screens in retail locations across

Richmond, Va. The Times-Dispatch has also partnered with GPM Investments,

LLC, along with their Fas Mart convenience stores, to place 10 screens in their top locations.

The program is led by a five-year employee of the Times-Dispatch and former director of digital sales Broderick Thomas.

His new title is director of the Virginia Video Network.

“The Virginia Video Network revolutionizes the way we provide valuable news content that our audience depends on, as well as the business solutions that we offer to our advertising partners,” Thomas said in the press release. “VVN expands the dynamics of how the RTD broadcasts in our community.”—EM

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the A section

Finding Solutions Why the IndyStar is working on a year-long project centered on violence

N

ot so long ago, violence was ubiquitous in the media. For the IndyStar newsroom, it remains a problem that needs a solution.

Last year, Ryan Martin, public safety reporter, and James Briggs, city hall reporter, pitched the idea to the newsroom to launch The Toll, a year-long reporting project that would help explore and fight violence in their city.

According to the paper, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department has opened more than 600 investigations into criminal homicides over the past four years. It was enough for editor Alvie Lindsay to say it was time for action.

The Toll will peel back the layers of violence and share untold stories in the area. A weekly newsletter can be found at indystar.com/thetoll.

Martin said, for example, “(In February), we published a story about a crumbling condominium complex where violence is commonplace and unchecked, in part, because of a lingering lawsuit between a small homeowners association and the city over property right.”

These are the types of stories not normally found by looking through police reports, he said. Instead, the project calls for reporters to spend more time with multiple groups of people in the community.

The newsletter also keeps local residents informed of criminal homicides, developments relating to public safety, and events in the community aimed at helping neighborhoods to prevent crime.

The project kicked off in January with a great response, Martin said. “Readers, advocates, crime victims, judges, police officers, prosecutors and attorneys have been 14 |

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} James Briggs

} The Toll aims to help inform residents of violence in the Indianapolis area.

reaching out with suggestions and ideas.

We obviously can’t do our jobs without a community who is as committed as we are—and our community definitely cares.”

Despite their added responsibilities of the newsletter and with spending more time in the community, Martin said he and Briggs are handling the extra weight.

“We’ve had tremendous support from our top editors—Ronnie Ramos, Ginger Rough and Alvie Lindsay—as well as tons of help from several digital and visual journalists.

It’s a newsroom effort.”

} Ryan Martin

In addition, Martin said the team needs “be smart about how we spend our time so we can focus on what matters. But that’s the story of every newspaper journalist regardless of whether you’re on a special project.”

But Martin emphasized that this type of journalism is important. “For public safety reporters, it can be easy to drown among a sea of stories every day that don’t say much or help many people. Indianapolis deserves better, so that’s what we’re trying to do.”—EM editorandpublisher.com

3/15/19 5:11 PM

critical thinking

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

J-school students and industry vets tackle the tough questions

“The Washington Post reportedly spent about $10 million for a Super Bowl commercial this year. Was it a wise way to invest in journalism, or should the money have been invested in their employees?”

A:

If you managed to sit through a snoozer of a Super Bowl this year, then you likely saw the minute-long Tom Hanks-voiced Washington Post commercial supporting journalism during the fourth quarter.

Washington Post reporters took to Twitter to give their thoughts on the Joe Severino, 21 $10 million commercial. “Now unsenior, West Virginia freeze our pensions, pay an equal wage, University, Morgantown, W.Va. and strengthen maternity benefits,” Severino is studying journalDan Zak, a longtime reporter from the ism and is currently the news Post, tweeted to owner Jeff Bezos’ aceditor for the Daily Athenaeum. He is set to graduate this count during the Super Bowl. spring.

I think most Post reporters probably had a similar question: Why spend eight figures on a commercial during a football game when you can use that money to pay existing reporters, and then hire even more?

But the only question I have is what if Bezos invested that $10 million in local journalism instead?

News outlets like the Post, New York Times and Wall Street Journal have enjoyed surges in readership and subscriptions since 2016, mainly fueled by the role journalists are playing in covering the Trump administration.

Democracy is failing But almost every other newsif citizens don’t have room in America is shrinking. journalists looking For years in regions like Appalachia, the Midwest and the deep out for them.

South, newsrooms have shrunk rapidly, wages have been decreasing or stagnant, and less and less people every day aren’t getting their news from a newspaper.

Democracy is failing if citizens don’t have journalists looking out for them. The reporters who are in the statehouses, the ones who cover issues in rural areas where no one else is, the reporters who investigate and hold powerful local officials accountable—the public deserves these reporters.

If Bezos has journalism’s best interests in mind, he should work toward securing funding for local newsrooms and reporters. If you want people to start trusting the media again, you should start with getting people to trust the journalists who live in the same neighborhoods they do. editorandpublisher.com

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A:

This prompt asks us to pass judgment on the actions of a specific company. “Critical Thinking” doesn’t often do that. As a columnist for a business publication, I rarely criticize business owners who appear to me to be making decisions based on their understanding of their company’s best interests. Even if those Scott Robertson, 51 decisions appear questionable from my managing editor, The perspective, I’m not often privy to the Business Journal of Tri-Cities Tennessee/Virginia; opinion full details of a business owner’s unique editor, Johnson City (Tenn.) circumstances.

News & Neighbor I’ll report facts all day long, but the Robertson has edited The last thing a small business owner needs Business Journal of Tri-Cities as he or she struggles to make payroll is Tennessee/Virginia since some smart-aleck columnist standing 2006. When Derby Publishing purchased the publication in outside throwing rocks at the windows.

2012, he began writing weekly That having been said, Jeff Bezos is no columns in Johnson City small business owner, so…(picks up News & Neighbor as well. rock).

With roughly $10 million, the Washington Post could have offered better benefits, extended parental leave or increased the newsroom employee headcount. Additionally, it could have paid any number of existing costs or increased its reserves for contingencies. Given all those choices, buying 60 seconds of air time for a spot that would be overshadowed by Cardi B and “The Dude” hardly seems an optimal use of resources.

Just as the Post was inactive on employee issues before the Super Bowl, its ad offered no call to action to viewers, only an expensive but hollow expression of admiration for the dedication of journalists.

I’m sure the journalists at the Post take pride in their work and appreciate the sentiment. Still, it’s hard to see the potential for a significant return on this $10 million “investment in journalism” when one has a high deductible and low take-home.

One can only hope CBS gave Bezos a package deal for the Post spot and that Amazon ad featuring Harrison Ford and a package-ordering dog. Both ads did Post employees about the same amount of good. 

Its ad offered no call to action to viewers...

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photo of the month

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editorandpublisher.com

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

WORTH THE WAIT ď ˝ Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel (Waterville, Maine) Voters fill the polls at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. The state experienced a record-breaking turn out of voters at 65 percent, breaking the old record set four years ago at 59 percent. Voters waited in line for up to three hours to cast their ballot.

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data page Media Distrust Around the World Based on a survey of 26 markets (the 10 lowest are listed here), with 1,150 adult respondents per market

% OF TRUST IN THE MEDIA IN EACH MARKET Russia

-9

26%

Turkey

-3

27%

Ireland

+2

Japan

+3

YOY change

35% 35%

France

+3

36%

Spain

-8

36%

U.K

+5

Argentina

-1

Australia Brazil

37% 38%

+9

40%

-2

41% Source: 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer Global Report

7 Types of Mis- and Disinformation SATIRE OR PARODY: No intention to cause harm but has potential to fool MISLEADING CONTENT: Misleading use of information to frame an issue or individual IMPOSTER CONTENT: When genuine sources are impersonated FABRICATED CONTENT: New content is 100% false, designed to deceive and do harm FALSE CONNECTION: When headlines, visuals or captions don’t support the content FALSE CONTEXT: When genuine content is shared with false contextual information MANIPULATED CONTENT: When genuine information or imagery is manipulated to deceive Source: Claire Wardle, First Draft

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Benefits of Subscribing Based on a survey of nearly 4,000 participants in seven countries: the United States, France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Belgium.

WHICH BENEFITS DO YOU APPRECIATE MOST FROM PAYING FOR ONLINE NEWS? 40.7%

I like getting an unlimited number of digital stories

36.2%

I get access to print in addition to digital content

33.1%

I get content that is only available to paying customers

27.6%

I like the editorial selection and the specific format of the news

20.3%

I feel good about contributing to the news organization

6.5%

It gives me access to events sponsored by the news organization

6.2%

I get access to giveaways or other benefits only available to subscribers I like the coupons or discounts

2.9%

Source: “Reinventing Digital Editions,” report, Twipe, November 2018

AI and the Newsroom Based on responses from 195 digital leaders in 29 countries

TO WHAT DEGREE DO YOU AGREE WITH THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS? Disagree Neither agree nor disagree

We need to invest in artificial intelligence (e.g machine learning) to help meet future challenges

7% 27%

5% 10%

15% 51%

Tend to agree Strongly agree

We need to invest more in editors and journalists to help meet the future challenges

51%

34%

Source: “Journalism, Media, and Technology Trends and Predictions 2019” Digital News report, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, January 2019 editorandpublisher.com

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industry insight

Analytics with a Shelf Life Why newsroom metrics should have an expiration date

By Matt DeRienzo

Y

ou get what you measure.

Count the number of bylines a newspaper reporter produces, and you’ll likely get more bylines.

Track page views closely, and your newsroom will be far more attune to what is driving page views and how to get more of them.

What a news organization includes in the set of metrics that leadership and staff monitor regularly can have some unintended consequences. Distraction from things that are more important, if nothing else. Google Analytics can measure a lot of different things, and there’s a temptation to include 20 |

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as many ways of measuring audience as one can cram into a spreadsheet. In the process, staff can get hung up on measuring changes in process instead of changes in outcomes.

For example, averaging more page views per unique user is a positive development, but might not be the most important thing if the real outcome goal is an overall increase in page views. And is an increase in page views really the goal? Or is an increase in digital ad revenue the outcome you’re looking for? Because those photo gallery page views that are getting there could be bringing a fraction of the revenue of article page views. And the horrific crime story

that no advertiser wants to be adjacent to might not be getting to you that outcome, either.

Key performance indicators should have a shelf life. If you’re still tracking the same things you were three years ago, or even one year ago, it’s time to start over. Are the outcomes you need the same as when you decided to measure these particular things?

Have audience behavior and your relationship with social and search platforms and other technology changed since then? What have you learned since then about the warning signs and positive indicators of failure or success in getting to those outcomes? editorandpublisher.com

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Most news organizations over the past year or two have put a huge emphasis on shifting toward paid digital subscriptions.

A seismic shift in how newsrooms measure success should have followed. But we’re so new into understanding what drives subscription conversions, and what fills the funnel of readers most likely to subscribe, that those metrics should probably be tweaked every few months at this point.

In fact, the shift to digital reader revenue upends traditional metrics when you consider that the decision to subscribe is likely more an expression of support and faith in the work a newsroom is doing than it is the purchase of a tangible product like the print edition of a newspaper, delivered to a doorstep. How do you measure how a particular story makes someone feel, for example, or how a combination of coverage and user experience and even interaction with newsroom staff provide a tipping point for subscription conversion?

D V M & A

Jennifer Brandel, whose company, Hearken, helps news organizations invite readers into their journalistic process, warned about “digital bubbles built on illusory metrics” in predicting that newsrooms will “pivot to people” in 2019.

“As pageview-driven business models continue to struggle, newsrooms will try to identify and agree upon what’s useful (and realistic) to measure about their journalism, in order to show its value to different stakeholders, like the audience (subscriber or member models), advertisers or sponsors, and grant funders,” she wrote in the piece for Nieman Lab. As newsroom resources continue to shrink, there’s also a good case to be made for ruthless tracking of “key non-performance indicators.” How much of what we write or produce is read by almost no one, or not enough people to generate a positive return on investment?

Similar to an expiration date on key

performance indicators themselves, what mechanisms are in place to learn from and implement changes based on what these metrics show? Are they a report card, or actionable pieces of information that lead directly to changes in behavior or strategy ahead of the next report? 

Matt DeRienzo is vice president of news and digital content for Hearst’s newspapers and websites in Connecticut.

He has worked in journalism as a reporter, editor, publisher, corporate director of news for 25 years, including serving as the first full-time executive director of LION Publishers, a national nonprofit that supports the publishers of local independent online news organizations.

THE SHEARMAN FAMILY

HAS SOLD

TRINIDAD (CO) CHRONICLE-NEWS 3,200 daily circulation

TO

CHRONICLE-NEWS MEDIA GROUP We are pleased to have represented the Shearman family in this transaction.

Dirks, Van Essen, Murray & April

Santa Fe, NM t: 505.820.2700 www.dirksvanessen.com

editorandpublisher.com

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business of news

Why the press should stop giving mass shooters publicity

By Tim Gallagher

A

lex Teves was born in suburban New Jersey, moved to Phoenix as a youngster, earned his master’s degree in Denver and was shot to death in a movie theater in 2012 in Aurora, Colo., while shielding his girlfriend from a man on a killing spree.

About 20 miles away and 13 years earlier, two killers entered a high school armed with automatic weapons and a bomb. They killed 12 students and a teacher before killing themselves. This month, we will recognize the 20th anniversary since the Columbine High School shootings, and Alex’s parents have a simple request for us in the news media: Stop naming the killers.

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Stop naming all the killers in these mass shootings. Stop giving them the publicity they want. Stop making them famous.

Focus instead on those who were killed, the wounded and the heroes. Repeat their names. Tell their stories. Put the attention on those whose lives were taken, not those who took the lives. After Alex’s death, Caren and Tom Teves helped organize a movement called No Notoriety. They understand that news media must report the name of the shooter in the immediate aftermath of the attacks. They also understand that reporters will try to answer the question of why he did it.

But after those initial days, they want the

news media to stop repeating the names of the shooters in every story. Focus instead on those who were killed. Put attention on the innocent and not on the guilty.

They point to a number of academic studies, as well as growing anecdotal evidence, showing the killers crave the attention they know they will receive for carrying out these horrific acts. Blow away a bunch of people and you’ve written your name in infamy, these killers believe. But if the newspapers quit printing their names, if the cable television stations quit plastering their photos 24/7, they believe they’ve taken away one of the reasons these shooters carry out their attacks. (In a much less editorandpublisher.com

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serious comparison, Tom Teves noted in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper that when TV stations quit broadcasting the idiots who ran on the field during a sporting event, the number of these incidents plummeted.)

The Teves were in Hawaii when their son was murdered, and it took them almost two days to get to Colorado because of difficult flight connections. Everywhere they went on their journey they saw their son’s killer’s name and photo. On the TV news. In the newspaper. The names and photos of the victims appeared far less frequently.

Caren Teves is not naïve. Taking away notoriety is only one step that has to be taken to halt these mass shootings. No Notoriety is well aware that easy access to firearms and the nation’s inadequate mental health system play a major role as well.

“Why not focus on the ‘why’ and not on the ‘who’?” she asks.

These attacks have not stopped since

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No Notoriety began, of course. And some in the media—notably USA Today—rejected No Notoriety’s call. Editors gave the standard “Where does this stop?” response when writing their editorial. It’s a canned response, but one that is familiar in journalism where principles often smother empathy.

But let me tell you what I have noted here in Southern California. Last November, I woke one morning to that dreaded news alert that said a dozen people had been killed in a nightclub shooting in “the Los Angeles area.” Within a few minutes, I learned that the club was in Thousand Oaks, less than 10 miles from my home.

The gunman killed 11 people that night.

Sgt. Ron Helus of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office bravely entered the Borderline Bar and Grill to stop him and was killed by friendly fire.

In the months since the Borderline shooting, I have noticed a clear distinction

in the local coverage. There are dozens of articles about those who died, along with memorials to them and fundraisers for them. Aside from the first few days of stories focused on “Who was the shooter?” and “Why did he do this?” his notoriety is over. You have to do a Google search for his name because it’s just not that well-known.

But everyone knows Sgt. Ron Helus. 

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

Asking for Directions Is there a way for publishers to predict referral web traffic?

By Rob Tornoe

I

n journalism today, it often feels like we’re addicted to trying to squeeze web traffic from the shiny new object of the month. From Pinterest to LinkedIn to Snapchat to Reddit, we’re constantly presented with new platforms we hope to exploit for our own traffic gains, afraid we’re going to miss out on the next Facebook.

Naturally, that leads to a lot of squandered time and energy in an industry that often can’t spare either. What if there was a way to reliably predict referral traffic trends before you end up wasting your time tilting at windmills?

Enter Kelsey Arendt, a senior market analyst at Parse.ly, a web analytics platform that provides traffic data and analytics to hundreds of top news and entertainment websites. Arendt, drawing on mountains worth of data from her company’s partners, recently published a deep dive (bit. ly/2GMfc0y) on referral traffic that does 24 |

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more than just show the largest outside drivers of traffic (no surprises there)—it also shows what reasonable trends you can expect in terms of growth (or decline) in 2019.

It’s something that Arendt and her colleagues have been doing for awhile, and in the past, it’s allowed them to unearth some gems, such as noticing Facebook referral traffic declining for six straight months prior to the social media giant announcing changes to its news feed algorithm.

“I want people to pay more attention to the average month-over-month change in traffic, and then the range of potential month-over-month change, and stop focusing so much on year-over-year,” Arendt said. “Year-to-year is important, but if you’re going to set reasonable goals for referral traffic, things change so fast you shouldn’t be using data from several months or years ago.”

Before we start talking about referral

websites, one thing that jumped out to me from the report was that internal referral traffic—people clicking hyperlinks or related content on your page—made up 35 percent of all traffic last year. According to Arendt, that’s more than any category of external referrals, meaning it’s vital from a traffic perspective to optimize your pages to make it easy for readers to find related content.

It’s also worth pointing out that direct referrals were also up slightly compared to last year, comprising about 23 percent of all traffic to websites in Parse.ly’s network (search makes up about 20 percent, while social comes in around 11 percent). Newsletters are generally a big driver of direct traffic, so if your newsroom hasn’t developed a newsletter strategy, now might be the time to get one started.

I know Arendt said not to focus on yearto-year growth, but I think the most relevant number unearthed in her report was editorandpublisher.com

3/15/19 5:27 PM

about referral traffic from Facebook, the data-stealing, election-throwing social media platform everyone seems to hate these days. Despite all the hemming and hawing over changes to Facebook’s algorithm and its de-emphasis of brand pages, referral traffic from the social media giant was actually up 14 percent compared to last year.

Surprised? I know I was. Interestingly, websites saw slow and consistent traffic growth for five consecutive months to end the year from Facebook, which is astonishing considering the peak-and-valley traffic results most websites garner from social media.

“Steady growth month-over-month growth like that is more likely due to engaged audiences and not changes to their algorithm,” Arendt said, who speculated that Facebook’s string of bad publicity might be forcing them to serve more quality content to keep users satisfied.

Still, editors can still expect some volatility from Facebook traffic on a month-tomonth basis, according to Arendt. In any given month, traffic to your website may be up 14 percent from Facebook, but it could also be down by as much as 10 percent. Like anything else, we’re still a slave to breaking news.

As you might expect, Facebook remains the dominant traffic source among social media referrers, easily dwarfing all the referral traffic from Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter combined (Twitter in particular looks like it’s slipping as a traffic source). That doesn’t mean newsrooms or reporters that are having success on any one of those platform should suddenly start doing anything differently.

“Instagram is an interesting one. It’s small, but a lot of publishers are really interested in diving in there,” Arendt said, pointing out it’s the least reliable social platform in terms of traffic. “It could be really good for you, or it could potential kick you in the shins a little bit.”

Apologies to Bing and Yahoo!, but in terms of search traffic, Google remains dominant. Referral traffic from the all-powerful search engine actually declined slightly last year. Despite that, in any given month (again, depending on the news), editors can editorandpublisher.com

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expect traffic to be up as much as 7 percent, which is big deal when you’re talking about a quarter of all web traffic.

Google also sends traffic to websites via Google News, its popular web aggregator.

Traffic from Google News grew an astounding 120 percent year-over-year (almost all on mobile), thanks largely to changes made on the backend after merging with Google Play Newsstand, which created a single news aggregator across all platforms.

As a result, Google News tops Flipboard, the Drudge Report and Yahoo! in terms of referral traffic.

One name that stood out to me combing over the Parse.ly report was SmartNews, a mobile-based news aggregator that has been buzzing in the Slack channels of engagement teams across the industry over the past few months. More than 300 news publishers in the U.S. have partnered with SmartNews, but that doesn’t prevent news stories from non-partners from ending up in the app’s feed, sending spurts of traffic to news publishers.

According to Arendt, referral traffic from SmartNews was up a whopping 145 percent in 2018 compared to 2017, and has been growing at an average of 9 percent a month (in a good month, you could see traffic from SmartNews up 17 percent). But it’s worth pointing out that while SmartNews is growing quickly, it’s still a very, very small source of referral traffic overall.

“The big picture is that quick little kickback that you saw on your site from SmartNews is happening to a lot of different sites,” Arendt said. “Even though they’re tiny, even in a bad month, you’re probably going to be gaining traffic from them. So, it’s one that’s definitely worth watching.” 

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

TAKING INVENTORY OF CRITICAL ONSITE PARTS When is a single point of failure going to make you pay?

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W

e’ve all had them: the restless nights tossing and turning thinking about if that certain weak critical part is going to make it through the press run or not. Unfortunately, very few of us are lucky enough to have a backup press on site.

Some of us are fortunate enough to have secondary folders, and some of us even have an adequate onsite parts inventory that we’ve accumulated over the years. But for the most part, the majority of us are in the same boat. We’ve got a decent stock of parts on hand, yet it seems that every time something serious breaks down, it’s a part the manufacturer has to order, and it’s going to take days or even weeks to get to our site.

I wish I had the magic plan on how to avoid those sleepless nights, but aside from an onsite backup press or a parts inventory that contains each and every part for a second press (not likely), we’re all at the mercy of that one critical part that someday is going to sneak up and bite us.

So, what can we do to minimize the risk?

Quite a bit.

} Today’s press controls are a complex mix of mechanical and electronic components that can challenge even the most experienced electrician. While drive controls have come a long way and are much more reliable, the complexity adds another layer of confusion for press operators when something goes wrong.

Photos courtesy of Jerry Simpkins

Research and Involve Everyone Start out by sitting down with the press manager and crews to discuss what items are most likely to take you down. Many of the parts on press are items we can “MacGyver:” a little bit of baling wire, some duct tape, gobs of crazy glue, and you’re back up and running. Other parts we can have machined either in our own shop or a machine shop across town.

Broken shafts, even some gears, bearings and various steel parts, can often be picked up or crafted locally. But then there are those specialized parts that we just can’t obtain from anyone but the manufacturer; more than likely those are the parts that are going to break at midnight on a Saturday night.

Personally, what keeps me up at night is the potential failure of electronics, the “drive parts.” Presses today are incorporating more and more electronics. As a result, they’ve become easier to run and quality of the final product is vastly improved, but with those gains come new and different challenges.

More electronics mean more points of failure, and one simple diode on a drive can take down multiple units, a folder or even your entire press.

When you start to put together a list, speak with your vendors (press and drives); no one is going to know better what key components you should have on the shelf.

Sit down with your crews and develop a list of critical parts that everyone agrees are the pieces that you absolutely need to have on the shelf in the event of catastrophic failure. These parts should be the ones that have far reaching risk for loss of multiple units or a single point of failure that can render your press inoperable.

Determine Your True Need Carefully evaluate need.

The tendency when developing such a list is to cover all your bases, yet financially this isn’t always practical. Sure, it would be nice to not have to worry about any single part and have a replacement on the shelf that can bail you out of every issue, but most companies simply are not able to have a few million dollars worth of parts sitting idle on the shelves. You’re going to have to determine cost and value verses reality and arrive at a list that covers the majority of issues that can stop you in your tracks, while being logical about the financial impact on the organization.

As you’re putting together the list of critical parts, you should detail next to each part what areas of the press will be impacted or limited in the event of failure. Not only is this necessary research to develop a solid list, but it will also come in handy when it comes

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} New press consoles allow operators to control printing units from a central location rather than running up and down ladders and darting from one end of the press to the other to set ink and water. There are tremendous advantages to the newer equipment in addition to less wear and tear on press operators.

time to request funding and justify the purchase.

Outside of physical need and financial impact, other thoughts that need to go into the process are: Projected delivery times and product availability. Depending on where your press was manufactured and the vintage of your press, you could be looking at anywhere from overnight shipping of a part up to months (yes, months) for that custom drive part to be manufactured and delivered. Your reaction may be “How can I go weeks or months without this part?” And that should be your reaction. That’s exactly why you need to do an excellent job of determining your critical parts requirements because this isn’t just a scare tactic, it is reality.

Many years ago, we had much more simplistic presses. If there was a problem with the water system, you flush it out, put a new elbow and hose on it, replace a sock, etc. If you could change a radiator hose on your car, you could probably figure out how to repair the water system on a press. Now we’ve incorporated spray bars, turbos, multiple electronics, and very high-end dampening systems that do a fabulous job—when they work. Problem is, like everything else, things break and parts simply aren’t as easy to repair or as accessible as they used to be.

Manufacturing times/delivery times verses other options. I’ve written articles before on contingency and disaster planning. If you don’t have a comprehensive disaster plan in place, I’d recommend reading over “Developing an Effective Business Continuity and Recovery Plan” published in the June 2016 issue of E&P, then putting together a plan of your own (preferably before you need it).

A basic contingency plan. Keep in mind that if you have developed a solid list of critical onsite parts and established that inventory, all this is a moot point.

First, you’ll need to determine how bad the problem is. Is the nec28 |

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essary part sitting on the shelf? Problem solved. Or is it a part that isn’t readily available from the manufacturer?

Obviously, the first thing to do is exhaust your contacts. I’m sure no one really needs this advice since this is what we all do immediately. Call around, reach out to vendors, ask for advice and alternatives, search the internet for refurbished parts, etc. Be vigilant and aggressive.

Next, you should have a list on-hand of any/all other print sites with similar equipment and have pre-established reciprocating agreements with them; i.e. if they need a part you have on the shelf (and can spare) you share that part with them and vice versa. One of the many things that make our industry a great one is that despite competition between publications the camaraderie and brotherhood between print sites still remains strong.

Next, if you still haven’t located the critical part, you’ll need to clearly determine the far reaching scope of the issue; i.e. have you lost a single unit, a tower, multiple units, a folder, or entire functionality of the press. Determine if you have limited availability on press or are up against a hard fail of all components.

If you’ve lost a unit or two, you’re going to have to split runs, have multiple section runs, drop color, drop page counts, adjust deadlines, etc. Simply put, you’ll have to do what’s necessary to get the paper out.

If you’re facing an extended period of downtime, you’re going to need to contact alternative print sites that you have a backup/contingency agreement established with. You’re also going to have to move forward with a plan of how to handle any commercial work you have on the docket.

When a Breakdown Affects Your Commercial Base Keep in mind managing your commercial base is key at this point.

Many of our properties survive on outside printing.

While everyone understands that breakdowns happen and problems arise, you need to show your accounts that you are still in control and that their product is the primary concern to everyone involved. They need to be confident in your ability to deliver and you need to follow through on any promises you make. Customer service really needs to take a front row seat, and you need to make sure you are clearly and truthfully communicating with your customers throughout your whole situation.

When it comes to managing these important commercial accounts through a breakdown, you must remember that to each client they are the only customer, and appropriately, they will expect to be treated as such. Have a solid plan and if things veer off track as the TV commercial says “Don’t let them see you sweat.” Remain professional, and remain confident in your ability to manage despite the challenges.

Not only is the repair going to result in an unanticipated expense but during these hard times, there is a major risk to revenue as well.

Last year, following a serious fire on a press, I took on a couple small commercial accounts strictly to help them out. Its times like this that

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my concerns move to helping my printing comrades out of a hole and assisting with any commercial jobs so that they can continue publication. It’s not a time to capitalize on other’s misfortune and not a time to swoop in to steal jobs. If you win a job fair and square based on quality, price or similar issues, that’s fair game, but if you’re truly a steward of our industry, you have to play fair. My point is some of these customers, after working with a new printer for a period of time, discover that they would rather do business with the new shop, either based on price, location, quality or customer service, and as much as fairness does come into play, most of us will take on a new customer if it is their wish. The best way to keep a customer on the front-end is to deal with them honestly and fairly, and keep their best interest in mind. Normally, if you follow the path of treating the customer as you would want to be treated, you will retain their loyalty and their business even through the turmoil of a press breakdown.

Above all else, if you find yourself helping out another property through their challenges, remember the difference between “earning” a client and “stealing” a client. Integrity is everything in our business.

Capital Funding I’ve always been a firm believer in spending (or preserving) the company’s money like it was my own. If you carry this process into capital projects and you’ve done your research and homework, I find the chances of successfully obtaining funding runs about 100 percent. If you need funding and you’re truly striving to protect the company’s best interest, get your facts in-line and seek approval with a vengeance—you’ll be successful.

Detail the need, outline the scope of the project, present options, present challenges, analyze and detail financial risk, clearly outline gains (increased profitability, new revenue streams, increased productivity and reliability), calculate and clearly explain any return on investment, etc. The list is endless. The better, more detailed case you can make for the expenditure, the better your chances are for approval.

Depending on your press, I continue to believe the primary need is for replacement components within the electronic drive panels and controls of our newer presses. These drives are the communication system and the heart of our presses. Failure of any one of these components can severely limit availability of specific sections of a press and may lead to further communication issues within multiple units of the press.

In the end, keeping the necessary components in-stock will minimize downtime, is critical to continuous seamless operation, and can reduce or avoid any overtime or temporary help needed if you are forced to do split runs due to reduced page capacity.

As our presses age, components are more likely to fail, increasing the need for us to strategically stock our shelves with critical components. At the very least, you’ll get a good night’s sleep.  Jerry Simpkins has more than 30 years of experience in printing and operations in the newspaper industry. Contact him on LinkedIn.com or at simpkins@tds.net.

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THE LATEST FROM… The Siebold Co., Inc.

What software solution does The Siebold Co., Inc. offer publishers to help efficiently run their press?

The Siebold Co., Inc (TSC) has developed an all new press drive technology: TSC4000 Press Drive. This new technology is a complete stand-alone programmable logic controller (PLC)-based press drive assembly featuring a touch screen display. The TSC4000 features readily available components, remote diagnostics and remote restoration of parameters and/ or PLC programs.

This novel drive assembly includes: a new drive cabinet with the required main circuit breaker, control transformer and blower starter, a new main contactor on the AC side of the drive, all new high-speed fusing on the line side and load side, a new line reactor and includes 24/7 parts and service support.

The new TSC4000 Press Drive also features auto-sequencing startup and shutdown algorithms that can be saved to ensure consistency from job to job. The user-friendly interface screens offer real time job information from the press including copy count; press defaults and drive conditions.

One of the most important benefits of the new TSC4000 Press Drive is that the entire system is based on current offthe-shelf (COTS) replacement components for 24/7 peace of mind. The Remote Login feature allows our TSC skilled technicians real-time, dial-in capabilities to provide remote assistance when needed.

TSC has also developed new press drive upgrade technology, as a lower priced option to the TSC4000 Press Drive.

The new TSC2008A Press Drive Upgrade includes a preassembled press drive panel to install in existing press drive cabinets.

Vice president of sales and marketing Bruce Barna has more than 40 years of sales and marketing experience with global and regional organizations. Prior to joining Siebold, Barna served in sales management roles with RCA Electronics, Whirlpool, Goss International and Trib Total Media.

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Transforming Your Business More than 700 industry leaders attend Mega-Conference in Las Vegas

By Nu Yang

T

he stakes were high at this year’s Key Executives Mega-Conference in Las Vegas Feb. 25-27. More than 700 news industry leaders attended the show, hosted by the Inland Press Association, Local Media Association, Southern Newspaper Publishers Association and News Media Alliance.

Now in its ninth year, the Mega-Conference program featured a variety of sessions focused on subscriptions, newsroom transformation, trust in news, podcasts and more. Anne Kornblut, director of new initiatives, news partnerships at Facebook, shared insights about the tech company’s $300 million investment in the news industry and its expansion of the Local Accelerator program. A Leaders in Transformation panel featured newsroom leaders who are adapting to the evolving media landscape. Keynote speaker Terry Egger, publisher and CEO of the Philadelphia Media Network, spoke about his company’s transformation, the importance of storytelling and why the local newspaper is needed for the good of the community.

“Failure is not an option,” he told the audience.

The winner of this year’s Mega-Innovation award was also announced in Vegas. This year the honor went to GateHouse Live for its successful events and marketing division. In its first year, GateHouse Live generated $8 million; in 2018, revenue topped $42 million and is projected to grow to more than $60 million.

In addition, the Austin American-Statesman’s Studio Sessions and the Buffalo News’s new paywall were both recognized as finalists this year.

“We received excellent reviews from attendees and sponsors alike,” said show producer Jay Horton. “None of the attendees are leaving what happened in Vegas and what they take back will help to grow their B2B and B2C businesses. There will only be a few days of rest before the Mega-Conference crew is back at it planning the 2020 conference…where we’ll continue to share industry best practices, highlighted by the massive opportunity with the 2020 election, and hear perspective from outside the industry.”

Next year’s Mega-Conference will take place in Fort Worth, Texas Feb. 17-19, 2020. For more information, visit mega-conference.com. 

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} Brainworks launched its new Stratica software platform at this year’s Mega-Conference. Pictured are (from left) Jeff Jones, director of customer success; Nicole Zuccaro, marketing communications specialist; Richard Sanders, president/ CEO; Michelle Ackerman, CRM product manager; Mary Parker, corporate business development manager; Al Cupo, sales support manager; and Jesse Weaver, senior implementation specialist.

} The Leaders in Transformation panel included: (from left), Robertson Barrett, president of Hearst Newspapers Digital Media; Jeff Elgie, CEO of Village Media Inc.; Alan Fisco, president and CFO of the Seattle Times; and moderator David Chavern, president and CEO of the News Media Alliance.

} The company known as the Gannett Imaging and Ad Design Center revealed its new name, DesignIQ, in Vegas. Pictured are (from left) Karen Eoff, creative services sales director; Michael Thompson, vice president of service operations and innovation; and Toni Humphreys, vice president of pre-media. editorandpublisher.com

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} Content That Works editorial director Matthew Miller (left) and Haley Irwin, Post and Courier inbound marketing manager

} Amy Maestras, Durango (Colo.) Herald executive editor, speaks to the audience during the Betting the Future on Newsroom Transformation panel. } GateHouse Live won this year’s Mega-Innovation Award. Pictured with the award is Rebecca Capparelli (left), vice president of promotions at GateHouse Media, and Lyndsi Lane, vice president of GateHouse Live and virtual events at GateHouse Media.

} Site Impact business development managers Stan Justice (left) and Peter Conti

} Jay Horton, show producer, welcomes attendees on the first day of Mega-Conference.

} Pictured are (from left) Andy Kahl, DEVCON senior data analyst; Casey Hester, DEVCON COO and co-founder; and Maggie Louie, DEVCON founder and CEO.

} Terry Egger, publisher and CEO of the Philadelphia Media Network, spoke about the transformation taking place at his company during this year’s keynote address.

} The Changing the Newsroom Culture to Maximize Reader Revenue panel included: (from left) Amanda Wilkins, product manager, McClatchy; Celeste LeCompte, vice president of business development at ProPublica; and Simon Galperin, business development leader at GroundSource. editorandpublisher.com

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} Michael Keever, senior vice president and chief

marketing officer (left), and Tom Comi, vice president of entertainment advertising, of NTVB Media

} The ICanon/Newzware team: (back row, from left) Gary Markle, marketing director; Dana Bascom, senior sales executive; (front row, from left) John Daniel, Pongrass Publishing Systems general manager; and Keith Morley, director of training.

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DIGITAL MEDIA MELTDOWN Between laying off hundreds and losing web traffic and dollars, what does the future of news look like now?

By Rob Tornoe

“I

am laid off. I put up my little lay-off tweet and watch my mentions, inbox, private messages, and WhatsApp go straight to hell.

Mostly people are very nice, and send their well wishes and job suggestions.”

That’s what Emily Tamkin wrote in her journal on Jan. 25, the day she found out that she had been laid off from her job as a foreign affairs reporter at BuzzFeed.

Tamkin was just one of more than 1,000 people laid off at the end of January amid a culling of talent by digital media companies like BuzzFeed, Vice, Yahoo and HuffPost. Sadly, job cuts at media companies aren’t exactly a new phenomenon, and newspaper companies like Gannett and McClatchy piggy-backed on the news to shed jobs of their own.

Even amid a backdrop of decreased revenues and longterm instability in the industry, the jobs cuts at outlets like BuzzFeed were depressingly grim, views by many in the industry as yet another sign the promise of a digital media oasis was nothing more than a mirage.

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DIGITAL MEDIA MELTDOWN I’ve read that lumps the three of them together as digital media companies because of the very different type of content they produce and the type of audience they’re chasing,” said Jeremy Littau, a journalism professor at Lehigh University. “I think they’re going through the growing pains of a market that has become saturated and is now starting to consolidate. There’s just too many players.”

Will Digital Ads Ever Support Content Creation?  Jeremy Littau, Lehigh University journalism professor

“What if there is literally no profitable model for digital news?” MSNBC host Chris Hayes wrote on Twitter following news reports about the layoffs. “It’s a crisis.”

Of the digital media companies to announce layoffs, easily the most shocking to journalists were the 250 or so people shown the door at BuzzFeed, the quizcreating home of some of the most popular and viral content on the internet. After all, if the website that seemed to have its pulse on popular internet culture couldn’t figure out how to turn a profit online, what hope do any of us have?

The cuts at Vice were less surprising, given that in the fall of 2018 the company put a hiring freeze in place. But this is also the same high-flying media company valued at $5.7 billion as recently as the summer of 2017, according to the Wall Street Journal. It’s also a company that seems to embody the idea of owning a diversified revenue stream, considering Vice owns a cable network, produces shows for HBO, operates its own ad agency and even owns a bar in London called the Old Blue Last.

Compared to BuzzFeed and Vice, the total jobs lost at HuffPost were much smaller (reportedly around 20 employees).

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 Bill Day, Magid vice president

But they were part of a larger cost-cutting effort by parent company Verizon, which shed about 7 percent of its workforce across HuffPost, Yahoo and AOL—about 800 jobs.

As grim as any job losses in journalism can be, especially considering the cost-cutting and job slashing that has plagued the industry for the last 10 years, many media experts don’t think these latest digital media cuts are the “canary in the coal mine” they were painted as after the cuts were first announced.

“I’ve been very cautious about anything

It’s not as if advertisers aren’t spending money online. According to a recent report by eMarketer, 2019 is expected to be the first year in history digital ad spending will outpace traditional media ad spending (such as newspapers, magazines and television). Their research shows companies will be spending more than $129 billion on digital advertising in 2019, and is predicted to balloon to more than $172 billion by 2021.

So, why aren’t digital media companies able to sustain themselves online, even as digital advertising is sky-rocketing? Two words: Facebook and Google.

The large majority of those advertising dollars are being spent on search (Google), social display (Facebook), and video display (dominated by YouTube, which

“I think (digital media companies) are going through the growing pains of a market that has become saturated and is now starting to consolidate.

There’s just too many players.” editorandpublisher.com

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“Digital media companies built themselves on a business model that’s proven to not have any underpinnings…” is owned by Google). All told, Google and Facebook sucked in slightly less than 58 percent of all digital ad spending in 2018, with Amazon coming in a close third with about 4 percent.

That leaves just about 38 percent for every other online company, including digital media outlets and newspapers, to fight over.

Bill Day, a vice president at the media research and consulting firm Magid, said the layoffs at BuzzFeed, Vice and HuffPost were more a market correction than a cataclysmic shift in the future of digital media.

But he also doesn’t have much optimism about the long-term success of companies that remain heavily reliant on digital advertising dollars.

“Digital media companies built themselves on a business model that’s proven to not have any underpinnings, which is this idea that you can somehow support content creation with digital advertising,” Day said.

“There’s virtually no examples in the ecosystem where that’s happening.”

Most of these companies were able to wash over problems in the digital advertising market thanks to a healthy dose of nine-figure investments. BuzzFeed alone has raised $497 million, yet despite being valued at $1.7 billion by research firm CB Insights, has yet to turn a profit, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Certainly BuzzFeed was too reliant on Facebook in its drive to grow traffic, especially when it came to the companies editorandpublisher.com

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news initiative. That became all-too-clear when the social media giant made changes to its newsfeed in 2018 and left BuzzFeed dangling in the wind. As a source told Digiday, “Stories that once reliably gathered 200,000 visits through Facebook were suddenly lucky to get 20,000.”

Instead of overly-general websites that are duplicating the same type of national content, Day said companies like BuzzFeed should use this latest paring down to refocus on a core mission that can be supported by a diverse revenue stream that includes a mix of support from advertisers and consumers.

As an example, PBS has existed in the news ecosystem for 60 years, and they’ve been competing side-by-side with the big three networks every night at 6 p.m. The network benefits from a business model built around foundation and corporate giving, and as a result, there’s little to no pressure to provide a return on investment.

“If I were running Vice or BuzzFeed, the question that I would want answer is if there is a space we can attack and own and become known for well enough that consumers would be willing to pay to engage with us,” Day said.

Consolidation Coming?

Back in November 2018, months before the company’s latest job cuts, BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti floated the idea of merging with companies like Vice and Vox Media in an attempt to create more

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DIGITAL MEDIA MELTDOWN

Netflix puts the consumer at the center of the process instead of designing a platform based around the delivery of advertisements…

leverage and garner a higher percentage of ad dollars from companies like Facebook and Google.

“If BuzzFeed and five of the other biggest companies were combined into a bigger digital media company, you would probably be able to get paid more money,” Peretti told the New York Times.

Group Nine Media CEO Benjamin Lerer, Vox Media CEO Jim Bankoff and Refinery29 co-founder and co-CEO Philippe von Borries all signaled to the Times that digital media consolidation was inevitable.

But Lerer, who oversees popular media companies like ThrilMaking quality digital marketing accessible to every business.

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list, NowThis and The Dodo, thinks many of these digital media companies get off too easy when they blame Facebook and Google for all their business woes.

“Most publishers have a problem with that monetization model because they don’t make stuff that people actually spend time with,” Lerer said on Ad Age’s Ad Lib podcast in February. “If you make a bunch of stuff that no one cares about and you whine, ‘Why is no one paying for it?’ That’s your fault. That’s not the fault of the platform. You have to make stuff that people actually care about and spend time with and stay through ads. And we’ve been able to do that at scale.”

Consolidation certainly makes sense to Littau, who compared the crowded screen of digital media companies reporting on national politics to the overstuffed newsstands of the mid-19th century. Back then, a shift to steam-powered printing made it possible for upstart newspapers to flood the market at a cost of just one cent. That led to an over saturation of newspapers in places like New York City, paving the way for mergers and consolidation.

“I think we’re headed for some sort-of consolidation across the industry,” Littau said. “And so whatever major news brand survives that are national players, somebody’s got to make a choice.

Do we want to be a general interest site like HuffPost, or do we want to be something with a specific focus?

The Netflix Lesson As newspapers continue to press for more relevance and revenue in the digital space, they rightly view companies like BuzzFeed and HuffPost as competition for both ad dollars and attention. Instead of looking around at other digital media companies, maybe news executives should be eyeing Netflix instead.

According to Day, Netflix has done three things exceedingly well that are good markers for anyone who’s looking at creating a sustainable digital content creation business, and it all starts with creating and syndicating content that users are willing to pay to access. Netflix has also managed to create a compelling user experience across all platforms, making it easy to consume and discover new content.

Most importantly, and most relevant to media companies, Netflix puts the consumer at the center of the process instead of designing a platform based around the delivery of advertisements editorandpublisher.com

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necessarily object to ads—they object to a disruptive user experience.

“If ads are getting in the way of them consuming content, that’s what they object to,” Day said. “But they can also object if your system is slow, if there’s no easy way to authenticate, if they can’t find the right entry point.”

The Future

“I remain concerned about the ability of digital content to be supported by digital advertising.”

(or worse—choosing a content management system based on your newsroom’s workflow). Instead, Netflix pairs an easyto-use format with a recommendation engine based on what users have viewed in the past to intuitively serve up the next bits of content.

“It uses design to drive you towards the things that are most relevant to you while also giving you access to things that you might not have known you wanted,” Day said. “That serendipitous discovery is a critical part of the value that newspapers have traditionally brought into the landscape.”

It’s easy to brush away the Netflix model as being unrealistic to media companies.

But it’s worth pointing out that while a paywall strategy still depends on digital advertising (unlike Netflix), survey after survey clearly shows that readers don’t editorandpublisher.com

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There is no reason to think that BuzzFeed, Vice and HuffPost are going anywhere anytime soon. All are well funded, have developed sizable audiences and still generate sizable revenue (though aren’t necessarily profitable).

The keyword to keep in mind is evolution. Though all three of these digital media companies have been revolutionary in their own unique ways, all took difficult steps in the hope to continue to survive and compete in an increasingly complicated and crowded ecosystem.

In internal memos obtained by E&P, BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti outlined that the path forward for the newly-restructured company would place the focus on commerce and brand partnerships—areas that promise a meaningful return in revenue (the commerce division generated $50 million in sales in 2018, according to Bloomberg).

“We restructured to reduce our costs and ensure our future,” BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti wrote to employees. “But, knowing we had to do that, we made strategic decisions on how to reshape our organization—so we can operate more efficiently while continuing to deliver for our audiences and grow.”

Despite that, Day is still unconvinced any media company can survive if their main source of revenue comes from digital advertising.

“I remain concerned about the ability of digital content to be supported by digital advertising,” he said. “So until those companies—newspapers included—find ways to do better with consumers and convince them to spend a small amount of money with them every month, it’s hard to see how this gets itself straightened out.”  APRIL 2019 | E & P

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The next generation of newspaper leaders wants to keep the industry moving

By Nu Yang and Evelyn Mateos

A

s our industry continues to transform and shift, one thing remains the same: the amount of talent growing in our newsrooms. This year’s list of young newspaper professionals moving our industry forward showcases a wide range of skills.

From technology and content to events and marketing, these 25 men and women aren’t afraid to try new things.

They believe in the power of journalism, and they’re working hard to make sure it has a future. (in alphabetical order by last name)

Samantha Anderson, 24

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

Editor and reporter, Cloverdale Reporter Surrey, B.C., Canada Education: University of Victoria, bachelor of arts, writing

Stay humble and stay curious. Keep two feet on the ground, both in the office and when you’re working a story. When you’re starting your first reporter gig, chances are there are journos in your newsroom with more experience in the industry than you have experience being alive. You can learn so much from them just by watching, listening and asking questions. Take every assignment seriously, whether you’re talking to the mayor or the home gardener who grew a prize-winning pumpkin. Learn everything you can, wherever you can.

Find new angles, pitch ideas you’re passionate about and dive deep into aspects of your community you’ve always wanted to know about. For me, the single greatest thing about being a reporter is being able to ask questions. You’re going to be under stress, working odd hours, and even then, sometimes that story just isn’t going to work out. Hold on to what makes it worthwhile: stay curious.

In 2016, Samantha Anderson took over the Cloverdale Reporter, a long-standing community newspaper in Surrey, B.C., Canada, and since then, she has enriched both the digital and print products.

Under her direction, the paper has established a digital reach that surpasses other publications of its size.

As the only full-time editorial staff member at the Reporter, Anderson has become a constant presence at community events.

“Her innovations have helped the newspaper remain relevant in a changing world and her dedication to journalism means the content reflects the values and needs of Cloverdale’s residents,” said Grace Kennedy, Agassiz Harrison Observer editor.

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What’s it like being the only full-time editorial staff member at your paper?

For the record, although I’m the only full-time editorial staff member at my newspaper, I have the great honor of working with a fantastic team in my newsroom and with journalists from sister publications that report in my city.

That said, being the only full-time editorial staff member is a one-of-a-kind experience. You wear a lot of hats: reporter, photographer, videographer, page designer and editor. You’re the one who turns up at the scene, you’re the one who turns around the breaking news, and you’re the one working late nights and early mornings on deadline. Ultimately, it’s an exercise in self-management. You are your own boss and your own employee. You have to set expectations and then rise to them. editorandpublisher.com

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Tyler Batiste, 31 Assistant managing editor/sports, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Pittsburgh, Pa. Education: Louisiana State University, bachelor of arts, mass communication

According to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette managing editor Sally Stapleton, Tyler Batiste is an innovative sports editor who has shaped their digital efforts. He oversees 24 pro football, NHL and MLB writers and columnists, and under his leadership, the sports department has received consecutive Associated Press Sports Editors Triple Crown honors. Batiste was hired as a digital news editor at the Post-Gazette upon completion of an internship. He joined the sports department in January 2016 and was named assistant managing editor in November 2017.

In 2017, Batiste was also a “Young, Gifted & Black Award” honoree as recognition for his leadership and service to the Pittsburgh community.

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

It’s important to embrace the many sides of what we do on a daily basis. Digital and print, written and visual storytelling—very few roles across the industry specialize in just one area anymore. Accepting that possibility of change early brings opportunities to grow and learn, and the various ways in which we tell stories and serve audiences helps you explore more about yourself and your career.

It may take a couple years or different jobs, but make sure this is what you want to do. It’s not always glamorous, and it’s certainly not a way to amass wealth, but being part of a community in such a vital way is an extremely rewarding and worthwhile endeavor.

What sports team most resembles the newspaper industry right now, and why?

The Los Angeles Lakers. An extraordinary run of consistent success and rough times recently, but there remains a ton of interest in what we do, and brighter days ahead. editorandpublisher.com

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Josh Bergeron, 26 Editor, Salisbury Post Salisbury, N.C. Education: Louisiana State University, bachelor of arts, mass communication

Josh Bergeron’s career started as a reporter for the Natchez Democrat in Mississippi and the Selma Times-Journal in Alabama.

In August 2014, he joined the Salisbury Post to cover county government and politics. He was promoted to associate editor in early 2017. Bergeron became managing editor of the State Journal in Frankfort, Ky. in October 2017, but returned to the Post as editor in December 2018.

Under Bergeron’s leadership, the State Journal launched wellreceived redesigns of its monthly community magazine and the newspaper, which publishes five days per week, and its web traffic grew by 30 percent.

According to Post copy editor Bobby Parker when Bergeron returned to the Post, he began a strategy to improve online content and got stories posted more quickly.

“He is committed to the local newspaper’s role as a watchdog of government and the importance of holding public officials accountable for their actions in office,” Parker said. “He is bringing renewed energy to the newsroom as well as understanding and respecting the roles that members of the news team play.”

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

Particularly for those who work at community newspapers, learn at least a little about each aspect of the jobs in the newsroom. Many reporters are already asked to take photos to accompany stories, but give page design a try. Maybe learn about how the newspaper is printed each night. Besides simply gaining additional knowledge about the business in which you work, specializing in one area while knowing a little about others will make you a more important asset to your newspaper. It certainly won’t hurt when trying to move up.

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Journalists also shouldn’t shy away from starting out at community newspapers, even if he/she doesn’t plan to stay there forever. By starting or working at a community newspaper, you’ll be closer to the public you serve and have a better understanding for what readers are talking about.

Finally, maintain a good source relationship with the clerks, secretaries and executive assistants at businesses and local governments in the community you cover. Elected officials and CEOs come and go, and clerks can be a good way to find out what’s going on when your phone calls aren’t being returned. They may not be able to speak on the record, but clerks and secretaries can often point you in the right direction.

Why should investigative journalism be important to local newspapers?

Social media, smartphones and the internet have changed a lot about the way news is gathered and consumed. A large number of people obtain their news solely through social media and don’t subscribe to a news source. Police departments post reports online. Governments post financial documents, once only accessible through a physical open-records request, online, too. People and businesses share their stores on social media before approaching their local newspaper. So, newspapers must prove their worth through in-depth reporting. Investigative reporting about the community a newspaper covers will provide answers to questions readers won’t get anywhere else.

Nick Bjork, 32 Publisher, Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland, Ore. and The Daily Reporter, Milwaukee, Wisc.; group publisher, BridgeTower Media, Minneapolis, Minn.

Education: Lewis & Clark College, bachelor of arts, rhetoric and media studies

As the group publisher for BridgeTower Media, the business-tobusiness publication arm of GateHouse Media, Bjork oversees the company’s two construction trade publications, the tri-weekly Daily Journal of Commerce in Portland, Ore., and the five-days-a-week Daily Reporter in Milwaukee, Wisc.

Bjork started out as a reporter at the Daily Journal of Commerce covering land use policy and planning in 2009, and moved into advertising a few years later. In 2015, he assumed the role of publisher and was named group publisher in 2017.

In Portland, Bjork saw more than 20 percent growth in events each of the previous two years and more than 30 percent growth in special publications in 2018. He also launched a Women in Construction awards and education program that has grown from 100 to 700 attendees in six years, as well as launched a Skilled magazine, a print publication and website that provides information to high schoolers.

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

Embrace new technologies, new mediums and new ways of telling stories. That goes for both the editorial and advertising departments. The thirst for information and content is at an all time high, and we’re just now having a national conversation about the importance of ethos and credibility in information. It’s no coincidence that some of our most sacred newspapers are starting to see growth again. Legacy newspapers are well positioned to offer the most credible and useful information, as well as the most engaging advertising products. Even if your company hasn’t fully embraced them, I think it’s important as individuals that we embrace and become experts in 40 |

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 Nick Bjork with his wife, Karina, and daughter, Vivian.

all of the new platforms that people consume information through, just as we would embrace and become experts in the beat that we’re covering.

The other piece of advice I’d give is to really try to understand your publication and its audience. I see too many people get siloed in what they are doing and lose touch with their goal, providing useful and engaging information to their readers. I think it’s important to understand all facets of the business, and more importantly, who is consuming your content and why they are consuming it. When you truly understand that, it becomes much easier to develop an editorial strategy, or advertising products, that work.

What’s in your journalism toolbox?

Somewhat unfortunately, a phone with access to social media.

While I don’t claim to be an expert in the use of social media, I believe it’s one of the easiest ways to gauge the cultural conversation and find out what people are interested in learning about.

I’m probably preaching to the choir here, but I also subscribe to a lot of newspapers and publications. I run publications that are ultra editorandpublisher.com

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focused, both geographically and in terms of what we cover. I still make sure to keep tabs on both national publications and our local competing publications.

Lastly, I’d say a good sense of humor and an unhealthy sense of idealism. I tried leaving the newspaper industry once to sell real estate and ended up back at the same publication two years later. I missed being around a bunch of newspaper people when something big happened. There’s just no one else I’d rather be around to crack jokes with than the people in a newsroom.

advertising and digital initiatives Adam Bush, in her first year, Blussick Hughes increased team revenue more than $350,000. In 2018, her team again surpassed the prior year by $150,000 and were the top performing group.

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

Be so passionate that your drive and energy come through in everything you do and affect everyone positively that you work with internally and externally. As young professionals, we are lucky in that we do not know the times when the industry was at its peak and the newspaper industry did not have the competition it experiences now both editorially and in advertising dollars. This advantage allows us, the young professionals, to help bring excitement back to our colleagues trying to adapt or those that may feel discouraged because they know what once was for the industry. Where they bring wisdom and history, we bring innovation and technology.

The ideas and innovation we bring to the table not only help our newspaper but our industry. If you have an idea, conceptualize it and make it happen.

Get involved in the community and understand it. This will get you and your company ahead of the competition.

Knowing what you know now, what kind of advice would you give to yourself when you first started your career?

Find energy for what you are doing everyday and focus that energy in the right people and projects to help move toward your goals faster.

Listen and learn, but don’t hold back on your ideas because you are the youngest one in the room.

Search out mentors, within and outside the industry, and read more books related to my job—this is something I didn’t start doing until the last few years and it has been the biggest growth for me. } Jasmine M. Blussick Hughes with her husband, Jimmy and son, Jackson.

Jasmine M. Blussick Hughes, 30

Taylor Buley, 34

Retail advertising sales manager, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Pittsburgh, Pa. Education: Community College of Allegheny County, associate degree, marketing

Chief technology officer, McNaughton Newspapers; publisher, Winters Express Fairfield, Calif.

Education: Stanford University, master of arts, communications; University of Pennsylvania, bachelor of arts, philosophy, politics and economics

Jasmine M. Blussick Hughes started her newspaper career one day before her 18th birthday at the Observer Publishing Company (OPC) as a full time inside sales consultant while also attending college in the evenings. She would go on to work for OPC for almost 11 years holding multiple advertising and marketing positions throughout the company, most notably as a manager at The Almanac newspaper.

In January 2017, she accepted a local retail advertising manager position at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. According to director of editorandpublisher.com

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Taylor Buley’s career began in high school when he started his own newspaper. He also published another while in college while serving at the Stanford Daily. Since then, he has worked for the likes of the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Parade magazine.

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some personal discipline to make true. On the job, on a deadline, there’s little time for professional development.

Keep your eyes and ears open for those who are willing to help you further hone your personal talents, either through partnership or mentoring. There are people who relish working with the best creatives they can find. Strive to be one, and strive to be among them. Your individual creative skills will enable you to join or build teams that will do even greater things together. It’s with a team that you will do your best work, but you need to be ready for the opportunity when it arrives.

Do you prefer working for a large publication like the Wall Street Journal or a small paper like the Winter Express?

Facebook. He also went above and beyond his duties by creating a tool for the community in which they can share content with others directly through the website. This tool has now been added to two McNaughton publications and has produced more than 1,500 posts.

Buley also reprogrammed the website to create an easy system for advertisers to use.

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

Photo by Derik Holtmann/Belleville News-Democrat

You need to be a steward of your own skills, and make sure you’re working to learn something indirectly useful to your job. I like to say journalists are “great at nothing, good at everything” and that takes

Lexi Cortes, 27 Investigative reporter, Belleville News-Democrat Belleville, Ill. Education: Southern Illinois University—Edwardsville, bachelor of science, mass communications

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I’m one of those journalists who is always looking to move things forward through storytelling. When you’re working for national news, that kind of meaningful change can be so incremental at times that it’s hardly noticeable. The competition can be a bit demoralizing and you hold as tight as possible to whatever scoops you can muster. When you work at the local level, the things you do are almost always noticed—for better or worse.

Almost everything is a scoop, because if you don’t cover it, nobody will. Doing this kind of coverage—the stuff that people cut out of the paper—makes it really easy to find pride in your work, even if it’s never going to make you a millionaire. Being held accountable by your neighbors can present its own challenges, but you can really have, and see, an impact on their everyday life.

Lexi Cortes joined the Belleville News-Democrat just as they were preparing for a major change to their production system, which also required some reordering of the newsroom. According to growth producer Jason Koch, she was asked to fill two roles: one for the copy/design desk, the second as a reporter.

“She managed to fill both roles with aplomb, producing wellreported, well-written, and engaging stories while also helping us to edit stories for print and digital, lay out pages for print, and manage our website and social media accounts,” said Koch. “Eventually, the decision was made to make Lexi a full-time reporter.”

Cortes started working on the education beat and soon became the paper’s newest investigative reporter.

“We would love to have a staff full of Lexis,” Koch said. “She is certainly going to play a role in helping to keep the News-Democrat strong and, because of it, ensure that journalism remains strong in Southern Illinois.”

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

This is for the perfectionists like me: What we do is an art. And we’re doing it on a tight schedule. Try not to get down on yourself if you aren’t creating something you feel is good enough on the first go—or the second or the third. You got this. editorandpublisher.com

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And if you’re still stuck, the best thing to do is to talk it out with a friend, boss or Mom. You’ll see what interests them and what questions they have, which are likely to be the same for your readers or viewers.

How do you juggle all your responsibilities at the paper?

In my experience, it takes a to-do list, a healthy curiosity and a supportive newsroom.

I’ve taken the company up on every opportunity to learn something new because I’m genuinely interested in all of the different jobs in the room and because I care immensely about the work we do.

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

Be open to failing and learning on your own, and get as much hands-on experience as you can. One of my takeaways from the job so far is most of the components that have become paramount to my position, I learned from trying it out and seeing what would happen.

I’ve developed my podcasting skills from a desire to talk about movies and do audio work while in college, and five years later, the work blossomed into my podcast, Cinematary. Since then, those skills have helped shepherd some of the initiatives here at the paper and it all came from giving new areas a shot at least once.

Is it easier to train the senior reporters or the younger ones when it comes to digital?

Ironically enough, when it comes to multimedia elements for a story, our reporter who is past 40 years on the job brings me more planned and thought-out content than other reporters around my age. I say that not to slam the younger reporters, but to show that the skills come more from a willingness to learn rather than age.

That being said, I think it is still an uncanny valley to some extent and one of my goals is helping everyone think in that digital direction first. The industry has been print-focused for so long that it takes rewiring for a lot of the longtime reporters. But this newsroom has been ahead of my previous ones in terms of being open to hearing ideas and incorporating them, which I’m endlessly appreciative of.

Corey Friedman, 34 Zach Dennis, 26 Multimedia content editor, Savannah Morning News Savannah, Ga. Education: University of Tennessee—Knoxville, bachelor of arts, journalism and electronic media

Zach Dennis is an ideal newsroom leader in the digital age. He has applied his knowledge and enthusiasm to the Savannah Morning News methods and improved page views and innovative storytelling. According to Heather Henley, daily content editor, Dennis goes out of his way to work with each department and encourages them to expand and try new things. He helps journalists working on Facebook live videos and podcasts become more comfortable and confident in front of the camera and in the recording studio.

In addition, Dennis keeps the Morning News social media up to date, records and edits podcasts and videos, and leads all of his newsroom’s digital projects.

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Editor, The Wilson Times Co. Wilson, N.C. Education: New Bern High School

As editor of The Wilson Times Co., Corey Friedman oversees news content for all five publications, and writes editorials on statewide and regional public policy issues for the group and exclusive local editorials for the company’s flagship daily, The Wilson Times.

Friedman has served as an integral part of the transition team for the company’s weekly newspaper acquisitions and coordinates the publications’ newsgathering, reporting and commentary.

Friedman also assists the Times’ media services division with proofreading and delegating the proofreading of partner publications’ newspaper pages. The Times’ design desk paginates the five Wilson Times Co. newspapers and also provides contract design service for one daily, one twice-weekly and two weekly papers.

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

Find mentors who can model effective leadership; be humble, be coachable and commit to being a lifelong learner. Editorial editorandpublisher.com

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Photo by Amber Baker/The Wilson Times } Corey Friedman outside Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park in downtown Wilson, N.C.

judgment is an acquired trait. I was the pain-in-the-neck cops reporter who would constantly ask my editors why a word, a sentence or a phrase in my story was changed. That’s how I learned not to repeat my mistakes. Fortunately, I had some great teachers who were willing to give honest feedback and match the time and energy I invested in my work. As an editor or manager, lead by example.

Don’t ask your staff to complete a task you wouldn’t be willing to do yourself. Give your reporters the time and resources they need to work their beats, empower them to become subject-matter experts and champion their work within the company and in the community.

What are the benefits of working at a family-owned daily newspaper?

Being locally owned gives us the flexibility to make the right decisions for our

paper without having to run everything up the corporate ladder for approval. We can leverage some of the efficiencies of newspaper chains on a smaller scale and become a laboratory for innovation. Instead of outsourcing our page design to a national hub, we expanded our copy desk and formed our own hub to take on contract pagination work for other independently owned papers. In the past year, our company has purchased four eastern North Carolina weeklies from retiring publisher-owners to preserve the papers’ legacies and prevent the communities they serve from becoming news deserts. We’re also proud to have a stake in our area’s growth and prosperity. As the city of Wilson built the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park to pay homage to a native folk artist and fuel downtown revitalization, we moved our office to become part of Wilson’s #DowntownTurnaround.

We live, work and play here, and we have skin in the game.

Congratulations Lexi Cortes and Lauren Walck for being selected to Editor & Publisher’s 25 under 35 We pride ourselves on being an innovative, forward-thinking, and hard working company. As members of the McClatchy team, Lauren and Lexi exemplify everything our

LAUREN WALCK

LEXI CORTES

SUN HERALD

BELLEVILLE NEWS-DEMOCRAT

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Stephanie Highfill, 29 Multimedia sales executive, Hot Springs Village Voice Hot Springs Village, Ark. Education: Cabot High School

Hot Springs Village Voice general manager Jennifer Allen describes Stephanie Highfill as “a go-getter with innovative ideas.” Thanks to her top notch digital sales skills, the paper has seen a 70 percent increase in digital growth in 2018 over 2017.

She also won Best of Show in the 2018 Arkansas Press Association Better Newspaper Advertising Contest beating out newspapers of all sizes, dailies and weeklies.

“Stephanie has keen awareness of realities of context, mindfulness of connecting on a personal level with those she works with, and a standard of excellence at every turn,” Allen said. “She does not hold back raising up creative ideas for problem-solving and moving projects forward.”

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

Know your goals (and your pipeline) like the back of your hand. Rules were made to be broken, and “the way things have always been done” doesn’t mean it’s the way things should be done today. Believe in your product, and collaborate with your team to create innovative products you can believe in. Get involved and find ways to give back to the community. Stay humble and honest.

It is okay to admit lack of understanding when it comes to digital, but do ask for help.

How do you get a potential client to say yes?

It’s not something that happens overnight. I take an interest in each individual client’s business, learning as much as I can so I can make well-informed suggestions.

This may include creative, ad copy, placement, etc. I pay attention to the details, and provide total transparency in the deal-making process. I build the relationship on professionalism, trust and integrity,

Hunter Ingram, 28 Food, drink and leisure editor and TV columnist, StarNews and StarNewsOnline.com Wilmington, N.C. Education: East Carolina University, bachelor of science, communication

 Hunter Ingram stands next to a promotional poster of his podcast, Cape Fear Unearthed.

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Hunter Ingram’s ability to identify and consider audiences’ needs as well as deliver methods has led him to achieve great things in such a short time. Following his college graduation, Ingram thrived as a reporter covering the local film industry and Wilmington, a core city for the StarNews market, as well as taking time to focus on audience trends.

In 2017, Ingram took part in a national Knight Foundation-Lenfest Institute challenge that sought to identify local audiences and create digital content as well as experiences and events to cultivate more community involvement. As a result, he helped

 Stephanie Highfill with her ironing board after a Hot Springs Village Area Chamber of Commerce event. As a member of the board of directors, she helped set up and iron the wrinkles out of the tablecloths that were used during the event.

and maintain it after the “yes.” The effort is worth it; the real test of success is after the “yes” and maintaining client renewals.

brainstorm, test and launch StarNews’ Port City Life, an experience and brand which aims to engage the 45-65 age group. The project includes monthly events, specialized content and a monthly magazine.

Ingram has also taken on other major initiatives, such as full responsibility for Cape Fear Unearthed, a podcast that shares stories of local history. He also writes a weekly TV column called TV Hunter that is shared throughout GateHouse Media. It was recognized as one of the “Best of GateHouse” last year and got him accepted into the Television Critics Association.

“More so than ever before, newspapers have to attract audiences that no longer wait for the news to get dropped on their doorstep,” editor Sherry Jones said. “The challenge requires intention, creativity and risk-taking to try new ways to create loyalty.

Hunter is at the forefront of that in our newsroom.”

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the editorandpublisher.com

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newspaper industry?

Take risks and don’t be afraid of your voice. This industry is evolving and having a fresh perspective on how to share the news with your communities is such an important asset in shaping the future.

If you have out-of-the-box ideas on how to relate a story, don’t run from it. Embrace what you feel, it might shake things up and don’t be afraid to try it out. At the very least you learn a lesson that informs what comes next.

At a time when the media are quite often under attack, it can be very empowering to see your own voice in your writing. You learn a lot in journalism school about how to craft the perfect story, but getting out there and writing is the best way to find out who you are as a writer and a storyteller.

What are some important lessons you have learned from your audience?

I have learned that audiences are more open to trying new things than you might think. In launching my Cape Fear Unearthed podcast, I was skeptical that local history fans—generally a more mature audience—would embrace a podcast that required a reliance on technology and a willingness to be told a story apart from the newspaper and traditional storytelling. But I learned that if you take the time to recognize what they want and give it to them, they will

follow—and might even surprise you. The podcast has reached not just long-time history fans, but families, younger generations and even the technology adverse.

I have also learned that your audience is your ally. It might not seem like it at times, when they don’t agree with your work or you struggle to find common ground with their views. But ultimately, they know what they want and a willingness to listen goes a long way to strengthening relationships in the community and building up thick skin.

Mary J. Koester, 35 Managing editor and editor, North County News Red Bud, Ill. Education: Southern Illinois University— Carbondale, bachelor of science, photojournalism with a minor in psychology; Southwestern Illinois College—Belleville, associate degree, art with an emphasis on Spanish language studies

Mary J. Koester has worked in the newspaper industry for almost

CONGRATULATIONS, Tyler Batiste and Jasmine Blussick Hughes Congratulations on being named to E&P’s 25 under 35.

We are proud that you’re part of our team.

Tyler Batiste

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12 years and has seen many changes in that time, from layoffs to newspaper closures, but she has worked hard to keep her paper relevant and important to her community.

To increase reader interactions, Koester added various contests, more features, special sections, new columns, an online/social media presence and experimented with augmented reality.

She also tries to be active in the community on behalf of the paper, such as participating in the new business program for high school students, and inviting other local papers to come speak on the importance of media relations, advertising and working with newspapers to these students.

In addition, Koester serves on the Red Bud Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors, the Randolph Community Foundation and the Southern Illinois Editorial Association.

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

Get to know your community and become a valuable part of it. Don’t be afraid to volunteer with various organizations or at the schools.

Also get to know the other papers/media

in your coverage area. You may see them as competition, but they are another valuable resource. Look to others in your newsroom, as well as at neighboring papers, for help and guidance Take all the trainings you can find to learn about what is new in the industry.

The way people consume news is constantly changing, and so is the way we gather and share information.

Join news and media organizations, at the local, state and possibly national levels.

Become active in those organizations if you can. This helps you get to know other media people in the area and trainings/seminars offered. This is such a valuable resource as you’ll meet others that deal with the same things you are.

Why is it important for you to be active in the community?

My newspaper has always been a part of the community—covering and supporting community events, the schools, churches and other organizations. We have also had employees be members in community organizations. I grew up in this community and am raising my family here, so it is especially important to me to continue that support.

Newspapers are the lifeblood of a com-

 Mary Koester at the 2018 Clayton 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb. She wore an air tank and a photo of the fireman she was honoring while climbing up 110 stories.

munity, especially a small, rural one. We are our community’s cheerleaders and ambassadors. We preserve the community’s history for future generations. It is imperative to help our communities continue to prosper.

Always keep in mind the newspaper is not just something that documents a community from an outsider’s perspective; we are a part of the community too.

Courtney A. Lamdin, 31 News editor, Times Argus Barre, Vt. Education: St. Michael’s College, bachelor of arts, journalism and mass communication with minors in gender studies and marketing

Courtney Lamdin recently joined the Times Argus in March. Before that, she served as executive editor of three weekly Vermont papers: the Colchester Sun, the Milton Independent and the Essex Reporter.

She started at the Milton Independent as a reporter and photographer in 2009 and was promoted to editor a year later. She became executive editor in 2016.

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fellowship from the New England First Amendment Coalition in 2015, and has served as an adjunct professor and coadviser at St. Michael’s College Journalism Department. In 2013, she was elected to the Vermont Press Association Board.

“Courtney is one that should be honored as an up-and-comer that has adjusted and helped her staff change to meet the multiple needs of today’s ever-changing media world.

She always seems to find a solution,” said Vermont Press Association executive director Mike Donoghue. editorandpublisher.com

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

What are some typical questions you get from young reporters, and how do you answer them?

Stay true to your roots. In this changing industry, we can all get bogged down with analytics and profit/loss statements—all important things—but make sure to create time for your team to do some real enterprise and investigative reporting. And do some yourself.

You know your community best: What stories would really make a difference? I’ve found readers respond positively to this any time we can make it work. It only elevates your paper’s brand and status, which trickles down to better results in advertising and circulation.

In a time when numbers are our focus, don’t forget what got you into this industry in the first place.

Also, do what you can to immerse yourself in your community.

Show up to meetings, even if you don’t necessarily get a story out of it. Go to as many community events as you can. Be ever-present.

Young reporters often ask me how to deal with public officials who won’t call you back or give them records to which they’re entitled. I’ve hired a lot of fresh-out-of-college grads, and I always tell them to be unafraid of being “annoying.” Sometimes it takes multiple calls and emails to get a response, and if the person still doesn’t get back to you, show up at their office. Do all this politely, of course, but it’s important to establish a precedent that you’re not going to go away or stop asking questions. Ultimately, reporting is all about relationships, so it’s important to be present and show officials you’re doing diligence to get a full, accurate story. Usually, they’ll appreciate that.

wide open to her becoming a true news leader,” said Mary Dempsey, Columbia-Greene Media executive editor.

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

} Kate Lisa swimming with elephants in Thailand last summer.

Don’t be timid. If sources give you a road block, try every person or avenue to get around it to get the story. You never know who knows something, or knows someone else who does, so ask and be persistent. Be a pest. Show people you won’t go away until they respond. If people aren’t answering the phone or emails, get off your tuckus and go there. Put a face to the byline. Talk to random people on the street. This job is all about making relationships.

With your news writing, show, don’t tell. What do you see, hear and smell? Eavesdrop and ask the details.

Finally, if you don’t understand something a source says, don’t pretend like you do. If it’s a topic you’ve never covered before, don’t be ashamed to say, “Please explain this to me like I’m in the eighth grade” to get it right.

Kate Lisa, 25

What was your favorite thing about being a reporter, and now as a managing editor?

Managing editor, Columbia-Greene Media Hudson, N.Y. Education: Auburn University, bachelor of arts, journalism

My favorite thing about working as a reporter was the way the job opened my eyes to people I would have never spoken with. I’ll never forget talking to a 106-year-old woman about her memories of World War I and meeting Civil War veterans.

It was so important to interview Muslims at the height of the threat of ISIS, or people of color in our community after 14 police officers were killed in San Antonio in 2017. Reporting allows you to see life differently from a young age. I’ve covered fatal crashes, fires, tornadoes and homicides. Hearing the loved ones of those that die tragically, weep makes you hug people you care for that much tighter. It makes you appreciate life as a precious gift and to make the most of every moment.

As managing editor, I love seeing the paper from a reader’s perspective, and I most enjoy not having the pressure to write multiple stories for a daily deadline.

Kate Lisa was hired as a reporter for Columbia-Greene Media in 2014, immediately out of college. She reported for The Daily Mail, which serves Greene County in New York, and excelled at it, resulting in various other newspapers with larger circulations taking notice and recruiting her.

Within a few months, Columbia-Greene Media realized her value and brought Lisa back on to serve as the editorial series coordinator.

A year later, she was named managing editor.

“As a manager, Kate continues to expand on her news and managerial knowledge and skills on a daily basis and her future is editorandpublisher.com

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Jaselle Luna, 33 Publisher and CEO, LOCAL Community News, LLC San Antonio, Texas Education: University of Texas—San Antonio, bachelor of business administration, real estate development and finance

One of Jaselle Luna’s biggest accomplishments was leading a redesign of LOCAL Community News in 2018. The company produces five full-color, direct mailed, monthly general-interest newspapers containing hyper local stories and other content.

The change in direction also attracted new advertising clients who wanted their brand associated with LOCAL, said Luna.

“When I introduced the idea of producing a redesign of LOCAL’s papers and brand, legacy professionals in the newspaper industry had their doubts and were not afraid to share them,” she said. “I went with my gut and did something new and different that was not the norm. Our brand has evolved over the past year, and we’ve been rewarded for our change in direction and forward thinking.”

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

Do more than what you get paid to do—people will notice. Over the last 10 years, I’ve had the opportunity to meet and work with numerous business professionals both in and out of the newspaper industry. Those who’ve progressed in their careers, been recruited by other companies, or started their own typically have one thing in common: they never take the path of least resistance. My advice is to work with excellence and do each task—no matter what it is—a

Jenna Macri, 25 Events manager, Long Island Business News Ronkonkoma. N.Y. Education: Farmingdale State College, bachelor of science, professional communications with a minor in English literature

Jenna Macri came to the Long Island Business News as an intern while she was still a college student. Over the course of a summer, she wrote numerous pieces for the weekly publication, including a cover story. She eventually took on a full-time role as web editor and producer and stayed with the position for two years. Under her 50 |

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little better. You will be rewarded. So, go the extra mile for an advertiser; secure an additional source for a story; find a solution before you are presented with a problem; and most of all, if you don’t know it, learn it. Ultimately, it is up to you to take initiative.

What are some lessons you learned from starting your own newspaper?

In the world of social media, everyone is a “reporter,” and everyone is an “expert advertising consultant.” One of the many lessons I’ve learned since starting LOCAL is that you can never be complacent. It is vital that we stay true to who we are as an industry and lead our teams with confidence.

In business, you never stay the same. You are either going forward or backward. The moment you get comfortable with how your organization is performing is the same moment you miss an opportunity and the next level of growth is disrupted. Just because something has always been done a certain way in our industry does not mean it cannot be improved. Personally, I strive to constantly evaluate and do my due diligence to better serve our communities, readers and advertisers. It is imperative to evaluate every department, every employee, every reason a sale or story is lost in order to make better decisions for the future.

leadership, their web audience more than doubled in a single year.

Now as events manager, Macri commands a $1 million dollar event portfolio.

She organizes four types of events, totaling more than 18 events per year with audiences that range from 100 to more than 600.

“Her role includes event planning from A-Z, vendor correspondence, copywriting and script writing, editing of special event publications, and direct communication with LIBN’s event honorees and attendees,” said publisher Joseph Giametta. “With all this on her plate, she still manages to bring fresh ideas to the table that have helped our events remain must-attend happenings in our community in a highly competitive event market.”

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

If you had an unlimited budget, how would you plan an event for your publication?

Don’t assume you know what you want to do—and don’t want to do—for a living.

When I graduated high school, I thought I wanted to be an English professor. When I transferred into a communications program, I thought I wanted to be a public relations specialist. When I interned in a newsroom, I thought I wanted to be an editor, and when I became a web editor, I thought I wanted to be a journalist.

How did I end up at a newspaper? Well, I took Journalism 101 to prove to my mother that I didn’t want to work for a newspaper.

So, how did I become an events manager? I was encouraged to apply while working as a web editor and producer. I was skeptical, but by that time, I’d finally learned an important lesson in business: you don’t know until you try.

I’ve wanted to plan a large-scale gala for a long time. It’d be a step away from the typical business atmosphere: something with great music, dazzling entertainment, and the presence of powerhouses in our business community. It’d be a momentous occasion that would even draw attendance from the Big Apple.

We would honor a local nonprofit and donate a portion of the proceeds. (My publisher and I launched a nonprofit beneficiary program in 2018 for all of our programs. It’s my favorite part of event planning.)

You would think that a business audience would be turned off by an event that doesn’t fit the status quo, but on Long Island, everyone likes a good party that supports a good cause.

aims to reach audiences and hopes to connect readers with must-read alerts through push notifications.

According to executive editor Jim Konrad, Miller’s ability to manage the digital realm of the Bulletin as well as his growing writing and reporting skills led him to become the newspaper’s morning reporter, delivering the news to readers electronically.

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

Rob Miller, 33 Digital editor, Bulletin Norwich, Conn.

Education: Penn State University, bachelor of arts, advertising

Rob Miller’s expertise as an online editor has done wonders for the Bulletin’s website and their social media platforms. The Bulletin aims to provide context to its readers through digital layers, break news on social media and lead discussions with readers via these types of platforms. Live streaming is another way the newsroom editorandpublisher.com

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Watch a lot of TV, especially reruns of “The Office” because you can see the power of teamwork. A diverse cast of characters from all walks of life, backgrounds and experiences is needed to bring different talents to the table and make big things happen. One character doesn’t carry the show. Your office is no different. Know which character/s you are (I’m Ryan/Dwight). Know where you fit in your company’s big picture and do what you can to set your ensemble cast up to shine.

Stay up late. Just because your workday is over, doesn’t mean you can’t be doing things to give yourself or team an edge. Our sports department has this quote taped up: “Somewhere in the world someone is training when you are not.

When you meet them, they will win.”

Be lazy when it comes to giving excuses on why you can’t do something. Be “sweatpants Sunday, entire sleeve of Oreos” lazy when it comes to that. Imagine if Steve Jobs said: “I have a phone, I have an iPod and I have an iMac. I’m good.” When you put off the excuses and put in the effort, there’s no telling what you can accomplish.

What’s the craziest breaking news story you had to put together, either as the online editor or as a photographer?

Ever see the movie “Nightcrawler?” Some people actually do that sometimes.

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Brittany Prendiville, 27 Digital marketing strategist, GateHouse Media Worcester, Mass.

Education: Worcester State University, master of business management, marketing; bachelor of business administration, marketing, communications and economics

In a short period of time, Brittany Prendiville was promoted from her marketing position at the Telegram & Gazette in Worcester, Mass., to her current role as a digital strategist. She has been instrumental in leading weekly digital training and in client strategy, working alongside her peers to close business deals. Prendiville has also taken it upon herself to request an intern and manage his progress.

Leadership, according to Bernard Montgomery, “‘is the capacity and will to rally people to a common purpose together with the character that inspires confidence and trust.’ Brittany excels at this,” said Jana Johnsen, Telegram & Gazette multimedia sales executive.

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

Be confident in your ability to make a difference at a media company. There is no denying how much the media industry has changed over the years and it continues to change every day. With the insurgence of digital media, it takes creative and forward thinking to succeed in this industry.

Always know your worth and don’t hold back based on your age.

You may come across peers that have not adopted the change in the industry but don’t let that deter you from your path. I started at what I originally thought was “just a newspaper” as a marketing coordinator and in under two years, I have received two promotions,

eventually landing in my current role as a digital marketing strategist. I believe there is a bright future in this industry for young professionals with a passion for marketing.

Who are some important mentors who have helped you in your career?

Throughout my life, I have had the guidance of many mentors but there are a select few that have been instrumental.

The first is Elizabeth Wark, business administration and economics coordinator, who I first came to know as my advisor during my freshman year at Worcester State University. I was a teenager with a definite passion for business but little to no grasp of where I wanted to go or how to turn that into a career. Over the course of four years, Dr. Wark helped mold me into the business woman I am today. More recently, I have worked closely with Dr. Wark to implement a marketing internship program between GateHouse Media and Worcester State University.

After graduation, I was hired by the Telegram & Gazette where I met my next crucial mentor Michele Marquis, vice president of multimedia sales. Michele gave me the freedom to show the company what I had to offer. Right out of the gate she allowed me to take on the task of creating, designing and implementing a brand new rewards program for Telegram & Gazette subscribers. This project was crucial in building my confidence and realizing my abilities in the business world.

Steven Remery, 32 Group publisher, Orange County Neighborhood Newspapers Seal Beach, Calif.

Education: University of La Verne, bachelor of arts, paralegal studies

Under Steven Remery’s leadership, Orange County Neighborhood Newspapers (OCNN) grew their ad sales and expanded their journalistic reach. He began as a salesman for OCNN and maintained sales growth of nearly 150 percent throughout three consecutive years. In 2016, Remery was named director of advertising. He also served as interim general manager before being named associate publisher in March 2017 and then group publisher in November 2017.

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 Steven Remery (left) and Linda Rosas Townson, senior vice president of Community Media Corp., in the Sun News office. editorandpublisher.com

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Seal Beach chief of police, Remery withstood immense political pressure to allow the story to run, according to Event-News Enterprise editor David Young. “(Steven) demonstrated the courage to hire editors like me who have worked in journalism perhaps longer than he has been alive,” Young said. “Nevertheless, when confronted with blistering pressure from officials, Steven has demonstrated an ability to listen to reason and act in the public interest, difficult as it may be.”

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

Persevere. Digital publishing has forever changed the news and publishing industry.

Because of the internet, we now live in a world where almost anyone can manufacture their own news.

The high standards of journalism utilized by newspapers, however, give the public a greater sense of trust and respect for information we produce and that our readers are eager to consume. Therefore, newspapers still enjoy significant amounts of public trust and consist of worthy professions.

It is also important to note that while newspapers do face challenges there is still much opportunity, especially for hyper local community publications. Therefore, I would urge young professionals to find a job in a community in which they are comfortable and do their best work.

How do you motivate your staff during these challenging times?

We always work to make our entire staff feel at home during their working hours. As much as possible, I try to lead by example, and I make an effort to know each of our employees. In order to motivate them, it helps to know what drives them and what they need to excel and achieve.

The most effective form of motivation is recognition for doing an outstanding job, so we work very hard to create a comfortable environment, equip them with the tools and incentives they need to perform then thank them regularly when they achieve milestones or perform in an outstanding way. editorandpublisher.com

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Adam Rogers, 32 Managing editor of innovation, Villages Daily Sun The Villages, Fla. Education: Youngstown State University, bachelor of arts, telecommunication studies

Under Adam Rogers’ leadership, the Daily Sun has twice been a finalist for The Society of News Design’s Worlds Best Designed Newspapers. His individual work has won more than 40 awards at the state, national and international level.

According to executive editor Bonita Burton, Rogers is a devoted journalist and has been driven enough to produce both hurricane and election reports from emergency bunkers in the past.

“Adam is the Swiss-army knife of one of the few American newsrooms that is still growing,” Burton said. “The kind of leader who can adapt to any challenge with energy and imagination… If the future of newspapers is bright—especially the future of community newspapers—it will be because people like Adam Rogers led us there.”

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

Be seen. Work on building a high profile in the newsroom or organization. That has nothing to do with boosting your ego or some need to feel important. It is essential that your colleagues and managers know who you are and what you are capable of. So be the solution to problems that arise, even if it’s not something you’re expected to handle. It’s a great way to build trust across teams. Once you become the go-to person in the room, doors will begin to open.

What methods do you use to stay original when producing visual journalism?

If you pick up our newspaper, you will quickly see the Daily Sun doesn’t look like anything else out there. And that is because we cover a community that is unlike any other.

Innovation is a core value here, so we experiment daily. We use templates strategically throughout the paper to provide energy, pacing and multiple information entry points on every page. That, and unwavering top-down support for creativity from our publisher, allows us to focus on the bigger picture, bigger projects and more ambitious visual journalism.

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Mike Savino, 35 Local and state news editor, Record-Journal Meriden, Conn.

Education: University of Connecticut, bachelor of science, journalism and political science

Mike Savino is not only dedicated to supervising news coverage for the Record-Journal, he is also an advocator of open government and a free press. He serves as president of the Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information and is involved with four separate groups fighting for open government and press.

In 2016, Savino received the Stephen Collins Award for Freedom of Information reporting while serving as state capitol reporter for the Journal Inquirer in Manchester, Conn. Prior to his current role, Savino served as state capital and investigative reporter for the paper.

Savino also developed and hosts a podcast on public affairs titled The Morning Record, which became a platform for increasing public understanding of the editorial process. In addition, Savino regularly coordinates community outreach as well to increase media literacy and understanding of the First Amendment.

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

Be open to new experiences, both personally and professionally.

That’s always been true for journalists, but it’s especially the case as the industry keeps changing so quickly. You can’t ever predict what opportunities will come before you, so you need to be ready to adapt.

You might even enjoy what comes next.

Being flexible also helps you develop all your skills, both as a reporter and in how you present the information you’ve gathered.

Newspapers are increasingly doing more with video and audio, even experimenting with podcasts. There are a lot of exciting opportunities if you avoid limiting yourself.

What inspired you to help increase media literacy and understanding of the First Amendment?

We’ve been talking in our newsroom about finding ways to engage the public in a more personal way, and media literacy seemed like a great place to start. I’m sure every newsroom feels like the general public doesn’t fully understand the way we go about reporting on the news and that this likely plays into the growing distrust of our industry. The best way to counter that is to talk with the public about what we do and why we do it. Talk with readers about best practices and help them identify when journalists aren’t following them. Not only will this teach readers how to identify fake, misleading, or biased news, but it can also help them articulate specific concerns they might have about our coverage. That will lead to an environment that’s better for everyone.

Lucio Villa, 31 Interactive producer, San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco, Calif.

Education: California State University—Fullerton, bachelor of arts, photo communications

Coder. Interactive producer. Newsroom developer. Mr. Fix-It. Design guru. Hardcore journalist. All words that Tim O’Rourke, managing editor of digital, used to describe Lucio Villa.

“Someone like Lucio wouldn’t have been in this newsroom, or most any other newsroom, five years ago,” O’Rourke said. “He taught himself how to code but chose to pursue journalism instead of a job in Silicon Valley.”

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Over the past year, Villa took on a design leadership role, working with parent company Hearst’s Central Team on redesigns of the app, article pages and homepage, while still being a guiding, innovative force on the paper’s most ambitious projects, including in-depth coverage of the California wildfires and recent elections.

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

As technology evolves, newsrooms are adapting quickly and creating non-traditional positions like social media, engagement, innovative, audience, news apps, interactive, UX, and many more. So, if you are curious about these positions, here are a few reasons why you should pursue them. User experience (UX): You should pursue this if you’re naturally curious why and how people read certain things and want to come up with solutions on how to improve their experience. Audience/engagement reporter: You should pursue this position if you enjoy both engaging with the community and being a traditional reporter. News apps/interactive developer: You should pursue this position if you are curious about the intersection of tech-

nology (specifically web development) and journalism that develops/designs newsroom tools and new ways of telling stories online.

With your coding skills, why did you choose to work in journalism?

Impact. When I came to the Bay Area to work at the Chronicle, I started to attend many tech meet-ups, hackathons and met a lot of “tech bros.” At most of these events, many asked me why I didn’t work in the tech industry given my skills and talked about all the incentives from their salary to the free food. My reason for switching to journalism in college is the same reason why I chose to work in journalism and it’s the impact that newsrooms have in their community. We tell stories that keep readers informed, we expose wrongdoing and provide a service to the community by explaining voting results, data and much more. I may not be the reporter on these stories, but I do help enhance them online which lead to better storytelling (our analytics prove it). My heart belongs to journalism; I just happened to do journalism with code.

In her role, she is responsible for studying the newspaper’s analytics and putting that data to use. She also leads the newsroom’s weekly Digital Café meetings where the team evaluates what material did well and what didn’t, and she offers advice to reporters for future use in achieving their goals.

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

Collaborate. Help break down walls between co-workers, management, departments, even other companies and the community at large. Look for opportunities to involve people in problem solving that you wouldn’t normally turn to. The best method for this, I’ve learned, is design thinking. Find other young professionals at your level and figure out how to grow together. Try as many jobs and skills that interest you because hybrid roles are the new norm. But above all, do not neglect your mental health and work/life balance.

Lauren Walck, 33 Audience and news editor, Sun Herald Biloxi and Gulfport, Miss.

Education: Louisiana State University, bachelor of arts, mass communication

Sun Herald executive editor and general manager Blake Kaplan said, “Lauren Walck is quickly becoming a Tony Romo-like expert in her ability to predict how well a story might do online.” And when she isn’t convinced that something is the best it can be, she takes the time to sit down with the reporter or visual journalist to improve it. editorandpublisher.com

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What was something your paper published digitally that really surprised you with how it was received?

There were two things actually. The first is our sports polls, where anyone can vote on player of the week, etc. It’s so competitive we get complaints of cheating every week. There’s been industry talk of low online engagement with local sports stories, but like a lot of beats, we’ve found the traditional print approach was the main culprit.

The second thing is a long read about a fatal DUI crash I suspected could do well, but was a bit of a risk for the amount of time it took and for the fact that it was outside our normal coverage area.

But I thought it was just a great story, regardless of location. Newspapers report on so many DUI crashes, but this one stood out. Plus, the reporter and videographer were able to get details that really resonated with readers.

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Allison Wilson, 31 Director of marketing and digital advertising, Lawrence Journal-World Lawrence, Kan. Education: Northwest Missouri State University, bachelor of science, interactive digital media: new media; bachelor of science, applied advertising

Allison Wilson joined the Lawrence Journal-World as a classified advertising sales consultant in July 2013 and has been a key contributor to the Journal-World’s success, in particular with the implementation of a metered paywall and with digital subscriptions.

According to former Journal-World publisher Scott Stanford, Wilson played a central role in the launch, authoring the newspaper’s digital subscription marketing plan, including the development of an audience funnel that segmented Lawrence’s digital audience into six specific categories with a targeted plan for reaching each one.

The metered paywall and digital subscription effort launched in September 2018, and the results have been more than encouraging, said Stanford. The Journal-World has added more than 2,000 digital subscribers in just five months, and paid subscriptions have increased more than 30 percent.

 Allison Wilson with her daughter, Kate.

ness, provide advice and guidance, and challenge you to succeed will help you develop the skills needed to thrive in this business.

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

If you could put together a marketing campaign for the newspaper industry, what would it look like?

With all the challenges we face in the industry, having a “can do” and “make it work” attitude are essential. Without this frame of mind—resources, technology challenges, budgets, deadlines, etc.— would be too overwhelming to move beyond the status quo.

Learn the ins and outs of every department and how they work together. Understanding the business as a whole gives you insights on why decisions are made, and helps you to see the larger picture.

I have been very fortunate to have great mentors throughout my career. Finding smart people who can help you understand the busi-

The goal for a national campaign would of course be focused on gaining subscribers. The campaign would inspire readers and nonreaders to understand the passion and dedication of those who work in the newsroom and share why the work they do is so vital to the communities they cover. We are currently running a house campaign with the messages “subscribers get more”—more facts, more context, more credible news, more local journalism, and “invest in”— local journalism, investigative reporting, understanding the issues, etc.—and those messages work across the industry.

Hannah Wise, 27 Audience development editor, Dallas Morning News Dallas, Texas Education: University of North Texas, master of arts, journalism; University of Kansas, bachelor of arts, journalism

Because Hannah Wise is devoted to the Dallas Morning News’ audience, she quickly moved up the ranks from audience engagement editor to leading the entire audience team.

An example of her work is Curious Texas. This is a platform, in partnership with Hearken, which invites the audience to join the journalistic process by asking questions they want answered though good reporting.

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“As a result of Hannah’s vision, the newsroom published more than 100 Curious Texas articles in 2018, bringing in 1.2 million page views,” said director of digital strategy Nicole Stockdale.

Wise is also responsible for the Facebook group for Morning News subscribers, which launched in late 2017. By the end of 2018, the group had more than 1,800 members.

She also helps drive audiences to their 19 newsletters.

“The audience team, under Hannah’s direction, is in charge of the most important of all of them. The twice-daily news roundups have more than 104,000 subscribers, and Hannah ensures that her team capitalizes on this important audience-building tool with smart story selection, snappy writing and experimentation,” said Stockdale.

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

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Think creatively about solutions to the big and small challenges you and your colleagues face. Make time for yourself and what you love outside of your career. Find your cohort and support one another through thick and thin. Celebrate your successes, reflect upon your failures and never stop iterating.

In your opinion, what will be the leading method in engaging audiences this year?

The industry is in the middle of a period of incredible change and chaos. It can feel terrifying one moment and exhilarating the next. Do not be discouraged. The level of disruption across the industry means there are opportunities for you to create your own path forward. Get smart about the different business models now.

Focus more on the intentions and actions behind audience engagement. There are many shiny tools that are exciting to implement, but they are nothing without a community who is as invested in them as you are.

Instead, I prefer to think about audience engagement as the practice of cultivating relationships with your community. The keys to strong, lasting relationships are trust and communication. You cannot communicate without also being an intent listener. You also will lack trust if you fail to empathetically listen and facilitate conversations with your audience.

My hope for other journalists working in engagement, but also across the industry, is that we shift our focus and regularly ask ourselves: “Are we effectively informing all of our community members with the news they need most, on the platform they find most accessible and when they need it?” 

NEWSPAPER

STRONG No other profession in the world requires the stamina, strength, and intelligence of newspaper professionals.

If newspaper professionals had extra time on their hands, Mount Everest

would be considered a day hike, The Incredible Hulk would be mincemeat, and “Jeopardy” would go broke. One tough crowd — and in today’s challenging world, it’s a good thing.

Editor & Publisher understands what it takes to stay competitive and has helped newspaper leaders stay one step ahead, tackling relevant and timely issues for 135 years.

Subscribe to success editorandpublisher.com/subscribe

If you’re looking to stay on top of your game with comprehensive insight and global perspectives — look to E&P. editorandpublisher.com

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NewsPeople

Henry A. Olsen has joined the Washington Post’s opinions section as a columnist. Olsen will write daily pieces focusing on politics, populism, foreign affairs and American conservative thought in this role. He is also currently studying and providing analysis on American politics as a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Center in Washington, D.C.

Appeal and state politics for the Bismark Tribune in North Dakota.

The Arkansas DemocratGazette has promoted Nick Elliott from production director to vice president of operations, and Kathy Faver from controller to vice president of finance.

Elliott joined the newspaper in 1986 as a night-shift worker in the prepress department. In 2005, he advanced to an administrative position, and two years later, he moved to the printing plant in an apprentice program. He was named production director in 2008. In addition to the Democrat-Gazette, he also manages printing of six other Arkansas newspapers.

Faver began working for the DemocratGazette in 1984 and was responsible for administrative functions of the newspaper’s business office. Faver returned to the industry in 2002, and served 11 years in various administrative capacities before being named controller in 2013.

Brian Duggan has been named editor at the Reno (Nev.) Gazette Journal, where he has served as the investigations editor since 2013. He succeeds Kelly Scott, who left the publication to become vice president of content at the Alabama Media Group. Duggan joined the Gazette Journal in 2011. Prior to arriving in Reno, Duggan covered business for the Nevada

Justin Wilcox has been named chief revenue officer for M. Roberts Media Publishing. He brings more than 25 years of experience to his new title. Previously, he served as the president of Northeast Tennessee Media Group in Johnson City,

Pamela Stallsmith has been named the opinions editor for the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch, succeeding Bob Rayner. Stallsmith will be the newspaper’s first female opinions editor. Previously, she served as director of communications for the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University. Prior to that, she was part of the Times-Dispatch’s news team from 1988 to 2007. Before joining the Times-Dispatch staff, Stallsmith was a reporter at The News & Advance in Lynchburg, Va. The Local Media Consortium has elected a new executive board, which includes new members: Nicole Goksel, senior director of digital revenue operations for Tribune Media, Jeff Moriarty, senior vice president of digital for GateHouse Media, and Andrea Rothchild senior vice president of advertising sales for Newsday. These new members will join the 10-person committee comprised of executive digital leadership from various companies. Goksel brings more than a decade of experience in digital advertising and revenue capacities to the board. Moriarty has more than 20 years of success building digital news and commercial business in the U.S. and the U.K. Rothchild has a 25-year career in the media industry.

Mark Medici, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Hearst Newspapers, has been promoted to president of the Houston Chronicle. Medici will assume responsibility for all business operations. He will also retain his group role in overseeing consumer marketing strategy.

Medici was named executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Hearst Newspapers in June 2018, where he was responsible for the consumer marketing strategy for all Hearst Newspapers, as well as directly overseeing consumer revenue and marketing for the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News.

He joined the company from Cox Media Group where he served as vice president of audience and newspaper operations from 2011 to 2018. Prior to that, he spent four years at A.H. Belo Corp. as vice president of audience for the Dallas Morning News.

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From 1997 to 2007, Medici worked at Advance Publications as an outside sales representative and later became director of audience for the Oregonian.

Eric J. Myers has been named president of Belo Media Group, which handles advertising and marketing services for the media properties owned by A.H. Belo Corp. including the Dallas Morning News. Myers assumes the role from Alison Draper, who served in various divisions of A.H. Belo Cop. since 2006. Previously, Myers worked for Cox Media Group and had been with them since 2010, and prior to that, he served in various advertising management positions at the Tampa Bay Times for 11 years.

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By Evelyn Mateos evelyn@editorandpublisher.com

NewsPeople

ACQUISITIONS

Havana Publishing Group, Inc. has purchased Florida NewsLine from Local Community News, Inc. The newly acquired company is based in Jacksonville, Fla. and includes several community newspapers: Ponte Vedra NewsLine, The CreekLine, Mandarin NewsLine, St. Johns Business Monthly, Players Journal and The Ocean Breeze. Havana Publishing Group is led by Florida NewsLine’s former publisher, Mark Pettus, who is also president of Priority News, Inc., headquartered in Havana, Fla., where he publishes The Herald, The Merchant, The Chattahoochee News-Herald and Sneads Sentinel.

Schurz Communications has sold its publishing division to GateHouse Media. The company was founded in 1872 by brothers-in-law Alfred Miller and Elmer Crockett and had been owned and operated by descendants of those two families. The sale includes all 20 Schurz publications including the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune, Herald-Times in Bloomington, Ind., The Petoskey (Mich.) News-Review, The American News in Aberdeen, S.D., The Herald-Mail in Hagerstown, Md., as well as a group of smaller papers.

Todd Allen, publisher and executive editor of The Wake Weekly newspaper group, which includes the North Carolina-based newspapers The Wake Forest Weekly, Rolesville Weekly, Franklin Weekly and Butner-Creedmoor News, has sold the company along with the marketing agency, Kingsdale Media, to The Wilson Times Co. Allen is the son of Robert W. Allen, who acquired The Wake Weekly from his brother in 1952.

The Wilson Times Co. is a growing print and digital media company with a daily paper and two weeklies. The company dates back to 1896.

Community Impact Newspaper has purchased online local news publication Rover from American Hometown Publishing Inc. Rover includes a direct-mail monthly print edition as well as an online edition focused on local news in the communities of Green Hills and Belle Meade. Community Impact has publications in several states including Phoenix, Houston, Austin and Dallas. Rover is the company’s first ever acquisition.

Lee Enterprises, Inc. has acquired two Wisconsin publications, the Kenosha News and the Lake Geneva Regional News, from United Communications Corp., which were the last two publications remaining of the company’s newspaper division. The acquisition includes both the print and digital assets. The Kenosha News publishes seven days a week and has an average daily print circulation of about 20,000; the Lake Geneva Regional News publishes weekly.

Tenn. for the past seven years. He spent three years with MediaNews Group in California as publisher of the Daily News in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley Community Newspapers. Wilcox also spent three years in San Antonio, Texas as the vice president for Prime Time Newspapers, a division of Hearst. He initially began his career in Michigan working alongside his family in the newspaper industry. In his new role, Wilcox will be based in Texas.

Kevin Gentzel has been named president of USA TODAY NETWORK marketing solutions. He succeeds Sharon Rowlands, editorandpublisher.com

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who left the company to pursue another opportunity. Gentzel joined Gannett in 2015 as its first chief revenue officer, bringing 20 years of experience driving revenue with publishers such as Yahoo!, the Washington Post and Forbes. In addition, Kris Barton, chief product officer, will have expanded duties. He will continue to advance the innovative products and services of the USA TODAY NETWORK as well as the company’s advertising and marketing solutions for businesses.

John Bridges has been promoted from managing editor to executive editor of the

Austin American-Statesman, owned by GateHouse Media. Bridges is a 30-year veteran of the newsroom and has served as the newspaper’s managing editor since 2011. Bridges will also serve as regional editor for GateHouse, coordinating coverage among its Texas properties. In addition, Bill Church the senior vice president for news, has added editor-in-chief to his responsibilities. Previously, Church served as editor of the Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune. He is also a former president of the Associated Press Media Editors as well as a former Knight Visiting Nieman Fellow at Harvard. He has worked in newsrooms in Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, New York, Oregon and Florida.

Dave Soden has been named managing director for manroland Goss web systems Americas. In his new role, Soden will oversee operations of the equipment and service provider in North America. He succeeds Greg Blue, who has moved into a transition support position with the company. Previously, Soden held the position of vice president of Aftermarket Services for Goss International. He brings with him 36 years of experience in the printing industry.

Joy Robins has been appointed chief revenue officer for the Washington Post. She will oversee sales divisions that provide a range of innovative solutions for advertisers to reach the newspaper’s readership. Robins will also guide the team to create effective solutions and programs for brand partners. She joins the Post after five years at Quartz, where she served as senior vice president of global revenue and strategy, vice president of advertising and strategy, and most recently, global chief revenue officer. Prior to that, she worked at NBC News Digital and BBC Worldwide.

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NewsPeople Michael McCleery, general manager and advertising director of the Commonwealth Journal in Somerset, Ky., has been appointed publisher. In his new role, McCleery will continue to serve as advertising director for the newspaper, but will take on added responsibility for the overall operation. McCleery was named general manager and advertising director in July 2018. A 20-year veteran of the newspaper industry, he has served in numerous roles throughout his career, including as an account executive, retail director, strategic advertising manager and an advertising director. retirement as editor of the York (Pa.) Daily Record and regional editor for the USA TODAY NETWORK in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. Prior to his arrival at the Daily Record in 1989, McClure had been working as publisher of two small dailies in California. In 2004, he became editor of the newspaper.

Succeeding McClure will be Randy Parker. Parker has spent his entire career at the Daily Record except for a short stint at the Dallas Morning News in 1999.

He started as a copy editor and worked his way up to assistant news editor, police reporter, news editor, city editor, managing editor, and most recently, news director.

Adam Smeltz has been named executive editor of the Centre Daily Times in State College, Pa. He assumes the role from John Roach. Smeltz began his career at the paper and has now reported in the area for nearly 10 years. He previously worked at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Timothy J. Thomas, an executive with the Baltimore Sun Media Group, has been named interim general manager of The Morning Call Media Group in Allentown, Pa. (both companies are owned by Tribune Publishing). He fills the publisher role that was vacated when former publisher and editor-in-chief, Robert York, joined the New York Daily News. Thomas joined the Baltimore Sun Media Group in 60 |

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1999. He served as a senior vice president for the Baltimore Sun and the Morning Call from 2010 to 2014. Following the Baltimore Sun Media Group’s acquisition of Capital Gazette Communications in 2014, he also served as Capital Gazette’s publisher for three years.

Patrick Malee has been named editor of the Lake Oswego (Ore.) Review.

Previously, Malee served as assistant editor of the West Linn Tidings and Wilsonville Spokesman, both owned by parent company Pamplin Media Group, based in Oregon.

In addition to his assistant editor duties, Malee helped design both newspapers and he covered the West Linn area for the last six years. Malee assumes the role from Gary M. Stein, who has left the company.

Robin Footdale has joined LEAP and BlueVenn as senior customer success manager. Footdale brings with her more than 15 years of experience in news media marketing. She has previously served at Nucleus Marketing Solutions and Marketing Solutions Group. She began her career with the Daily Camera in Boulder, Colo.

Keith Burris has been named executive editor of the Pittsburgh (Pa.) Post-Gazette.

He will oversee the news and editorial operations of the newspaper as well as remain in his current role of editorial director for the Post-Gazette and its sister publication the Toledo Blade, where he oversees the opinion pages of both newspapers. In the past, Burris split his time between Pittsburgh and Toledo but will now be based in Pittsburgh exclusively. His career includes stints at Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal, Hartford (Conn.) Courant and the Journal Inquirer in Manchester, Conn.

Tim Smolarick has been named vice president and group publisher for D-R Media. He will be responsible for the company’s Florida newspapers in Sumter, Lee, Polk and Highlands Tim Smolarick counties. In addition, Kim Edwards has been named the general manager for Polk County.

She will be responsible for the community newspapers and other projects D-R Media has Kim Edwards in that market. Romona Washington has been promoted to corporate executive editor. She will be responsible for working with the newspapers in Lake, Lee and Sumter counties and their respective editorial Romona staff to enhance the Washington publications and bring readers important stories. Rob Kearley has been promoted to corporate circulation director, where he will oversee the distribution of all of D-R Media’s Rob Kearley printed products in Highlands, Polk, Lake, Lee and Sumter counties.  editorandpublisher.com

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FOR SALE: Weekly family-owned newspaper in Michigan’s pristine Upper Peninsula that’s been reporting news, big and small, since 1896... No traffic lights…no parking meters…no big city hassles-just plenty of quiet…clean air and water…a warm community…and wide-open spaces in the “Moose Capital of Michigan” and county seat. A great place to stretch yourself as a newspaper professional, raise a family, find adventure or close out a career on your own terms.

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FOR SALE BY KAMENGROUP.COM: Well branded NY Parents/Family Magazine for sale. NYC weekly shopper. San Diego, CA, Charleston, SC, St Louis, MO, Tacoma, WA, Austin, TX, San Jose, CA, Boston, MA, Rhode Island, Florida & Oklahoma weekly newspapers for sale. National boating/fishing mag, NY/NJ equine magazine, SC Group of titles avail. Oregon, Ohio, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Arkansas & Texas Daily newspapers seek new owners.

Outdoors/Recreational title from Midwest listed. Adult beverage digital sites & properties.

KAMENGROUP.COM • info@kamengroup.com. Discover the current market value of your publishing entity. Plan ahead and schedule your multi media financial valuation! 516-242-2857

Help Wanted

Help Wanted

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: The Killeen Daily Herald is looking for a hands-on mailroom manager to lead and oversee the distribution department. This is a working manager position.

Candidate must be able to stand for long periods of time and lift up to 50lbs. Our day / night production operation runs seven days a week; nights and weekends will be required.

• Manager must be able to oversee workflow, inventory security and organization, and the economical utilization of products and equipment.

• Maintaining and improving the mailroom operation by helping to evaluate procedures and making recommendations for appropriate best practices.

• Supervision and leadership of mailroom team including providing feedback and expectations on performance to employees.

• Scheduling and staffing to meet business needs.

• Acting as processor of mailroom time and attendance system and other related duties as identified.

• Must be detailed oriented, organized, and have knowledge of all mailroom procedures and processes, and possess solid computer skills.

• Must have a valid driver’s licence with acceptable driving record.

• Must be familiar with inventory control protocol.

• Must have strong interpersonal and supervisory skills.

We offer a competitive salary, medical, dental and vision insurance. Moving expenses for the right candidate.

®

To apply email resume to donna.sypion@kdhnews.com, fax 254-634-8204 or call 254-501-7590.

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Phone: 800-887-1615

Help Wanted

Help Wanted

LEAD PRESSMAN / MAINTENANCE: The Killeen Daily Herald has an immediate full time opening for a pressman-maintenance person. This person must have working knowledge of all aspects of printing on a DGM 850 or Urbanite Press to include plating, hanging plates, roll tending, inking, registration, etc. This person must be able to troubleshoot, have mechanical skills, and be able to work flexible hours. This position will report directly to the operations manager.

The Killeen Daily Herald prints two daily newspaper with three weeklies and also produces extensive commercial work.

Located in the heart of Texas at Fort Hood’s front door, Killeen is a city of 130,000 population and about an hour from Austin and two hours from Dallas. We offer an excellent salary, great benefits, paid vacation, sick leave and profit sharing. We’re looking to move quickly in adding the right person to our team.

To apply email resume to donna.sypion@kdhnews.com, fax 254-634-8204 or call 254-501-7590.

MARKETING AND SALES ASSOCIATE: Marketing & Sales People Needed: Have Fun & Make Money Friendly and organized people are needed to meet with small businesses, explain Buzz Around products, and create marketing partnerships! *Work 25 – 40 hours per week *Make your own hours & create your own schedule *Service existing clients and establish new ones. Buzz Around.Info is growing fast and is building a dynamic team of self-starters who are ready to make a real difference in our communities and in their own lives with the Power of Positive! Work where you are appreciated. Clients are located in South Shore / South Coast of Massachusetts. The ideal person for this position is professional, outgoing, organized, and possess written language communication skills. They are self-motivated and have the ability to make their own schedule and prioritize. A successful candidate is familiar with our publishing towns and region. Candidate should have a BA in Marketing, Communications, Media, Business, Business Communications or 2 years related experience. Long term financial success is gained through personal contact, repeat business and long term contracts. It is a balance of face-to-face meetings, Facebook, email interaction, text and phone calls. Training available. We want you to succeed! Commission is 20- 30% of each sale depending on experience. To apply: submit your cover letter and resume to events@buzzaround.info

NEWS EDITOR: The Cape Cod Times is seeking a talented journalist for a key role in our award-winning newsroom.

The ideal candidate is a born leader who has strong writing and editing skills, experience leading enterprise projects, an innovative spirit, and is equally comfortable working on print and digital. The News Editor oversees news editors, reporters and photographers while working closely with other departments to produce top-shelf journalism in a wide variety of forms for a multitude of platforms. It is a hard, but rewarding job that wields significant influence in the newsroom and in the community.

Cape Cod is an interesting community to cover, with a year-round population largely comprised of college-educated retirees but with layers of diversity in age, race and socio-economic status. Tourism is the dominant industry and the face of the Cape changes significantly in the summer and shoulder seasons.

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• Upholding the highest standards of content quality and journalism ethics.

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If you are an enthusiastic believer in the future of journalism, enjoy working hard while having fun, and excel when working with others, we are looking for you. Send a letter of interest, resume and work samples to ppronovost@capecodonline.com with “NEWS EDITOR” in the subject line.

“I’m extremely pleased with the fantastic results we receive from advertising in E&P.” - Kevin B. Kamen, Kamen & Co. Group Services editorandpublisher.com

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Help Wanted

Fax: 866-605-2323

Help Wanted

PUBLISHER: Fenice Community Media, a small, privately-owned group of Texas community newspapers, is currently seeking a publisher for its newspaper in Madisonville, Texas. The Madisonville Meteor is an award-winning community newspaper located in the county seat of Madison County along I-45 between Houston and Dallas. This is a hands-on position leading a small staff to deliver the news and information important to keep us a vital part of our communities. The publisher we seek will also be expected to be highly visible and take an active role in the community. This is a selling publisher role and the incumbent will be expected to manage an account list and lead revenue generation efforts in addition to holding profit & loss responsibility for the Inquirer and its subsidiary publications. Candidates must have a track record of successfully growing advertising revenue through personal sales efforts. The successful applicant will need to work with employees of various degrees of experience, leading a successful team to produce high-quality publications that meet our company’s profitability goals. The publisher oversees, and is directly involved as needed, all areas of the newspaper — managing the editorial product from planning to production, managing advertising sales, planning special sections, bookkeeping, distribution, analyzing monthly financials and planning for the future. Though newspaper layout is performed at our regional design hub in the Austin area, candidates must have knowledge of AP style and an eye for modern, visualoriented design, as well as experience managing digital product development — including advertising and reader content — and be fluent with social media and have experience driving engagement online. Total compensation is in the -60K range. We offer benefits including health insurance, dental and vision, as well as a generous paid time off program. If you meet the above qualifications and are ready for the challenge, please include your resume and cover letter outlining your experience and relevant accomplishments.

To apply, go to https://fenicecommunitymedia.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=66 REGIONAL PUBLISHER: GateHouse Media is seeking a successful, growth-focused Regional Publisher to serve as the direct leader/Publisher for The Gainesville Sun and the Ocala Star Banner newspapers, located in Gainesville and Ocala, Florida, respectively, as well as regionally responsible for a collection of other newspapers located in Florida. The Publisher is responsible for the strategic, financial and operational success of all phases of the enterprise.

We are seeking a proven leader with excellent management skills, who is a strategic thinker and who can work with the leadership team to develop and execute plans and meet projected revenue and expense goals. Our ideal candidate has experience delivering results in both traditional and new media environments, driving digital and print advertising sales, developing ancillary revenue streams, ensuring the continued excellence of editorial content, and being involved in community events and organizations. The person should be proactive and digitally savvy.

Desired Skills & Experience - To be successful you will need: • College degree in business, marketing, advertising or other relevant area and/or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• At least five years of experience at the publisher level or higher, including P&L responsibility, with a proven track record of high-performance and consistent results.

• Substantial advertising experience in the newspaper industry, with the ability to drive digital growth and increase revenue.

• Experience in digital journalism with innovative content and delivery.

• Exceptional communication, leadership, relationship-building, time management and planning skills.

Community & Company Description Gainesville is located in north-central Florida and is home to the University of Florida and UF’s Gators. As a university community, Gainesville is a friendly, progressive community that has been named one of the Best Places to live in the US. Ocala is located about 45 minutes south of Gainesville and has pastoral horse farms, scenic outdoor recreation venues, oak-strewn streets, and is within short driving distance from both Florida coasts and Orlando-area attractions.

GateHouse Media is one of the largest publishers of locally-based media in the nation. As of August 2018, we publish 145 daily newspapers, 340 community publications and more than 570 local market websites that reach more than 23 million people each week. You’ll find our publications in 37 states.

Application If you want to be part of an award-winning company that is set for growth, apply by submitting a cover letter and resume to danielle.brown@heraldtribune.com. Successful candidates will be required to complete a pre-employment drug screen, motor vehicle records check and background check.

This position will offer a competitive salary, bonus opportunities and a comprehensive benefits plan that includes paid time off, medical, dental, vision, life, STD, LTD, and 401K. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity in our workforce.

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shoptalk /commentary Journalism’s Dunbar Number

By Damon Kiesow

N

ews is not the best business model. It is expensive to gather, risky to publish and it depreciates in value faster than an ice cube on a summer day. But newspapers managed to make a great living at it, for years. Thanks to the advertising business.

Ultimately, big box stores, the internet, the diffusion of the “news bundle” and the move to algorithmically targeted advertising disrupted the gravy train. See Jeremy Littau’s Twitter-thread-turned-article (bit. ly/2RR77yI) for more on the recent history that aligned local advertising and the distribution of news.

Publishers quickly recognized that the new digital ad ecosystem valued pageviews and visitor growth, and they acted in accordance. And the argument was “What could be better?” A global audience for our journalism, and a funding system that rewarded us for reaching the broadest viewership possible.

So, we spent the last 15 years trying to grow visitors and pageviews and ad impressions. But the strategy has some quirks.

For instance, publishers can no longer predict or control what ads appear on their pages. Facebook and Google keep about 60 percent of U.S. digital advertising revenues.

And as it turns out, there’s not a global market for coverage of State College, Pa. zoning board meetings.

And that’s the problem. Most of the industry discussion, at conferences, on Twitter and in the trade press is focused on national newsrooms. And much of our local media is now operated by national chains.

So by default, national-level strategies are perceived as the “only” way to do business.

But national and local journalism are not the same business. The New York Times can chase scale for profit, The Centre Daily Times can’t. Because what the New York Times has is an audience. In State College,

Local readers need to be served at local scale. The internet is infinite, your community is not. they have a community.

It is an important distinction. If you have a mass audience relationship, you can grow it almost infinitely. The internet is built to work in your favor.

If you are in a local newsroom, the internet is no less important, but few of its current defining features benefit you. Global distribution? Gatekeeping by Google, Facebook and Apple? An advertising system controlled by algorithms and owned by a big-tech duopoly? That is a minefield for the business of local journalism.

To succeed, local media have to abandon scale and refocus on community. Advertising remains part of the equation, but reader revenue, donations, foundation funding— yard sales if necessary—are all in the mix.

Twenty years ago, evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar postulated there was a limit to the stable and close social relationships a human being could maintain. He informally defined it as the number of people you know well enough to join “uninvited for a drink if you happened to bump into them in a bar.”

“Dunbar’s number” is 150—and he argued it was set by the cognitive capacity of the human brain. Smaller primates with smaller brains have smaller social groups.

Media have a similar limit—it is the number of readers who feel you are part of their community and are willing to invest their

time or money with you.

We can work to boost that number, but it takes more than a marketing campaign.

It requires actively listening and sincerely engaging with your community— see TrustingNews.org as an example.

It takes better understanding your readers, and better serving them (bit.ly/2IxKCa6).

And it takes a retreat from the artifacts of scale that litter your websites, organizational structure and business model.

What does that look like? How about fewer people focused on SEO and building products for Big Tech, and more working to source story ideas from the community like Hearken. More ability to do targeted local news products such as pop-up newsletters and less time chasing the next “pivot” strategy— see the Lenfest Local Lab for ideas.

And less space on the story page taken up by spammy recommended links and…well, there is no “and” there actually, we just need less of some things.

But individual tactics are not as important as the philosophy: Local readers need to be served at local scale. The internet is infinite, your community is not. Go small or we are all going home. 

Damon Kiesow is the Knight Chair in digital editing and producing at the Missouri School of Journalism. He is a digital media pioneer who specializes in aligning storytelling, innovation and business strategies. He has focused his career on energizing newsroom practices and business strategies with emerging technologies. He most recently served as director of product for McClatchy.

Printed in the USA. Vol. 152, 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.

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