June 2018 Editor & Publisher Digital Edition

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LIVE LIKE YOU LIVE HERE

Long Live Video

CRITICAL THINKING

Whereby.us re-imagines local media for the mobile generation . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 8

A year after the ‘pivot,’ video still rules content and advertising . . . . . . . . . p. 30

KEEPING STORIES ALIVE

Apply Here

Should more newspapers charge a fee to publish political endorsement letters? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 15

Forbidden Stories protects and continues the work of reporters who can no longer investigate . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 9

HR directors talk challenges and opportunities in staffing newspaper organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 36

FOLLOW THE MONEY

2018 Pulitzer Prize Winners

National Post reporter creates database of political contributions in Canada p. 12

OPEN DEN

New York Times receives three awards, Washington Post and Reuters receive two . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 42

Global Editors Network launches international hub for data community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 13

DATA PAGE Incidents against journalists, how much do people dislike digital ads, global internet ad spending, top publishers on Facebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 18

PRODUCTION Avoid production delays by fixing these simple problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 26

NEWSPEOPLE New hires, promotions and relocations across the industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 51

KNOW YOUR NICHE

SHOPTALK

NTVB Media releases newspapers’ guide to TV magazines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 14

Facebook could actually benefit from a little regulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 58

PHOTO OF THE MONTH Andrew Whitaker/Post and Courier p. 16

Columns INDUSTRY INSIGHT

BUSINESS OF NEWS

DIGITAL PUBLISHING

For news organizations, ‘About Us’ shouldn’t be an afterthought . p. 20

Quality journalism will always be a win among readers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 22

What Kristen Hare has learned reporting on newsroom transformations across America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 24

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editorial

A Call for Action

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t was the sign of the times at the Denver Post earlier this year. First, the Post moved out of its downtown building. Second, the paper put up a paywall for the first time since 2015. And then, publisher Mac Tully announced his resignation. Tully, who was our Publisher of the Year just three years ago, said his reason for leaving after 40 years in journalism was that he was “ready for something a little less stressful.” Instead of replacing Tully, Digital First Media’s chief operating officer, Guy Gilmore, took over.

That’s nothing new for parent company, DFM, which is owned by New York City hedge fund Alden Global Capital. The Post, like many other DFM publications, has seen its newsroom numbers dwindle over the last couple of the years. At the Post, the number has dropped from more than 250 to fewer than 100—and the number is expected to fall even more. In March, the paper was ordered to cut 30 employees by July.

That was when the paper decided enough was enough.

In April, the Post editorial board published several articles pleading for Alden to “rethink its business strategy.”

“We call for action…Consider this also a signal to our community and civic leaders that they ought to demand better,” the editorial board wrote. “Denver deserves a newspaper owner who supports its newsroom. If Alden isn’t willing to do good journalism here, it should sell The Post to owners who will.”

The editorial board wasn’t alone. Former Post editor Greg Moore, who left the paper in 2016 after 14 years, returned to the pages to pen the column, “Who will step up and save The Denver Post?”

“Naively, I hoped my departure might stanch the bleeding,” Moore wrote. “I’m sad because it has continued, and I’m angry because I now realize The Post might not endure.”

Former Post editor and reporter, Ricardo Baca, also chimed in, encouraging his 4 |

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former colleagues to fight back against the hedge fund. “If we don’t speak up now, then we will be destined to witness the demise of our city’s largest and most essential newsgathering operations—and what would happen to democracy then? Who would then hold the powerful, Alden Global Capital included, accountable in the absence of a major metropolitan daily newspaper?”

Baca, who founded the Post’s popular marijuana news vertical, The Cannabist, and served as its first marijuana editor before he resigned two years ago, recently announced he was interested in purchasing the website if the Post decided to sell it.

The Cannabist is expected to lose its entire editorial staff by summer due to the cuts.

The revolt at the Post set off a chain of events at other DFM properties. Bay Area News Group executive editor Neil Chase published his own article, calling what the Post did “brave” and asking his own readers to support local journalism. The Southern California News Group published its own series of articles asking for the community’s support as well. Dave Krieger, editorial page editor of the Daily Camera in Boulder, Colo., was fired for self-publishing his own column, “Private equity owners endanger Daily Camera’s future,” after the publisher decided to kill it.

And sadly, things aren’t going to change anytime soon. DFM recently completed its acquisition of the Boston Herald in March.

According to the Boston Globe, DFM offered jobs to 175 people, out of the roughly 240 who worked there, and more cuts could still be on their way.

Meanwhile, DFM reported a 17 percent operating margin in its 2017 fiscal year, along with profits of almost $160 million, according to media analyst Ken Doctor.

“Fruits of the repeated cutbacks,” he said.

But don’t expect anymore “fruit” when there’s nothing (and no one) left in those newsrooms. Chuck Plunkett, the Post editorial page editor, who wrote the “call for action” editorial turned in his resignation in early May.—NY

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comments ))) true doesn’t make it so. Look for bias in sources (pro or con.) When reporting on scientific results try to give perspective on the scale/impact (negative or positive) of the results. For example, cannabis does have an effect on memory but only while under the influence—that doesn’t mean it makes people stupid or that it creates permanent damage to memory function. I’m sure most of this is common sense and something you already know, but I’m just so sick of how cannabis and its users are unfairly portrayed in the media. Prohibition has been way more harmful than the substance itself and too many lives have been ruined as a result.

Thank you for giving this important topic the coverage it deserves. I’m especially glad the AP, as a co-op, is doing this.

ALAN MOORE

Submitted on editorandpublisher.com

Time to Change Sides We have to pick sides now? (“Editorial: Sorry Not Sorry,” May 2018) The time to pick sides was about 20 years ago, and the legacy print industry picked sides—the outside. When Craigslist was giving away free classifieds, the print industry whined that they would not restructure their revenue model. When online directories solicited local businesses with free listings, newspapers strategy was to dress ad sales people in brighter neckties and higher heels, then blame the sales staff for editors and publishers refusal to work with young programmers who could develop new online products. While Wikipedia captured the market for encyclopedic information about people, places and events, news editors complained that crowd sourcing could not be managed.

Then when access to “social” media became essential as a newsgathering tool—long after it had been established as a preferred tool for news consumers who wanted to bypass editorial gatekeepers—editors were still complaining about how to police comments in online news articles, which they only reluctantly provided to their own company’s online divisions. What we saw was a wholesale refusal by newspapers and other print publications to keep up with technology. What we still have is a zealous defense of centuries old production technology with 6 |

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only scant recognition that newsrooms could be active players in the era of social media—much less leaders. Yep. They picked sides long ago. It’s time to change sides.

“JOE NORMAL”

Submitted on editorandpublisher.com

Kudos to the AP for Covering Cannabis Industry Good idea. Cannabis has been improperly covered for decades and needs serious analysis and reporting. (“Weed Watch,” April 2018) I would like to offer some friendly suggestions. Use the term cannabis rather than marijuana or pot (especially in headlines) which carries historically negative connotations. Cannabis is neutral and scientific. Refrain from snarky pot jokes or plays on words. How would you like everyone to endlessly joke about “Baker covering the pot beat?” It’s so overdone and insulting. Make clear during reporting on scientific results the difference between “association” and “causation.” I’m sure your journalism standards cover this but it is especially important for this topic.

Try to sort the myths from the truth and don’t blindly repeat prohibitionist tropes such as the Gateway Theory or the like.

Just because a government agency or some scientific studies declare something to be

Get Rid of the Term Paywall Maybe the industry should stop calling it a paywall — negative connotation. (“Digital Publishing: Digital Funnel,” April 2018) Walmart’s self-checkout is now called the Scan ‘n Go. Newspapers have every right to charge for their product. People pony up a lot of money to subscription services for streaming TV shows/movies, meal kits, ties, socks, too many to list. It’s time for people to realize the value of our product.

JEANNE SAVASTANO

Submitted on editorandpublisher.com

Unions Offer Support Actually, it is quite easy to understand. (“Safety Net,” May 2018) When any industry experiences numerous layoffs and employees are feeling they have no job security, they will turn to labor unions for support.

Simple as that!

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.

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editorandpublisher.com

the A section VOLUME 151

FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE 2018

ISSUE 6

> Look Ahead

Live Like You Live Here Whereby.us re-imagines local media for the mobile generation

By Rachael Garcia

“Our products are connective tissue...” } Christopher Sopher, Whereby.us co-founder

D

uring a time when there are fewer reporters covering local governments, schools and civic engagement, people are looking to alternative channels for quality local news. Media startup Whereby.us is looking to fill in that gap by building unique local media brands in cities by providing a technology platform that focuses on email newsletters and building a toolkit for local engagement.

Their slogan, “Live like you live here,” seeks to promote inclusivity and engagement among community members. Founded by Christopher Sopher, Rebekah Monson and Bruce Pinchbeck, their goal is to connect people to their cities and help them be passionate about what’s around them.

“In every city we serve, we see locals looking for places to find connection and a sense of calm,” Sopher said. “There’s never been more content out there about the world or cities we live in, and that’s exciting, but it’s also exhausting.”

Currently, Whereby.us serves Miami with The New Tropic; Seattle with The Evergrey; Orlando with Pulptown; and Portland with Bridgeliner.

Before launching their first project in Miami, the team did extensive research on what the community needed and saw an opportunity to serve it in local journalism. Research and deciphering

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what communities need the most became a core foundation of their business model.

As newsletters become the dominate way publishers reach their subscribers, the Whereby.us team relies on this feature for reader retention and building steadfast communities.

“One of the worst trends in email marketing lately has been the notion that the more emails you send, the more response you get,” said Sopher. “Political campaigns use this tactic and a lot of them get the donations they need, but no one’s arguing it builds any sort of lasting goodwill or human relationship.”

They’ve learned that the more they respect their community members and help them curate and filter through their local information stream (instead of adding to it constantly), the more the community will stick around.

“For all the strengths of traditional journalism training, one of the weaknesses is that it tends to foster this idea of a wall between community and the holy work of journalists,” said Sopher. “We can see the ways in which that isn’t working anymore.”

Whereby.us currently has 32,000 subscribers to their daily newsletters, and they reach more than 2.5 million locals a month across all of their channels and cities.

“Our products are connective tissue, and when we measure our work, we look at engagement rather than volume of impressions,” Sopher said. “We’re seeing the ad market and the media market change, not disappear—and our bet is that relationships and understanding will be vital to success.” editorandpublisher.com

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the A section

} For five months, journalists from 15 countries collaborated to keep Daphne Caruana Galizia’s stories alive.

Keeping Stories Alive Forbidden Stories protects and continues the work of reporters who can no longer investigate

A

n alarming number of journalists are being silenced around the world for their investigations ranging in topics from the environment and health to human rights and corruption. But a new platform called Forbidden Stories aims to combat censorship by continuing journalists’ work that have been threatened, imprisoned or assassinated. Forbidden Stories is a non-profit project founded by Freedom Voices Network and is led by Laurent Richard, a French investigative journalist.

Forbidden Stories was created in 2017 after journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed for investigating corruption and organized crime in Malta. For five months, 45 journalists from 15 countries collaborated to keep her stories alive. You can explore the stories in the Daphne Project at forbiddenstories.org.

“Collaboration is the biggest form of protection,” said Richard. “We want to send this message to (enemies of the press) that they can silence the messenger, but they can’t stop the message. The journalist has already backed up their story, and it’s already in the hands of other reporters ready to follow it up.”

The Forbidden Stories team conducts one or two collaborative investigations with a network of international partner media outlets.

When choosing media partners and journalists that will be part of the team, they consider the journalist’s credentials, the content of stories they’ve published, their enthusiasm for collaboration and the time they can devote to the project, and their quantitative and qualitative impact.

Remi Labed is one of two full-time journalists and the digital security officer working for Forbidden Stories.

“We consider how documented the stories are already, and whether or not they are likely to lead to high-impact revelations and on which scale,” he said. } Laurent Richard “We also assess the added value we can bring to the

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stories, either through our (or our partners’) pre-existing knowledge, skills or potential impact.”

Labed believes even very local issues can be of great interest. “They are often relevant in the context of the global public debate. Tackling them is a way of tackling broader issues like corruption, environmental issues, or human rights. This global relevance also helps in bringing together news organizations across the world on a project.”

Forbidden Stories provides three outlets for journalists to securely send messages and documents to: Signal, SecureDrop or by encrypted email.

Along with the investigative reports, journalists are asked to send instructions for the team to follow, explaining when and how they want their investigation continued or disseminated. And if something happens to the journalist, Forbidden Stories will be in a position to finish and publish their investigative stories.

After choosing which stories to follow up with, the team fact-checks everything and must analyze and understand thousands of documents— to make sure they haven’t been tampered with.

“We are very cautious and welltrained with our communications,” said Richard. “The safety of our platform and our journalists is very important to us.”—RG

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the A section Tornoe’s Corner

OF THE MONTH The Guardian Innovation Lab is experimenting with a new story format they’re calling the Smarticle, designed to help readers on mobile follow an evolving story with ease. The article format meets readers where they last left off in a developing story by only showing them the information that they haven’t seen yet.

Smarticles breaks stories up into core elements which are organized into a series of blocks.

When a reader first visits a story page, the blocks contain the most fundamental details. Each time the reader returns to the page, an algorithm determines what should appear determined by what someone read on their last visit, and the importance of each new story development.

In an article published on Medium detailing Smarticle experiments performed on three stories (bit.ly/2uLIMPs), the Innovation Lab found that the data consistently indicated a strong affinity for this format, and perhaps even a need for it.

After they ran the tests, a survey revealed that on average, 92 percent of survey respondents found Smarticles as useful or more useful than following the same topic by reading articles, and 69 percent they would like to follow other stories in this format.

The Innovation Lab is now working on collecting and analyzing data from readers to determine when previously read information should reappear. —RG

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From the Archive

 The newsroom of the Binghamton (N.Y.) Evening News was turned into a computer assembly area as the editorial staff conducted online editing and forwarding of news and advertising copy. It was part of an experiment to “reenact” the full editorial and composition process of a daily newspaper in order to assess the capabilities of computerized typesetting software. This photo originally appeared in the Oct. 11, 1975 issue of E&P. editorandpublisher.com

5/18/18 2:06 PM

the A section

77% According to a Monmouth University poll, more than 3-in-4 of 803 American respondents, or 77%, said they believe that major traditional television and newspaper media outlets report “fake news.”

LEGAL BRIEFS Minority Shareholder Sues Denver Post Parent Company Over ‘Breaches of Fiduciary Duty’

As reported by the Denver Post, a minority shareholder of Media News Group Enterprises Inc., Sola Ltd. and Ulta Master Ltd., known collectively as Solus, has filed a lawsuit against MNG and its owner, Alden Global Capital LLC for “possible mismanagement and breaches of fiduciary duty,” and are seeking access to financial books and records. The suit is based on allegations that claim MNG “eliminated any transparency into the company’s financial performance…and insider transactions involving Alden.” Solus asked for financial documents and investment activities, according to the suit. MNG responded saying the request was “too broad” and “deficient under Delaware law.” MNG also said it would not provide any information until an acceptable confidentiality agreement was negotiated, despite existing confidentiality requirements already in place, Solus noted.

L.A. County Has Repeatedly Violated State Open Records Laws, According to L.A. Times Lawsuit

The Los Angeles Times has reported it has sued L.A. County for repeatedly and routinely breaching the California Public Records Act, which is designed to give voters and taxpayers quick access to documents and data generated by public employees. The lawsuit says county officials have refused to release information about the status of homicide investigations, allegations of sexual misconduct against prosecutors and even information such as email addresses for Sheriff’s Department employees. The Times’ attorneys claim county officials were issuing “baseless denials” of requests over the years and attempting to charge “exorbitant fees” when the newspaper requested information be public. In its petition, the Times asked a L.A. County Superior Court judge to declare that the records in question are public and to order the county officials to release them immediately. Among the records at issue in the suit are files involving prosecutors and other employees of the district attorney’s office who have been disciplined for sexual harassment or misconduct.

> Wise Advice “What has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learned in your career in media?”

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned in my career is just how small the industry is. The lesson from this is “don’t be a jerk,” because it’ll come back to bite you. There are lots of subcommunities and pockets in this industry that are distinct. You can become a data journalist, a video journalist, a boots on the ground reporter,

 David Cohn editorandpublisher.com

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a social media expert and more. Understand your strengths and passions and let that guide you to find your niche. Along the way, don’t start to think that your community has an edge over another in our industry. Everyone plays a part and you never know who you’ll end up working with down the road.

David Cohn is the founding editor of Circa, an online news and entertainment service. He also leads The Alpha Group, a small team within Advance Local which has a specific goal of creating new products, projects and ideas to build new audiences and revenue streams.

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the A section

Follow the Money National Post reporter creates database of political contributions in Canada

I

t’s a fact: chasing money is part of a politician’s survival, but figuring out where their donations are coming from isn’t as transparent. That’s why National Post reporter and Michelle Lang Fellow Zane Schwartz came up with Follow the Money (nationalpost.com/followthemoney), a data journalism project that tracks contributions given to federal and provincial candidates and parties in Canada in a searchable database. The database was conceived as a tool for engaged citizens and media outlets to hold politicians accountable and use the information to demand transparency.

“I was frustrated by the way donations to politicians are recorded,” said Schwartz. “In Canada, all donations made to politicians are legally required to be made public, but they’re usually stored in such a way that it’s impossible to glean any information.”

To remedy the issue, Schwartz and other journalists with parent company, Postmedia, and developers at Qlik created an

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“There’s potentially all kinds of corruption a donation database could shine a light on.”

accessible search tool for contributions. It is compiled from more than 6 million records and covers about a decade of political fundraising.

Before Schwartz’s research, donations made on a national scale weren’t being tracked and financing rules or penalties weren’t being enforced. According to Schwartz, some records are handwritten, and most are stored as PDFs, subdivided by political party or election campaign. This

means citizens have to pour through ambiguous PDFs to find specific political figure’s donations.

“I wanted to create a centralized searchable } Zane Schwartz, National database that Post reporter could easily show people who was giving their elected representatives the most money and who the biggest donors in all of Canada,” said Schwartz.

Inconsistencies with campaign financing rules in Canada and what was actually happening popped up during the research phase, such as businesses donating to politicians, gifts exceeding the donation cap, foreign donations (there were 5,000 donations associated with out-of country addresses), and union funding (before Ontario’s recent ban on union funding the top three donors were unions).

Schwartz said journalists in Ontario are using the data to grill candidates in the upcoming election on their biggest donors. “A few of those journalists have found potentially illegal donations.”

The Follow the Money team plans on updating the database once a year for the foreseeable future, with some updates.

Schwartz also talked about including lobbyist registries and major government contract registries in the future.

“It would be great to expand the database to include donations made to municipal politicians, where there are often few rules and wealthy interests like real estate developers giving huge sums,” he said. “Combine that with a dwindling number of reporters covering city hall and there’s potentially all kinds of corruption a donation database could shine a light on.”—RG editorandpublisher.com

5/18/18 4:32 PM

the A section

Open Den Global Editors Network launches international hub for data community

F

ounded by the Global Editors Network, the Data Journalism Den (datajournalismden.org) recently opened to serve the international data journalism community. The global hub provides a platform for the community to exchange collaborative data, ideas, tools, and resources. It’s free and open to all journalists, developers, designers, and organizations committed to the practice and development of data journalism.

With the mission of fostering digital innovation in newsrooms, the Den has five sections to advance the data initiative: news, community, matchmaking, datastore, and jobs.

The news section is an area where exam-

ples of outstanding data journalism projects, insights about best practices and challenges, exclusive content, and links to related works are featured. Users can also subscribe to the newsletter that presents essential information on data journalism.

The platform aims to create a community

of data experts, so users are able to produce detailed profiles that showcase their skills and motivations, wherein members can contact each other about jobs. Along with building a network, members can collaborate on project ideas and ask for help from others in the matchmaking area. This function also provides a platform where project leaders can ask for funding for projects, and inversely funders can submit project ideas and seek applicants and grantees. All Den community members can follow along with projects and get updates about development.

Along with tracking people’s track records on projects, the datastore section monetizes data templates and other products and services related to data journalism.—RG

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the A section

Know Your Niche NTVB Media releases newspapers’ guide to TV magazines

W

hen the internet and blogs took off, TV magazine subscriptions decreased, and most newspaper publishers have either scraped the TV magazine all together or have increased the rate for all subscribers to offset printing costs and send a bundled package. NTVB Media, publisher of TV Guide and TV Weekly magazine, thinks this is a mistake.

A recent white} Michael Keever, NTVB paper produced Media senior vice

by NTVB Media president and chief marketing officer revealed that the

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average newspaper consumer watches five hours and four minutes of television per day and has at least 194 channels (basic cable) to choose from.

The study also states that there has been an increase in interest in TV magazines.

In large part this is due to the amount of programming available. In the fall of 2009, there were just 87 new scripted cable series, and in fall 2017, more than 500 scripted shows were available } Dan Criscenti, NTVB to watch. Another vice president of reason for growing digital strategy

interest in the niche magazines is the audience it serves: primarily Baby Boomers.

The whitepaper states that Baby Boomers watch more TV than any other age group, averaging 174 hours per month, and are avid readers of newspapers. According to the whitepaper, the Association of Magazine Media reports that 91percent of U.S. adults read magazines.

Working with the Pew Research Center and multiple newspapers, Dan Criscenti, NTVB vice president of digital strategy, led the research. He said he decided to study the growing niche and its impact on newspapers because he wanted to get a handle on the pros and cons newspaper publishers were weighing.

“Newspapers are looking for solutions for these growing interests in TV magazines and we want to help the newspaper business generate more revenue by finding loyal subscribers,” he said.

Michael Keever, NTVB Media senior vice president and chief marketing officer, believes newspapers run into danger when they increase subscription fees for all of their subscribers when the majority of TV magazines get tossed out. In fact, this leads to some consumers cancelling their newspaper subscriptions all together because of the uptick in costs for an additional product they won’t use. But when a quality product like TV Weekly is made available at a separate cost, consumers are more likely to keep their newspaper subscriptions. NTVB Media launched TV Weekly in partnership with more than 200 U.S. newspapers and has consistently seen the buy-in rate for its magazines at between 5 to 14 percent, according to the whitepaper.

“We focus on our content in the magazines rather than just show listings, and when you put all of your focus on something, it tends to be a quality product,” Keever said.

To learn more, visit ntvbmedia.com/ newspapers-guide-to-tv-magazines/ —RG editorandpublisher.com

5/18/18 4:32 PM

critical thinking

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

J-school students and industry vets tackle the tough questions

“Several North Dakota newspapers recently started charging for political endorsement letters. Should more newspapers charge a fee to publish such letters?”

A:

I admit that I am initially split on this question. Living and writing through this time in American politics has made me wary of candidates and their campaigns.

That many would exploit the opinion pages of newspapers to push across ingratiating messages free of charge is enough to make any editor bristle, Colin Sheeley, 20 especially in an age where regional junior, Fordham University (New York, N.Y.) and local publications are starved for revenue.

Sheeley is a journalism major Indeed, much of my family lives and the editor-in-chief of the student-run newspaper, Fordin North Dakota where these papers ham Observer. He has been a circulate. In them, they have witstaff member since 2016 and nessed over years the deterioration also served as a news editor. of editorial content as publishers scramble for promotional deals, endorsements, buyouts from media conglomerates—not to mention advertisements—to keep from going under.

In light of these strains, levying submissions that have little intention of contributing a thoughtful and reasoned opinion seems justifiable. Unless you are the reader. To the reader, a paid political endorsement-marked-ad could only further restrict their interest in the pages of a paper.

In this time where grandstanding already appears to be the only way in which one can present oneself, the reader would recoil from the letter—another valueless deal stuffed between a few good articles. Just another example of the low standards journalism has sunk to, they might think.

Yes, yes, the newspapers “retain the right” to deem any letter fit or not for publishing, but think of the pitfalls. What if one candidate’s letter is published as standard while their opponent’s is slapped with a fee? What if one runs in the opinion pages and the other along with the ads? What stops a candidate from calling the whole business of letter charging a scam? This goes without even acknowledging what should stand as the true objective for any opinions section: rational, shrewd arguments, contentious but conceding. To give over to anything less is to give up on the objective altogether. Higher fees are not the answer to political endorsements. Higher standards are.

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A:

This is a tricky question.

As the associate editor for a more locallyfocused newspaper in the Chicago suburbs, I am in charge of sifting through our letters to the editor.

Election-related letters certainly pop up around the primaries and general election, but I have not seen influx Lindsay Gloor, 23 like that in North Dakota. associate editor, Joliet (Ill.) I see benefits to both sides of Herald-News the argument. If media outlets are Gloor was recently promoted experiencing an influx of letters that to Herald-News associate campaigns appear to have genereditor. Previously, she reported ated, then, to me, it seems only fair breaking news for Shaw Media’s various publications, to charge for those letters, as one including the Herald-News would charge for a typical political and Northwest Herald in advertisement.

Crystal Lake, Ill. But charging everyday subscribers—ones editors can be sure are writing of their own personal opinion—could create a chilling effect in the letters section. Our subscribers so appreciate being able to have their voices heard on the page and, I believe, adding another fee could dampen that mood.

Then the question is how can editors determine what a campaign produced? This could inevitably create more work, if letter writers are not forthcoming in their motives. We all know journalists handle a variety of tasks throughout the day, and adding onto that is something that should be done with caution.

To sum it up, I think it is entirely fair for publications to charge for letters that can be confirmed to have come from one side of the aisle or the other, but charging everyday letter writers might be going too far. 

“Charging everyday letter writers might be going too far.”

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photo of the month

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

HOCKEY LEGS ď ˝â€… Andrew Whitaker/Post and Courier (Charleston, S.C.) The Jacksonville Icemen watch from their bench as South Carolina hosted Jacksonville at the North Charleston Coliseum Feb. 16, 2018. The South Carolina Stingrays won 5-2.

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data page 2017 at a Glance: Incidents Against Journalists

34

15

arrests (85% occurred at a protest)

45

physical attacks (70% occurred at a protest, of those nearly 30% were implicated by police officers)

search and seizures (80% occurred at a protest)

5

border stops

Source: “Press Freedoms in the United States 2017” report (a review of the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker), Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

Top Publishers on Facebook

How Much Do People Dislike Digital Ads?

Total likes, shares, reactions, and comments to publishers’ web content in February 2018

Percentage based on sample of 1,000 adults in the U.S.

WHERE PEOPLE ARE MOST ANNOYED WITH THEIR AD EXPERIENCE

PUBLISHER

TOTAL ENGAGEMENT

Social media

45%

nbc.com

28, 871, 658

Retail sites

36%

25, 895, 176

Media sites

cnn.com

34%

foxnews.com

23,398,391

nytimes.com

18,732,700

dailywire.com

16,533,525

thehill.com

Fewer pop-up ads

57%

Fewer ads in general

51.4%

Non-blocking content ads

50.7%

15,855,079

WHEN ADS AFFECT THE PERFORMANCE OF WEBSITES/APPS, USERS WILL…

huffingtonpost.com

15,110,416

Abandon the site

48%

washingtonpost.com

15,078,391

Never return

36%

Opt for a competitor

25%

dailymail.co.uk

bbc.co.uk Source: NewsWhip

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16,484,688

SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO IMPROVE USER EXPERIENCE

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14,677,145

Source: AdWeek

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40 Percent of the World’s Ad Spending is Expected to Take Place Online in 2018 Numbers in the billions; figures are projected for 2020 Global Ad Spending by Medium

Global Internet Ad Spending by Type

2000

2006

2012

2018

2020

2015

2016

2017

2018

2020

Newspapers

107.35

110.58

76.94

48.23

44.5

Search

67.73

77.6

86.40

94.75

109.58

Magazines

47.46

49.72

37.03

26.22

23.33

Social Display

20.85

31.8

48.09

57.99

76.24

Television

116.33

141.79

169.82

187.48

191.36

Video Display

17.63

22.11

26.82

31.97

43.23

Radio

30.3

33.06

30.55

34.2

34.91

Classified

14.80

17.30

18.63

20.17

23.09

Cinema

0.87

1.75

2.51

4.34

5.84

Other Display

30.47

30.32

23.65

22.2

21.68

Outdoor

18.99

26.36

30.42

37.66

39.55

Internet

7.9

27.86

86.53

227.09

273.82

Source: Zenith; Recode

Majority of American Users Visit These Platforms on a Daily Basis Based on a survey of 2,002 U.S. adults, 18 years of age or older Several Times a Day

51%

Once a Day

Less Often

36% 23%

26% 14%

FACEBOOK

55%

53%

49%

SNAPCHAT

39%

38% 22%

26%

INSTAGRAM

29% 20%

17%

TWITTER

YOUTUBE

Source: “Social Media Use in 2018” report, Pew Research Center, survey conducted Jan.3-10, 2018

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industry insight

Earning Your Reader’s Trust For news organizations, ‘About Us’ shouldn’t be an afterthought

By Matt DeRienzo

F

acebook’s introduction this spring of an “About this Article” tag on news articles, in part linking to Wikipedia pages about the news organizations behind them, exposed the media’s own problems with transparency.

The amount of information provided on the “About Us” pages of news websites can vary wildly, but is typically bare-bones and vague. That’s if a reader can actually find it by scrolling way down to the very bottom of a home page and finding the link in small type, or guessing in which of a dozen drop down trees it might reside.

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Facebook’s decision to add an “About this Article” tag to news articles came amid criticism that its algorithm had helped spread fake news and misinformation to millions.

Because of Facebook’s reach, the tag has the potential to help train readers to consider the credibility of the source of a news story before believing it or sharing it.

It sent newsrooms scrambling to check out what the Wikipedia pages on them actually say. But it should also be an eye-opener about how transparency measures could be incorporated at the article level instead of being relegated to some obligatory footnote

of a home page.

For news organizations competing for the attention, trust and financial support of readers, there are plenty of wake-up calls about the need to better explain who they are, where they’re coming from, how they operate, and what readers should expect.

Fake news. Clearly explaining the structure, mission and people behind the company or organization behind the news that’s produced on your site can set you apart from fake news sites of intentionally opaque origin.

Reader revenue. This is also directly about the bottom line for news publishers.

If digital subscriptions and/or memberships are going to be a significant portion of revenue, readers have to understand and trust a newsroom’s basic mission, business model, policies and practices. How clear are those things from the typical “About Us” page?

Ownership. Backlash has grown against the tactics of some of the hedge fund owners of large newspaper chains, coming to a head with the Denver Post’s own editorial page’s revolt against its owners’ decision to cut one-third of the newsroom there. editorandpublisher.com

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And sometimes local ownership can raise questions, too, such as when billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson purchased the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Explaining ownership structure—and how journalism decisions are made in that context—will become an increasingly important part of the transparency readers will expect from newsrooms before trust can happen. Why would a reader trust a news article if it’s unclear whether owners are shaping the outcome for ulterior motives? And why would a reader support a news organization with a subscription if the money is being shipped to some out-of-state hedge fund that continues to slash local news coverage?

Privacy. A major related element of Facebook’s fake news problem was controversy over the access that Cambridge Analytica, other firms, and obviously, Facebook itself, had to readers’ personal data. Expect readers to demand more transparency about such tactics from any news publisher using

programmatic advertising technology that’s tracking readers’ behavior across the web.

Policies. What else should readers expect to know about how a news organization operates? Most newsrooms have policies on how they handle mistakes and corrections, language around hot button issues, partisanship, divisions between the editorial page or opinion part of the operation and news, labeling of sponsored content and native advertising, identification and treatment of victims of crime, requests to remove content about cases that long ago were resolved in a courtroom. If they aren’t written down, maybe they should be. And if they’re not available to readers to see, why not?

Engagement. “Contact Us” can be the twin sister of the hard-to-find, vague and unhelpful poor stepchild of “About Us.” News organizations don’t do a great job of explaining who the “us” is behind their journalism and are even cagier when it comes to allowing readers to actually communicate

with them. And one-way mediums in an interconnected, consumer-empowered world is doomed to fail.

It all comes back to that word “trust,” which has been included in the name of so many journalism industry initiatives aimed at both the fake news problem and financial sustainability. Transparency is the baseline for earning reader trust, and trust a prerequisite for financial support. 

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

6ROG 1 Daily Newspaper The Ledger Independent

Maysville, Kentucky

Cribb, Greene & Cope is pleased to KDYH UHSUHVHQWHG Lee Enterprises Inc. LQ their sale to Champion Media.

John Cribb

ribb@Cribb.com 406.579.2925ȱ

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Gary Greene

reene@Cribb.com 434.227.0952ȱ

Randy Copeȱ

ope@Cribb.comȱ 214.356.3227

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business of news

An Editor is Not an Algorithm Quality journalism will always be a win among readers

By Tim Gallagher

W

hen I began writing this column in 2014, my then-editor offered only one piece of advice: “You cannot be depressing.”

That was not easy. Coming out of the Great Recession in the midst of an historic downturn in the industry, shiny slivers of light were hard to find. But that’s over.

Better days are ahead because we have the talent and the evidence to find a new path.

We will look at 2018 as the year in which we started calling social media platforms what they are—privacy-invading, behaviormodifying, democracy-poisoning websites motivated by money. The redemptive capital of the Facebook/Russia connection 22 |

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is that it helped pull open the drapes on how social media platforms operate by spying on us (with permission we have given them). They then use that data to continually feed us more of what they think we want to hear and buy.

We will look at 2018 as the year in which solid, well-researched journalism began to reclaim its place in the world by offering people thoroughly vetted news that informs and challenges them. And they were willing to pay for it.

Because an editor is not an algorithm.

An algorithm establishes a set of rules to be followed by a computer programmed to solve a problem. An editor uses experience, skepticism, instinct and insight to report

valuable information. People will be willing to pay for that. Artificial intelligence is no match for solid journalism.

It is important to step back and examine the dawn of the internet and crucial mistakes that were made (including those made by news media companies.) In its early days, internet architects wanted everything to be free to everyone, says tech entrepreneur and lecturer Jaron Lanier.

But to keep information free, we created a business model that served ads to people viewing the free information.

This was fine as long as the ads were benign—offering products and services available in your community. But as the technological knowledge grew—and the editorandpublisher.com

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sophistication of those delivering those ads advanced—Google, Facebook, Amazon and YouTube were able to deliver ads and content that made it seem like they knew what you were thinking before you did. In many ways, that was true. They predicted behaviors based on past choices.

The problem is that this occurred during a time when internet conspiracy theories and fake news sites were burgeoning. The algorithm might take your search for “the truth about ‘Schindler’s List’” and lead you right down the rabbit hole to anti-Semitic sites that claim the Holocaust was a hoax.

Search for news about the Boston Marathon bombing and you might be served ads about legal explosives or sites that show you how to build one on your own.

With no check on this system—with no editor—artificial intelligence takes over and serves ads and content without distinction to its veracity.

This culling process always has been the

true value of a good editor.

The president’s bellicose attacks on the media are so exaggerated and lacking substance that he has opened the doors for credible media to fight back by offering citizens a look at how news is researched and reported. With some celebrity cheerleading by John Oliver and Meryl Streep, and credibility-lifting films such as “Spotlight” and “The Post,” traditional news media is entering a heyday.

But we must not repeat the mistakes of the past and build our future around websites with ad-serving partners that chase readers around like an annoying little brother. We can’t collect personal data about our subscribers and sell it.

We can do what we do best. Chase, check out and report the news with disinterested vigor.

People will pay for this. If you doubt that, consider that many consider this a golden age of television. Streaming services

D V M & A

such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime chose a model that essentially said, “If we step up our game and produce quality programs, will you pay for our service?”

Result? Netflix now has more customers than cable television, and 61 percent of young adults (18 to 29) primarily watch streaming services.

Quality won on television. It can win in print. 

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.

COX MEDIA GROUP HAS SOLD

PALM BEACH (FL) POST 78,000 daily circulation 97,000 Sunday circulation

PALM BEACH (FL) DAILY NEWS 4,500 daily circulation

TO

NEW MEDIA INVESTMENT GROUP We are pleased to have represented Cox Media Group in this transaction.

Dirks, Van Essen, Murray & April Santa Fe, NM t: 505.820.2700 www.dirksvanessen.com

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digital publishing

The Local Edition What Kristen Hare has learned reporting on newsroom transformations across America

By Rob Tornoe

I

f you’re working in or running a local newsroom, and you want to keep up with what other outlets are doing to transform in the digital age, you probably should be following Kristen Hare.

Hare spent her first 10 years in journalism in local newsrooms, spending five years as a features writer for the Saint Joseph News-Press and another five as a staff writer at the St. Louis Beacon. These days, she is a reporter for Poynter Institute and has spent a little over a year covering the transformation of local news, both with traditional stories and a popular newsletter called Local Edition.

“Specifically, I cover the transformation of local news from legacy into digital, with a sharp focus on sustainability,” Hare said.

“It’s not just about transforming newsroom culture, but transforming business models and what journalists have to learn to stay relevant and be informed.”

Hare spoke to E&P about the newsrooms she’s been most impressed by, the key to a successful events business and why its ultimately unsustainable to devalue local journalists. The conversation has been 24 |

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edited for length and clarity.

What are some projects out there that have piqued your interest?

I’m really interested in the Malheur Enterprise, a 1,500-circulation weekly newspaper in Malheur, Ore. The editor is Les Zaitz, a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist who retired from the Oregonian a few years ago. He, his wife and his brother bought it, and just earned one of the seven local ProPublica reporting grants. I emailed him and said I wanted to come visit you, and he was like, “Are you sure?”

I love what Whereby.us is doing in Miami, Orlando, Portland and Seattle (See E&P’s story on Whereby.us on page 8).

The business is part of the strategy, and they are partnering really beautifully with places. The New Tropic (Whereby.us’ news website in Miami) partnered with the local NPR affiliate WLRN when the hurricane came through last fall to help map places where you could volunteer, where people needed water and were people needed to be evacuated.

The Richland Source is an online forprofit in Ohio that’s doing really cool community journalism work. East Lansing Info is another online non-profit that’s doing watchdog work at the ground level.

At all these places, I think you get the right mix of innovation, dedication to quality and a little bit of, “Let’s just try it and see what happens.”

You’ve written a number of pieces on media outlets turning to hosting events as a revenue stream. What are some of the takeaways from your reporting?

I think the biggest key is you need to hire someone to run events for you. If you’re a newsroom, that’s great; you should be covering the news. If you want to have events, it’s another business entirely.

If you wanted a revenue stream from printing a high quality publication, you wouldn’t go print that on your printer and pass it out to people and expect them to want to pay for it, would you?

If you want to have a great events business, I think you need to work with people editorandpublisher.com

5/18/18 4:30 PM

who know how to do that. That could start with one person who works in your newsroom and helps you create an editorial and business strategy. But you can’t just go into it on a whim—you have to have a strategy and know what you’re doing.

What’s the most interesting events strategy you’ve seen so far, as far as legacy media is concerned?

I think the most interesting legacy example to me is actually from the USA Today Network, which has found success holding storytelling nights that started at the Arizona Republic, but have now spread to different cities across the country.

It took Gannett a couple of years to get viable, but live storytelling nights using journalism as the basis of storytelling is just a pretty great blending of two things we are pretty poised to do. It’s like “The Moth” (a global storytelling initiative based in New York City), except they’re working with journalists and working with the community, and they’re harnessing the power of narrative non-fiction storytelling.

I think it’s really cool.

What’s a good example of a newsroom that you’ve visited recently that’s really turned things around?

I’ll give you two examples, and I love them as bookends with each other.

The Dallas Morning News’ strategy was really revolution, not evolution, and they really decided to avoid making changes slowly in favor of starting over. That included changing the way folks in the newsroom think about the process of producing news and the news they produce.

The Morning News created a print desk that’s responsible for curating content from the web to put in the print product the next day. The journalists in the room aren’t thinking about where their story is going or how long it needs to be—they’re just thinking it’s just going up on the web.

On the other end is the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, which was much more evolution, not revolution. They took their time and had great support from their leadereditorandpublisher.com

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ship to remake old habits and workflows.

They began to lean more on digital metrics to figure out what was working and what wasn’t, and how to be in all the different places their readers are.

The Star-Tribune has done some really cool things, including creating a quarterly magazine based on the seasons in Minnesota and making use of their extensive archives during breaking news.

One theme you return to in your writing often is the need to value local journalists. What exactly do you mean by that?

As a profession, we’re skeptics. We always want to understand what’s happening and why. But I also think journalists have this odd mix of skepticism alongside these really lofty values that are super important to what we do.

What I’ve seen in the newsrooms that I’ve visited, and what I see every time there’s another announcement of a layoff, is it feels like faith in our profession is slowly eroding on the local level.

It really struck home for me a couple of months ago when I spoke with (statehouse reporter) Eric Eyre at the Charleston Gazette-Mail, and he mentioned at one point he worked with someone who had to work at Hobby Lobby on the weekends.

So, local journalists exist in this reality where there’s both vital and expendable, and I think can’t last forever. It’s frustrating to see newspapers ask their communities to support them when they treat their journalists like s---. They don’t deserve their community’s support.

I feel like this is a profession that has to be valued if we want to get any value out of it. That’s where it has to start.  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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JUNE 2018 | E & P | 25 sales@greenshootmedia.com

5/18/18 4:36 PM

production

BY JERRY SIMPKINS

MANAGING DEADLINES Avoid production delays by fixing these simple problems

W

ith the general challenges of declining circulation in our industry, ontime delivery seems more important than ever. How’s your on-time performance, how do you track it, what’s an acceptable goal, what stop-gaps do you have in place, do you have a plan for equipment malfunction and emergency recovery in house? Have you developed a back-up printing plan if you can’t get production operations up and running? Are you “wired-in” to vendors electronically for diagnostics, and

26 |

have you established relationships with local contractors for emergency service in the event of failure?

Often it seems there are more questions than answers when it comes to meeting our deadlines and delivering consistent on-time performance to our subscribers. Let’s start the first one.

How do you approach deadlines, and how important are they to the publisher, readers, or to you?

The first thing you need to do is establish your desire to meet deadlines. What importance does your organization put on deadlines? I’ve worked for publishers who don’t feel it’s a big deal to miss a daily deadline by a half-hour or so, and I’ve worked for publishers who five minutes before deadline will run you over in a heated panic to help meet deadline.

My personal feeling on deadlines is don’t have them if you’re not going to take them seriously, strive to meet them 100 percent of the time and don’t make excuses when you

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miss them. Establish achievable deadlines, plan well and execute the plan. Sure you’ll have the occasional equipment breakdown, and occasionally, you’ll have a good reason (notice I didn’t say excuse) to miss a deadline, but for the most part 100 percent on-time performance is the only acceptable measurement of performance in production.

In my newspaper career outside of operations, I’ve served as an editor, vice president of advertising, circulation director and general manager. Until you walk in someone else’s shoes, you might not fully understand the challenges other departments face.

Production is not the only area that needs to meet deadline, but it’s also not the only area that can have challenges doing so.

Often when we have an issue it’s easy to track it back upstream and assign blame.

Don’t use that as an excuse. Put forth every sincere effort to make up time in your area.

Function as a team with other departments and just because a department before you may miss deadline, don’t use that as a reason why it’s okay in the end to deliver late papers; it’s not a good reason, but it can be a lame excuse.

What’s the result of not hitting deadline?

Anyone who’s been part of a press installation or upgrade knows things can and will go wrong. All the best planning seems to unravel at some point in the process. I’ve seen installations that have delayed printing by hours, deadline challenges that have went on for weeks, and seen subscriber confidence go down the drain right along with deadline performance.

With interest in the printed product facing new challenges daily, the strength of on-line publications surging and our industry as a whole falling on what many refer to as “tough times,” missed deadlines and inconsistent delivery are not acceptable and will simply accelerate the death spiral many in our own industry keep telling us is inevitable.

I’ve sat in customer service departments numerous times to experience what our subscribers go through. I have spoken with subscribers who are so sick of late deliveries

 This nightly deadline report posted on a common drive is available to all departments and shows performance to plan for three daily publications. Posted nightly, it allows all departments to see how well or poorly they performed against the established deadlines for that evening’s publication.

that they just don’t want to hear it anymore and end up cancelling their subscription.

Losing subscribers and the revenue that comes with it can slowly erode circulation revenue and with that go jobs—our jobs. If you don’t want to be fired by your readers, meet their expectations and do what you’ve promised them by meeting their delivery expectations.

Deadlines on weekly and monthly newspapers Regardless of your publishing cycle, weekly, monthly or otherwise, you’re no different—your readers have the right to expect the product reliably and consistently on time.

I’ve always found it strange how some non-daily publications regard deadlines.

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 A deadline summary provides a snapshot of monthly performance showing day by day variations (hits & misses) in deadline performance. This spreadsheet contains conditional formatting that automatically turns green for deadlines achieved and red for missed goals making it easier to evaluate overall performance at a glance. It also details the percentage of on-time performance and deadline progression throughout the shift. This is an example of a “homegrown” system of tracking deadline performance to promote ongoing monitoring of deadline management.

Most monthly publications I’ve worked with take a very nonessential view on meeting their deadlines. I understand that some of the ongoing challenges they face are similar to that of a daily, but I’m still amazed that when you have 30 days or so to get things together, you can still miss the deadline in the end. I see this as either a serious flaw in planning or blatant disregard for deadlines in general.

Evaluate your current situation/performance I assume most of us, hopefully all, track deadlines on a daily basis and know our percentage of on-time performance. Having 28 |

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a reporting tool for tracking on-time performance and pinpointing where the problems exist is essential.

Whether your production reporting procedure is a daily phone report to your manager at the end of shift, an email detailing nightly events and deadline performance, or a more elaborate electronic tracking mechanism, the importance of knowing where you’re at can’t be overstated. It’s a critical management tool and essential to meet optimum deadline performance.

Fixing the problems Let’s be clear that the list of things that can go wrong and cause us to miss deadlines

would take more pages than I have available to write about it, so I’m not going to solve your problems here and get you back on track to 100 percent on-time performance, but I can give you some direction.

Don’t be shy about getting involved in finding solutions to problems that create poor deadline performance outside of production. If page flow from editorial is creating issues with late plates, meet with your cohort in the newsroom, go through a tracking report with them and make creative and positive suggestions. If your editor is like most I’ve worked with, they are as concerned with meeting deadlines and retaining subscribers as you are.

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If your advertising department is consistently turning in late ads that create deadline challenges, meet with your ad director. I can’t tell you the late ads I have squeezed in at the last moment in the interest of revenue and cooperation with the ad department, but I can tell you that nine times out of 10 late ads result from poor time management and not a customer deciding they just have to have an ad in the paper that day. A good ad director will be just as interested in fixing this problem as you are having it fixed.

For problems that occur within production, two-way communication with maintenance crews is one of the first things to look at.

Frequently press operators can have issues on press and “fix on the fly” to get the run out, but leave the root of the problem not fully addressed. I’ve worked through nights where having a “MacGyver” on the crew was the only way we were able to get paper out. I can’t say enough about some of the press operators I’ve been lucky enough to work with, who have that unconventional ability for problem solving

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and the skills to back it up. A little bit of baling wire, a cable tie, some crazy glue, and you’re back up and running in minutes.

The problem comes in when your MacGyver keeps things running day after day with baling wire and doesn’t address the core problem by either fixing it right or communicating the issue to the maintenance staff responsible for making the repair. Then MacGyver “fixes” another issue, and another, and before you know it, you’re missing deadline because things have not been addressed and correctly repaired. Communication is a two-way street and I’ve worked with many press crews that don’t interact effectively with maintenance crews. This type of behavior will catch up with the operation and can contribute to downtime and missed deadlines. Put processes in place to write-up and communicate issues to maintenance before they stack up and create problems.

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LONG LIVE VIDEO A year after the ‘pivot,’ video still rules content and advertising

By Rob Tornoe

V

ideo. It’s a $17 billion industry that has both invigorated and frustrated a media industry attempting to navigate a quickly changing sea of content initiatives and emerging technologies in the hope of creating new revenue streams to support journalism.

One thing is certain—video content has never been more popular. According to a HubSpot Research survey conducted earlier this year, the popularity of video content is increasing, especially among young adults age 18 to 24. Nearly 60 percent of advertisers’ digital budgets are allocated to video, according to new research by the Interactive Advertising Bureau.

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LONG LIVE VIDEO

} Mitch Sneed, Alexander City Outlook editor

} Michael Bucklin, Fox Sports vice president of digital/audio and video content

As a result, more publishers now than ever are looking toward video to help bolster their digital revenue. According to a survey of 49 publishers conducted by Digiday in March, 86 percent of publishers indicated they plan to increase the video output of their newsroom within the next year, with most favoring YouTube for distribution.

Did the Pivot Work?

While many traditional print media companies began dabbling in video content for years, the term “pivot to video” gained new meaning in April 2017 when Mashable laid off its entire politics team and eliminated its world news coverage in favor of making video a focal point of its business. Vocative and MTV News quickly followed.

But in June 2017, Fox Sports became the largest media organization to make the pivot, laying off its entire staff of writers and removing nearly all written content from its website in favor of a complete move to video.

At the time, media critics came down hard on Fox Sports, blasting the sports media company as taking sports journalism to the woodshed by eliminating coveted reporting and writing jobs at a time when the entire industry appeared to be downsizing. Ken Rosenthal, the network’s highprofile baseball analyst, is now also writing for The Athletic specifically because his platform on FoxSports.com was taken away.

} Micah Gelman, Washington Post director of editorial video

But a year later, did the pivot to video actually work out?

“I’ve been fairly happy with it. We’ve seen success,” said Michael Bucklin, vice president of digital/audio and video content at Fox Sports. “We’re still rallying around video.”

Bucklin confirmed that page views and unique visitors dropped dramatically on the site after the switch to video. But Fox Sports no longer considers page views a meaningful metric after also dropping all the website’s display ads. Instead, it focuses on video views and time spent viewings, which have posted year-to-year gains in video consumption on all platforms.

On Twitter alone, Fox Sports has seen triple digit percentage increased in views for all but just two months. Its success growing its video views, and the preroll ads that come with them, has generated enough revenue to make up for the advertising dollars lost by eliminating the website’s traditional display ads. It’s also enabled the sports giant to better monetize content on social media, especially on platforms like Instagram.

“I don’t think you can really have any type of video strategy these days without having a strong social media strategy,” said Bucklin. “You’ve got to fish where the fish are.”

Obviously, Fox Sports is in a well-suited position to benefit from an all-in-approach to video, since the company’s editorial side is first and foremost focused on television (FS1 alone accounts for nearly 10 hours of live studio television content a day). But as both the Washington Post and the New York Times have shown, there’s a great deal of opportunity in

“I don’t think you can really have any type of video strategy these days without having a strong social media strategy.”

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the video ecosystem from newspapers to flourish.

“Video is core to the mission of the Washington Post and just an essential part of the storytelling that we do,” said Micah Gelman, director of editorial video.

Gelman oversees a sizable staff of about 70 people on the editorial side devoted solely to video, with a handful more that work on the product and engineering side. Nearly everyone on the video team is embedded in a specific section, so video journalists who cover politics sit with the politics team, and so on.

The Post’s primary goal with its video content is engagement, since the business strategy is to get readers to move through the funnel from consuming free articles to purchase a digital subscription. But the newspaper also monetizes its video content with pre-roll advertisements, both on the Post’s website and on YouTube.

Obviously, pre-roll video ads aren’t exactly a favorite of readers, but it does remain the dominant form of monetization, and Gelman said the Post’s internal ad-ops team works hard to optimize the ads, which run through Google’s DoubleClick for Publishers.

“They’re high quality ads, but they’re not delaying your phone or hanging up the video player,” Gelman said.

Challenges of Live Video

The Outlook has gone from making no money from video advertising in the middle of 2017 to averaging nearly $3,000 per month by the end of the year.

The Post has been very aggressive when it comes to live video, airing as many as 200 live events a month, ranging from the daily White House press briefing to big events like the March for Our Lives, which the newspaper carried live for nearly six hours.

But even small newspapers, like the Alexander City Outlook, a five-day-a-week newspaper in Alexander City, Ala., can get in the game. With just five editorial employees, the Outlook really punches above its weight when it comes to video. (The paper was recognized this year as one of E&P’s 10 Newspapers That Do It Right.) The newspaper airs all city council meetings live, produces pre-game shows for the local high school game-of-the-week and films in-depth interviews with local newsmakers. Nearly all the video produced is shot on iPhones and edited in iMovie.

The Outlook is monetizing all of it, including live video, which is sponsored with ads that run across the bottom of the screen similar to a news scroll, added using a free phone app called Switcher Studio. editorandpublisher.com

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“People who groan, ‘Oh, we can’t do that, we can’t do that,’ I just don’t buy it,” said editor Mitch Sneed. “You’ve got people that don’t want to do it because they don’t see the advantage of it. But we’re getting a lot of advertising dollars off our stuff.”

According to information provided by Sneed, the Outlook has gone from making no money from video advertising in the middle of 2017 to averaging nearly $3,000 per month by the end of the year. Thanks to the success of their video sponsorship strategy, digital advertising revenue climbed 83.9 percent from 2016 to 2017, from $56,000 to $104,000.

The Outlook isn’t the only small newspaper making an impact with live video.

The Robesonian, a daily newspaper in Lumberton, N.C., has also made waves in its community by making the decision in March to provide live-stream video coverage of meetings held by the city council, the board of education and the board of commissioners.

“They’ve been remarkably wellreceived,” said Donnie Douglas, the newspaper’s editor. “We have some real dysfunctional government down here, we just think there’s no better way to hold these people accountable.”

Well-received is an understatement.

Douglas said for some of the meetings there were as many as 7,000 people watching concurrently, which impressed him considering it doesn’t take too much heavy lifting to film and share the meetings live on Facebook.

“I’m 60, and I’m not a guy who’s really technically attuned, but all you need is a smartphone and a tripod and you’re good to go,” said Douglas, who said sponsors have been impressed with the number of views the videos are getting, though not every city council meeting will garner lots of interest from the community.

“Quite frankly, the last county commissioner meeting was quite boring,” Douglas jokingly admitted. But for now, it’s full speed ahead on more video at The Robesonian. Though it does mean having to get his staff of seven full-time employees companyowned phones.

It’s not just small newsrooms that have been forced to deal with issues involving live coverage. NowThis, the social media company popular among millennials, has been investing in breaking news on the ground for years. They were the only non-local news organization on the ground in St. Louis after the acquittal of a former police officer accused of shooting and killing an unarmed black man, and went live almost immediately, covering the protests.

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LONG LIVE VIDEO

One thing they learned from the coverage is by not having an editor on the ground overseeing coverage, it created a better storytelling filter, in order to prevent stories from being overdone. The birds-eye view also helps when it comes to coordinating coverage.

Robert Hernandez, a professor at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism who previously was director of development for the Seattle Times, said the ethical issues facing newsrooms are only going to multiply as they transition from doing traditional video journalism into more experimental areas of video storytelling, which includes 360 video and virtual reality using 3D technology.

“It can be as simple as in 360 video, how high should the tripod be?” Hernandez said, explaining that there could be a significant storytelling difference between a viewer looking down on a subject and looking eye-to-eye.

There’s also a fine line between properly telling a story and using new technology to sensationalize facts to create a larger emotional impact. In 2016, Hernandez and his students created a virtual reality experience that allowed users to experience what would happen if a large storm surge hit Houston’s vulnerable shore. But he had to tap back some of the ideas his students had of being inside a house and seeing the roof being ripped away.

“VR can illustrate that in a way that great writing and visual illustrations may not be able to achieve,” Hernandez said. “But it needs to be fact based. This is journalism, not Hollywood. They’re going to get the gravity of the situation when they see that 30-foot wall of water next to a house.”

level,” said Bach. “Direct ad sales teams need to be pushing video to existing clients and converting local market TV buys to online video campaigns.”

The sales angle is important. A local sales team will always be able to monetize unique content like this better than large programmatic video platforms, especially when a newsroom is producing a limited amount of content. As the team at the Alexander City Outlook has shown, having both editorial and sales working on the same page can yield impressive results even in the smallest of newsrooms.

For larger publishers, Bach thinks the key is working with an outlet like Vemba that can be a one-stop shop to distribute original videos produced by your newsroom along with relevant video created by other news outlets. But in order for outlets to have a successful video strategy, they need to do more than create cheap video clips with text overlays with the intention of going viral.

“I think investment in original content and licensing high-quality relevant content continues to win the day,” Bach said. “There aren’t shortcuts here… In other words, don’t put all your eggs in that basket.”

Sports is always among the most popular sections at most publishers, both large and small, so it’s not surprising there are a number of ad networks and platforms that work with publishers to help distribute and monetize content.

One of the most popular platforms is SendtoNews, which acts as a one-stop-shop for sports departments to help monetize and distribute their own videos while offering an immense library of relevant highlights and interviews for their own pages.

Two of its clients are the Boston Herald and the Las Vegas Review-Journal, who produce high-quality videos that SendtoNews helps monetize by syndicating to other publishers, garnering more impressions and page views than either could generate on their own.

Philippe Guay, SendtoNews CEO, recommends that publishers interested in experimenting with video on their pages should look into the dozens of high quality video syndicators in the marketplace and pick one with content that matches the interest of their readership.

“This will allow you to dabble in video without really creating

“I think investment in original content and licensing highquality relevant content continues to win the day.”

An Unlimited Array of Platforms One quick Google search reveals such an enormous number of potential video partners it might make you run under the desk and curl into a ball.

Stephen Bach, the CEO of the video distribution platform company Vemba, understands that world of video content can seem a bit overwhelming, especially to small publishers with limited staffs. But on the local level, Bach sees a lot of opportunity for newsrooms to stand out with video content, especially on social media.”

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any cost for production, editing and everything that goes with content creation and see how the audience reacts,” he said. “The syndication partners are the ones taking all the risk. We don’t charge a penny.”

Guay also said the industry is currently in an upheaval dealing with publishers and networks that attempt to game the numbers to defraud advertisers. So, traditional publishers with longstanding ties to the community are exactly the type of places advertisers want to promote their brands.

“If I’m advertising on the Union Leader, I know they’re not buying fake traffic or generating traffic by working with Russians,” said Guay. “There’s a lack of quality inventory, so if I’m a newspaper publisher, I’m trying to find a way to create more quality video. There are certainly buyers.”

Where Video is Heading

videos that have a bit more personality and a bit more voice than what we were traditionally doing,” Gelman said. “I think meaningful videos that are unique and true to the mission of your organization are going to become much more important than the viral hits.”

Tina Exarhos, the chief content officer at NowThis, thinks the next few years will continue to be dominated by social media outlets like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. In May, NowThis announced the launch of NowBreaking, where it will create breaking news videos produced exclusively for Snapchat Discover.

“The amount of people using their phone as their primary screen, including to watch television, is only going to continue to grow,” said Exarhos. “It’s all about engagement and creating a desire to share. That really only comes when you tell stories people care about.”

On the business side, Vemba’s Bach thinks the imbalance between demand for video content from advertisers and the lack of quality video content being offered by publishers might be an indication it’s time for media companies to think outside the box when it comes to the distribution of their video content.

“We’ve seen many new opportunities emerge beyond desktop and mobile web, notably really interesting opportunities on OTT platforms like Roku and Pluto TV,” said Bach. “I’d also look at new media companies like Cheddar that have really focused a sponsorship approach, versus an impression-based CPM approach.” 

“I think meaningful videos that are unique and true to the mission of your organization are going to become much more important than the viral hits.”

Even though some publishers are only now beginning to dabble in creating video content, the ever-changing nature of the industry means there will almost always be the need to constantly tinker with your video content and business strategy.

At the Washington Post, more videos are being created centered around a personality in the newsroom. The flow of content ranges from Libby Casey’s series on how to be a journalist to pop culture editor Hannah Jewell hosting an eclectic mix of videos, including one where she underwent an MRI to find out if “The Bachelor” was actually making her dumb.

“I think a big part of where we see growth opportunity is with

Dirks, Van Essen, Murray & April We are pleased to announce that Sara April has become a partner in the firm.

Santa Fe, NM editorandpublisher.com

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APPLY

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HERE HR directors talk challenges and opportunities in staffing newspaper organizations

By Gretchen A. Peck

I

t goes without saying that newsrooms are profoundly differently from even five to 10 years ago. Beyond the newsroom and across the news organization, no job title, no position and no role has benefitted from the comfort of status quo. Sales, graphics and production, circulation and audience, marketing, and more have been tested and changed. This has undoubtedly made recruiting and staffing more complicated.

Plus, consolidation, layoffs, and an image problem have been working against newspapers’ efforts to attract and keep skilled, experienced, talented people. These are all challenges we face, but they can also be fixed.

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APPLY HERE Recruiting From Today’s Talent Pool As the director of talent acquisition for the New York Times, Stacey Olive is responsible for recruiting for a range of disciplines across the publication, except for newsroom hiring, which is managed by Carolyn Ryan. But beyond the newsroom, it’s Olive’s domain, and one of her most persistent challenges is courting talented people, especially from outside of publishing, and especially in the cases of technical positions.

“Those jobs require completely different skill sets today, so we are really borrowing people from other industries who have transferable skills or from competitive organizations…we are looking for people who can work within the newer digital landscape that we’re in now,” Olive said. “But I would say, definitely, this has become a challenge. It has caused us to think more creatively.”

In the case of the Times, the publisher might not recruit from another media company at all, Olive explained. A product manager position, for example, might be better filled by a great candidate courted away from the worlds of tech or e-commerce.

“The way that I have to find talent, and the type of talent we have to target, is not necessarily the traditional competitor set,” Olive said. “That’s what I would highlight to you as one of the real main differences: Our competitive set and a source of hire is different than it was in the past.

“It’s true that while we do recruit some people who have worked at companies such as Google or Amazon, Facebook or Netflix— the ‘West Coast technology companies’—and we definitely have recruited some of those, but in large measure, I’d say that we’d probably like to recruit a bunch more.”

There are soft barriers at play: Preconceived notions about the state and health of newspapers today, and a measurably different corporate culture. For example, tech companies are seen as being ideologically and technologically advanced; in comparison, newspapers have had a reputation for being stalwart and defiantly non-progressive.

“We find that sometimes they’re not leaving those companies because of the technology they’re exposed to, and because of the developer culture that they’re exposed to. It is challenging for a media company to compete with that,” Olive said.

} Steve Spolar, chief human resources officer, Block Communications, Inc.

} Stacey Olive, director of talent acquisition, The New York Times

Diversity and the Generational Gap There are two labor force patterns that staffing professionals speak of with concern: a legacy of homogeneity among newspaper staff, and a “generational gap” between the highly skilled, seasoned newspaper professionals who have held on through the digital ride and the new generations of news pros who bring entirely different perspectives and talents to the table.

One of the mandates in the New York Times’ 2020 report (published last year) was a call for more diversity in the workplace, not just in the newsroom but company-wide. Olive said the publisher is following through on that vow: “(We remain committed to) having a more diverse workforce, especially when it comes to our 38 |

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} Peter Lamb, president, Lamb Consulting, USA editorandpublisher.com

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Action Items Olive cautioned against presumptions that the Times and other newspapers are purely seeking young, digital savvy candidates in their 20s and 30s.

These conversations with staffing and consulting professionals didn’t merely illuminate the personnel dilemmas newspapers are pondering. They produced an action plan: 1. Acknowledge that roles and responsibilities across the organization have changed. They’re evolving quickly, and so too has the candidate pool.

2. Recruit far and wide. Cast a broad net in your search for qualified candidates, and leverage opportunities like local colleges and universities, social media and job boards, networking and live events, and industries outside of publishing.

journalists and reflecting the world that we report on.”

Still, there’s much work to be done with regards to inclusivity and diversity. Olive cautioned against presumptions that the Times and other newspapers are purely seeking young, digital savvy candidates in their 20s and 30s.

“We value our experienced talent very much,” she said. “In fact, part of our manager training programs includes segments managing an intergenerational workforce.”

Cooperation and teamwork are running themes throughout the Times’ organizations, perhaps most visible in the newsrooms, where journalists are routinely paired and grouped on assignments, and where stories are told through the cooperative efforts of cross-function teams—experts in graphics, video, production, IT and audience, helping journalists communicate the information they’ve compiled. And these pros come from all sorts of professional backgrounds.

Olive said that it’s commonplace to attend meetings with colleagues who are just launching their careers alongside others who have more than three decades of service to the newspaper under their belts.

At the Times, the hiring processes have all been revamped, too.

“We’ve put into place a new interview process that aims at fairness and allowing the hiring managers to make hiring decisions based on candidates’ skill and competency, while removing bias,” Olive explained. “For example, ‘Oh, that person went to my school,’ or ‘Hey, we used to work for the same company.’ Our new processes are aimed at providing transparency and fairness. We require diverse interview panels and competency-based interview questions. We require written feedback from interviews, so we’re not allowing someone coming out of an interview to just say, ‘Oh, that person wasn’t a good fit.’ That is not a suitable answer to base a hiring decision on.” editorandpublisher.com

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3. Entice, incentivize, value and reward talented people.

Ensure that they thrive at your newspaper by keeping them passionate and engaged in the business.

4. Commit to diversity—among people and thought.

5. Change the narrative about what it means to work at the newspaper of tomorrow.

When we speak of diversity in human resources’ contexts, it’s important to define what it means—creating a news organization that reflects the market it serves, with its full representative spectrum of demographics, socio-economic backgrounds, professional experiences and other distinctive attributes. The goal isn’t to merely check off boxes, but to create a living, thriving, healthy news organization, and to deliver on a promise to readers.

A human resources director from a large publishing group (who preferred not to be named) suggested that diversity represents an uncomfortable yet long overdue topic of discussion for newspapers. He challenged readers to look no further than editorial boards for a startling lack of diversity and perspective.

To illustrate how important diverse perspectives can be to journalism and storytelling, he offered a timely analogy in the form of rapper Kanye West. Recently, West garnered national news when he sat for a live interview with two hosts from TMZ, the sensational gossip-driven celebrity-news publisher and broadcaster.

When West revealed that he considered 400 years of slavery a “choice,” one of the hosts—an African-American—pumped the brakes, pushed back and followed-up on the musician’s assertion.

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APPLY HERE challenged that thought?” the human resources director asked. “Without that perspective, that story isn’t told. In fact, diversity is our biggest challenge.”

At Block Communications, Inc. (BCI)— the 115-year-old media company and publisher of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Blade in Toledo, Ohio—ensuring that the newspapers’ staff is diverse is a requirement.

“It is a major thrust for our department,” said Steve Spolar, chief human resources officer for BCI. “We’ve talked about it and have engaged broad recruiting methods to make sure that we have a diverse group when we go to make hires.”

The problem, Spolar noted, isn’t that there’s a lack of plan—it’s that the economic stressors on the newspapers has limited the number of new hires as a whole.

“Every time we post for a position, I ask: ‘Have we looked at a diverse pool of candidates who reflect our community?’ That’s a value and a principle for us. We need to also have diversity of thought,” Spolar said.

One of the ways in which BCI finds quality job applicants is through a “very robust internship program.” Each year, the newspapers attract as many as 25 interns from the nation’s top colleges and universities, including University of Michigan, Stanford and Yale, according to Spolar.

The internships often become jumpingoff places for young professionals just starting their careers in news. Often, they move on to larger markets or national titles. That becomes an issue of retention, Spolar explained, noting that it’s one of the greatest human resources challenges they face today.

In contemporary context, retention largely depends on two factors: employees truly believe in their craft, and they’re fulfilled in their jobs and trust the newspaper’s mission, Spolar suggested. It also helps if they have a familiar local connection and want to stay in Pittsburgh or Toledo because of it.

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Incentivizing existing salespersons to recruit on behalf of the organization can be a smart way to recruit.

upon retention rates, especially at BCI and so many other small- to mid-market newspapers. Publishers must reconsider how they’re going to be competitive with other newspapers, with other companies, and with other industries.

Gone are the days when the bullpen of job candidates was deep and assured for newspapers. Generally speaking, people just aren’t clamoring for newspaper jobs like they once did, and that may be due to the uncertainty running through our industry.

Another human resources professional I spoke with told me that during interviews, candidates frequently asked: “Will I have a job in six months?” and “Will you be around in two years?”

Publishers need to hear this and think about how they would answer those questions.

The Precarious State of Sales Finding and retaining “good fits” for sales positions is a serious concern for newspaper publishers, both here in North America and around the world, according to Peter Lamb, president of Miami-based Lamb Consulting, USA. Lamb counsels publishers on how to pursue new revenue opportunities, and he suggested that some of their rate of success is determined by

the caliber of sales professionals they employ.

“It is increasingly harder to find good people, especially on the sales side. Period,” he said. “I am blessed to work around the world, and you can pick any country, and it’s the same thing. You cannot find good people, and more importantly, when you do find them, it’s hard to keep them.”

Part of the problem has to do with platform and reputation. As others have noted here and Lamb echoed: Print is perceived to be a dying medium.

“Newspapers are seen as very safe, stodgy organizations that aren’t known for change. In the technological area, they’re not progressive,” he said. “However, when I have had clients who interview and recruit for the digital side of the business, they don’t have a problem getting candidates at all.”

A natural fault line has formed between highly capable print ad sales personnel and those who are better equipped to sell the digital proposition, Lamb has observed. This has actually worked to the benefit of the newspaper organization.

“When there are dedicated teams, whether they’re print and digital, or individual product teams, there is a lot more simplicity,” Lamb said. “It’s easier for the salespeople to wrap their heads around the editorandpublisher.com

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value proposition and easier to communicate it to the customers. Organizations that haven’t been progressive in this way, that still take the one-size-fits-all approach in today’s environment? (Advertisers) don’t want that. They really want expertise.”

With regard to sales specifically, news publishers aren’t exactly known for their generous compensation packages or monetary incentives. Lamb pointed out that most compensation plans at newspapers date back a quarter century when people were paid differently. According to him, compensation plans at newspapers need a major reinvention.

Incentivizing existing salespersons to recruit on behalf of the organization can be a smart way to recruit, Lamb suggested.

“The salespeople you have now know the job and the company well, and they may

know three or four friends who could be a good match. So the publisher might offer a referral bonus once they’ve stayed on for 90 days. That’s where a large portion of the sales talent comes from today, and the beauty of that is that the people who come in through that channel know exactly what to expect. No one is walking in blind.”

Colleges and universities continue to be a wellspring of recently graduated candidates. Lamb said, “I recommend to all my clients that they find a local university or college—one that has a marketing, advertising, entrepreneurial programs—and get to know the heads of the departments.

When talented students graduate, you’ll be in a position to meet them.”

Inside the sales department, sales managers should be investing a significant amount of time on mentoring salespersons and coaching them on how to be more ef-

Out-think

Business as usual doesn’t cut it in today’s continuously changing media industry. Outsmart the future, be more innovative, challenge yourself and dare to be different.

Subscribe to the publishing industry magazine for out-thinkers. E&P digs deep and delivers stories that stimulate ideas, strategies that make you money and hard-hitting opinion that moves you to action.

D V M & A

fective at selling, and also on how to adapt and advance their careers.

Sadly, the lifespan of a new-hire sales rep is painfully short. Lamb said that it should be the goal of publishers to create professional development and advancement opportunities that retain great sales people beyond the one- to two-year expectancy. Through promotion, management opportunities, or retraining for entirely new roles, newspapers should make a concerted effort to extend the relationship to at least five years.  Gretchen A. Peck is an independent journalist who has reported on publishing and printing for more than two decades. She has contributed to Editor & Publisher since 2010 and can be reached at gretchenapeck@gmail.com.

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2018 PULITZER PRIZE WINNERS

New York Times receives three awards, Washington Post and Reuters receive two

By Rachael Garcia

T

he 2018 Pulitzer Prizes were revealed on April 16 at Columbia University. Dana Canedy, the program’s new administrator and the first woman and African-American to hold the position, announced the 102nd class of winners in the 14 journalism categories and seven letters, drama and music categories to a packed audience. In journalism, 1,217 entries were submitted this year.

Last year, journalists broke stories of longtime abusers and helped launched the #MeToo Movement. Jodi Jantor and Megan Twohey of the New York Times and Ronan Farrow of the New Yorker brought national attention to the sexual abuse of women taking place in Hollywood. Both publications shared the Pulitzer Prize in Public Service. Meanwhile, the staff of the Press Democrat in Santa Rosa, Calif. was recognized for their breaking news coverage of the wildfires that devastated Northern California in October 2017.

The New York Times received three Pulitzer Prizes this year, and the Washington Post and Reuters each earned two. Seven freelancers won prizes.

Looking forward, Canedy has expressed that she hopes more conservative journalists and columnists, young digital news organizations, and more people using new technologies and platforms apply for Pulitzer Prizes in the future.

For a complete list of 2018 Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists, visit pulitzer.org. 

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 New York Times reporters Megan Twohey (left), Jodi Kantor (right), joined by executive editor Dean Baquet, celebrate as the New York Times wins the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. (Photo by Hiroko Masuike/New York Times)

 New Yorker reporter Ronan Farrow (left), winner of the Public Service Pulitzer Prize, is accompanied by commentary finalist Jelani Cobb (center) and editor David Remnick (right) in the New Yorker’s newsroom. (Photo by Nicole Conflenti/New Yorker)

editorandpublisher.com

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WINNERS:  Public Service The New York Times and the New Yorker  Breaking News Reporting The staff of the Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, Calif.  Investigative Reporting The staff of the Washington Post  Explanatory Reporting The staff of the Arizona Republic and USA Today Network  Local Reporting The staff of the Cincinnati Enquirer  National Reporting The staffs of the New York Times and the Washington Post  International Reporting Clare Baldwin, Andrew R.C. Marshall and Manuel Mogato of Reuters

 The staff of the Press Democrat celebrates their win for Breaking News Reporting. Pictured are (from left) reporters Randi Rossmann, Julie Johnson, Martin Espinoza, JD Morris, Christi Warren, Mary Callahan. (Photo by Kent Porter/Press Democrat)

 Feature Writing Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah, freelance reporter, GQ  Commentary John Archibald of Alabama Media Group, Birmingham, Ala.  Criticism Jerry Saltz of New York magazine  Editorial Writing Andie Dominick of the Des Moines Register  Editorial Cartooning Jake Halpern, freelance writer, and Michael Sloan, freelance cartoonist of the New York Times  Breaking News Photography Ryan Kelly of the Daily Progress, Charlottesville, Va.  Feature Photography The photography staff of Reuters editorandpublisher.com

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 The Washington Post won the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for reporting on the Senate race in Alabama and sexual misconduct allegations against one of the candidates, Roy Moore. Pictured are writers Beth Reinhard (left center), Stephanie McCrummen, (center), and Alice Crites. (Photo by Matt McClain/Washington Post)

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2018 PULITZER PRIZE WINNERS

 The Arizona Republic staff celebrates for winning the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Writing. (Photo by Nicholas Serpa)

 A view of the Washington Post newsrooms employees as they recognize the winners of their two Pulitzer Prizes this year. (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/ Washington Post)

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 The New York Times celebrates after winning a Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting. They shared the award with the Washington Post for their coverage of the Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. (Photo by Hiroko Masuike/New York Times)

 The Cincinnati Enquirer newsroom celebrates as they learn they won the Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. (Photo by Meg Vogel/Cincinnati Enquirer)

 The Des Moines Register staff applauds editorial writer Andie Dominick for winning the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing. (Photo by Kelsey Kremer/ Des Moines Register)

 Jerry Saltz of New York magazine and his wife and co-chief art critic at the New York Times, Roberta Smith, celebrate his Pulitzer Prize win for Criticism. (Photo provided)

 John Archibald of the Alabama Media Group is recognized by his peers for winning the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. (Photo by Joe Songer/AL.com)

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2018 PULITZER PRIZE WINNERS

 Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing for an unforgettable portrait of murderer Dylann Roof. (Photo provided)

 Reuters president and editor-in-chief Stephen Adler speaks to newsroom staff after the global news agency won two Pulitzer prizes. (Photo by Adrees Latif/Reuters)

 Jake Halpern, freelance writer, and Michael Sloan, freelance cartoonist, won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning for an emotionally powerful series, told in graphic narrative form that chronicled the daily struggles of a real-life family of refugees and its fear of deportation. (Photos provided)

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editorandpublisher.com

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Invested in local journalism Six years ago, we returned The Press Democrat to local ownership led by community-minded investors who recognized the importance of strong local journalism.

Today, The Press Democrat is healthy, profitable and actively covering the vibrant Sonoma Wine Country.

And our newsroom just won the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news coverage. We couldn’t be more proud.

Investing in quality, local journalism is more than a smart business decision. It serves our community and brings important stories to light.

LOCAL MATTERS Now more than ever

2018 PULITZER PRIZE WINNERS

ď ˝ The photography staff of Reuters was recognized for photographs that exposed the world to the violence Rohingya refugees faced in fleeing Myanmar.

ď ˝ Ryan Kelly of the Daily Progress won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography for capturing the moment of impact of a car attack during a racially charged protest in Charlottesville, Va. (Photos provided)

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editorandpublisher.com

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JOURNALISM MATTERS.

Congratulations to our Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists.

2018 Pulitzer Prize winners Local Reporting

The Staff of The Cincinnati Enquirer 7 DAYS OF HEROIN 60 journalists provided a powerful examination of the opioid and heroin epidemic sweeping across Cincinnati, and the devastating effects it has on communities, families, facilities, and a system struggling to find solutions.

Explanatory Reporting

The Staff of The Arizona Republic and USA TODAY NETWORK THE WALL This multi-dimensional project cut through political rhetoric to examine the unintended consequences of a wall dividing the U.S. border and Mexico. Videos, articles, podcasting, and virtual reality set the stage for people to share how families, agriculture, economies, religion, nature, and more will be impacted beyond just a physical divide.

Editorial Writing

Andie Dominick of The Des Moines Register Andie’s editorials unapologetically put a human face on complex healthcare issues, including the consequences of privatization of the state’s administration of Medicaid.

Finalists Editorial Cartooning

Mike Thompson of Detroit Free Press National Reporting

Brett Murphy of USA TODAY NETWORK

Continued from page 29

THE LATEST FROM… Site Impact

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What’s the plan for equipment malfunctions/ emergencies in-house?

Help comes in many different ways, as do situations that leave us wondering if we’ll even publish that night.

You simply can’t have every spare part in stock, and good luck reaching the one vendor who can help at 3 a.m. Sunday night. If you haven’t figured it out by now nothing, I repeat nothing, breaks down in the middle of the day when vendors are available. It’s an unwritten rule of newspapering.

Keep as many key parts on hand as you can. You’ll never have everything that you need, but make sure to keep a decent stock of the small and inexpensive parts that can stop you dead in your tracks.

Bearings, switches, spray bars, rollers, blankets, etc. won’t necessarily 50 |

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I’ve worked in a shop with three CTP devices and another with only one. Care to guess which shop gave me more sleepless nights?

You can’t have a back-up to everything and when machinery fails you will miss deadlines.

In the shop with one CTP, our vendor contract was on East Coast time and we were on the West Coast. Right around the time the unit would crash, the online support team would be going home for the night and we’d call on our in-house MacGyver to get things back up and running. Two hours later, we’d still be playing catch-up and another missed deadline would go into the books.

Develop a back-up plan. The plan will vary with whatever conditions exist in your shop. How many times have you lost a press unit and had to jump a lead, drop color or reduce page counts? If you don’t have a solid plan in place, get going on one now before you need it.

If you only have one CTP (I feel your pain), you better make sure to have a good contract with your vendor for online trouble shooting, a good relationship with your local electrician, a maintenance member who knows the CTP inside and out, and have MacGyver in the wings just in case all else fails.

When things really go bad and you find yourself not only missing deadline but perhaps not printing at all, you better have some good relationships established with your friendly neighborhood print shop. You’ll need a written plan with contact information and you had better have tried FTP sites, discussed web sizes, formats, color capacity, available print windows, etc. before the need arises.

Teamwork is key There’s no master plan for consistently hitting deadlines. Each shop has its own inherent challenges. In past articles I’ve preached many times about the basics, the nuts and bolts of our operations.

I’m also a firm believer in teamwork, not only interdepartmental but cross-departmental. Following the simple basics is most times what it takes to be successful. Common sense, effective advance planning, understanding the pitfalls and addressing them before they become bigger problems, and establishing achievable goals are all necessary components of deadline management.  Jerry Simpkins is vice president of the West Texas Printing Center, LLC in Lubbock, Texas. Contact him on LinkedIn.com or at simpkins@tds. net.

editorandpublisher.com

5/18/18 4:21 PM

By Rachael Garcia rachael@editorandpublisher.com

Maribel Perez Wadsworth, president of the USA Today Network, has been named publisher of USA Today. She is the second woman to hold the title and the first person on color to serve as publisher. She has served as the flagship news organization’s associate publisher since November 2017, when publisher John Zidich retired.

Wadsworth will remain as president of the network. In 2016, Wadsworth became the chief transformation officer for Gannett after serving as the organization’s chief strategy officer.

J. Keith Moyer has been named publisher of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He succeeds Craig Moon, who has retired.

The promotion marks Moyer’s third stint as a publisher. He was publisher, president and CEO of the Star Tribune in Minneapolis from 2001 to 2007, and held the same title at the Fresno Bee in Fresno, Calif. from 1997 to 2001. Moyer, who joined the Review-Journal in February 2016 as editor-in-chief and senior vice president for content, will hold the title of publisher and editor.

Eric Schwartz has joined ClarkCountyToday.com as a reporter. Since 2013, Schwartz has served as editor of the Chronicle in Centralia, Wash. Prior to that, he was the assistant editor for the paper for two years. He was hired on at the Chronicle in 2007 as a full-time reporter and after three years, he took a reporter position with the Daily Inter Lake in Kalispell, Mont. In 2011, he returned to the Chronicle as assistant editor.

Bob Heisse has been hired as Kenosha (Wis.) News executive editor.

Most recently, Heisse was executive editor of The Times of Northwest Indiana in Munster, Ind. editorandpublisher.com

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NewsPeople

Gloria Fletcher has been named publisher of the Tulsa World and vice president of the South Newspaper Group of Berkshire Hathaway Media Group. Most recently, Fletcher was president of Sound Publishing, Inc. based in Everett, Wash., where she oversaw 49 titles. Previously, she served as publisher of the Woodward News and of the Enid News and Eagle, both based in Oklahoma. She also spent many years with CNHI and GateHouse Media before joining Sound Publishing in 2012.

He also served as executive editor of the State Journal-Register of Springfield, Ill.; the Centre Daily Times of State College, Pa.; and city editor of the Patriot-News, Harrisburg, Pa. He served as president of the Associated Press Media Editors in 2012 and president of the Associated Press Media Editors Foundation in 2013 and 2014.

Rodney Mahone has been named president and publisher of a group of publications in South Carolina: the Charlotte Observer, The State in Columbia, The Herald in Rock Hill, The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette in Hilton Head. Mahone succeeds Ann Caulkins, who has stepped down after 12 years as publisher of the Charlotte Observer and 35 years with parent company McClatchy. Prior to his promotion, Mahone was president and publisher of the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer and the Telegraph in Macon, Ga. Mahone began his

career with the Ledger-Enquirer in 1990 in the circulation department. He advanced from outside sales to several leadership roles within the advertising division, including vice president of advertising in 2009.

Josh Trust has been named publisher of River Valley Media Group in La Crosse, Wis. He succeeds Bob Fleck, who has left the company. Most recently, Trust was vice president and chief revenue officer of Advance Ohio. He also served in a variety of leadership roles at GateHouse Media, including vice president of digital for its central division and regional vice president of its Community East Group. He began his career as a media buyer with Marc Advertising in Pittsburgh, Pa. Kathy Worth has been named chief financial officer of New England newspapers Inc., parent company of the Berkshire

Greg Burton has been named executive editor of the Arizona Republic. He succeeds Nicole Carroll, who is now editor-in-chief of USA Today. Burton was most recently executive editor at the Desert Sun in Palm Springs, Calif. He also worked for the News Journal in Wilmington, Del. and has supervised the Pacific region for the USA Today Network.

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NewsPeople ACQUISITIONS GateHouse Media has purchased the Palm Beach Post and Palm Beach Daily News from Cox Enterprises for $49.29 million. Cox has owned the papers and associated websites since 1969. The Palm Beach Post has daily print and paid digital circulation of nearly 80,000 and 102,000 on Sundays. The Palm Beach Daily News has been published for 120 years and reaches more than 44 percent of adults in the market.

AIM Media Midwest, LLC, of Dallas, Texas has acquired the publishing assets of The Sentinel Company, Inc. of Bowling Green, Ohio from the Haswell family. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. In conjunction with the transaction, AIM announced that Karmen Concannon, publisher at the Sentinel-Tribune, will remain in her current position with AIM. The publication and affiliated website included in the transaction are the daily newspaper serving Bowling Green and surrounding Wood County, sent-trib.com, and a variety of other specialty and periodic publications.

Wick Communications has purchased The Wenatchee (Wash.) World from the Woods family. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The World has been published by the Woods family for 111 years. Wick Communications is a third-generation familyowned and operated media corporation based in Sierra Vista, Ariz. With this purchase, the World is the first newspaper in the state of Washington for Wick Communications.

GateHouse Media has purchased the Gardner (Mass.) News from long-time owner and publisher Alberta Bell. The terms of which were not immediately disclosed. The Gardner News started as a weekly newspaper in 1869. Bell has run the family-owned paper, which serves seven cities and towns in northern Worcester County and publishes every day except Sunday, since 1992, when her husband, Gordon Bell, died. She has worked at the paper more than 30 years. GateHouse has publications in 36 states and 540 markets.

Charles H. Morris Sr., CEO and president of Morris Multimedia Inc., recently sold the Times and the Poultry Times, based in Gainesville Georgia, to his son, Charles Hill Morris Jr. and his company, Metro Market Media. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. In a separate transaction, Morris Sr. also sold from an affiliated company, the Forsyth County News and the Dawson Community News to Morris Jr. The Times and its affiliated products were acquired from Gannett in 2004 by Morris Multimedia and the Forsyth and Dawson companies were owned by the New York Times Co. prior to being purchased by an affiliated company in 1994.

Ogden Newspapers has acquired the Standard-Examiner (Ogden, Utah) from the Sandusky Newspaper Group. Standard.net websites, the newspaper’s office complex, printing plant and related real estate at Business Depot Ogden are also part of the transaction. Sandusky Newspaper Group has been in the publishing and media business since 1869, and owns six dailies and six weeklies. Ogden Newspapers currently publishes 45 daily newspapers.

Eagle and three newspapers in Vermont; the Bennington Banner, the Brattleboro Reformer and the Manchester Journal.

She replaces the late Frank McKenna, who served in that position for 14 years.

Previously, she served as regional finance director for the USA Today Network. She also spent 17 years at the Taunton Press 52 |

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in Newton, Conn. as director of finance, followed by 13 years as vice president of finance.

Terry Plinke has been named advertising director of Lehigh Valley (Pa.) Press’ eight weekly newspapers. Plinke has 10 years of print sales experience, having previously

worked for two Lehigh Valley daily papers.

Prior to that, she worked in medical laboratory sales and with Outdoor Marketing Systems, creating transit advertising for bus shelters and on buses.

Cara Rubinsky has joined the AP business news department as deputy business editor for newsgathering. In her new role, she will help produce more impactful and internationally-relevant journalism and drive aggressive spot and enterprise reporting across the globe. Most recently, she served as AP’s associate Europe editor.

Jonathan Haukaas has been named editor of the Reflector in Battle Ground, Wash. He was promoted to lead reporter soon after his hire in 2016 and was recognized by the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association for both his reporting and photography within his first year.

Rebecca Poynter has been named publisher of the Idaho Statesman in Boise, Idaho. She succeeds Debra Leithauser, who has left the company. Poynter comes from Gannett Co., where she most recently led a group of Michigan newspapers, including the Lansing State Journal.

Previously, she worked in sales for CocaCola and media sales at the Detroit Media Partnership, which published the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press. She has also worked for the Army Times in Springfield, Va., USA Today and the Lexington Herald-Leader in Kentucky.

Jason Blakeney has been named executive editor the Northwest Florida Daily News. From 2007 through 2015, Blakeney worked in various editor roles at a Pensacola, Fla. newspaper. He also worked for a editorandpublisher.com

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NewsPeople newspaper in Kentucky and in a leadership role at the GateHouse Media Center for News and Design.

Megan Hansen has returned to the Nisqually Valley News in Yelm, Wash. as the paper’s editor. Previously, she served as assistant editor and as a general assignment reporter at the paper. In 2012, she accepted a job with Sound Publishing as an editor for a group of publications on Whidbey Island, Wash.: the Whidbey News-Times, South Whidbey Record, and a weekly newspaper, The Whidbey Examiner.

Natalie Johnson has been promoted to editor of the Chronicle in Lewis County, Wash. She most recently served as assistant editor. Johnson was also a reporter for both the Chronicle and the Mason County Journal. She was hired by the Chronicle in May 2015 as the crime, courts and emergency services reporter after five years of reporting for the Mason County Journal.

The Buffalo (N.Y.) News recently announced the addition of two new editors: Margaret Kenny Giancola, deputy managing editor, and Denise Jewell Gee, assistant managing editor. Kenny is in charge of publishing print and digital publications, while Gee is responsible for local news and business coverage.

Greg Moore has been named executive editor of the Charleston (W. Va.) Gazette-Mail. He succeeds Rob Byers, who wasn’t retained after the paper was purchased

by HD Media of Huntington, W.Va. Moore began working full-time at The Charleston Gazette in 1996 and was at the newspaper when it merged with the Charleston Daily Mail to establish the Gazette-Mail. During editorandpublisher.com

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Jim Moroney has retired as chairman, president and chief executive of the Dallas Morning News’ parent company, A.H. Belo. His cousin, Robert W. Decherd, succeeds him. Moroney will assume the title of publisher emeritus of the Dallas Morning News and stay on as corporate director. Decherd had served as chairman and chief executive of A. H. Belo and its predecessor company, Belo Corp., from 1987 to 2013.

his 20 year tenure with the newspaper, he also served as managing editor.

Lindsay Gloor has been named associate editor of the Herald-News in Joliet, Ill. Gloor comes to Joliet from the DeKalb(Ill.) Daily Chronicle, where she worked as a reporter. Prior to that, Gloor was a digital reporter for Shaw Media, covering breaking news and creating multimedia packages for the company’s Chicago properties, including the HeraldNews.

Ross McDuffie has been promoted to McClatchy general manager/vice president of advertising for Georgia, overseeing operations at the LedgerEnquirer and Macon Telegraph. McDuffie joined McClatchy in 2010 as a member of the Ledger-Enquirer advertising sales team. He was promoted several times over the past eight years and was named regional vice president/ advertising for McClatchy’s Georgia markets with oversight of Columbus, Macon and excelerateTM Atlanta in 2017.

Jeff Ackerman has been named publisher of the Wenatchee (Wash.) World. He succeeds Rufus Woods, who will remain on as a columnist. Ackerman has been a publisher at various newspapers, while Woods had been publisher of the World since 1997.

Lori Carver has been named advertising director of Prescott Newspapers, Inc., parent company of the Daily Courier, Prescott Valley Tribune and Chino Valley Review in Arizona. Carver brings to PNI 20 years of experience in television and newspaper advertising. She has also worked in the Florida panhandle area, Oklahoma and Ohio.

Michael Wagar has been named publisher of the Chronicle and president of Lafromboise Communications in Centralia, Wash. He succeeds Christine Fossett, who has resigned after serving 30 years at the Chronicle, including over six years as publisher. Wagar was most recently publisher of the Nisqually Valley (Wash.) News and regional executive editor of that newspaper, the Chronicle and the Reflector in Battle Ground, Wash. He is also the incoming president of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association. He started at the Chronicle in 2001 as executive managing editor.

Dick Kitzmiller has retired as president and CEO of Brainworks Software after serving the company for more than 15 years and working in the newspaper and media publishing industry for 55 years. He will continue to be involved with the company by staying on the board as an advisor to the team. Replacing Kitzmiller is chief operating officer Rick Sanders. 

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Help Wanted

CIRCULATION DIRECTOR: The Daily News-Record a 22,800 daily and 21,900 Saturday newspaper in Harrisonburg VA, has an opportunity for a professional to join our management team. We are searching for an individual who excels in a fast paced environment and who has a strong background in all aspects of circulation – innovative marketing ideas, excellent service and good collections. The candidate must have excellent communication skills; work effectively across department lines, be strong with details and follow through. The candidate must also be able to work with multiple newspapers and promote shared opportunities.

GENERAL MANAGER: Executive responsible for noneditorial functions of Central Connecticut Communications, publishers of three daily newspapers, two weeklies and associated online media. Sales, circulation/audience development and business operations. May start out in training position leading up to full-charge executive role. Commitment, hard work, rock-solid trustworthiness and willingness to learn required; media background or interest preferred.

Email mschroeder@centralctcommunications.com or call 860-839-3389.

Harrisonburg lies in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia. With three universities and colleges in this growing we are looking for someone to take advantage of the growth and turn it into circulation gains.

GENERAL MANAGER/ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: Commonwealth Journal, Somerset, Kentucky.

The Commonwealth Journal seeks a forward-thinking, results-oriented newspaper executive to lead its daily newspaper in a beautiful area of Kentucky.

We offer a great working environment where good ideas and results are rewarded. Benefits include, health insurance, dental, vision, life insurance, long term disability, paid vacation and 401K plan.

We’re looking for a proven sales leader with a record of growing print and online revenue, and who understands the importance of strong journalism, community building and digital innovation. This person must possess the ability to create and execute a multiplatform sales strategy that covers print, niche publications, websites and mobile products.

Please send a cover letter, resume and salary requirements to: Craig Bartoldson, The Daily News-Record, 231 S. Liberty St., Harrisonburg, VA 22801. cbartoldson@dnronline.com.

EDITOR: Are you a hands-on leader with a penchant for important, community journalism?

The Sun Media Group is looking for you!

We are seeking a motivated, experienced editor to supervise news coverage for two weekly newspapers in Franklin County, Maine, out of our Farmington office. The editor would also work with other outlets in the ownership group to maximize resources and provide the best possible coverage to a loyal and passionate readership.

Candidates must possess strong writing, editing, photography and social media skills. Area coverage includes, but is not limited to local meetings, features, sports, school events, and police news. Some night and weekend work is required, as the news dictates.

To apply, email humanresources@sunjournal.com.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: The San Francisco Media Company, an award-winning newspaper group covering the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, seeks an experienced Editor-in-Chief (EIC) to lead its editorial staff.

The EIC will oversee all editorial aspects of the SF Examiner and SF Weekly operations, including four print editions per week (Wednesday, twice on Thursday, Sunday) and daily digital coverage. The EIC will set the tone and direction for the editorial department.

Daily EIC responsibilities include but are not limited to: • Managing SFMCeditorial teams: assigning journalists to stories, establishing production schedules, addressing publication and organizational challenges to improve the quality of news coverage.

• Formulating SFMCeditorial policy: planning, coordinating and directing editorial activities.

• Networking with stakeholders and community members to expand our publications’ foot print in the Bay Area.

• Working closely with SF Examiner section editors and reporters to ensure timely, comprehensive coverage; implementing creative strategies to grow print and online readership; Establishing and adhering to financial budgets. Writing stories and editorials as needed.

• Managing SF Weekly editorial operations, including supervising its editor, a full-time staff and freelance contributors; and establishing and adhering to financial budgets.

• Providing guidance and mentoring to all SFMC editorial staff to produce fast, accurate, hard hitting local news.

The ideal EIC will have at least 10 years of newsroom experience (exceptional candidates with less will be considered) and 5 years of management experience.

We offer a competitive salary package with benefits.

Please send your cover letter and resume to jcurran@sfmediaco.com interested candidates are encouraged to apply quickly as we are interviewing immediately.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Midwest Free Community Papers seeks a self-motivated professional for the position of Executive Director.

Eligible candidate must demonstrate a proven track record in sales and marketing, management and leadership, and possess excellent human relations and communication skills. Previous experience in and/or knowledge of the free paper industry is preferred.

Please send resume, cover letter, compensation requirements and references to: apply@mfcp.org

“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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Our GM/Advertising Director must be knowledgeable about all newspaper departments and have a solid track record in driving revenue. We expect a motivator who can inspire quality performance across all departments. Exceptional leadership, organizational and communication skills are vital. This position reports to the senior publisher.

The Commonwealth Journal is a six-day community newspaper vital to the lives of residents in Somerset and Pulaski County. In addition, we publish a replica e-edition, local news website and various niche publications, including successful magazines.

Somerset is a community of 12,000 and a regional retail hub. The area is home to Lake Cumberland one of the largest recreation centers in Kentucky, drawing more than 1.7 million visitors annually.

Interested candidates should email a resume and cover letter to Bill Hanson, bhanson@cnhi.com.

The Commonwealth Journal is a CNHI newspaper. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, CNHI is a leading publisher of local news and information. Its newspapers, websites and specialty publications serve communities in 23 states.

PRINTING PRODUCTION AND SALES MANAGER: Immediate opening for manager for printing and production, as well as outside sales of commercial web printing. Based in Livingston, MT at The Livingston Enterprise (m-f p.m), the corporate headquarters for Yellowstone Newspapers, which publishes 13 daily, weekly and biweekly newspapers, and does a wide variety of outside printing. Supervise press and mailroom staff, sell and service outside customers, oversee production purchasing, maintain schedules, budgets and assure profitability of the department.

College preferred, 5-10 years experience in print sales and supervision required computer technology experience required. Competitive salary plus commission. Livingston is located 50 miles north of Yellowstone National Park, in the heart of Montana’s outdoor recreation.

Apply with resume, references and salary expectations to: John Sullivan, President, Yellowstone Newspapers, P.O. Box 2000, Livingston, MT, 59047

E&P HELP WANTED PRINT & WEB AD SPECIAL 100 words of text plus your company logo both in print and online for one low price!

1 month in print + 5 weeks online - $125.00 2 months in print + 10 weeks online - $225.00 For more information or to place your ad, call 1-800-887-1615 or email classifieds@editorandpublisher.com JUNE 2018 | E & P

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shoptalk /commentary Facebook Could Actually Benefit From a Little Regulation

By Frédéric Filloux

O

n March 22, five days after the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke, Mark Zuckerberg came up with a weird statement regarding the prospect of regulation. “I actually am not sure we shouldn’t be regulated,” he said in typical Zuck parlance.

Why the hell would Facebook’s lider maximo welcome the intrusion of a regulator?

Two reasons: it could help his business in the long run, and by the time any regulation takes effect, Facebook will have consolidated even further its already immense power.

Let’s draw a parallel with the banking industry. This sector is one of the most regulated in the world. It’s an industry that is virtually impregnable, despite its long standing shortcomings. Banks are the least customer-friendly businesses you can imagine; whether you are a business or an individual, you pay an awful lot of commissions and fees for mediocre service. Even worse, banks kindly cooperate with their respective national tax systems, providing the government with all sorts of information, a practice that any privacy lawyer would love to challenge.

Banks have made of regulation the best guarantee for the perpetuation of their mediocrity. The only sector I see coming close in terms of regulation is the airlines industry, which at least has the excuse of passenger safety.

As a result, no one is willing to enter the banking sector. This better preserves the status quo; in the U.S. alone a third of bank customers said they would switch if Google, Amazon or Facebook offer banking services.

This “protection by regulation” is an inspirational example for Facebook. The global social network might experience a

slight pain of having regulators curb the most abusive part of its business, but in the end the benefits will largely outweigh the hurdles.

Facebook has very little to fear from regulators, whether in the United States or in Europe. In countries in Southeast Asia, and soon in Sub-Saharan Africa, where Facebook aims to embody the internet, it doesn’t have to worry at all about oversight. It can still enjoy the position of a Big Tobacco, willing to create new pools of addicts.

In Washington, Facebook is now a strong player, on par with its two giant pals, Amazon and Google. Together, they spend nearly as much on influence lawmakers as Boeing, the primary U.S. defense contractor.

Big Tech “owns” a large chunk of the political spectrum, starting with the Democratic establishment, as noted recently by The Intercept: “Democrats have long-standing and numerous ties to the tech community. Former President Barack Obama was famously close to Google, with hundreds of staffers moving back and forth between executive branch jobs and the search engine giant. Last year, former Obama counselor Valerie Jarrett joined the board of Lyft, and just this week former national security adviser Susan Rice joined the board of Netflix.”

On the Republican side, Donald Trump won’t forget that he owes his victory to the astuteness of Cambridge Analytica—yes, he does—which played on Facebook’s recklessness regarding privacy, to target voters at an unprecedented scale.

Also, the president begins to understand the benefits of befriending the tech. And the tech giants also might need Trump’s political testosterone, if things go sour with

Europe.

But an intelligent approach from Brussels against Facebook is quite unlikely. The glamorous European Commissioner for Competition, Margrethe Vestager, despite a plethoric staff of 900, has yet to prove her relevance and effectiveness. Vestager is obsessed with Google, which she hit with a hefty €2.4bn fine last fall. The penalty sanctioned violations that are eight years old, and involve companies that have been acquired or have made peace with Google.

Technically, Facebook is not easy to regulate. Some call for a ban on political advertising, but the boundaries are impossible to draw; the support of a candidate might be easy to regulate, but questioning the promotion of a Facebook page from a pro-gun group or environmental activists will inevitably collide with the First Amendment. As for a breakup of the companies into distinct pieces (Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and the social network), it could be effective, but the procedure will take years.

The only way to make Facebook feel the pinch would be to ban its targeted advertising practices. That would be both a decisive and efficient move to protect users, and a sanction, as this feature is a key component in the company’s business model. But implementing such measures seem beyond the technical capability of legislators, whether they are in Washington or Brussels.  Frédéric Filloux is currently a John S. Knight Senior Research Fellow at Stanford University. He is also the editor of the Monday Note, a newsletter/blog that covers digital business models and technology. A full version of this edited article can be found at bit.ly/2vrSuH.

Printed in the USA. Vol. 151, No 6, EDITOR & PUBLISHER (ISSN: 0013-094X, USPS: 168-120) is published 12 times a year. Regular issues are published monthly by Duncan McIntosh Co. Inc., 18475 Bandilier Circle, Fountain Valley, CA, 92708-7000; Editorial and Advertising (949) 660-6150.

Periodicals postage paid at Fountain Valley, CA 92708, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Please send address changes to: EDITOR & PUBLISHER. P.O. Box 25859, Santa Ana, CA 92799-5859. Copyright 2018, Duncan McIntosh Co. Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Subscription Price: U.S. and its possessions, $99.00 per year, additional postage for Canada & foreign countries $20.00 per year. Single copy price $8.95 in the U.S. only; Back issues, $12.95 (in the U.S. only) includes postage and handling. Canada Post: Publication Mail Agreement No. 40612608. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 682.

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

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