September 2019 - Editor & Publisher Digital Edition

www.inland-snpa.org

2019 INLAND/SNPA JOINT ANNUAL MEETING October 6-8 JW Marriott Chicago, IL

Ryan Dohrn

Jennifer Preston

John Hinds

Matt Coen

Judi Terzotis

Peter Kovacs

Fredric Rutberg

Mi-Ai Parrish

Rick Dumas

Jim Stevenson

Stacey Hill

Ken Harding

Laurie Kahn

Walter Hussman

Tim Franklin

Here are more than a dozen reasons to come to Chicago, October 6-8 The SNPA-Inland Annual Meeting will be a mix of the practical and the forward-looking – all of which will make your newspaper even stronger, across all platforms from print to digital, and from a wide variety of revenue streams.

Join colleagues from across the industry October 6-8 in Chicago to hear these outstanding speakers presenting on urgent issues, innovative strategies and successful case studies: Judi Terzotis and Peter Kovacs on how The Advocate of Baton Rouge won the newspaper Battle of New Orleans.

Fredric Rutberg on betting – successfully – on quality news content over cutting to grow The Berkshire Eagle.

Laurie Kahn on talent acquisition and building a staff for the future.

A top expert on proven strategies to protect your public notice revenue against constant attacks.

Tim Franklin and Northwestern University on their Local News Initiative, which is seeking to reinvent the relationship between news organizations and audiences.

Matt Coen and Ryan Dohrn on creating – and selling – niche publications that become reliable revenue generators.

Maintaining high valuation at your paper with insight from major media brokers on what buyers are looking for.

Jennifer Preston of the Knight Mi-Ai Parrish on lessons learned in Foundation and John Hinds of News innovation and digital strategies Media Canada on funding local during a career leading The Arizona journalism from non-traditional Republic, USA Today Network, The sources.

Kansas Star and more.

Rick Dumas on how GateHouse Walter Hussman on The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's bold initiative to rapidly convert readers from print to digital.

Jim Stevenson on how a small weekly paper was able to launch a new weekly that was profitable from day one.

Media is succeeding in that toughest circulation category: single copy.

Stacey Hill on connecting local SMBs with email marketing that generates revenue for them, and you.

A panel of Facebook Accelerator Program participants sharing what they have learned about the retention of digital subscriptions.

A briefing on the newspaper industry's campaign for an anti-trust exemption to negotiate for fairer revenue sharing.

Ken Harding of FTI Consulting on what they're learning from the Google Local News Initiative And more!

Register now!

Rates increase after August 30th!

The registration fee for Inland and SNPA members is $795.

Never attended an Inland or SNPA annual meeting before? There’s a special first-time rate of $595 for members.

Team discounts are available to newspapers that send five or more employees from the same paper. Contact Carley Lintz at clintz@inlandpress.org.

Sponsorships are still available but going quickly! For more information on sponsorships: Inland: Patty Slusher at 847.

795.0382 or pslusher@ inlandpress.org.

SNPA: Cindy Durham or Paulette Sheffield at (404) 256-0444 or cindy@snpa. org or paulette@snpa.org

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A Section

Features

Departments

THE CREDIBILITY OF NEWS

Watchdog Journalism Bites into Revenue

CRITICAL THINKING

PEN America and the Trust Project create a digital tool to assess transparency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 8

How newspapers are turning trust into dollars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 32

CREATING STRENGTHS

A Whole New World

SNPA, Inland to merge on Oct. 1 . . p. 9

As readers move more toward digital, how are newspapers fulfilling their needs? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 38

‘THE JOURNAL OF THE MAGIC CITY’

Several newspapers have stopping printing editorial cartoons or have let go out of cartoonists due to criticism.

Did those publications respond correctly? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 15

DATA PAGE

HONORING TRUTH SEEKERS

Restricting altered videos and images, news avoidance and news overload, Gen Z and the news, digital subscribers who pay for news in the U.S. . . . . . . . . . p. 18

Lawmakers introduce bill to build memorial for fallen journalists . . . p. 13

PRODUCTION

Cheyenne Post debuts in Wyoming p. 12 Cover design by Meredith Ewell

News-O-Matic and Amazon collaborate to bring news briefings to children p. 14

PAGE Cooperative opens up membership to include publicly-held newspapers, newspaper groups and commercial printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 26

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

NEWSPEOPLE

Kelly Marsh/Times Herald-Record p. 16

New hires, promotions and relocations across the industry . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 44

INFORMING THE NEXT GENERATION

SHOPTALK Google, Facebook should pay for news they use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 50

Columns INDUSTRY INSIGHT

BUSINESS OF NEWS

DIGITAL PUBLISHING

What’s a journalist worth? Finding the answer could help sustain local news p. 20

The history between presidents and the press has always been tense . . . . . . p. 22

Editorial cartoons find new life online p. 24

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editorial

The Real Thing

I

n July, a gunman opened fire at the local garlic festival in Gilroy, Calif., shooting 15 people and killing three including a six-year-old boy. Once again, a community was left in shock over such a brutal and random attack. And once again, the media went to work interviewing survivors and taking photos at memorials and vigils. One of them was Robert Eliason, a photographer for the Gilroy Dispatch. In a Facebook post that went viral, Eliason wrote about what he saw as he arrived on scene for a press conference.

“It was like walking on to a movie set.

There were media vans everywhere, video cameras on tripods, bright lighting panels, reporters talking to victims, reporters checking in to their home stations, reporters talking to no-one and just standing there blankly…Everything was surreal. I’m press but I am not really press. I am the guy who goes out to high school football games and little league…But here I am, fighting for a little space to shoot some pictures of a press conference. I am standing next to the CNN guy. I get to tell a Fox guy that no, I won’t move so he can put his tripod where I am standing. I get sneered at because I’m local press, not the real thing.”

Eliason’s words struck a chord with many journalists especially those who have had to cover a tragedy such as a mass shooting in their city. There’s chaos and confusion—and it’s overwhelming, not only for residents but also for local journalists like Eliason. Unlike the reporters from CNN and Fox, Eliason knew people who had attended the festival and had escaped the shooter.

“Tomorrow they are going to move on to some other thing but I was going to be there in town covering the memorials and the vigils and the grief,” he wrote in his Facebook post. “And that I was going to be there to see how these people coped and recovered as they tried to make sense of what they had lived through.”

For Eliason, he doesn’t get to move on.

He joins a journalism community made up of newsrooms that have had to cover mass shootings. Last year, I wrote a feature that 4 |

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CORPORATE OFFICES (949) 660-6150

The Gilroy shooting was a reminder of the media’s swarm problem.

FAX (949) 660-6172 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jeff Fleming jeff@editorandpublisher.com MANAGING EDITOR Nu Yang nu.yang@editorandpublisher.com GRAPHIC DESIGN Meredith Ewell ASSISTANT EDITOR Evelyn Mateos evelyn@editorandpublisher.com

addressed the needs of mental health and safety among journalists. I had the chance to speak with Orlando Sentinel reporter Naseem Miller and San Antonio ExpressNews reporter Silvia Foster-Frau, creators of a closed Facebook group called Journalists Covering Trauma for newsrooms—“a place for journalists to ask for and give emotional and professional support in covering a mass shooting.” At the time the story was published, the group almost had 400 members.

When I checked last month, the number had increased to nearly 600. Unfortunately, that number will most likely continue to grow.

Jon Allsop of the Columbia Journalism Review wrote that the Gilroy shooting was a reminder of the media’s swarm problem.

“Eliason’s post is a useful reminder that national reporters do traumatized communities a disservice when they parachute in, jostle noisily for interviews with survivors and grieving families, then leave before the dust has settled,” he said.

Allsop suggested that national outlets draw on the coverage of local news organizations; use a common pool reporter; or report remotely, instead.

“If national outlets insist on sending their own team to a trauma scene, they could at least stick around and cover the affected community once the initial media furor has died down,” he said.

But that’s not always the case. Once the national outlets leave town, it’s the local journalists like Eliason who are left behind to do the hardest work: following-up with officials, checking-in with survivors and making sure their community heals and moves forward together.

To me, that sounds like the real thing.— NY

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Rob Tornoe, Tim Gallagher Matt DeRienzo SALES AND MARKETING CONSULTANT Wendy MacDonald, ext. 231 wendy@editorandpublisher.com CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING SALES Jon Sorenson (800) 887-1615 FAX (866) 605-2323 classifieds@editorandpublisher.com SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES (888) 732-7323 CIRCULATION ASSISTANTS Emily Wells Horneff Dustin Nguyen PRODUCTION Mary Monge TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR David Kelsen OPERATIONS MANAGER Jennifer Chen, ext. 214 jennifer@editorandpublisher.com

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8/19/19 7:33 AM

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comments ))) or Congress during the Trump years? I haven’t. Like most Americans, I know where to look for the journalists who are going to blast President Trump, and I know where to look for those who are going to explain his continued support. I know from where the ad hominem attacks are going to emanate, and I often watch and read them so that I will be able to respond properly when asked.

By trying to be fair, I have been called a “deplorable,” an appellation many of my readers tell me they wear with pride.

SUSAN ROSENBLUTH

Submitted on editorandpublisher.com

Journalists Now Showing Bias Kudos to you for calling attention to this vital subject and its many tangents. (“Industry Insight: Older and Wiser, July 2019) Call me a dinosaur, but as both a former print reporter (whose paper closed), I remain ever-faithful to the print editions of newspapers, but it’s getting harder to do as those editions get thinner, less substantive and far more expensive. And if I could have written this in 12 or 14 point Times New Roman, I would have!

ing columnist, I try to be mindful that the folks who are reading my work are likely my age or older. None of my kids subscribe to the newspaper or watch TV news. Many of my friends sheepishly admit to dropping their subscriptions because the paper lacks any relevance or bandwidth for them. Our Sunday paper arrives around 8 a.m. We have already eaten breakfast and cleaned up the kitchen and are ready to get on with our day. But I dare not complain; I’m lucky our carrier walks the paper to our doorstep.

S.A.

CARYN M. SULLIVAN

Agree with much of this article. (“Business of News: Offering Balance,” July 2019) Having been in media for 40-plus years, mostly with daily newspapers, I have seen the biases first hand in some co-workers and it is sad. Opinions used to be contained to op-ed pages, now too often they are in other sections of the newspaper. I was trained that objectivity was the standard, and reporting accurately and fairly the goal. But it seems many in the industry now are more about advocacy than reporting. They’re not trying to inform, they’re trying to sell their narrative.

Submitted on editorandpublisher.com

Submitted on editorandpublisher.com

JIM MOLONY

Staying Faithful to Print

Submitted on editorandpublisher.com

Don’t Overlook Strengths

Media Should Only Present Facts

Very insightful, should have been considered a long time ago. (“Industry Insight: Older and Wiser, July 2019) Although I think the demographics for core newspaper customers might be a little younger too.

Newspapers have long been trying to adapt by becoming like the competition and doing a poor job of it—all the while overlooking their unique strengths and advantages. Not every customer regardless of age wants to drink from the internet fire hose of information for what they want or need.

How I wish the majority of mainstream media outlets would not only give lip service to your comments here, Tim, but would actually take them to heart. (“Business of News: Offering Balance,” July 2019) This morning, all I saw on CNN and MSNBC were anchors—not analysts or op-ed writers—calling President Trump a “racist” and his campaign “ugly.” These are not facts. No one knows what is in the president’s heart, and “ugly” is in the eye of the beholder. The job of news media is to present the facts— what he said—and the way many different people representing many different sides have responded. If the journalist wants to explain why some people see what he said as “racist,” that’s fine, provided the journalist includes why others don’t. Have you seen that kind of reporting on the White House

JOE BELLA

Submitted on editorandpublisher.com

Be Mindful to Older Readers Very interesting piece. (“Industry Insight: Older and Wiser, July 2019) As a contribut6 |

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Filling in Gaps There are fewer and fewer independent, family-owned newspapers in our country and that means communities with no access to the information they need to function as informed citizens. (“Real World Experience,” July 2019) Kudos to Prof. Finnerman and her students for jumping into the breach for the people of Eudora.

RON YATES

Submitted on editorandpublisher.com

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

Letters may be edited for all the usual reasons.

editorandpublisher.com

8/19/19 7:38 AM

SPONSORED CONTENT

How Recruitment Sales Teams Are Finding New Ways To Help Clients Find The Right Fit In every challenge there lies an opportunity.

That truth presents itself every day in recruitment advertising sales teams across the media industry.

In July, The Bureau of Labor and Statistics reported that there are 7.35 million available job openings and 6.1 million people unemployed. There are more available jobs than there are unemployed people to fill them – a trend that has continued for 16 straight months.

It is an extremely challenging time to be an employer looking for skilled talent, as they are being forced to evaluate new strategies of finding the right fit.

When there are not enough qualified people in the job market to fill positions quickly, it impacts employers with hard costs. Employers pay more overtime, work employees longer hours, and pay benefits and training fees for employees that often leave in the same year.

When there is a scarcity of talent, employers will invest in solutions to help them hire if the recruitment sales person can gain credibility to help them make a hire.

Bersin and Associates, the leading human capital analyst, has estimated that $200 billion is spent annually on recruiting worldwide…and that number is only growing.

Recruitment sales teams must go beyond the transactional sale of just a job ad. They must hunt down more problems, ask more consultative questions, help their clients expand their reach and, ultimately, improve their processes.

Since 2007, Monster has been helping newspapers transform their sales teams, bringing them from an order-taking ad sales process to a consultative conversation focused on end-to-end talent acquisition needs.

Many times, the problems that exist go beyond the initial need to fill a job. Because of this, media sales reps are finding many new and unique problems that need resolution.

Instead of focusing on a solution to fill one ad for a Sunday, teams are building annual digital contracts to help find both active and passive job seekers. Monster partners utilize the full suite of innovative products to not only add incremental recruitment revenue, but additional value for true multimedia, end-to-end talent solutions. This results in new conversations, win backs of lapsed accounts, and many

upsell opportunities with higher renewal rates.

“In the past few months, Monster has announced several exciting partnerships and all of them are presenting their clients with new ideas that assist in Employer Branding, Texting to Recruit, Applicant Tracking Software, Career Sites, Dedicated Staffing Opportunities, and more!

Their teams are not focused on training on dozens of new products and adding to the three-ring binder products to sell. Rather, they are focused on finding problems, uncovering their impacts, and partnering with their Monster Relationship Managers to customize solutions with their owned and operated products.

Debbie Stremmel, the Classifieds Manager at LNP Media Group, notes how her team encourages clients to think more like a marketer and less on needing to fill a job.

“When a recruiter thinks about what the ideal candidate looks like, digital recruitment marketing has the ability to target that candidate by skill set, geography and salary, all of which help streamline the hiring process.

In the end, it also provides information that is measurable and trackable. Over time, this makes a strategy even more successful when you measure the success of specific digital applications to skill set, geography and salary.”

Monster provides Debbie’s reps access to a database of local candidates and allows clients to target candidates in real time by her local market radius, with must-have skills and salary information. It also allows them to send emails to candidates meeting that criteria as soon as they hit the job market, and track response rates. Additionally, with the low unemployment rate local clients are now looking outside their geographies and are sometimes building in relocation packages. The Monster database allows them to recruit globally with a true semantic search.

It is also important for teams to think of ways to help beyond the strategy of posting an ad. The print to online ad is still an important piece of an overall recruitment marketing strategy. However, multiple problems and opportunities can present themselves if sales reps take the time to dig deeper. Are they not moving candidates through the process quickly enough? Is there too much time being spent on managing unqualified candidates and excessive employee turnover? Do they

need to connect with candidates on mobile?

Is the apply process cumbersome? Are they branding themselves as a top employer, or are they being forced to pay exorbitant staffing firm fees?

These are just some of the problems being faced, all of which come with bottom line impacts to revenue if not resolved. There is usually a quantifiable impact to the client staying status quo. Reps that focus on that are usually the ones that unlock the larger annual sales. Amanda Padilla, Sr, Director of Media Alliances, trains reps daily. Her #1 motto is that a sale without a solution is just a lead for the competition, so it is time to get outside of the comfort zone and push deeper for true recruitment problem resolution.

Monster has had many partners close six-figure annual recruitment sales using our comprehensive solutions suite. Again, this is all in conjunction with the partners’ owned and operated solutions for that true multimedia solution!

The key is for clients to see our partners as a consultative source for all talent challenges and not merely as just a job posting provider.

Monster provides each partner a Relationship Manager who is an extension of their sales team. Relationship Managers roll up their sleeves and get right in the field with our partners - going on sales calls, helping with events, proposals, calls, etc. The Relationship Manager is successful only when that partner is successful!

Stacey Blair, Multi-Media Sales Manager at The Atlanta Journal, sums it up best when describing her clients’ perception of them now that she has additional solutions and how it has helped her reps.

“Our clients are excited. They’re reinvigorated about the innovation that Monster’s brought to the table, our reps can get their foot in the door with clients that were saying no to the more traditional solutions. Just seeing Monster reinvent themselves is the same thing we’ve been doing. You’re more than just a job board and we’re more than just a newspaper.

So that goes hand in hand, and it’s just helped open doors for us.”

If interested in partnership opportunities, please contact Amanda Padilla, Senior Director of Media Alliances – Amanda.padilla@ monster.com 760.612.2120

the A section VOLUME 152

FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER 2019

ISSUE 9

> Look Ahead

The Credibility of News PEN America and the Trust Project create a digital tool to assess transparency

By Evelyn Mateos

A

s more readers search for news they can trust, PEN America and the Trust Project have released a new digital tool called the Newsroom Transparency Tracker to help readers track policies, practices and people behind the news of more than 50 leading national and regional media outlets.

Last year, PEN America became interested with working with the Trust Project after they published a report titled “Faking News: Fraudulent News and the Fight for the Truth.” According to Viktorya Vilk, manager of special projects for Free Expression Programs at PEN America, one of the report’s big recommendations to media outlets was to become more transparent. This led the team at PEN America to question which outlets were transparent, but when they realized there wasn’t any kind of tool available that could easily tell them, they decided to create one themselves.

Vilk explained they were in the process of deciding what kind of standards or “trust indicators” they would use when they came across the Trust Project, who had already developed their own set of indicators.

Even though the Trust Project has eight } Viktorya Vilk indicators, the Newsroom Transparency 8 |

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Tracker only utilizes four: best practices (ethics, policies, etc.), journalist expertise, type of work (labels to distinguish the type of content) and commitment } Sally Lehrman to diverse voices.

When visitors enter the website (newsroomtransparencytracker.com), they can see the features. A blue circle means news outlets fully provided information for attribute, a partial circle means the information is partially provided, and a blank or white circle indicates that the information is not provided.

When selecting which news outlets to profile, Vilk said they wanted companies that published original content regularly, produced journalism in the public interest, used a digital media platform, and were geographically distributed. Vilk herself took on the challenge of finding these outlets and collecting their information which took a few months. She came up with 40 of the 52 outlets and the remaining 12 are Trust Project partners.

On behalf of PEN America, Vilk said they are asking themselves how the Tracker will grow and if they want to add more outlets. For the Trust Project, director Sally Lehrman said some of their members are in the process of being added.

Before the Tracker went live in June, PEN America and the Trust Project made sure to give news outlets a chance to review what was collected, if the information was correct and if anything was missing.

Lehrman said partners were thrilled with the Tracker. “(These news organizations) have been working very hard to make sure that they add more clarity around who and what is behind the news stories that they produce and what standards of practices that go into these…even though it’s very important for each news organization to do these things individually, when you show them collectively together, it magnifies the impact.” editorandpublisher.com

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the A section

Combining Strengths SNPA, Inland to merge on Oct. 1

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n June, the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association (SNPA) and the Inland Press Association approved a plan to consolidate the two associations. The merger will become effective on Oct. 1.

“The number one goal for the new association is to really be a champion of the newspaper industry and an unapologetic voice and supporter for the contributions of our local newspapers in our communities,” said Chris Reen, who will serve as president of the new association. He is the current president of the Gazette in Colorado Springs, Colo. and a past SNPA president.

Reen explained that a year ago, a casual conversation struck between board members of the SNPA and Inland concerning the void of leadership in the industry.

“We put together a merger exploration committee, which comprised of members of the SNPA board and the Inland board, and we started a more serious discussion about what this would look like moving forward as a new association and how the foundations would play a role,” Reen said. } Chris Reen

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Throughout the process, SNPA and Inland members were consistently kept up to date. After seeking legal, marketing and branding advice, they decided it was time to present the idea to their respective members, who were asked to vote either for or against the merger.

Members received ballots on June 7 and were asked to return them on June 28.

When asked about the turnout of the vote, Reen said, “It was an overwhelming, almost unanimous vote from both memberships” to merge.

With this new association, newspaper dues will be based on paid subscribers instead of circulation and digital reach. As a result, members may see lower membership expenses. That’s not the only benefit. Reen said the merger is also about strengthening both associations by sharing ideas, materials and resources such as partnerships with journalism schools, training sessions and events.

With a career that spans 30 years, Reen said a merger like this shows how the industry continues to evolve and change.

“It doesn’t make sense for us at this point to be going at this separately when we have very similar memberships and very similar missions,” he said. “We came to the conclusion that there’s power in this merger.”

In addition to Reen, the new association will include other officers: Alan Fisco, president of the Seattle Times; Nat Lea, president and CEO of WEHCO Media; and Cory Bollinger, publisher of Hoosier-Times at GateHouse Media. A national search is underway for a CEO. Current SNPA and Inland staff members will remain as part of the new association, and the annual Key Executives Mega-Conference produced by Inland, SNPA, Local Media Association and the News Media Alliance will be unaffected.

—EM

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the A section OF THE MONTH The Associated Press has recently partnered with Google News Initiative to create an online tool aimed at improving the way news organizations collaborate. The tool will enable participating members to share journalism and coverage plans, allowing publishers to provide more news content to their readers.

The pilot project, called the Local News Sharing Network, will take place in New York over the next year with news sharing expected to begin in early 2020. According to a press release, nearly two dozen members plan to participate, including the Daily Freeman, the Observer Dispatch, the Times Union, the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, WFUV and WRNN. The press release also stated that “New York was selected because of its rich history of journalism, AP memberships, broad geography and news volume.”

“This kind of collaboration is core to the AP—it’s why we were founded more than 170 years ago,” AP deputy managing editor for U.S. News Noreen Gillespie said in the announcement. “Empowering our members to share coverage plans allows them to be more efficient in covering local news stories at a critical time when newsrooms have to make smart decisions about where to put their resources.”—EM

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“This has helped the public see we’re not the enemy of the people.”

— Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown told the New York Times after her work helped bring sex trafficking charges against billionaire Jeffrey Epstein

LEGAL BRIEFS County Judge Rules That Los Angeles Times Journalists Do Not Have to Reveal Sources

As reported by the Los Angeles Times, a Los Angeles County judge ruled in late June that Times reporters did not have to disclose the identity of sources or other unpublished information to county attorneys. Superior Court Judge Mary Strobel’s decision ended the latest dispute in the ongoing lawsuit originally filed last year when the newspaper sought records involving prosecutors and other employees of the district attorney’s office who have been disciplined for sexual harassment or misconduct. The Times claimed that the county had demanded information such as why reporters submitted the requests and who tipped them off. They argued that the unpublished information is protected by California’s Shield Law and should not be disclosed to satisfy the demand for pretrial evidence. The judge sided with Times attorney Kelly Aviles, who argued that the county already had access to the information it was demanding from reporters.

News Outlets Sue the University of Wyoming for Withholding Public Records

The Casper Star-Tribune recently reported that several news outlets in Wyoming have filed a lawsuit against the University of Wyoming (UW) and its board of trustees. The lawsuit charges the institution with failing to properly disclose records relating to the demotion of university president Laurie Nichols in March. The withheld documents include records detailing “any investigation into the performance or conduct” of Nichols, the terms and conditions of her employment and any records relating to an outside investigation of Nichols during her time at the university as well as a number of other records. In addition, the lawsuit claims that UW refused to provide a list of the records it was withholding. The news website WyoFile and Adams Publishing Group—which owns the Laramie Boomerang and the Wyoming TribuneEagle—joined the Star-Tribune on the lawsuit. editorandpublisher.com

8/19/19 7:46 AM

the A section > Wise Advice

Tornoe’s Corner

 Stacey Woelfel

“How are drones changing journalism and visual storytelling?”

As with any technological advance that drastically reduces the cost of visuals, drones have democratized aerial footage for storytellers. Just as desktop nonlinear editing bypassed big productions houses, drones bypass helicopters to deliver a visual vantage point for stories that was out of reach before. The challenge for journalists and storytellers is to avoid becoming too dependent on drone footage and its wide view, thus losing the vital close-up intimacy all good stories need. Storytellers must work to be sure drone footage does not supplant visual details and prevent viewers from emotionally connecting at ground level with the story’s characters.

Stacey Woelfel has enjoyed more than 33 years of teaching and leading journalism students. He was recently named director of aerial journalism at the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism. He spent 28 years managing the newsroom at Mizzou’s KOMUTV, and in 2014, he became the architect of the Missouri School of Journalism’s innovative documentary center. editorandpublisher.com

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From the Archive

Evelyn Poster, 91, is seen here working as society editor of the Prattville (Ala.) Progress. Poster first took the position in 1925. In 1940, she took over as publisher when her husband went off for military service.

After his death, Poster stayed on as publisher before selling the newspaper in 1966, but she continued as society editor with “no plans to retire.” This photo originally appeared in the Dec. 28, 1991 issue of E&P. SEPTEMBER 2019 | E & P

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the A section

‘The Journal of the Magic City’ Cheyenne Post debuts in Wyoming

} The front page of the Cheyenne Post’s first issue

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he old timey font and steam engine on the Cheyenne (Wyo.) Post masthead makes the weekly newspaper appear to look a century old, but the fact is the paper just put out its first edition on July 12. Published by Golden Media, Inc., the publication launched first with a website (thecheyennepost.com) in June.

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Vince Bodiford, Golden Media owner and Post publisher and editor, said the design choice was deliberate, as well as the words that appear under its masthead: “The Journal of the Magic City of the Plains.” Bodiford explained it was a name given to Cheyenne in its early days as the city “magically sprung up and grew” with the arrival of the Union Pacific Railroad.

“We knew it was a brand new newspaper, but we wanted it to look old, like } Vince Bodiford it’s been here forever,” Bodiford said.

“If you just came into Cheyenne and looked at our product, you would go, ‘These guys had been here since 1850.’”

Before Bodiford came to Cheyenne, he published papers in Texas and Colorado. He also worked with Gannett in Arizona, Community Media Corp. in California, and most recently GateHouse Media, where he served as president and publisher of two daily newspapers in Michigan.

“I’m really leveraging what I’ve learned over the years to develop the kind of newspaper that I’d like to own,” Bodiford said.

“Throughout all the years, if I could have done it differently, what would I have done? What were some of the mistakes that I wouldn’t repeat?”

Bodiford and his wife, Jeanette, are the paper’s only two full time employees, but they also have two editorial freelancers, two freelance reporters, one freelance photographer and two advertising sales reps. Employees are currently working remotely until the office space is ready, which Bodiford said would likely be sometime this month.

The newspaper is printed at the nearby Wyoming Tribune Eagle, owned by Adams Publishing Group and distributed every Friday.

Website access is free, and the paper offers a six-month in-county mail subscription for $29 and out of county for $34. Readers can also choose a year subscription for $52 in-county and $62 out of county. Single copies are found at select retail locations for $1.

In a city with 60,000 residents, Bodiford said, “This is a market that likes to know what’s going on and they like to hear from different places, so we’ve been warmly welcomed in that regard.”

The Post aims to deliver news revolving around community events and organizations for children, schools, sports, clubs, churches and more.

“Our philosophy is we want content in the paper that’s destined for the refrigerator—a newspaper that people can pick up and see themselves,” Bodiford said.—EM editorandpublisher.com

8/19/19 9:49 AM

the A section

Honoring Truth Seekers Lawmakers introduce bill to build memorial for fallen journalists

T

he Fallen Journalists Memorial Act of 2019 (H.R. 3465 and S. 1969) was recently introduced in the U.S. House and Senate in order to establish a permanent Fallen Journalists Memorial in Washington, D.C. The bipartisan legislation authorizes the newly established Fallen Journalists Memorial (FJM) Foundation to raise funds and work with appropriate entities to site and build a memorial to pay tribute to the journalists who have died while doing their jobs.

The legislation was sponsored by Representatives Grace Napolitano (D-CA) and Tom Cole (R-OK) and co-sponsored

by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) as well as Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Rob

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Portman (R-OH).

“The work of our legislative sponsors to date has been superb. The broad support we have received from the journalistic community and their readers, viewers and listeners from across the country is very inspiring,” David Dreier, Tribune Publishing Co. chairman, said at an event announcing the FJM Foundation. “Journalism is a cornerstone of our democracy. It is important to honor those who have died in pursuit of the truth.”

The FJM Foundation will operate under the guidance of the National Press Club Journalism Institute (NPCJI), the

non-profit affiliate of the National Press Club. Drier will serve as chairman of the foundation board, and Barbara Cochran, a professor and director of the Washington program of the Missouri School of Journalism and the president of the NPCJI, will serve as foundation president.

According to a press release, the FJM Foundation will build support and plan for the design, construction, operation, maintenance, and preservation of the memorial.

Initial funding will be provided by the Annenberg Foundation and the Michael and Jacky Ferro Foundation.

For more information, visit fallenjournalists.org.—EM

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the A section

Informing the Next Generation News-O-Matic and Amazon collaborate to bring news briefings to children

S

ince 2013, News-O-Matic has brought news to children on a daily basis through its app (more than 4 million kids have downloaded it), covering topics from space science and politics to football and fashion.

And now, with more media outlets available on smart devices, News-O-Matic has joined the club. Through Amazon Free Unlimited, kids can enjoy stories on Audible or podcasts via the Echo Dot Kids Edition.

Subscriptions start at $2.99 per month. “(Amazon) really wanted us to be a part of that initial launch, which was really exciting,” Russell Kahn, News-O-Matic editor-in-chief, said. “Frankly, they said that they had done their due diligence and that they researched all the kids content providers out there for news or current events and that they wanted us to do it.”

The only catch was the quick time table.

Khan estimated Amazon reached out to News-O-Matic in March with a start date set for June. But because they are a small

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Since News-OMatic is a literary company at its core, Kahn said it has been refreshing to create something that children can just enjoy and } Russell Kahn not necessarily have to decode, “But of course it’s been a learning process to understand how sound effects, how music, how all of that ties into this audio learning experience,” he said.

News-O-Matic hasn’t heard any feedback from Amazon yet, but Kahn mentioned from his personal experience, children “really enjoyed the fun of it and the sound effects. It was a nice lens for them.”

Typically parents might want to shield children from the news, but Kahn explained that people would be surprised to learn what they pick up on when parents are watching, listening or even reading the news, or what they pick up on from social platforms they visit.

“You cannot avoid the news, even if you’re eight or nine years old,” Kahn said.

“So our mission is to give them a place to make sense of it, and now we’re able to do that on multiple media, which is quite wonderful.”

To learn more about News-O-Matic, visit newsomatic.org.—EM

“You cannot avoid the news, even if you’re eight or nine years old.” nimble company, Kahn’s answer to Amazon was “Absolutely.”

News-O-Matic already had its own audio feature, so they only had to figure out the best approach to producing a daily two to three minute briefing, which was more optimal for both companies. Because they offer three stories on Amazon, each one is summarized in about 40 seconds. NewsO-Matic also added sound effects to their stories, which they don’t usually use with their own daily recordings.

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critical thinking

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

J-school students and industry vets tackle the tough questions

“Recently, the New York Times stopped printing editorial cartoons in its international edition due to a cartoon’s anti-Semitic imagery. Other editorial cartoonists have been fired for their depictions of President Trump. Did those publications respond correctly?”

A:

In the United States, it is a constitutional right to be able to express opinions freely, without fear of censorship or reprimand. Protected by the First Amendment, the freedoms of speech and of the press are essential to a functioning democracy. Questioning, critiquing, and praising are how Bridget Higdon, 21 we hold our political leaders and our senior, University of Vermont, system of government accountable.

Burlington, Vt. History shows us that editorial Higdon is pursuing a degree in cartoonists have long been combining English with a writing concensocial and political criticism with art. tration. She is the editor-inchief of UVM’s student-run Benjamin Franklin’s cartoon, Join, newspaper, the Vermont Cynic. or Die, which urged the American colonies to join the independence movement, was published in 1754 in the Pennsylvania Gazette.

American artist Thomas Nast supported Abraham Lincoln’s campaign for president in several of his cartoons, published in 1864 in Harper’s Bazaar.

British artist James Gillray often ridiculed George III and Napoleon Bonaparte, turning them into caricatured buffoons in the late 18th century. The New Zealand cartoonist David Low produced a cartoon mocking the relationship between Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin in 1939 for the Evening Standard.

Cartoons and newspapers have been linked for decades. Their relationship is part of what makes reading a newspaper an enjoyable experience. Cartoonists can bring imagination, humor, or seriousness to a variety of issues.

Firing editorial cartoonists for their controversial art not only violates their right to free speech, but it robs the public of the full story.

What newspapers choose to publish, or not to publish, matters greatly. When one voice is censored, a side of the story, a piece of the puzzle, goes missing. It is the job of the media to present the truth, to share all voices and stories, even those that some individuals will disagree with.

Cartoons and newspapers have been linked for decades.

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A:

We, as newspapers, are losing the impactful and often poignant statements of political cartoons, and while some cartoons have crossed the line into racism and anti-Semitism these longtime functions of our newspapers is being extricated for Kyle Barr, 25 what seems to be the sake of “taste.” managing editor, TBR News Media, Setauket, N.Y Because taste is really a nebulous thing, and it partially goes against After attending Stony Brook the purpose of journalism. JournalUniversity’s journalism program, Barr rose through ists split the difference between arthe ranks of TBR News Media ticles people enjoy and articles that from reporter, to editor, and now will garner a negative reaction. The serves as managing editor. latter are the information people don’t necessarily want to know, but the stuff they need to know.

So why is it we suddenly look at editorial cartoons as if they were somehow different from the above?

Recently, cartoonist Michael DeAdder published a story on NBC’s website about how he was recently fired because, as he said, “My editorial cartoon satirizing Trump and the border crisis went viral. Then I lost my job.”

People were shocked to see the picture of an immigrant father and child dead near the Rio Grande while trying to cross the border. The discussion became “What are the current immigration policies that lead to this horrific episode?”

But when DeAdder publishes a cartoon depicting President Donald Trump trying to golf near said bodies, that is apparently too far for taste’s sake?

On the other end, a political cartoon published by the New York Times shows Trump and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a leash, all using classic anti-Semitic imagery of the Star of David as a collar while Netanyahu’s nose enlarged to a caricature state.

But that is wrong not for the purpose of taste, it was a display of obvious bigotry. It was an attempt to examine the powerful not through their actions but through their ethnicity and religion.

For the New York Times to turn around and eliminate its entire cartoon section in its international edition goes beyond sense. If editorial cartoons these days are more “uncouth,” such as the case of DeAdder’s, it is more because of the times we live in. If the injustices are greater, and the politics more corrupt, then the editorializing pictures that go in our papers must reflect that.  SEPTEMBER 2019 | E & P

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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. evelyn@editorandpublisher.com.

CLASS DISMISSED ď ˝ Kelly Marsh/Times Herald-Record (Middletown, N.Y.) Cadets toss their hats in the air after being dismissed during the United States Military Academy at West Point Graduation and Commissioning Ceremony at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. More than 900 cadets graduated in May and were commissioned into Second Lieutenants. editorandpublisher.com

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data page Restricting Altered Videos and Images Based on a survey of 6,127 respondents % of U.S. adults who say made-up or altered videos or images create____about the basic current issues and events

63% A great deal of confusion

It is too much to ask average Americans to recognize altered videos and images Videos/images that are altered or made up

61%

38%

Made-up news and information

56%

43%

Breaking information that is not checked

53%

46%

Factual information that is one-sided

41%

58%

Satire about an issue/event

34%

65%

27% Some confusion

Average American should recognize altered videos and images

10% Not much/no confusion at all

Source: Pew Research Center, survey conducted Feb. 19- March 4, 2019

News Avoidance and News Overload

Digital Subscribers Who Pay for News in the U.S.

Total sample in each country=2,000

**figures are current as of June 2019

WHEN ASKED, “DO YOU FIND YOURSELF ACTIVELY TRYING TO AVOID NEWS THESE DAYS?”

New York Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3,500,000 Washington Post . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,500,000

Croatia

56%

Turkey

55%

All Gannett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

538,000

Greece

54%

Los Angeles Times. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

170,000

Bulgaria

46% 45%

Boston Globe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

120,000

Argentina Chile

42%

Poland

41%

Seattle Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42,000

USA

41%

Philadelphia Inquirer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32,000

Romania

40%

Mexico

37%

Source: “Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2019” report, June 2019

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Minneapolis Star Tribune . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60,000

Dallas Morning News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

30,000

Source: “Landscape Study of Local News Models Across America,” Shorenstein Center, July 2019

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8/19/19 9:28 AM

Gen Z and the News Based on a survey of 1,884 respondents ages 13-21

WHERE GEN Z GETS THEIR NEWS

WHICH SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS GEN Z CHECKS ON A DAILY BASIS

Social media

59%

Instagram

65%

TV

50%

YouTube

62%

Friends

36%

Snap

51%

Online news

31%

Facebook

34%

Parents

29%

Twitter

23%

Radio

21%

Facebook Messenger

22%

Newspaper

10%

Pinterest

14%

Avoid the news

9%

TikTok

11%

Other

3%

Discord

10%

Tumblr

8%

Source: Business Insider, survey conducted Jan. 11-14, 2019

Republican and Democrat Opinions of Fact-Checkers and News Media Based on a survey of 6,127 respondents Tend to favor one side

% OF U.S. ADULTS WHO SAY FACT-CHECKING EFFORTS

BY NEWS OUTLETS AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS…

Deal fairly with all sides

% OF U.S. ADULTS WHO SAY NEWS ORGANIZATIONS ___ WHEN PRESENTING THE NEWS ON POLITICAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES 89%

70%

69%

72%

72%

57%

47% 51%

48% 50%

40% 29%

28%

26%

25% 11%

Total

Republican

Independent

Democrat

Total

Republican

Independent

Democrat

Source: Pew Research Center, survey conducted Feb. 19- March 4, 2019 SEPTEMBER 2019 | E & P

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industry insight

The Bottom Line What’s a journalist worth? Finding the answer could help sustain local news

By Matt DeRienzo

W

hat a helpless feeling it is when editors “do their part” for the financial health of the news business by eliminating journalism jobs. Revenue drops, newsroom expenses are cut. Rinse, repeat.

Who really knows what those positions and people were worth to the business? Or how much their loss will hamper future revenue growth, feeding the cycle?

And because it’s such an inexact science, there is rarely opportunity, on the flip side, for an editor to make the case that adding a new reporting or editing position will help 20 |

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grow the business in any kind of tangible way.

In contrast, a publisher wouldn’t hesitate to expand her advertising sales staff, having confidence that the average rep position brings in a certain amount of revenue. If the person in the job falls short, you can replace them with someone who gets better results, or eventually determine that you’ve reached the ceiling on number of positions.

What if you could attach similar metrics to newsroom jobs? It could be a powerful argument against short-sighted cuts to local journalism, supported by data. It could be a blueprint for entrepreneurship around what

editorial investment could do to expand and unlock new revenue streams. Maybe we could start growing again.

It could also be a double-edged sword, and the tension around such talk isn’t new.

If the exact financial worth of a reporter, editor or photographer is calculated, whither journalism that’s of great importance to defending the powerless, the penniless, and democracy itself? What if those stories have only indirect or insignificant impact on the bottom line?

News organizations’ push into the digital subscription business has put more attention than ever on reporter-level and storyeditorandpublisher.com

8/19/19 8:02 AM

level metrics.

And there’s no question that editors are in an uneasy position. Live by those metrics, making a business case for investing in the newsroom, but also die by them. In this world, how do you defend work that has no tangible impact on revenue?

Publishers could end up viewing local journalism in three major buckets: content that drives subscriptions; content that drives page view-based advertising; and content that drives context-based advertising (an arts and entertainment vertical, for example, or special section on real estate).

The first category gives editors the most leeway. Investigative and accountability reporting that has impact, but doesn’t generate a great deal of audience or page views, could make the most effective case to readers that they should pay for a subscription.

Digital subscriptions offer hope for newsrooms whose only previous direct impact on the business was measured in page views

that drove CPM-based programmatic ad revenue. Car crashes generate page views.

Asking tough questions at city hall is more likely to generate subscriptions.

But it’s not a black box anymore. Modern analytics tools can track the exact journey to conversion…the stories people read or didn’t read on their way to subscribing. Editors can’t get away with saying “everything else” generates subscriptions.

Start with the caveat that there will be exceptions...the occasional story that has no impact on revenue, maybe even costs you subscriptions and advertising, but is true to mission and doing right by your community.

Then ask what kind of change and what kind of results could be driven by an editor who decided to stop producing any content that doesn’t drive subscriptions, drive page view-based advertising, or drive contextual advertising.

What would be the justification for

further newsroom cuts then? And what a foundation that could provide in making the case that adding a reporter in a particular beat or community would pay for itself based on the subscription or page view revenue multiple we know would be generated over the cost to employ them. 

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

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

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business of news

Fight the Power The history between presidents and the press has always been tense

By Tim Gallagher

M

any in the news media would have you believe that President Trump’s verbal assaults on the press are the first-ever and worst-ever. Far be it from me to do defend this White House but calling relations with this president the poorest because he calls us “the enemy of the people” ignores more than 200 years of testy relationships between the president and the press.

Most of the editors and reporters at American newspapers will never have to deal with the White House, but we all deal with local officials who want to take on the local media. With that in mind, here are some famous President and Press Prizefights, how they translate to the local level, and how we can hold our own in the fight.

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fight like crazy. John Adams, our second president, pushed the 1798 Sedition Act that made it a crime to criticize the government. Prisons would be crowded with journalists had not the next president, Thomas Jefferson, done away with it.

Most local newspapers have suffered from some legislative act or administrative decision to punish the press. In today’s world of reduced profits, First Amendments and freedom of information battles are declining as newspapers won’t spend on legal fees. Yet nearly every state has a press association or a major university with a communications center willing to battle those politicians who would use a law to silence critics. Use them. And use your own news pages to relentlessly battle for open government.

They all whine. Let them. Most are

familiar with William Safire’s press description written for Vice President Spiro Agnew—“the nattering nabobs of negativism.” Agnew tried to swat the press back on its heels and it worked as part of President Nixon’s strategy of appealing to “the silent majority.”

But it was nothing more than a tactic designed to get the press to ease up. Local politicians try this as well. They may talk about how your coverage is tearing apart the community, about how we all need to work together for “the good of the community.” Nonsense. Your job is to cover the community, not become a seamstress who sews it together.

They take the battle to the people.

Some in the press act as if Trump is the first president to take his act to the people because he uses Twitter as his own version editorandpublisher.com

8/19/19 8:04 AM

of the Associated Press. President Woodrow Wilson was so determined to bypass the press, he created the Committee on Public Information, which produced copy that some newspapers ran, and newsreels that carried his propaganda. Each president has used the media tools of his day to bypass the “biased” media and go directly to the people.

This only works with the president’s most loyal and brain-numb base.

Your local elected officials try mailers and social media to go to the people. I would assign a reporter to examine those tales told directly. Report the facts and point out the puffery.

They use national security or public safety as an excuse. Following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, President George W. Bush pushed—and Congress acquiesced—the Patriot Act that removed an astonishing amount of individual liberties.

We have never recovered some of these, all done in the name of national security.

On a local level, this might take the form of a local police force asking the media to keep information hidden because it would endanger an undercover operation. Set limits on these requests and agree to them only with the greatest caution and a timeline before publishing. Law enforcement does need to carry out some operations in secret, but they ought to get a judge to approve wiretaps and other investigative methods.

If the press could dig out the information, chances are it ought to be public.

They curry favor with the bosses.

They play favorites. John F. Kennedy publicly defended the newspapers that reported information that eventually doomed the Bay of Pigs invasion. Some hail him as a hero for these words. But JFK was also notorious for favoring some reporters and freezing out others.

On a local level, my teeth still get on edge when I recall an investigative piece I wrote as a young reporter that was killed when the

Because publishers must always be prepared for the unexpected

subject of the article whined about it during a tennis match with his every-week partner—my editor. When sources are playing favorites with the media, be aware. There is a reason they are using you to get information to the public and not your competitors.

Presidents will come and go, but the attacks on the news media by those in power never will. We should always fight back. 

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

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digital publishing

Ink Goes Digital Editorial cartoons find new life online

By Rob Tornoe

B

y nearly every measure, it’s been a brutal year for American journalism.

More than 3,100 journalists have been laid off in 2019, putting the industry on pace for the worst job losses since the recession of 2009. The pain inflicted on the industry have been widespread, impacting newspaper companies (Gannett, McClatchy, GateHouse Media), digital media companies (BuzzFeed, Vice Media, Verizon Media Group) and even cable news channels like CNN. But 2019 has been a particularly brutal year for editorial cartoonists, a once prized commodity for news organizations being quickly pushed into oblivion. It’s estimated that less than 30 full-time staff cartoonists exist at media companies in the U.S., down from nearly 100 just 10 years ago and 2,000 at the turn of the last century (it’s worth noting I also draw cartoons for Editor & Publisher and the Philadelphia Inquirer, to name a few).

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The most recent victim is Michael de Adder, a longtime cartoonist for the Brunswick News newspaper group in Canada whose contract was ceremoniously canceled at the end of June after a cartoon he drew mocking President Trump’s handling of the migrant crisis at the border went viral on social media (though the company denies it ended its relationship with de Adder over the cartoon).

De Adder is far from alone. In May, Gatehouse said goodbye to three long-time cartoonists at newspapers recently purchased by the hedge fund-owned newspaper chain: Nate Beeler of the Columbus Dispatch, Rick McKee of the Augusta Chronicle, and Mark Streeter of the Morning News in Savannah, Ga. The New York Times killed all cartoons (including the work of longtime contributor Patrick Chappatte) in its international edition after an illustration playing on antiSemitic tropes was printed in the paper, leading to a wave of criticism. The Arizona Republic laid-off Pulitzer Prize-winning

cartoonist Steve Benson in January after 38 years at the paper.

Obviously, the decision to shed cartoonists is mostly driven by economics, with declining revenue at just about every newspaper spelling doom for roles not considered essential to the company’s digital future.

But cartoons remain as popular as ever thanks to social media and the internet, and in an era where digital subscriptions remain a key focus of a successful digital strategy, they remain an overlooked asset in terms of engagement and developing brand loyalty.

Where media companies are failing, two digital upstart efforts are aiming to show how the popularity of cartoons can be harnessed into a successful business model (or at the very least, a stable new revenue stream).

The first is a start-up called Counterpoint (news.yourcounterpoint.com), a news outlet that features a free weekly newsletter which delivers political cartoons to editorandpublisher.com

8/19/19 9:47 AM

Revenue

readers across the political spectrum. The new effort is headed by Nick Anderson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist whose job at the Houston Chronicle was eliminated in 2017. While at the Chronicle, Anderson took it upon himself to figure out how to drive traffic and create engagement with his cartoons, and Counterpoint is an effort to harness that popularity into a small but self-sufficient outlet that can support several cartoonists.

“They think of cartoonists as some kind of luxury…but they’re dropping one of the most valuable assets they have,” Anderson said of newspapers. “People are very visual, the internet is very visual and we all see how cartoons can go completely viral on social media. We’re going to try to make that work for us.”

Anderson said the model is to grow newsletter subscriptions to 50,000, which will allow them to offer sponsorship opportunities. Despite only being live for a few months and relying mostly on wordof-mouth to promote the newsletter (with some paid marketing thrown in), Counterpoint is well on its way with more than 20,000 subscribers. It also sports an enviable newsletter open rate of between 30 and 50 percent, well above industry norms.

Each newsletter features the work of between eight and 10 cartoonists, and things have gone so well Anderson is exploring the idea of upping the frequency to biweekly.

He’s also open to the possibility of working with an online media company to show how engaging cartoons can be as part of a digital subscription model, but it’s unlikely he’d partner up with a newspaper anytime soon.

“They play it so safe in terms of content, and they just don’t know what they’re doing online,” Anderson said. “They may have one foot in the future, and they may have an online department that gets it. But they still have one foot in the past, and that makes it difficult to work with them.”

Another digital outlet showcasing how engaged readers are to cartoons is The Nib (thenib.com), a publication founded by editorial cartoonist Matt Bors back in September 2013 that focuses on political cartoons and graphic journalism. editorandpublisher.com

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Over the past six years, The Nib has survived by the shifting focus of two online media companies—Medium and First Look Media, which made the decision to stop funding the website in June as part of a company-wide business decision that also impacted Topic.com.

As of August, the only revenue The Nib receives comes from more than 5,000 loyal readers who have pledged to pay between $2 and $40 a month in a membership model that mimics the listener-supported fundraising that supports local NPR affiliates. Only instead of tote bags, supporters of The Nib receive a print magazine which publishes quarterly.

“A lot of readers want to see comics, and cartoons have a long history of being part of the news media. But for whatever reason… a lot of editors kind of overlook them,” Bors said. “I think media companies are missing out on something. I mean, honestly, I feel like The Nib almost shouldn’t be able to exist because the cartoonists should be pulled away and hired for staff jobs.”

The Nib has carved out a nice little niche in part because the focus all along has been to keep the website simple to use and let the content speak for itself. In fact, in their popular five-day-a-week newsletter (which Bors said has “tens of thousands of readers”), fans can read the cartoons in full without having to click over to the website.

“We want people reading these things and spending time with us wherever they are,” Bors said. “Those (newsletter readers) are devoted, and they’re making us part of their day, every day…so when we turn to them to support our cartoons, a lot of them step up and do so.” 

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 and writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Reach him at robtornoe@gmail.com.

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BY JERRY SIMPKINS

BUYING POWER

PAGE Cooperative opens up membership to include publiclyheld newspapers, newspaper groups and commercial printers

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A

lot has changed in the printing industry over the past 35 years and a lot has stayed the same. We’ve had circulation ups and downs, advertising certainly isn’t what it once was and newspaper ownership has changed dramatically.

But our world isn’t all gloom and doom.

There are many bright spots and cause for celebration. Over the years, we’ve seen advancements in technology throughout our industry. For those of you who remember the pre-pagination days and can draw a parallel to where we are today, you’ll have to agree we’ve come quite a long way. Long gone are the days of trimming galleys, marking-up ads and cutting apart small pieces to assemble them into an advertisement like a jigsaw puzzle.

Our process for making plates has simplified and quality has grown to new levels from the days of raw metal needing to be coated in-house and burning plates on a vacuum board through a thin sheet of film, to the current point of laser imaged readymade plates being locked up on press without processing.

Yes, we’ve come a long way, and as we’ve advanced, we’ve continued to spend a sizeable amount of time and money on consumables.

I go back a bit in our industry. I clearly remember 35 years ago speaking with vendor after vendor negotiating price, discussing delivery costs, product availability and spending an absorbent amount of time meeting in my office with an endless line of salespeople. I remember the feeling of accomplishment when I’d come across a great deal and the disappointment when a vendor would raise a price and there really wasn’t a lot I could do about it if I needed the product. But all in all, time aside, I enjoyed having the ability to work closely with vendors and negotiate pricing that I “thought” might just be better than the shop down the street was paying.

I was happy to be left alone to do my job and thought I was doing it excellently, then came the word from the head office that we would be using PAGE Cooperative to negotiate pricing with vendors and our pur-

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chases would go through them and them alone. No more face to face negotiating with vendors? This just couldn’t be right. I just couldn’t understand what the advantage could be to buying through a cooperative. Then again no “cooperatives” existed for consumable purchases back then, and of course, we didn’t yet understand any benefit in having one.

To get to my point: I was stuck in my ways, resistant to change and in all honesty, quite ignorant at that stage of my brief career in newspapers. The bigger problem was that most of my co-workers and connections throughout the industry seemed to be in the same boat. I remember quite a bit of resistance to cooperative buying when PAGE first came into our industry, but like many things in life it takes awhile to get over new things, take a closer look at the value of change, and realize there are a lot really smart individuals who know quite a bit more than I ever could about purchasing.

In 1983, one of those smart individuals was Pete Eyerly III. He was publisher of the Press-Enterprise, an independent newspaper in Bloomsburg, Pa. One day, Eyerly received an ink bill that was mistakenly sent to the wrong newspaper. He discovered that the bill was marked with a 15 percent discount that the same supplier was not offering to the Press-Enterprise.

Needless to say, he was not pleased. He began to wonder just how many other suppliers were offering others discounts he wasn’t privy to and how many other independent newspapers were in similar situations.

Eyerly contacted a friend and associate, Chuck Berky, a former independent publisher, and Joe Smyth of Independent Newspapers to see if they might be interested in helping create a purchasing cooperative for independent newspapers across the country. These are the events that led to the creation of PAGE (“Publishers Associated to Gain Economy”)—smart people who sure knew what our industry needed at the time a lot better than I did.

On this day, PAGE set into motion a plan designed to assist with cost leveling

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between independently-owned newspapers and publically-held properties. It’s a plan that has worked well over the past 35 years and brought tremendous benefits to our industry through volume purchases.

Fast forward to 2019 and the ownership changes that have taken place and continue to occur in our industry. A number of independent newspapers have traded hands, selling to larger group ownership or shutting down production operations all together, while others have closed.

Obviously the fewer independent newspapers doing business with PAGE have less bargaining power they may have with vendors, so it was time for a change in the bylaws of PAGE that not only strengthens its position but also a change that I believe will benefit us all.

Stronger Together In June, PAGE chief executive officer Gary Blakeley and Press-Enterprise publisher and PAGE board chair Brandon Eyerly issued a press release announcing that publicly-held newspapers, newspaper groups and commercial printers would be eligible to join the cooperative. Prior to the current change in this bylaw whenever an independently-owned newspaper was acquired by a publically-traded company, the newspaper would no longer qualify for PAGE membership. Obviously, that diminished the aggregate spend of PAGE. When asked why this change had to happen, Blakeley and Eyerly said “looking forward, we can say that we see no good reason why a newspaper should lose the leverage of PAGE’s spend power simply because of ownership. Since the founding of PAGE in 1984, the landscape has changed.”

I could not agree more with this approach. Opening membership to a much larger group and including commercial printers will certainly add strength to the buying power.

Blakeley, who started with PAGE a short time ago, has been actively involved with purchasing since his days at Freedom Communications.

“An obvious and basic concept for pur28 |

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} Gary Blakeley, PAGE chief executive officer

} Brandon Eyerly, Press-Enterprise publisher and PAGE board chair

chasing is the more spend power that you have, the better your negotiation position becomes,” he said. “This is not to say that spend volume is the end-all in the negotiation process, but it is an important tool.

I’ve been a proponent of membership inclusivity for a long time.”

Blakeley proposed the bylaw change when he started at PAGE in mid-March.

“It was a basic proposal, hitting at the right time and our industry is stronger standing together as opposed to fractionalizing.”

Accordingly to Eyerly, “The vote (to change the bylaw) cast by its newspaper members was acknowledgement that the distinction between publicly and privatelyheld newspapers is no longer relevant.”

There are currently more than 200 members in PAGE as well as more than 170 participating vendors. I, for one, believe that PAGE along with our industry as a whole will benefit from the change to this bylaw. Obviously, the 92.5 percent of PAGE members who voted to change this bylaw felt the same.

“Currently, PAGE counts among its members many small, single-market newspapers as well as some very large privately owned or privately financed newspaper groups. Before this action by PAGE, printing/publishing sites owned by publically traded companies were not eligible for membership yet other large newspaper

groups with different capital structures were permitted,” Eyerly said in the announcement. “The dynamics of the market and ownership structures have shifted due to merger activity. Plus, when you consider that many newspapers are outsourcing their printing, whether to another newspaper or to a commercial printer, it makes sense for many of these businesses to have the opportunity to realize the even greater economies of scale that are feasible with an association like PAGE.” Over the past 35 years, ownership has been a bit more stable than it currently is. With the changes that have occurred in ownership, it’s possible this change wouldn’t have occurred had it been previously proposed; fortunately, it now has occurred. Blakeley indicated that rather than look back, his preference is to look forward and collaborate with many more newspapers and commercial printers to add more value to their operations. An organization like PAGE plays a crucial role in helping to level the playing field for all buyers, current members and those new to the cooperative. Blakeley stated that “a common denominator of all offset printed newspapers is that membership in PAGE can bestow huge economic benefits to these businesses.”

Aside from the benefits gained by group/ volume purchasing, PAGE also handles

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many of the administrative functions, from invoice billing to price negotiation to vetting new vendors. PAGE effectively works as the member’s purchasing agent. These benefits add up and create a sizeable economic benefit to the organization.

Regarding vendor selection, Blakeley said, “If a supplier chooses not to be associated with PAGE in order to charge higher pricing, they are definitely not a good fit for PAGE. In these cases, our members are better served by choosing a PAGE Preferred Supplier who believes in equitable profitability for all.”

This is the kind of organization I want to have in my corner in this time of tight budgets and cost saving challenges.

It bears mentioning that there is a fee to join PAGE. There is also a small transaction fee applied to each purchase to offset administrative costs. This aside, PAGE is dedicated to our industry and maintains a not for profit status as a company.

One of the interesting things PAGE offers is a complimentary R.O.I./payback analysis to prospective members.

PAGE uses comparative data between a customer’s actual pricing and current PAGE pricing for the same commodity/service to evaluate the value of joining PAGE. I don’t know of too many other organizations willing to provide this up-front analysis to a prospective client. The timeframe for a true R.O.I. will vary based on purchases and the delta between current purchase price and PAGE pricing. PAGE will provide the analysis to the prospective member and of course, the final determination if it’s a good financial fit will be up to the prospective member.

Should the prospective decide to join PAGE, the cooperative will track purchases and potential R.O.I. data by member.

In the press release, Blakeley said, “Even if you’re a very small operation, and let’s say, do not buy newsprint or printing plates from us, you can still save on software and some of the ancillary services that our vendors provide.

Our staff will gladly conduct a review of your purchases to determine if membership makes sense for you.”

When PAGE started, there was strong resistance on the part of many production executives (including myself). It took PAGE 10 years to reach the annual spend volume of $50 million. However, since that juncture, PAGE has continued to grow with those early objections waning. Simply put, PAGE makes sense offering value to members and suppliers alike. To learn more about PAGE, visit pagecooperative.com.  Jerry Simpkins has more than 30 years of experience in printing and operations in the newspaper industry. Contact him on LinkedIn.com or at simpkins@tds.net.

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WATCHDOG JOURNALISM BITES INTO REVENUE How newspapers are turning trust into dollars

By Gretchen A. Peck

I

nvestigative journalism is often the stuff of drama. Exposing corruption, abuse, inequality and crimes are inherently good, juicy stories—not to mention a core competency and duty for newspapers. It wouldn’t surprise anyone in news to hear that investigative journalism is not just popular among broadcast audiences, but with people who read newspapers in print and online. After all, investigative reporting helps people; it informs communities; it changes things; and thankfully, for the news organization, it brings in revenue.

On Epstein’s Case These days Miami Herald reporter Julie K. Brown is in hot demand. Not only is she managing the stress of her day-to-day duties as an investigative journalist for the Herald, she’s fielding requests for comment on her explosive exposé series that was published last November on Jeffrey Epstein, the financier accused of sex trafficking and sexually abusing dozens of underage girls.

It was Brown’s relentless probing that drew national attention to the case and those who orchestrated a sweetheart sentencing deal or refused to follow-up on additional allegations. The work also redirected the legal spotlight back to Epstein, who, at the time E&P spoke with Brown, was facing a litany of new charges. Epstein was found dead in his jail cell of an apparent suicide on Aug. 10. editorandpublisher.com

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WATCHDOG JOURNALISM BITES INTO REVENUE

} Peter Bhatia, Detroit Free Press editor and vice president

} Chicago Tribune investigative reporter Todd Lighty is seen here (on right) with former colleague Cynthia Dizikes (now with the San Francisco Chronicle) interviewing Jesse Reyes, the former head of the Cook County Adult Probation Department. The interview was part of an investigation into the department’s mismanagement of hundreds of convicts out on probation. (Photo by Nancy Stone/Chicago Tribune)

At the Herald, Brown said investigative journalism is “driven by the reporters who have to do the legwork. This is worth telling. It bubbles up from the bottom, not the other way around…we are stretched thin, so we have to advocate our stories and show our editors, here’s why I want to tell the story, here’s why it’s important.”

One of those proving-ground stories was an investigation into Florida’s prison system. The fallout from that story saw prison guards and supervisors fired. Without hyperbole, Brown said, “We probably saved lives as a result of that project.”

“You will be surprised how readers will value exposing or making institutions more transparent and holding them accountable. That’s what people really want to read,” she said.

Brown is certainly doing her part. Her reporting on Epstein had an impact on the fiscal health of the news organization.

“When the series first launched, we had a special link buried within the story.

People could click on it (and subscribe),” she said. “I can’t give you an exact number, but we got an enormous volume of subscriptions that we could trace exactly to the launch of that series…I was told that my 34 |

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series, more than anything else in (parent company) McClatchy newspapers last year, got the most subscriptions.”

Reader feedback is a good way to understand how stories resonate with readers. “It made me realize how much investigative journalism means to people. That’s the bottom line,” Brown said. “The message I received, above all, is that investigative journalism like this means so much to the public…I’ve never seen anything like it in my entire journalism career—a response like that, from people who not only appreciated the journalism, but also from sexual assault survivors.”

She added, “I began to notice comments from people on Twitter and hear stories of people from all over the country who had read the series and subscribed to the Miami Herald as a result. I hear it all the time from people in Seattle, Oregon, Texas, California. It’s kind of amazing.”

Our “Fundamental Responsibility” At the Detroit Free Press, reporters need not have the designation “investigative” as part of their titles to be tasked with work of its kind. Editor and vice president Peter

} Christopher Davis, executive editor of investigations at USA Today and vice president of investigative reporting at Gannett

} Stephen Wade, Topeka CapitalJournal publisher and senior group publisher at GateHouse Media Kansas

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because we have a fundamental obligation to be the eyes and ears of the public.�

Bhatia sees investigations as being the newspaper’s “fundamental responsibility,â€? but the value proposition—to subscribers and advertisers—has to be well-rounded. “I’m realistic about the countless reasons why people will want our product,â€? he said. “We have a huge audience, for example, who wants our sports coverage. Detroit is a sports-crazy place‌Depending on how you parse the data, about 40 percent of our audience is sports driven. You can’t minimize that, but the investigative work we do? There’s absolutely no doubt that it has an impact on the bottom line. Those page views? Those unique visitors? They’re being monetized.â€? } Miami Herald reporter Julie K. Brown (on ground) listens as Jeffrey Epstein’s attorney Scott Link reads a written apology from Epstein to attorney Brad Edwards after reaching a civil settlement admitting that the charges he leveled against Edwards were completely false. (Photo by Emily Michot/Miami Herald)

Understanding Investigative Audiences Todd Lighty has been an investigative reporter for the Chicago Tribune for more

Bhatia has put together a dedicated investigative team; however, he said, “We also expect our beat reporters to do investigative work, as well. For example, we have an environmental reporter who has done some really good work on PFAs contamination, and probably the best example as of late is the work one of our auto reporters has done—an incredibly high-impact investigation that showed Ford put cars on the road, knowingly, with faulty transmissions. That’s evoked a huge reaction nationally.�

According to Bhatia, the coverage of Ford’s malfeasance has compelled more than a million page views, and like the layers of an unpeeled onion, the story exposed enumerable follow-up questions and allegations to investigate.

The newsroom minds how its work resonates with audiences. “We’re journalists,� Bhatia said. “We want people to read our work, and we want them to engage with our work, so we pay attention to the metrics on how stories are doing. But the message I’ve tried to impart here is: Audience is important. We want people to read our work and act upon it, as appropriate, but that can’t be the sole reason for doing it. We’re doing that work editorandpublisher.com

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www.pagecooperative.com • 800-468-9568 • info@pagecooperative.com SEPTEMBER 2019 | E & P

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WATCHDOG JOURNALISM BITES INTO REVENUE

} The Topeka Capital-Journal’s editorial board meets in a conference room. (Photo by Chris Neal/CapitalJournal)

than two decades and describes himself as a “generalist,” which means that he may be tasked to any number of investigative assignments, but much of his recent work has been focused on politics and sports.

One topic that consistently performs well with readers is wealth or wealth disparity. For example, he wrote a series on Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker’s “mansion row” on Chicago’s Gold Coast—an enclave of 10 side-by-side residences. The governor lived in one of those homes and had a rather contentious legal dispute with a contractor he’d enlisted to improve the property.

“The lawsuit got ugly, and I delved into it—not so much the dispute between the parties, but the lengths to which Pritzker went to hide his wealth. He does not want that to become public,” Lighty said. “He refused to release his tax returns, but after numerous requests, he gave us his federal returns, but only the first pages and none of the schedules that would give the public an idea of his wealth and where it is. A lot of it is offshore.”

Asked why he thought this particular story resonated with Tribune readers, Lighty suggested that many people are still struggling to recover from “the Great Recession,” making wealth inequality a timely topic. “I’m talking about much more than 36 |

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Robin Leach’s ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.’ I’m talking about really practical matters, what it means to people…The story about the governor’s mansion did really well in Springfield (the state capital), and we know that it did really well on the Gold Coast and among Pritzker’s neighbors. I’m glad we understand the audience that way.”

Reporters and publishers also have direct, real-time feedback from readers, Lighty pointed out, but gleaning audience insight from social media or web comments may be skewed because of coordinated troll campaigns against a story, a reporter or a newspaper. Plus, social media readers usually don’t read past the headline.

“I mentioned the Pritzker mansion story because the data we looked at indicated that we picked up a number of subscriptions,” Lighty said. “I believe it was the most subscriptions we’d gotten in a week—16. That’s not a lot, but if you get 16 from one story, and 16 from another story, and you retain these subscribers, that’s great. The second thing we noticed is that the story resonated with people who were already paying for a digital subscription, so that speaks to retention.”

Lighty said churn is a bane for every newspaper today, and investigative journalism may be a way to quell it.

“The Pritzker mansion story took me about a month, but it was worth the investment,” he said. “It was heartening to know that people read it, that they were willing to pay for it, and that the people who were already paying for it also appreciated it.”

Community-Focused Journalism In Kansas, the public’s appetite for deep-diving information about healthcare has been insatiable, according to Stephen Wade, publisher of the Topeka CapitalJournal and senior group publisher at GateHouse Media Kansas.

“We’re a rural state, and healthcare has been a challenge,” he said.

Though Wade did not have any hard data-driven evidence that the newspapers’ reporting on the topic has converted readers into subscribers, he is certain that it’s contributing to the bottom line.

“There’s some anecdotal evidence out there from a single-copy side, but I think it’s probably difficult to nail down evidence

“Investigative journalism is simply about uncovering something that someone doesn’t want uncovered.” editorandpublisher.com

8/19/19 8:18 AM

on a home-delivery subscriber side,” he said. “We can all see that when a story breaks there are some bumps in single copy.”

The sharing of content offers some insight into audience, too.

“Today is the first of August, and we had a story that came out at the end of July—again, on the healthcare issue, which focused on Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act,” Wade said.

“That story was shared 5,500 times on Twitter since it published.

From a soft-evidence side, that story is one that ran across platforms and got some serious social traction.”

Asked what role the newspaper’s investigative reporting plays in selling the value proposition to advertisers, Wade said it doesn’t hurt to demonstrate the effectiveness of the newspaper. It encourages advertisers to think not just about promoting their brands but also about supporting essential journalism.

“We had a popular governor here in Kansas—a Republican, a former U.S. Senator,” Wade said, recalling the Sam Brownback administration of 2011 to 2018. “He came in and tried to do some very significant fiscal cuts to the state budget, and he really sold the state and his constituency that this was the right path. What reporters Tim Carpenter and Sherman Smith were able to do through their investigations was to show that the things Brownback was doing at that time have been hurtful to state.”

In Topeka, the newsroom benefits from the scale and reach of the GateHouse Media organization (the company recently acquired Gannett in August). There is a lot of collaboration between the publisher’s investigative reporters and a sharing of resources.

Still, the newspaper has the luxury of the two dedicated statehouse journalists, who are on that beat from January to May each year, allowing them to be assigned to other investigative pieces for the balance of the year.

“Our business right now, I would argue, is at risk,” Wade said.

“If we don’t perform our jobs as the Fourth Estate, if we’re not the watchdogs, then our whole industry has a massive challenge.”

Investigative Reporting Pays Off

Christopher Davis oversees a team of investigative journalists as both the executive editor of investigations at USA Today and the vice president of investigative reporting at Gannett. The hierarchy is similar to what you may find in most newsrooms, he said, except that many of the reporters are based across the country and digitally collaborate with the central newsroom in Washington, D.C. They’re also led by three investigative editors: Amy Pyle, investigations editor; Matt Doig, network investigations editor; and John Kelly, director of data journalism.

“There is a great appetite for investigative journalism,” Davis said. “The work that my team does is generally and consistently among the most read work that we produce. We’re a pretty metrics-oriented company. Like many newsrooms, we’re looking at how our individual pieces do in real time and assessing whether we’ve produced them in ways that are engaging audiences as much as we expected. The numbers are always good when we produce a piece of investigative work.”

Regarding the “investment” in investigative journalism, Davis editorandpublisher.com

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pointed out that there’s a misconception both in the industry and outside of it that investigative reporting is long, arduous and expensive—and it can be. However, that’s a narrow definition.

“Investigative journalism is simply about uncovering something that someone doesn’t want uncovered,” he said. “It’s about something that is at stake—people who are being disadvantaged or harmed. It’s not something that’s already known. That’s what makes investigative journalism so compelling—that there are high stakes and that it’s something readers are learning for the first time.”

Besides being a core competency, a duty and a public service, can investigative journalism be a smart investment for a newspaper in support of its bottom line? Davis thinks so.

“The way we talk about it here, there is certainly direct value in a great piece of journalism. You can see how many people read it, the engagement level. That is associated with revenue,” he said.

“But the great value, again, is that you are engaging an audience, that you are showing them that you can do this level of work, that you have unique journalism that readers cannot find elsewhere, and that you are showing that you’re the watchdog for the communities you cover. There are a lot of people who appreciate that. It’s building goodwill, interest, a reputation, and all those things are very important to the business model.” 

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A Whole New World As readers move more toward digital, how are newspapers fulfilling their needs?

By Evelyn Mateos

F

or so long newspapers have designed content with the print customer in mind, but times are changing. A recent Pew Research Center study based on 3,425 U.S. adults concluded that of those that preferred to read the news (as opposed to listening or watching the news), 63 percent preferred reading online verses 17 percent that preferred print.

As more consumers turn to digital, unquestionably their needs and wants will differ from the traditional print consumer. So, how are newsrooms catering to their reading experience? E&P asked some newsroom leaders to find out.

Print Vs. Digital Consumers Even with the high amount of people receiving news online, it can be easy to forget that there are still consumers out there that enjoy the print product. In fact, a report by The Media Insight Project (a collaboration between the American Press Institute and The AP-Norc Center for Public Affairs) surveyed 4,100 newspaper subscribers across 90 local newspapers throughout the country and identified a few paths (or groups) that still prefer print over digital, specifically those who have “a nostalgic attachment to the print paper itself,” said Jeff Sonderman, API’s deputy executive director.

“They want to have a print paper at Sunday morning with coffee and their breakfast. It’s not so much editorandpublisher.com

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A Whole New World

} Chris Quinn, Advance Ohio editor and president

that they like the content of the paper but they like that experience in their life, and it’s something that they have done for a long time,” he said.

On the other hand, the digital reader is more complex. Of the report’s nine groups, two are clearly digital-based: the digital paywall converters and the social mediamobile discoveries. However, many others can either benefit from digital engagement or already engage digitally, such as the topic hunters, who look for coverage on a particular subject and consisted of 23 percent of the surveys participants—the second largest group after journalism advocates (24 percent).

“In digital spaces, we find that readers follow their passions and their interests more strongly,” Sonderman said. “When you’re reading in print you’re in more of a browsing mode where you’ll flip page to page through sections you might not be that interested in to see what’s there. For the most part, because of the way that digital works, you’re choosing a link to click, you’re making a much more focused decision on ‘Do I care about that thing to go there and spend time?’”

On top of that, the digital reader has the “whole world” available to them, Sonderman said. Hence, news publishers really need to ask themselves what kind of content will their readers engage with and go from there.

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} Danny Gawlowski, Seattle Times assistant managing editor

Newsrooms and Audiences Evolve Advancing technology has led the news industry to evolve over time and it continues to do so. According to an INMA report

by Dietmar Schantin, founder and CEO of Institute for Media Strategies, media companies are currently shifting into a mobilecentric newsroom.

“The introduction of the iPhone in 2007 revolutionized the way people interact with technology,” Schantin wrote. “For most news websites today, mobile phones are the number one device people use to visit a site and the share is still growing.”

Schantin recalls a time when news organizations began putting print content online and there were separate teams for print and web. Digital employees were “tolerated but were often seen as second-class citizens, very often more skilled in technology than in journalism.”

As digital grew, a second newsroom emerged, one where there were separate heads for platforms, but no separate teams for content. Reporters wrote for whatever was needed in print or digital. The next development was the media-integrated newsroom, where the decision of where to publish is left to the separate head, who becomes a “mini-editor-in-chief” for his or her topic. There are no separate responsibilities for print and online anymore.

“Newsrooms continue to evolve since the world evolves,” Schantin wrote. “Currently,

} Michele Matassa Flores, Seattle Times executive editor

mobile consumption is what the media industry has to master because the audience is there.”

In Ohio, the Cleveland Plain Dealer is one of those evolving newsrooms. In July, the newspaper launched Lakewood Together, a text messaging program which costs $3.99 a month. It’s a part of Project Text, a new tool from Advance Local.

Lakewood Together has one reporter, Emily Bamforth, who sends text messages to subscribers once or twice a day sharing the latest news in restaurant openings, government decisions, road constructions and other topics regarding the suburb of Lakewood.

“It’s just a short communication—the kind you get every day from friends of yours,” said Chris Quinn, editor and president of Advance Ohio.

According to Quinn, digital readers want information quickly, and Lakewood Together might be a great method of meeting that need. Hundreds of people have already signed up, Quinn said.

“It’s clear that the digital audience’s attention span is smaller,” he said. “I know clearly from what we see every day (which) is the traditional long form newspaper story generally does not get read. People want the information injected straight into their arteries and they don’t want to waste a lot of time.”

The method may be able to fulfill a digital news consumer’s desire to have editorandpublisher.com

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} Jeff Reece, Virginian-Pilot senior editor

news immediately and provide hyper-local news through a platform other than print, and mobile seems to be the direction the industry is headed, as suggested by Schantin’s report, although he also realizes that one day a new fifth type of newsroom might emerge.

Sonderman seems to agree. “This is not like a one-time disruption to digital that will then settle down again (where) in 40 years everyone is going to know what to do.

It’s uncomfortable—pretty much keep being uncomfortable.”

Creating a Digital Funnel In 2015, the Virginian-Pilot was still pretty much a print-centric newsroom. It wasn’t until a year later that the newsroom decided to embrace digital and start taking the platform more seriously. The shift was largely due to a change in leadership, explained senior editor Jeff Reece.

“In the past, most of their senior leaders had been promoted from within the ranks and for the first time, most of the senior leadership actually came from the outside,” he said. “Those of us hired were hired specifically to change the culture and work towards a more digital focus.”

One of the first things that the newsroom did, like most other news outlets, was ask themselves, “Who is the audience?”

“Traditionally newspapers have been sort of an ‘eat your vegetables’ sort of institution, which is, ‘This is important, you should read editorandpublisher.com

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} Shaun Fogarty, Virginian-Pilot general manager of digital advertising

} Jeff Sonderman, American Press Institute deputy executive director

about this.’ But we never really thought, well, ‘Who’s reading and it, why is it important?’” Reece said.

In order to engage the digital audience and drive subscriptions, the Pilot had to change that traditional way of thinking.

They began to “move away from the idea of sort of an audience as a model, (and) think more in terms of audiences, and they can be defined in different ways,” Reece explained.

Another way the Pilot attempted to drive subscription was through the creation of digitally-focused reporting team called the DART (Digital Action in Real Time) Squad in 2016. This group responds to breaking news and trending topics every day. The team also took on enterprise stories and “obsession beats”— non-traditional beats that readers are interested in.

Then in early 2017, the newsroom began measuring engagement and traffic through engagement scores they had created in API’s Metrics for News and found that the DART Squad was producing stories with high engagement and traffic. Now able to consistently see what was working and what wasn’t, the newsroom began to change their approach to coverage.

“We didn’t turn our nose up at things that we knew would engage readers but might not be of the greatest journalistic importance,” Reece said.

For example, the Pilot wrote five pieces featuring the 10 most expensive houses in each city that they covered. Something like

this doesn’t have a lot of value, Reece explained, but it made a great impact among readers.

“It’s a sort of funnel idea where you do some fun stuff like that at the top of the funnel to get people to engage with your product, and then you hopefully pull the people with some interest through that funnel down to subscribers,” Reece said.

The web experience isn’t just about the content though; it includes ads, which can also be complicated. Shaun Fogarty, the Pilot’s general manager of digital advertising, shared that they use data and analytics throughout the sales process to make sure they are targeting the right audience for the advertiser and demonstrating the campaign’s performance by using key performance indicators.

“There is always a need to balance the needs of advertisers and readers,” he said.

“When digital advertising is done well and the advertiser’s message is targeted to the right audience, I believe the information in the advertising message can be very valuable to the reader.”

Path to Subscription In 2017, after participating in a Table Stakes program that focused on subscription acquisition, the Seattle Times decided to become a subscription-based company and build their analytics around that notion.

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A Whole New World that lead readers to subscribe. Danny Gawlowski, assistant managing editor, explained whenever a new person subscribes, they look at all of the stories that that person read on their path to subscription and then all of those stories get credit. The newsroom has access to these metrics through a dashboard.

“What that helps us do is really move out a lot of the clutter from page views, from the traffic that’s national that doesn’t actually have a lot of impact for us, either for advertising or subscriptions,” Gawlowski said.

“And it helps us really narrow into what our Seattle audience center—our most dedicated audience—cares about the most.”

The Times goes through this dashboard daily to discuss the metrics they are seeing.

Executive editor Michele Matassa Flores said that those meetings have begun to shift more toward digital in recent years and they have also recently invited a couple of marketing employees to join them.

“I think reporters initially were very leery,” Matassa Flores said. “Before we created this dashboard, they watched other news organizations really turn more towards the clickbait kind of stuff and quotas, the number of stories written by reporters every day or week. I think our reporters were really fearful that we would succumb to those things.”

But since participating in the Table Stakes, Gawlowski said the newsroom has embraced data in a way that they hadn’t really done before.

“I think that the reason why is because when we look at the stories that do lead to subscription it’s aligned with our best journalism,” he said. “And I think that a lot of the reason why we questioned data in the past was because we weren’t really sure with page views; we would see a spike in page views and we couldn’t really explain it. And it wasn’t always our best work and it seemed clickbaity, and so I think that when we’ve aligned around subscriptions, it’s something that’s clearly helping the business, but also is ramping up our best journalism.”

Furthermore, Matassa Flores explained to the newsroom that these numbers are not the end all be all, but should serve to inform and aid in making decisions.

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“When we look at the stories that do lead to subscription it’s aligned with our best journalism.”

The Times also learned a lot about their registration process. In addition to Table Stakes, the paper participated in the Facebook Accelerator program that also focused on subscriber acquisition. They found that the fewer fields to fill out for a digital subscription the better, whereas print still enjoys the traditional ways of signing up such as through kiosk sells.

Matassa Flores followed up the registration process with the experience of the digital customer. “We do hear from people about advertising sometimes being intrusive…or site speed every once in a while there’s a problematic ad or bug.”

She added, “I feel like we’ve been able to talk about that balance and recognize there’s always going to be some tension there. So we try to align with how many ads to have on a story page…or when it might be appropriate to remove some of those ads totally on a story, for example. So we have a give and take about it.”

Subscriber retention is also important for the Times.

“Frequency is really highly correlated with retention,” Gawlowski said. “So with our digital audience, what we’re trying to do is make sure that (they) get to a frequent enough of a basis that they subscribe, but then also maintaining and helping build that habit right away.”

Giving Consumers What They Want and How They Want It The news media isn’t the only industry impacted by the changing habits of their customers. For a few bucks a month, consumers can have access to a number of shows and movies on platforms like Netflix and Hulu, whereas before, “Consumers went to the movies, rented VHS tapes or DVDs and watched whatever was on live TV. Now, consumers can stream content

instantly to any device, anywhere,” Blake Morgan wrote in Forbes.

According to the February 2019 article, the number of consumers that have cut the cord in 2018 “increased by nearly 33 (percent) to 33 million people.”

Morgan explained that traditionally the company was a boost to existing shows that were still airing, drawing consumers in, but since Netflix began creating original content, it puts them in direct competition with traditional TV and movie theaters.

Similarly, the music industry has evolved to the point that consumers prefer streaming platforms. Before music streaming platforms, consumers could purchase an album or single digitally via platforms like iTunes, purchase physical copies or turn on the radio. Now, bundled up for the price of $9.99 (essentially one album), music lovers now have access to thousands of albums.

According to a report in Hypebot, music streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal had more than 50 million subscribers in 2018.

As more readers turn to digital for news consumption, the question now seems to be: “Is it only a matter of time before print is no more and all journalism goes digitalonly?” We’re already seeing the signs. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently announced it was eliminating more print days in order to become fully digital, and media analyst Ken Doctor predicted in a Nieman Lab article that the industry could see major cutbacks in daily delivery and printing of newspapers as soon as 2020.

“It is certainly a transition that many newspapers are beginning to make and that most are at least exploring,” API’s Sonderman said. “But the questions are complicated about when the right time to reduce print frequency is and which days to cut.” 

editorandpublisher.com

8/19/19 8:37 AM

Non-member newspapers in states surrounding Wisconsin (our convention host state), may attend for the NNA member rate! Plus, nonmember newspapers will receive 30% off membership dues the first year.

Email Lynne Lance at lynne@ nna.org for a membership quote.

Established in 1885, the National Newspaper Association (NNA) is a not-for-profit trade association representing the owners, publishers and editors of America's community newspapers.

REGISTER TODAY — nna.org/convention

NewsPeople Carlene Cox has been named director of communications for GateHouse Media. In her new role, she will manage and support the strategy, planning and distribution of corporate communications, including press releases, industry announcements, and employee communications for enterprise-wide, strategic initiatives, product launches, and mergers and acquisitions. Cox has been with GateHouse since 2012. She most recently served as director of specialty content.

AP Photo

Michael Tackett has joined the Associated Press as deputy bureau chief in Washington.

He will oversee the White House, Congress and politics teams. He joins the AP from the New York Times, where he worked as a political reporter and deputy Washington editor. Previously, he served as managing editor and Washington bureau chief for Bloomberg News. He began his career at the Chicago Tribune where he first served as a political writer and rose to Washington bureau chief.

Sally Stapleton has been appointed to direct global religion coverage for the Associated Press, overseeing a new team that will report on faith and its influence throughout the world. Previously, Stapleton was the managing editor of the Pittsburgh PostGazette from 2017 until April 2019, where she led the newsroom’s transformation to a digital-first operation.

Rynni Henderson has been named publisher of the Gainesville (Fla.) Sun and the Ocala (Fla.) Star-Banner. She will oversee operations for the newspapers and related publications. Most recently, Henderson was president of Las Cruces Sun-News and the Carlsbad Current-Argus in New Mexico, along with several related weekly publications.

lisher of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Hall has been in the news industry for three decades, having spent most of her career at the paper, owned by Cox Media Group. In the past, Hall has served as vice president of marketing, audience and newspaper operations for Cox, vice president of sales, and senior vice president of marketing, and audience development for the company.

She also spent the past year serving as vice president of marketing, radio and newspaper operations.

Stacy Woelfel, a professor at the Missouri School of Journalism and the director of the Jonathan B. Murray Center for Documentary Journalism, has been named Reynolds Journalism Institute’s new director of aerial journalism. Woelfel will oversee the institute’s four-drone fleet, teach a drone-flying class and work with interested students who want to get their FAA licenses to become drone pilots. In addition, he will write about drone issues for rjionline.org as well as other news sites.

David Crenshaw has joined the Washington Post as the Asia-based news editor. He will be based in Hong Kong. Most recently, he was at the Wall Street Journal, serving in various roles, including deputy foreign editor, news editor in New York and London, and deputy Asia business editor in Hong Kong.

Wick Communications has announced Kelly Miller as publisher of the Williston (N.D.) Herald. She will also be responsible for the operations of the Sidney (Mont.)

Herald and regional advertising manager.

Miller moved to Wick Communications in 2018 after three years as publisher of the Mineral Daily News-Tribune in Keyser, W.Va with GateHouse Media. Miller started her career with Paxton Media Group in St. Joseph, Mich. as an outside sales representative.

Stephanie Pedersen has been named general manager of the Sun News in Myrtle Beach, S.C., adding to her current role as executive editor, which she has served in for three years. She succeeds Rich Canazaro, who has left the company.

The Associated Press recently announced several appointments with its global photo leadership team. Tony Hicks, regional photo editor for Europe and Africa, has been named deputy director of photography for international; Enric Marti, enterprise photo editor, has been named deputy director of photography for global enterprise; Jacqueline Larma, regional photo editor

George Coleman has been named director of sales for the Victoria (Texas) Advocate. He also will serve as major accounts director for M. Roberts Media’s (parent company of the Advocate) newspapers in Texas. Coleman previously worked for Sandusky Newspaper Group, serving as publisher of the Lebanon (Tenn.) Democrat and related publications. He also served as major accounts manager for the group’s Tennessee newspapers.

Donna B. Hall has been promoted to pub44 |

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editorandpublisher.com

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By Evelyn Mateos evelyn@editorandpublisher.com

ACQUISITIONS

EO Media Group has acquired two newspapers from Western Communications, Inc. The two newspapers, the La Grande Observer and Baker City Herald, serve markets in eastern Oregon.

EO Media Group is headquartered in Salem, Ore. and owns daily newspapers in Astoria and Pendleton, Ore., weekly newspapers in Oregon and southwest Washington, as well as Capital Press, a regional agricultural publication. Dirks, Van Essen, Murray & April represented Western Communications in the transaction.

Adams Publishing Group, LLC has acquired the Antigo Daily Journal, Journal Express, and all associated digital and print products from the Berner family, who launched the daily newspaper, Antigo Daily Journal, in 1905. John Thomas Cribb of Cribb, Greene & Cope represented the Berner family in the sale.

Country Media, Inc. has acquired two newspapers owned

by Western Communications, Inc., the Curry Coastal Pilot in Brooking, Ore. and Del Norte Triplicate in Crescent City, Calif.

Western Communications had owned the operations since 1988.

Country Media was formed in 2000 by Steve and Carol Hungerford. The company, headquartered in Salem, Ore., owns 15 nondaily newspapers and associated digital media in four states.

Dirks, Van Essen, Murray & April represented Western Communications in the transaction.

Adams Publishing Group, LLC has acquired The Greater Beloit Publishing Co. from the Hagadone Corp. The transaction includes Wisconsin publications, the Beloit Daily News, Weekend Daily News and My Stateline Shopper, and all associated websites as

in Philadelphia, will take on a new role to work on special projects; and Denis Paquin, deputy director of photography, will take on global sports coverage and photo operations worldwide.

McClatchy has named Cynthia DuBose senior editor for special projects.

She will lead McClatchy’s multimarket and multiplatform projects across the company’s 30 newsrooms. In addition, DuBose will guide McClatchy’s Priorities Project and be part of McClatchy’s News Leadership Team.

DuBose spent much of her career at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she worked as a reporter, digital channel manager and special projects manager. editorandpublisher.com

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NewsPeople

well as the company’s Midwest digital business. The Beloit Daily News traces back to the 1840s. In 1969, Duane Hagadone and the Hagadone Corp. purchased the Beloit Daily News from the Walter Strong family. Randy Cope of Cribb, Greene & Cope represented the Hagadone Corp. in the transaction.

Boone Newspapers, Inc. has sold the Fergus Falls (Minn.) Daily Journal to Wick Communications, a family-owned community media company with newspapers, websites, magazines and specialty publications in 10 states. John Cribb of Cribb, Greene & Cope represented the Boone family in the sale.

Ogden Newspapers has purchased Ohio newspapers, the Sandusky Register and Norwalk Reflector, from Sandusky Newspapers Inc., a family newspaper company that has owned the Register since 1869 and the Reflector since 1913. Ogden also owns papers in seven other Ohio cities: Warren, Martin’s Ferry, Steubenville, Lisbon, Salem, Marietta and East Liverpool. Sandusky will retain its newspapers in Northeast Tennessee, where it owns the Kingsport Times-News, the Johnson City Press, three weekly newspapers and various digital businesses.

Good Times, a weekly publication in Santa Cruz, Calif., has purchased the Watsonville (Calif.) Register-Pajaronian and its companion publication Aptos Life from News Media Corp. The Register-Pajaronian was founded as the Pajaronian in 1868 and was owned by a succession of local owners for its first 72 years.

In 1940, it was sold to the E.W. Scripps Co. and merged with the Watsonville Register to become the Register-Pajaronian. In 1995, News Media Corp. acquired the publications.

Susannah George has been named Washington Post’s Afghanistan and Pakistan bureau chief. George began her career as a field producer and editor for National Public Radio; worked as a freelance journalist from the Middle East for Public Radio International, Sky News and Foreign Policy; and has spent the last year in the Associated Press’ Washington bureau as a correspondent covering national security and intelligence.

Hannah Dreier has joined the Washington Post as a staff writer for national enterprise.

Drier joins the Post from ProPublica, where her work last year on immigrants, gangs and mishandled law enforcement investigations was honored with multiple awards, including the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. Before that, she was the Venezuela

correspondent for the Associated Press. She has also covered gambling in Nevada and politics in California for the AP. Clarice Touhey has been named president of the Texas Community Group for Hearst Newspapers. In her new role, Touhey will oversee the print and digital revenue operations for Hearst’s portfolio of community newspapers across the state. Previously, she served as senior group publisher for GateHouse Media, where she was responsible for the operational, strategic and financial success of 13 publications in Louisiana and North Texas regions. Touhey succeeds Mark Adkins, who has assumed the role of chairman of Hearst Newspapers’ Texas Community Group.

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NewsPeople Taylor Batten has been named Charlotte (N.C.) Observer managing editor. He has spent his 24-year career at the Observer, where he most recently served as editor of its opinion pages for the past 11 years. Batten started his Observer career as a business reporter, and then covered Mecklenburg County, state politics and North Carolina’s General Assembly. He then became editor of the government reporting team, served as front-page editor for four years and led coverage of the 2008 elections.

in-chief of the National Post in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Previously, Roberts served as a copy editor and as executive producer of news until leaving in 2015 to head the Atlantic bureau of the Canadian Press. He began his career in radio and moved to print journalism with editorial positions at newspapers in Halifax, Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto.

Doug Wilson has been named managing editor for the Hannibal (Mo.) Courier-Post, which was recently acquired by Quincy Media Inc. Wilson has spent the past 33 years at the HeraldWhig in Quincy, Ill., another Quincy Media newspaper. He most recently served as Herald-Whig senior writer. Prior to that, Wilson worked at the Courier-Post as a wire editor. In addition, Mat Mikesell has been named sports editor for the Courier-Post.

Mikesell has been a sports reporter at the Herald-Whig for more than five years.

Rosalind Essig has been named city editor for the Journal-Courier in Jacksonville, Ill. In this position, she will be responsible for overseeing the assignment of stories and directing reporters in the coverage of local news and features. Before joining the paper’s editorial design desk in 2017, Essig worked as a reporter at the Hessamine 46 |

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Journal in Nicholasville, Ky. and the State Journal in Frankfort, Ky. Leslie J. Magalios has joined CNHI in Enid, Okla. as advertising director. Previously, she was with WEHCO Media Inc. in Chattanooga, Tenn. and GateHouse Media as director of sales and marketing in Massachusetts. Magalios has held sales and marketing leadership positions within a variety of corporate cultures, from privately held companies to Fortune 500 corporations. Magalios started her career on the operations side of the newspaper business.

Ken Harty has been named publisher of the Fergus Falls (Minn.)

Journal, a Wick Communications newspaper. In his new role, Harty will also oversee Wick newspaper operations in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Oregon and Montana. He originally joined the company in 1992 and worked in several departments of the Daily News in Wahpeton and Breckenridge, Minn.

Jodi Rudoren has been named editor-inchief of The Forward, a 122-year-old Jewish publication. Most recently, she served as an associate managing editor with the New York Times. Rudoren joined the Times in 1998. Her other roles included Chicago bureau chief, correspondent on the 2004 presidential campaign, and deputy editor on the Metro desk. Rudoren also anchored

the paper’s coverage of Israel from 2012 to 2015.

Nicole McMullin has been appointed Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch marketing director.

Her duties will extend to other publications, including the Richmond Suburban News. After serving as a news intern at the Times-Dispatch, McMullin joined the newspaper full time following a two-year stint with Media General Interactive in Northern Virginia. Most recently, she served as online brand director since 2017.

Kate Hessling has been named editor of the Midland (Mich.) Daily News. Hessling succeeds Dave Shane, who has retired. Previously, she was editor of the Huron Daily Tribune in Bad Axe, Mich., where she began her career in 2006.

Michael Young has been named chief technology officer for Reuters. In his new role, Young will oversee overarching technology strategy, including technology development, architecture, platforms, testing an operational resiliency. Most recently, he was the head of digital experience platform for Reuters.

Crystal Dey has been named editor for the Timberjay in St. Louis, Minn. She succeeds Marcus White, who has left the paper. Dey has worked at newspapers across the country including the Tampa (Fla.) Tribune, West Hartford (Conn.) News, Echo Press in Alexandria, Minn., the Bemidji (Minn.)

Pioneer and the Hibbing (Minn.) Daily Tribune. 

editorandpublisher.com

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GENERAL MANAGER: The word community is the definition of GateHouse Media as a brand and as an employer. From providing an unbiased perspective of news and information fueling residents with the information needed to make informed decisions about the happenings in their communities, to offering an extensive portfolio of business solutions to keep local businesses thriving and national brands connected, we have a clear mission to enrich the communities we serve.

The right candidate will be a market maker, a change agent and a team builder for the Ledger Media Group, located in Lakeland, Florida. Using market intelligence data, media sector and market development knowledge of the local economy and community, this position sets the direction for an annual plan for the market. He/she will be responsible for setting market strategy, creating demand for and successfully positioning, building and driving audience development, digital and print solutions, live events and other value-added niche products to achieve consistent top line revenue targets. With a clear business plan with relevant audience focus, product portfolio mix, channel mix, in partnership with functional leadership, this position will lead the charge for action, innovation and adaptation. Key initiatives should be identified to maximize the market opportunity that leverages full range of New Media Investment Group assets. This leader will also provide innovative recommendations on emerging product and service opportunities.

Position Requirements: • Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing or Business preferred or equivalent work experience in media-related operation management • 5+ years strong leadership experience as publisher or general manager • Increasing experience in all areas of newspaper management; Finance/ P&L statements, Multimedia Advertising, Circulation and Distribution, Newsroom and journalistic practices, Newspaper Production and Operations • Created and led organization that embraces change and empowers innovation

Help Wanted

Help Wanted

MARTHA’S VINEYARD TIMES SEEKS AD SALES/CLIENT SERVICES STAFF: The Times has an immediate opening in its ad sales/marketing department. The job specifications might develop to match an applicant’s strengths and experience, but will definitely include sales, and is a full-time, year-round position.

The ideal candidate will have sales experience or ad agency background, an outgoing personality, an interest in media and newspapers (or, better yet — experience at a publication), experience with social media, great communications and organization skills, and an entrepreneurial spirit.

The Times publishes a weekly print newspaper that has won the New England Press Association’s “Weekly Newspaper of the Year” for two years running. The MVTimes Corporation publishes many other award-winning publications and websites, including mvtimes.com, vineyardvisitor.com, the annual Martha’s Vineyard Arts & Ideas Magazine (mvartsandideas.com), Edible Vineyard (mvtimes.com/edible-vineyard) and our daily emailed newsletter, The MInute (sign up here: mvtimes.com/newsletter).

The Times office, located on the waterfront in Vineyard Haven, is a friendly, open space, full of hard-working, collaborative team players. Though having staff live on Martha’s Vineyard is preferred, we will consider those who might commute.

Please apply with a resume jamie@mvtimes.com SEEKING A CAREER IN MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS? Grimes, McGovern & Associates is a 60-year-old Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory firm for the newspapers, media, events and information services industries.

We are looking for Associates who could be based anywhere in the US. The role is sourcing new sell-side and buy-side clients in the newspaper industry and running sales processes to bring transactions to close.

Interested applicants, submit resume to pdorsey@statesman.com.

High level of professionalism required. Role is part sales/business development (lots of cold calling) and part financial (understanding P&Ls, adjustments, add-backs). Comfort with Excel, Dropbox, Google Docs, CRMs required.

HOME DELIVERY MANAGER: The Roanoke Times, Roanoke, Virginia.

Unlimited earnings ability.

The Roanoke Times, a BH Media company, is seeking a Home Delivery Manager, supervising 8 District Supervisors. This position is the direct link between the District Supervisors, customers and Independent Contractors.

To apply, please email jbergman@mediamergers.com or call 218-230-8943.

Responsible for net paid circulation growth in home delivery and single copy for the assigned area. The Home Delivery Manager works in a fast-paced, fluid environment.

The ideal candidate is organized and has the ability to work in teams and to provide assistance when needed to improve the productivity of the department. It is imperative that all members work together. All members are expected to contribute 100% to the team.

To apply: https://usr56.dayforcehcm.com/CandidatePortal/en-US/bhmedia/Posting/View/7188 MANAGING EDITOR - ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT: Are you looking to be a part of something bigger than yourself? Are you looking to be the key player in a new online media start-up?

Would you like to use your Managing Editorial experience to share news in a way that demonstrates a belief in strong traditional American values? This could be the opportunity you have been seeking!

We are actively searching for a Managing Editor to oversee the day-to-day plans for future stories and content, along with the ability to source, write and edit copy. The best fit for this role as Managing Editor will be someone that leads with an innovative approach, who cares for the product and the community alike, and is driven by being accurate and fact-based.

What makes this position unique is that the successful candidate will also possess an entrepreneurial spirit to help launch an on-line publication that is focused on and consistent with traditional American values. This organization will offer a competitive salary, inspiring work environment, a full benefit package, and the opportunity to make this publication a work of your own in alignment with the goals of the team. We believe this candidate will have a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism or a related field, 5 years of writing and editing experience, search engine optimization experience, the ability to manage multiple projects and lead a team of people, and strong communication skills. Apply for this unique opportunity with this online publication today by sending your resume to careers@marcradio.com.

Call and ask about our Web Ad Pickup Special.

Call 800-887-1615 and place your ad today.

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Selling a press? Selling your publication?

Call and find out about our 3, 6 and 12 issue discounts!

Call 800-887-1615 and place your ad today.

SALES DIRECTOR: Long Island Business News, Long Island’s local business newspaper, providing an online and print journal of entrepreneurial experiences, business data and economic trends has an opening for an experienced, strategic, innovative, and resultsoriented advertising sales director at our Ronkonkoma, NY office to lead revenue growth.

This role is responsible for leading all sales efforts including digital, event sponsorship, special products and print and managing a team to sustained success. The right candidate will have experience with business to business or niche sales and a proven track record of growing revenue for targeted products. We’re a digital-first organization that prides itself on providing our audience with information that they can’t get anywhere else.

Your primary responsibility will be to lead the sales team by example, grow new sources of revenue, find sales leads, meeting and exceeding monthly, quarterly and annual revenue goals. You will also carry a sales list and be responsible for closing business in order to grow and manage your book of business. You will be responsible for driving digital and print advertising sales, presenting high-visibility events, developing ancillary revenue streams, and helping with marketing collateral. The successful candidate will have 3-5 years of sales management experience along with a track record of success in a multichannel sales management role. Google certified is a plus.

Long Island Business News is part of BridgeTower Media, provider of business and law news and information in markets across the country. We offer competitive pay, great benefits and a great team atmosphere.

If you are interested in this position and meet the qualifications please send your resume along with cover letter to: apply-a2n5qetsqal5@applicantstack.com.

BridgeTower Media and all subsidiaries are Equal Opportunity Employers and value diversity in our workplace.

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shoptalk /commentary Google, Facebook Should Pay For News They Use

By The Herald Editorial Board

T

he good news is that somebody is once again making money from journalism. The bad news is that it’s not those who are doing the actual work of producing journalism; instead, it’s Google and Facebook, which have figured out how to “monetize” the publication of news.

A recent report in a study for the News Media Alliance holds that Google made $4.7 billion from the work of news publishers in 2018 through advertising linked to its search engine results and its Google News page.

Journalists ought to see some of that revenue, argues David Chavern, the president and chief executive of the alliance, which represents 2,000 U.S. newspapers.

The tech companies “make money off the arrangement,” Chavern said in the New York Times, “and there needs to be a better outcome for news publishers.”

If independent journalism is going to survive — and continue to help communities, states and the nation sustain their democratic institutions — the work of journalists must be supported.

“News publishers need to continue to invest in quality journalism, and they can’t do that if the platforms take what they want without paying for it. Information wants to be free, but reporters need to get paid,” Chavern said in a release.

The problem facing media outlets—newspapers, especially—is a decline in revenue from subscriptions and advertising, a decline that has accelerated as media consumption has moved from print to online platforms.

It’s not that people have lost their appetite for trustworthy and valuable journalism; fewer are reading newspapers and magazines, but much of that former audience has shifted online, particularly to mobile devices.

Between 2006 and 2016, U.S. newspaper revenues fell 63 percent; from $49 billion to $18 billion, according to a 2017 report by the Pew Research Center. Even as overall

circulation has fallen, Pew found, circulation revenue has shown moderate increases.

The biggest losses have been in advertising revenue.

Where did much of that money go?

This is where Google, Facebook and even Amazon have been successful; the tech companies have the advantage of their millions of users and the personal data that users have obligingly provided. By using the data the tech companies have been able to target advertising, piggybacking it on the journalism that their users are increasingly looking for.

Google has denied the News Media Alliance’s $4.7 billion figure, but the study notes Pew’s findings that 93 percent in the United States get at least some of their news from online sources; that Google has in recent years updated its search algorithms to emphasizes news in its search results; and that YouTube, which Google owns, has also increased its news content.

The proof is in the clicks, News Media Alliance’s study finds: 39 percent of results and 40 percent of clicks on trending searches are news results; 16 percent of results and clicks on “most searched” queries are for news.

A few ideas already have been offered to correct the advertising duopoly, including breaking up the big tech companies, ending or limiting their ability to sell targeted ads and even—as proposed in the United Kingdom—requiring Google and Facebook to pay a “journalism tax.”

But what may be in the best interests of newspapers and other journalism producers is for those creating content to share in the advertising juggernaut that Google and Facebook have developed.

That’s the solution proposed in legislation introduced in Congress, the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act. Introduced by bipartisan sponsors in the Senate and House, the bill would allow the newspaper industry to collectively bargain with the big tech companies for a share of the

advertising revenue, giving them a four-year window—free from antitrust regulation—to negotiate a deal.

The legislation is narrowly tailored to address antitrust concerns; particularly a requirement that the entire industry benefit and not just a few of the nation’s top publishers.

“At the heart of this bill is helping newspapers survive amid shrinking circulations and massive layoffs,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, who with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, introduced that chamber’s bill.

“Google and Facebook now control the news kingdom. They’ve pitted themselves against newspapers in a David-and-Goliath battle in which newspapers don’t have a stone to throw much less a slingshot to put it in. The readers are the true losers as newsrooms empty out across this country.”

The legislation has support from 48 press associations in 49 states, including the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association, Allied Daily Newspapers of Washington and the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Association.

Why would Google or Facebook even entertain the idea of negotiating a deal to share advertising revenue?

Because, without a robust culture of newspapers and other sources of journalism to produce the content that users are demanding, eventually neither will have much with which to attract advertisers.

Or does either think they can make $4.7 billion a year in selling advertising next to cat videos?  The Daily Herald, with its website, HeraldNet.com, has been the leading news and information source in Everett and Snohomish County, Washington, for more than a century. It is one of 49 newspaper titles owned by Everett-based Sound Publishing, the largest community media organization in Washington state.

Printed in the USA. Vol. 152, No 9, 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 2019, 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.

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