PressLines ILLINOIS
May-June 2015 Month 2015
Foundation awards $50,500 2 IPA history: 1915-1965 12-13
Official Publication of the Illinois Press Association
IPA 150th Anniversary Convention 3-7 Readers toughen up messenger of bad news 15
2
illinois presslines
May–JUne 2015
Illinois Press Foundation announces $50,500 in grants Staff Report
The Illinois Press Foundation, the 501(c)3 arm of the Illinois Press Association, has announced the awarding of $50,500 in grants. The grants include $25,000 to high school journalism programs, $20,000 to high school journalism camps at Eastern Illinois University and Southern Illinois University Carbondale, $4,000 in awards to adult learners and their tutors in literacy programs around the state and $1,500 to send an Eastern Illinois University student to Washington, DC, as part of a National Newspaper Association fellowship program.
The foundation’s primary mission includes: 1) support of Illinois scholastic journalism programs both at the high school and college level, 2) to champion literacy efforts for adult learners and to help educate the public about the importance of becoming better consumers of news, 3) to award journalism scholarships to students attending Illinois universities and colleges, and 4) to assist educators in teaching awareness of the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment. The Illinois high schools receiving mini-grants totaling $25,000 include: Arthur, Aurora Central Catholic, Bradely Bourbonnais, Carmi White County, Chester, Chicago Vocational Career Academy, Downers Grove North, Grayslake Central, Harrisburg, Herscher, Hinsdale South, Monticello, Mount Carmel (Chicago), Neuqua Valley (Naperville), Pearl City, Phoenix Military Academy (Chicago), Prospect (Mount Prospect), Southwestern (Piasa), Sparta, Springfield High School and Tinley Park. The two-week summer journalism camp at Eastern Illinois University in
officeRs sam fisher | President Bureau County Republican, Princeton 900 Community Drive Springfield, IL 62703 Ph. 217-241-1300, Fax 217-241-1301 www.illinoispress.org Illinois PressLines is printed and distributed courtesy of GateHouse Media, Inc. in Peoria and Springfield.
sandy Macfarland | Vice President Chicago Daily Law Bulletin Wendy Martin | Treasurer Mason County Democrat, Havana Karen flax | Immediate Past President Tribune Company, Chicago
Charleston was awarded a $12,000 grant and the one-week journalism camp at Southern Illinois University Carbondale received an $8,000 grant. The Illinois Press Foundation partners with Secretary of State Jesse White to promote adult literacy through a program that honors 10 adult learners and 10 adult tutors from across the state. Each of the 10 adult learners received a $200 check from the Foundation, as do each of the literacy programs represented by the 10 adult tutors. These grants will be awarded during a ceremony on May 13 at the Illinois State Library. The 10 adult learners to be honored this year are: Bobby Archie, Common Place Family Learning Center, Peoria; Ronald Cluck, Lester and Rosalie Anixter Center, Chicago; William Grant, Literacy DuPage; Venetta Hunt, Tolton Center, Chicago; Lisette Lopez, Illinois Eastern Community College, Frontier; Carina Reyes-Carranza, De La Salle/ Tolton Center, Chicago; Maria Reyna, Oakton Community College, Des Plaines; Norma Sanchez, Peoria County ROE Adult Literacy; David Tolen, Erie
Neighborhood House, Chicago; Nube Vidal, Albany Park Community Center, Chicago. The 10 adult tutors and the programs they represent are: Olga Delgado-Cano, University of Illinois at Chicago Center for Literacy; Barbara Denny, School and Tutors on Wheels, LaGrange Park; Steve Friedman, Erie Neighborhood House, Chicago; Ira Goodkin, Literacy Volunteers of Western Cook County; Nancy Hahs, Rend Lake College, Ina; Phyllis Harmening, Kaskaskia College, Centralia; Jan Herman, Illinois Eastern Community College, Frontier; William Gregory Mucci, Anixter Center Jack Ehrlich Literacy Program, Chicago; William “Bill” Slusser, Common Place Adult Learning Center, Peoria; RoseMary Sullivan, De La Salle’s Tolton Adult Education Center, Chicago. Founded in 1982, the foundation has helped thousands of students, adults and educators with grant assistance for more than three decades. The foundation is governed by a 22-member board comprised of university and high school educators, newspaper publishers and editors from throughout the state.
DiRectoRs tim evans News-Gazette Community Newspapers Rantoul Kathy farren Kendall County Record, Yorkville Robert P. fleck Chicago Tribune Jim Kirk Sun-Times Media, Chicago tony scott Galesburg Register-Mail
caroll stacklin GateHouse Media, Inc., Oakbrook Terrace L. Nicole trottie West Suburban Journal, Maywood Gary sawyer Herald & Review, Decatur John Newby The Times, Ottawa Ron Wallace Quincy Herald-Whig
iPA stAff | PHONE 217-241-1300 Dennis DeRossett Executive Director
Jeffrey Holman, Director of Advertising Ext. 248 — jholman@illinoispress.org
Lynne Lance, Director of Member Relations Ext. 226 — llance@illinoipress.org
Ext. 222 dderossett@illinoispress.org
Barry Locher, Director of Foundation Ext. 223 — blocher@illinoispress.org
Josh Sharp, Director of Government Relations Ext. 238 — jsharp@illinoispress.org
ILLINOIS PRESSLINES (USPS 006-862) is published bimonthly for $30 per year for Illinois Press Association members by the Illinois Press Association, 900 Community Drive, Springfield, IL, 62703. Barry J. Locher, Editor ©Copyright 2015. All rights reserved. Volume 21 May/June/2015 Number 3 Date of Issue: 5/18/2015 POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to ILLINOIS PRESSLINES, 900 Community Drive, Springfield, IL 62703. Periodical postage paid at Springfield, Illinois and Peoria, Illinois.
MAY-JUNE 2015
illiNois prEssliNEs
Celebrate IPA’s 150th anniversary at the annual convention, gala and trade show!
Register today for the Illinois Press Association’s 150th Anniversary Convention, Gala and Trade Show, June 10-12 at the Bloomington-Normal Marriott. This is a gathering you really don’t want to miss! (Yes, we say that every year, but this time we mean it.) You asked and we listened: The entire registration process is on an a la carte basis. Simply pick and pay for what you’d like to attend, but quite frankly, our advice is to register for the entire event. Programming this good, this close to home, and at such reasonable rates doesn’t get much better. Consider: For advertising sales representatives, we’ve added a pre-convention training session on
Wednesday, June 10. Nationallyrecognized advertising expert Mike Blinder will present “Being your best on every sales call” from 1:00 – 4:30 p.m. Later, join us for a fun evening at the opening reception. Thursday is packed with great programming, including Mike Blinder’s opening keynote “Stop overthinking and just sell audience, the “That’s my idea just got better” session, the Illinois AP Media Editors Awards Luncheon featuring former presidential advisor David Axelrod, the Advertising Awards Luncheon and Dessert Auction, additional afternoon advertising sessions, and THEN… We are delighted to present “Freedom Sings,” an entertaining, engaging and
inspiring story of free speech in America told through an all-star cast of professional musicians performing rock, pop, hip-hop and country music and moderated by Ken Paulson, former editor of USA Today, president of the First Amendment Center and dean of the College of Mass Communications at Middle Tennessee State University. Thursday evening, plan to join us for a Gala Dinner and Distinguished Awards Ceremony that celebrates the 150th anniversary of the IPA. On Friday, programming for editorial attendees features a keynote address from one of Illinois’ own, Kathy Best, editor of The Seattle Times and a member
of three Pulitzer Prize-winning teams, including the 2015 Pulitzer for Breaking News Reporting, and a panel discussion among Illinois editors offering new ideas for reaching new audiences. Join editors Hillary Dickerson of The Galena Gazette, Kathy Gresey of the Kane County Chronicle, John Lampinen of the Daily Herald in Arlington Heights, and Angie Muhs of The State Journal-Register for a discussion loaded with good information. The Editorial Awards Luncheon caps off this outstanding, three-day array of educational sessions, entertainment and celebration. We look forward to seeing you.
Best, Axelrod, Blinder among speakers at IPA Convention Kathy Best was named editor of The Seattle Times in September, 2013. She joined the paper as managing editor for digital news Kathy Best and innovation in 2007, creating a 24/7 news operation that included use of social media, video storytelling and reader interaction. Four years later, she put all those digital lessons to work as managing editor for content creation on all platforms. Her work helped lead the Times to three Pulitzer Prizes , including this year for breaking news coverage. Best came to Seattle from Baltimore, where she was the assistant managing editor for Sunday and national news at The Sun. She joined the paper in April, 2005, just in time to direct its coverage of Hurricane Katrina and man-made tempests over warrantless wiretaps and mismanagement at the supersecret National Security Agency. Most of her editing career,
however, was in local news. She was assistant managing editor/ metro at the St. Louis PostDispatch, where she directed coverage of the priest abuse scandal in the Catholic dioceses of Missouri and Illinois. Before her move into editing, Best was a reporter for 15 years – 11 of them covering Illinois government and politics for the Post-Dispatch, Lee Enterprises and the Quad-City Times. Best, whose family still owns and operates the News-Progress in Sullivan, IL., earned her B.S. in journalism from SIU-Carbondale and her master’s degree in public affairs reporting at the University of Illinois at Springfield. She and her husband, investigative reporter Andrew Schneider, live in suburban Seattle. David Axelrod spent eight years as a reporter and columnist for the Chicago Tribune. As a political consultant, Axelrod has managed strategy for David Axelrod
more than 150 local, state, and national campaigns. Axelrod most recently served as senior strategist to President Obama’s successful reelection campaign. He served in that same role in then-Senator Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, before going on to serve in the White House as senior adviser to the president. After the 2012 campaign, Axelrod founded the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago. His book, “Believer: My Forty Years in Politics,” was published earlier this year and became a New York Times bestseller. He will be speaking at the Illinois Associated Press Media Editors Association annual awards ceremony and luncheon on Thursday, June 11, at noon. Mike Blinder started as a disc jockey who moved to radio sales & Radio/TV management. In 1998 he helped launch the online division for Guy Gannett’s Newspaper and TV holdings. From there Mike’s career blossomed, moving on to consult companies of all sizes, all over the world on multimedia sales strategies. Today over 350 media
companies are clients of Mike’s company: The Blinder Group, a Florida based firm that assists in maximizing revenue for their clients, Mike Blinder through effective on-site sale training/ revenue generation programs. The Blinder Group’s motto is “train in the car as well as the classroom,” which means that Mike’s team makes over 5,000 sales engagements a year, on small, medium and large advertisers in a “4-legged” sales call setting with traditional ad reps, closing tens of millions of dollars of new business for his client media companies. Mike’s book, published in 2008: Survival Selling, reviews the fundamentals of B2B sales. It has been acclaimed as a must read by managers and sales people of all industries. Mike lives in Tampa Bay, Florida with his wife Robin, 12-year old daughter Haven and Golden Doodle, Ginger.
5
4
illinois presslines
May–JUne 2015
MAY-JUNE 2015
illiNois prEssliNEs
5
6
illinois presslines
May–JUne 2015
MAY-JUNE 2015
illiNois prEssliNEs
7
8
illinois presslines
May–JUne 2015
MAY-JUNE 2015
illiNois prEssliNEs
9
10
illinois presslines
May–JUne 2015
MAY-JUNE 2015
illiNois prEssliNEs
11
12
illinois presslines
mAY-JUne 2015
illinois presslines
13
Hard Times ART STRANG
Censorship was a big challenge for papers during WWii. Although illinois papers, and others across the country, tried to boost morale by printing features about local soldiers, the government said the stories gave away sensitive information about the location of military units.
By Tara McClellan McAndrew
This year marks the Illinois Press Association’s 150th anniversary. Although newspapers had been printed here since 1814, it wasn’t until the end of the Civil War that editors decided to organize in order to help themselves and their publications. We’re commemorating the Association’s long and distinguished existence by publishing a series of articles throughout the year about its history and the history of newspapers in Illinois. This is the second story in that series, which describes the period from 1915 to 1965. The first story in the series was published in the March, 2015 PressLines. Growing Pains: 1915 - 1965 As the Illinois Press Association passed its fiftieth anniversary in 1915, the industry it represented began to grow up. Publishers, who had been seen as glorified printers, tried to improve their image. Editors, who were not required to have training or job experience -- and whose performance sometimes reflected that, began to call for journalism education and certification. This was the early adulthood of a booming industry.
Art strang, former WWii poW and publisher of the Bunker Hill Gazette-news, served as the ipA secretary/ manager from 1949 to 1974.
Post-War Growth
Becoming a Profession In the 1920s, World War I was over, so people concentrated again on the home front and their businesses. Members of the IPA called for a number of measures to increase their professionalism. They supported a plan to create news bureaus in Washington, D.C. and Springfield, Illinois, in order to disseminate national and local news, according to the “History of the Illinois Press Association.” The Association began holding annual contests for newspapers and in 1927, it created an Editors’ Hall of Fame and approved a certification plan for qualified journalists. In doing so, the IPA stated: “Newspaper work has ceased to be a free for all field in which the untrained, the accident, the incompetent, and the know-nothing may enter to make a living when everything else has failed him. The best interests of the newspaper will be served only when the profession recognizes there must be an educational minimum requirement of all beginners…,” according to the History of the IPA. Most importantly, perhaps, the IPA fully backed efforts to create a journalism school at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and began lobbying for one. In 1927, its efforts paid off when the state of Illinois approved the plan; the school opened that fall and 52 students enrolled, according to the September 1965 “Illinois Publisher.” The IPA continued to have a close relationship with U of I’s journalism school and its professors for decades.
A stock market crash and another world war quickly followed journalism’s successes of the twenties. In 1929, America’s financial underpinnings collapsed and the country was caught in an economic quagmire. Hoards were homeless, jobless, or both. Many couldn’t afford food, much less a newspaper. At the same time, papers faced a competitor to their news monopoly -- radio. Newspapers’ business and rates fell. The price of raw paper soared. Members had a hard time paying their Association dues, some couldn’t. The IPA appointed dues sergeants throughout the state to urge members to pay up. Still, the IPA’s coffers grew dangerously low. In 1941, the IPA had as much in the bank as it owed -- $600. To help, it developed an advertising service which simplified placing ads in Illinois newspapers for advertisers, according to the September, 1965 Illinois Publisher. That service became so successful it still exists today. Then things got worse. The U.S. became involved in World War II after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Some newsmen were called to battle and left their paper in their wife’s or employee’s charge. Those who stayed tried to help the war effort and stay in business. Papers cashed in scrap metal and wrote articles about local soldiers, according to IPA Bulletins from the war years. They also battled the government’s censorship efforts, like papers throughout the country. To stay in business, they tried to sell more ads, fought for more public notice rights, and required subscribers and advertisers to pay in advance, according to IPA publications from the time. But the news wasn’t all bad for Illinois papers at this time. By 1940, the IPA achieved a long-time dream. It finally had a home, at the University of Illinois’ school of journalism in Urbana, where a succession of the school’s professors became the Association‘s part-time secretary. With a dedicated, albeit half-time, employee, the IPA was able to offer more services, like “short courses” on journalism topics held around the state. The IPA also improved its lobbying efforts by developing a “system of close contact” with legislators that resulted in “practically 100 percent” success, according to then IPA Secretary Reuel R. Barlow, who was quoted in the September 1965 “Illinois Publisher.”
During WWii, many ipA members had a hard time paying their dues because of decreased advertising and increased paper costs. The ipA published ads like this one, from its may, 1942 “The illinois press” publication, to encourage allegiance.
With yet another world war over in 1945, America’s focus once again turned inward. Veterans, like Art Strang, a former POW, came home and returned to work. Strang had been publisher of the Bunker Hill Gazette-News, but he joined U of I’s journalism school staff. In 1949, he became the IPA’s new secretary-manager. “During his first few years on the job, Strang built up the IPA membership from around 450 to well over 700, making it the largest state press association in the nation from the point of membership,” stated the December 1974 “Illinois Publisher.” Strang organized annual meetings that became popular getaways for members and helped the Association develop a Freedom of Information Committee in 1953 to “investigate for possible action, complaints reported by Illinois newspapers, of violations of free access to the news,” according to The Illinois Press. That Committee targeted, among other entities, the powerful Illinois Budgetary Commission and the Illinois Department of Public Welfare. As its members and services increased, so did the IPA’s coffers, which reached $23,500 in 1956, far from the $600 it had at the end of the Depression in 1941. During the fifties, the Association continued to fight for more public notice rights, and won some of those battles with the legislature, including the passage of a law requiring school treasurers to publicize their financial reports. While the age-old public notice struggle continued, a new challenge arose -- updated technology. New machines were improving photography, typesetting, and production, but they required capital investment and employee training. Members tried to determine if the changes were worth it, hence the workshop titled “Offset Printing: Blessing or Plague?“ at the 1955 fall convention. Another speaker at the convention recommended that editors add society columns to their papers because they were “breadwinners,” but the editors pondered how to refer to married women in those columns, by their first name or their husband’s. See HISTORY, page 14
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tara mcClellan mcAndrew is a graduate of the University of illinois at springfield’s public Affairs reporting program and an award-winning springfield writer and book author. she writes a monthly local history column for springfield’s state Journal-register. Her works have been heard on illinois public radio and national public radio, as well as in 35 newspapers and magazines. http://taramcandrew.com
14
IllInoIs prEsslInEs
May–JUnE 2015
Young adults feel most informed with traditional media “This survey tends to affirm ventures like NYT Digital and Vox that are seeking to mix classic journalism with cutting-edge techIt is no surprise that millennials get the nology and accessibility,” said McFarlin. “But bulk of their news through social media, blogs it also speaks to the diversity of content from and online-only sources. sites such as BuzzFeed and Vice, which are But despite the amount of information offering young adults very engaging experionline, many between the ages of 18 and 24 ences.” do not feel they are well-informed on current While the survey does not indicate that issues, according to a recent study. social media sites are millennials’ primary The survey, conducted by Elite Daily with new sources, McFarlin said she is aware that the help from a research group at the UniFacebook and Twitter are major sources of versity of Florida College of Journalism and news information, as other research also Communications, found that those suggests. who consume news using print Although the widely held belief is that newspapers and traditional media millennials are not active news consites feel most informed. sumers, the study found that overall, “This survey validates both the 38 percent of respondents felt very injournalistic standards of traditional formed versus 59 percent who said they media and the dominance of new were somewhat informed. digital channels for distribution of This survey also affirms some of the news and information,” said Diane data revealed in a recent study conMcFarlin, dean of the University of ducted by the Media Insight Project, a Florida College of Journalism and collaboration between the American McFarlin Communications. Press Institute and the AP-NORC Center The study found that nearly 35 for Public Affairs Research. percent of adults ages 18-24 use onTheir study found that adults ages 18-34 line-only news sites as their preferred source make it a priority to be civically minded and of news, compared with about 22 percent remain informed by relying on news through who use traditional media sites. Other data digital and print outlets. They also get their revealed that about 67 percent of the respondaily dose of hard news by directly seeking it dents surveyed feel “very informed” when or through social connections. they get their news through newspapers, Furthermore, their interest in news runs while 56 percent who use traditional news broad as nearly half of those surveyed resites reported the same. ported that they follow at least 10 topics of About 40 percent noted they were “someany kind on a regular basis. what informed” when seeking news through In this recent survey by the Elite Daily and online-only news. the University of Florida, the more important McFarlin notes that this data also implies issues young adults tend to keep up with are the value of traditional news brands as preon the protection of the environment, equal mium news publishers is still strong. rights, poverty, health care and more. “While traditional media are holding the Despite the majority of young adults turnattention of a relative small percentage of ing to digital-only news outlets, McFarlin millennial consumers of news, this young believes newspapers have a chance to engage adult audience’s recognition of quality conmillennials. tent suggests a niche for legacy news organi“This research suggests that the strength zations,” said McFarlin. of content, partnered with the right chanThe reason why some millennials might nels, can connect with millennials who have prefer traditional news sites over online-only a heartier appetite for credible news,” said sources has to do with the difference in the McFarlin. newsgathering process, said McFarlin. In McFarlin and her team are exploring partaddition, she notes that traditional news sites nerships with media companies that want tend to provide more in-depth local news to experiment with new strategies to engage coverage than other mediums. millennials, some of which include creative Millennials are also attracted to the engagcontent approaches and leveraging new teching aspect of digital news, which is why the nology platforms. majority favor online-only news sites. By Jessica Martinez
NAA Communications Project Coordinator
Many Illinois newsmen were called away during WWII, like J.E. McDonald, publisher of the Virginia Gazette. They usually left their wife or an employee to manage the paper in their absence.
HISTORY
continued from page 13
One Hundred Years The sixties brought more riveting issues, with the advent of America’s involvement in the Vietnam War, President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, and civil rights struggles at home. Color, instead of the old black and white comic strips softened the blow of the seemingly endless hard news in some newspapers. During this turbulent time, the IPA published a legal digest, “Public Notice in Illinois,” to help papers understand public bodies’ legal notice obligations, conducted a national advertising reporting service to help members get more national ads, and continued to hold its annual spring and fall conventions. By the Association’s centennial in 1965, it boasted 712 members, which was likely a high-water mark. Members and staff celebrated at a two-day meeting in Springfield in mid-October, during which Governor Otto Kerner and Congressman Paul Findley spoke. The event ended with an outing to the Illinois-Indiana football game in Champaign. In the July PressLines, we’ll look at the IPA’s and Illinois newspapers’ history from 1965 to 1990.
MAY-JUNE 2015
illiNois prEssliNEs
15
Readers toughen up messenger of bad news People love their newspaper. Even if they love to hate it ... that’s a kind of love, isn’t it? We always appreciate readers who care enough to comment – privately or publicly, good or bad – about this newspaper. Although the Telegraph and Daily Gazette might be the subject of criticism, we know that even the critics find the publications useful. Maybe they turn to us for high school sports. Or obituaries. Or police reports. Or advertising inserts. Most of them read other parts of the
paper, too, even if they don’t always like what they see. That makes us no different from every other newspaper in the world. Disdain for the bearers of bad news is nothing new, of course. Many a messenger has been killed – or, at least, threatened. It’s as old as newspapers themselves. “To read a newspaper is to refrain from reading something worthwhile. The first discipline of education must therefore be to refuse to feed the mind with canned chatter. – Aleister
Crowley” the pronoun he was improperly used. “The public have an insatiable While she is correct that him would curiosity to know everything. Except have been the appropriate pronoun in what is worth knowing. Journalism, that construction, we generally do not conscious of this, and having trades edit police reports for grammatical man like habits, supplies their depurity. That passage was in quotation mands. – Oscar Wilde” marks, attributed to court records. So “Journalism largely consists of we let it stand. saying “Lord Jones is Dead” to people Facebook readers represent a relawho never knew that Lord Jones was tively new and especially opinionated alive.” – G.K. Chesterton” audience for this newspaper. When All of those eloquent gentlemen some articles are posted to the Sauk have been dead for at least 65 years. Valley Media Facebook page, dozens But their sentiments continue to find of comments might be made within agreement with some folks today. minutes. We do, after all, have nearly And always will. 22,000 Facebook friends Working for a newspathrough a connection to per takes a certain kind the community – and the of toughness. We refer to world –that didn’t exist a it as a thick skin. Critics few years ago. On Thurscall it insensitivity. As day afternoon, we posted perhaps the last true mass a story about a teen who medium on earth, a newshas been assigned a trial paper has a widely diverse date in connection with audience with many and the accidental shoot¬ing varied interests, tastes death of a friend. He has and experiences. That’s been charged as a juvenile a customer who is hard with reckless conduct. By Larry to please. Unlike most Friday morning, more than Lough professions, newspaper two dozen comments were journalists are subject on the page. Many of them Executive Editor, to widespread public were of the “it was an acciSauk Valley criticism, seen by tens of dent; everyone has suffered Media thousands of people, even enough; let it go” variety. in this largely rural marObviously, it’s a tragedy ket of small communities. that has forever changed But like being a public two families. But it’s a matofficial or other public figure, it’s just ter of public interest that newspapers part of the job. No sympathy needed. have to cover, though not everyone It’s that “heat in the kitchen” thing. thinks so. And we all know where the door is if “Let’s reopen this wound again it gets too hot. with this story posted on Facebook Complaints come in varying and the comments that follow,” John degrees of seriousness. Joyce, for wrote with, we assume, more than example, calls the editor every few a little sarcasm. “Once again I am weeks in disbelief over some gramdisappointed in Sauk Valley Newsmatical gaffe. This week it involved papers,” Jenny’s post said. “[T]he inthis sentence from the front page of clusion of the young man’s name was Tuesday’s editions: According to NOT necessary. I do not even know court documents, [the defendant] the parties involved, but I believe they admitted that “things got physical deserve some privacy and respect.” between he and the victim ... someLots of disagreement over this case, time the evening of Jan. 12 around 10 but no winners. or 11 p.m.” Joyce’s concern was that
16
illinois presslines
May–JUne 2015
IPF names EIU' s Katie Smith NNA Fellow
Eastern Illinois University journalism student Katie Smith (third from left, first row) poses at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., with other NNA Fellows and their mentors.
By Katie Smith
Eastern Illinois University
T
he highlight of my spring break took place between two plane rides from Chicago to Washington, D.C. and back. Sometime before break I was offered the opportunity to represent Illinois at the National Newspaper Association (NNA) Fellows Program in D.C. to meet with my senators and congressmen on behalf of The Daily Eastern News in an effort to produce a longform story, which was printed in The News mid-April. Saying the experience felt unreal hardly does it justice. I had the pleasure of meeting nine other collegiate journalists from across the country who experience the joys, triumphs and unbelievable stress that is a college newspaper. Each journalist demonstrated a unique and undeniable commitment to their publication. Speaking with them about their experiences was enough to pry me out of a
rut I had accidentally stumbled into. My time in Washington was spent with that group of young, aspiring reporters sitting in on briefings from White House domestic policy staffers, meeting with members from Gallup and determining fact from spin as we covered national immigration issues. I fear that when people think about journalism they imagine an entity bent on breaking a story faster than its competitors, regardless of its accuracy or newsworthiness. Despite cynical opinion, journalism in its entirety is not a commercialized machine that can be bought and bribed. If this trip taught me anything, it is that there is an entire generation of young reporters, photographers and editors who are prepared and enthusiastic to fulfill journalism’s role in a democratic society. My experience attempting to convince politicians in Washington to set aside time to meet with
me was as could be expected. I was thrilled, however, to learn at the last minute, that I would be able to meet with staff members working for Sen. Dick Durbin and Rep. Tammy Duckworth, aside from my plans to speak with Rep. Rodney Davis, Rep. John Shimkus and Sen. Mark Kirk. I regained an appreciation for my role as a reporter and understood the responsibility that comes along with that title. We hear so much today about how corrupt journalism has become, and the inevitable and impending death of newspapers. The truth is, government has manipulated and controlled the press since its first days, originally using it to oppress people and deny them a political voice. The journalism industry has come a long way in gaining freedom and serving the public. Our job is neither to support a political agenda, nor exploit the people in our communities. Our job is to fulfill a role of checks and bal-
ances, and ensure the people we have chosen to lead us, whether locally or nationally, are performing their jobs ethically and honestly. The journalism students I was with have spent their time studying Arabic, political science, print, broadcast and multimedia journalism, as well as women’s studies. They are entering a challenging field with high expectations and a genuine desire to inform the public. I am incredibly grateful to have been selected to attend this trip and have nothing but respect for the NNA members who mentored us. New and seasoned reporters alike remain excited about telling stories, sifting through the spin, and reporting the facts, and I am a better journalist for having had this opportunity. Editor’s note: 2015 marks the third year the Illinois Press Foundation has sponsored a college student as a delegate to the NNA Fellows Program.
MAY-JUNE 2015
illiNois prEssliNEs
17
arounD the state
Decatur park pavilion named for newspaper publisher The longtime editor and publisher of Decatur’s African-American Voice weekly newspaper will be honored with a plaque in Mueller Park, on a pavilion his father helped build. The Decatur Park District Board of Commissioners voted
to name the pavilion in honor of Horace G. Livingston Jr., who died last year at 92. Decatur school board member T.J. Jackson said Livingston was a role model for the community. “His words of encouragement helped us as young men to aspire to
do the best we could,” Jackson said. Livingston, known to his friends as “Buck,” published the newspaper for more than 40 years. He worked for civil rights in Decatur during the 1960s, walking picket lines in front of grocery stores that would not hire
blacks and holding rallies in Mueller Park. “His basic thing was, he wanted to treat people as he would want to be treated,” said his daughter, Sheila Watson.
Illinois150Directory_Layout 1 4/23/15 7:42 AM Page 1
Illinois Press Association
150 YEARS
e t i r W n! O Our sincere congratulations in reaching this momentous milestone!
Subscribe to success Advertise: (949) 660-6150, ext. 231 Subscribe: 1 (888) 732-7323
A distinguished honor and well-deserved. editorandpublisher.com
Modeling dailyherald.com after the morning paper By John Lampinen
Senior Vice President and Editor The Daily Herald, Arlington Heights
To our readers, We live in a fast-paced world, and for all the good that the Digital Age offers, in many ways it has made life more hectic rather than less. That’s one complaint we hear frequently: The world is so full of choices that they seem to fly at us from every direction. I’ve always viewed the respite from chaos to be one of the unspoken benefits of the printed newspaper – that you can relax with the paper rather than feel bombarded by it. If you haven’t looked at dailyherald.com lately, I hope you’ll take a peek. In launching a reimagined version of it, we’ve tried to capture the relaxing experi-ence of the printed paper. Our development team, led by digital managers Philippe Hall and Mark Stallings, has worked to create an easy to use site that gives you peace from distractions, a site that’s designed more thoughtfully with the cleaner, more organized look of a newspaper. At the same time, the team focused on making the design respond to the device that displays it so that it’s equally readable on all of them. I’m most enthusiastic about what a difference it has made for smartphone reading. Bookmark dailyherald.com on your iPhone or Android phone and you have the same window into the paper that you do on your desktop with images and stories that are easy on the eye and easy to share. The same is true for your iPad or Android tablet. The new site is as clean and quick to load on those devices as it is on your PC. The new design also gives us a chance to offer you more video and more photo galleries. Every story provides suggestions for related stories that might interest you. The design makes it easy to share stories and photos from any device. Commenting also is available on all of them. Nothing quite offers the sense of relaxation that the paper provides with your morning coffee. But we’re working to make dailyherald.com come close.
18
illinois presslines
May–JUne 2015
around tHe State
GateHouse Media announces closure of three Southern Illinois publications On April 1, GateHouse Media announced the closure of three of its properties in southern Illinois The Daily American, a five-timesa-week newspaper in West Frankfort, the Murphysboro American, a weekly in Murphysboro, and the Money Stretcher, a weekly free shopper distributed in several Southern Illinois communities, ceased publication the week of May 10. Challenging economic conditions
in the markets these publications serve have left the company unable to maintain operations. “Despite our best attempts to adapt to the economy in these markets and the changing media landscape, we are unable to continue,” said Regional Publisher Lynne Campbell. “We routinely evaluate all our properties. This was a tough decision that had to be made, but it will allow us to improve our remain-
Tribune series receive honors The Chicago Tribune’s investigation of corruption and undeserved ticketing in Chicago’s red light camera system has been honored with the 2014 Taylor Family Award for Fairness in Journalism, according to the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University. Awarding the prize to reporters David Kidwell and Alex Richards, the Taylor judges praised their “dogged, ingenious investigation” and said they “brought a big dose of fairness to an incredibly unfair situation.” In reporting that began in 2012, the Tribune revealed a $2 million city bribery scheme that has led to federal indictments and more recently exposed a lack of oversight in the program that led to unexplained ticket spikes nabbing tens of thousands of Chicago drivers. The Tribune also commissioned a study showing that while the city boasted about red light cameras increasing safety, the cameras did nothing to make drivers safer and may have caused an increase in injury related crashes. An investigation by Chicago magazine questioning how the Chicago Police Department keeps crime statistics was cited as one of two other finalists for the award. Chicago magazine, like the Chicago Tribune, is owned by Tribune Publishing. Nieman announced the honors on April 7. Richards is no longer with the Tribune; he is a trainer for the Investigative Reporters and Editors organization. Another Tribune investigation last year, the “Harsh Treatment” series exposing problems in residential treatment centers for Illinois youths, recently won two awards for ethics, from the University of Oregon as well as the University of Wisconsin. The series, by reporters David Jackson, Gary Marx and Duaa Eldeib and photographer Anthony Souffle exposed how young Illinois state wards were assaulted and raped while state authorities failed to act on reports of abuse.
ing properties in the region.” The offices housing the Murphysboro American will close in midMay. The West Frankfort offices, which have served as GateHouse Media’s hub in the region, will remain open. The Daily American will also maintain its online presence at dailyamericannews.com. “It has been an honor to have served these markets over the years,
and we deeply regret any inconvenience,” Campbell said. GateHouse Media’s other publications in the region, including the S.I. Trader, Harrisburg Daily Register, Eldorado Daily Journal, Marion Daily Republican, Benton Evening News, Du Quoin Evening Call, Carmi Times, Olney Daily Mail and several weekly newspapers, will continue to serve their communities and publish on their regular schedules.
MAY-JUNE 2015
illiNois prEssliNEs
19
around the state
Calhoun News-Herald celebrates 100 years Few businesses have been able to withstand the test of time quite like Hardin’s Calhoun News-Herald, which celebrated 100 years without missing a publication in April. The Calhoun County newspaper is part of Campbell Publications. The president of Campbell Publications is Bruce Campbell. His great grandfather, C.C. Campbell, founded
the Calhoun News on April 1, 1915 with Arthur B. Greathouse, and it has been part of the Campbell family ever since. The newspaper is one of the oldest, family-run newspapers in the state. The Campbell family has taken great pride in presenting the news in Calhoun County, and the newspaper’s success led to expansions in four other counties with five other newspapers.
Bruce Campbell began expanding the company’s publications into neighboring counties by purchasing The Weekly Messenger (Pleasant Hill) in 1990, the Pike Press (Pittsfield) in 1992, the Greene Prairie Press (Carrollton) and Scott County Times (Winchester) in 1998, and started a new weekly newspaper, the Jersey County Journal (Jerseyville), in 2003.
Bruce Campbell said his father and grandfather were story tellers, first and foremost. When patrons came to pay their subscriptions or drop off a news tip, they would talk to the people and learn about what made the area tick. Campbell Publications continues that same, community-focused reporting today.
20
illinois presslines
May–JUne 2015
PRESS PEOPLE
Tim Evans joins IPA Board Tim Evans has been affiliated with Illinois newspapers since 1971, starting in the business in his high school days as a sports writer for the former Atkinson-Annawan News. Now the General Manager for the News-Gazette Community Newspapers, Evans operates eight weekly newspaper in East Central Illinois from his office in Rantoul for the News-Gazette, Inc., based in Champaign.
They include the Rantoul Press, Paxton Record, Piatt County Journal-Republican, Mahomet Citizen, The Leader in St. Joseph, The County Star in Savoy/Tolono, Independent News in Vermilion County and the LeRoy Farmer City Press. His father, the late Alfred Evans, was a member of the IPA board in the 1970’s. Tim is one of 14 children, eight of which are still affiliated with the industry.
His mother, Eileen Evans, still writes for a weekly in LeRoy, Minnesota. Tim and his wife, Luanne, have two children and three grandchildren. Evans said of the appointment: “I consider it an honor and a privilege to represent the newspapers of Illinois and hope to be an advocate for weekly newspapers in the state, where I’ve spent most of my career.”
Evans
Bonnie Pratt named Register-News publisher Bonnie Pratt has been appointed publisher and advertising director of the daily Mt. Vernon Register-News and the weekly McLeansboro Times Leader, effective March 16. Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc., based in Montgomery, Ala., and with properties in 23 states, is the parent company. Pratt comes to Mount Vernon from Georgia, where she was the regional publisher and general sales manager for the Clayton News Daily, Henry Daily Herald and Jackson Progress-Argus. “I look
forward to meeting and working with the great people that make up these markets,” said Pratt. “My goal will be to develop exciting new opportunities through community involvement and with news and advertising content that meets local expectations.”The Register-News is a five-day newspaper published Tuesday through Saturday. The Times Leader is published on Thursdays. Both papers feature websites with seven-day news and advertising content.
Craig named Telegraph publisher Veteran newspaper in the newspaper business, executive Joseph Craig has working as a sales represenbeen named publisher of tative, department head, The Alton Telegraph. The general manager, publisher announcement was made and division vice president. by Ralph Martin, CEO of Much of his career has been Civitas Media, the newsin the Midwest including paper’s parent company, Illinois, Missouri and Iowa. on March 11. Craig will He’s also worked in markets lead all Telegraph operain North Carolina, Nebraska, Craig tions including newsroom, New York, Connecticut, Wisadvertising, production and consin and West Virginia. circulation departments. He reCraig’s most recent role was chief places Sammy Lopez, who stepped revenue officer for Civitas Medown to explore other opportunidia, leading the company’s sales ties. Craig has more than 40 years efforts.
MAY-JUNE 2015
illiNois prEssliNEs
21
PRESS PEOPLE
Former Journal-Pilot editor named citizen of the year
Swearingen
Joy Swearingen made a career of being at public events. The retired editor of the Journal-Pilot was always present to promote the efforts and achievements of others, standing just outside of the spotlight to make sure she got the story right. In early March, she was given the Donald T. Forsythe citizen of the year award presented by the Carthage Area Chamber of Commerce. “It was very humbling, very surprising,” Swearingen said. “I think
Warren Watson named new Telegraph editor Warren Watson, a veteran journalist, has been named executive editor of The Alton Telegraph. He replaces Bob Strickley, who left the paper in January to pursue other opportunities. From 2009 to July 2014, Watson was Watson executive director of the 3,700-member Society of American Business Editors and Writers, based in Phoenix. He left the society last July to pursue a book and develop a consultancy. The book, “Surviving Journalism,” is to be published by Marion Street Press of Portland, Ore., later this year. Aimed at professionals and students, the book examines how changes in the newspaper business have affected career journalists. In his 42-year career, Watson has managed daily newspaper newsrooms in Portland, Augusta and Waterville, Maine, as well as Peabody, Mass. In addition, he has been president of the 2,600-member Society for News Design and acting president of the American Press Institute. As a teacher and consultant, Watson, 64, has lectured in Spain, France, Mexico, and the United Arab Emirates. He received a master’s degree in journalism from Ball State University in 2008. At Ball State, he developed a First Amendment institute geared toward high school and college students.
working with the newspaper over the years gave me a chance to know what was going on and what was important, and to promote whatever was happening.” Swearingen has been involved with community businesses, development projects, and individuals throughout the years as both a volunteer and journalist. (Photo: Joy Swearingen, center, holds her citizen of the year plaque while surrounded by children Megan, Spencer, and Andrew.)
Law Bulletin appoints Gard as new publisher Law Bulletin Publishing Company has hired S. Richard Gard Jr. as vice president and publisher of the Daily Law Bulletin and its sister Gard publication, Chicago Lawyer magazine. A more than 20-year veteran of legal trade publications, Gard succeeds Mike Kramer, who had been publisher since 2007 and was named president of Law Bulletin Publishing Company. Most recently, Gard, 55, was editor and publisher of Missouri Lawyers Media, a network of six legal newspapers throughout the state. Missouri Lawyers Weekly is the network’s flagship publication. He was an executive at The Dolan Company-owned business in St. Louis for roughly 10 years. Kramer said Gard is a “proven leader “ in the publishing industry. “It is a privilege for me to work with Richard,” Kramer said. “I’m confident that he will build on the legacy of the
Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and Chicago Lawyer in serving the Chicago legal community.” Gard graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1984 and practiced law for close to three years in Atlanta before being recruited by the founder of American Lawyer magazine, Steven Brill, to work as a reporter for the Fulton County Daily Report. He wrote for the student news paper as an undergraduate at the University of Virginia and said he “never looked back” after being hired at the small legal newspaper in 1987. He became editor and publisher at the Daily Report in 1995, staying in the position for a decade. He moved to the Missouri publications in 2 0 0 5. At Law Bulletin Publishing Company, his title is group vice president, news group. In addition to overseeing the company’s legal publications, he is also managing the company’s real estate publications. Those include Chicago Industrial Properties, Midwest Real Estate News and Illinois Real Estate Journal, among others.
Judith Joy named Master Editor Judith Joy, farm editor and features editor for the Centralia Sentinel and member of the Joy family of Sentinel publishers, has been named a Master Editor by the Southern Illinois Editorial Association. Joy was honored during the SIEA’s annual Joy meeting at Giant City State Park Lodge in Makanda. Joy joins retired managing editor Marietta Broughton, the first woman to be named, as the latest member of the Sentinel to earn the title. The Sentinel in Centralia is over 150 years old. The Joy family has owned the paper for most of that time. Mrs. Joy has been with the paper for most of her adult life. She married publisher William Verne Joy. In 1951, she earned her bachelor’s degree and just a year later earned her master’s degree in botany from Cornell University. She became the newspaper’s farm editor in 1967 and eventually features editor. She’s also a world traveler and shares her stories from the places she visits with her readers. That interest started in 1970 with a visit to Israel. Mrs. Joy still types her stories on an old L.C. Smith manual typewriter. Joy explained her original goal was to earn a doctorate in botany and that her entry into the newspaper business as a writer began as a challenge. “I really never intended to be a newspaper writer, but this is how it happened. One Sunday morning, I was lying in bed reading the Sentinel and reading the farm page, and there were three stories from the extension service exactly alike on the same page. I said to my husband, ‘This is terrible!’ He said, ‘If you think you can do it better, then you do it.’ That’s how I became farm editor,” she said. Joy noted that writing as a woman about a field largely dominated by men was an entirely different kind of challenge. “When I first started, I would go into an extension meeting on agronomy or something and there would be 200 farmers, not a single one of whom would sit next to me or speak to me,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed my career, and I hope it’s not over yet.”
22
illinois presslines
May–JUne 2015
PRESS PEOPLE
Robert Wall named publisher
Mike Plunkett named Master Editor The Journal-News Managing Editor Mike Plunkett of Hillsboro was named a Master Editor during the Southern Illinois Editorial Association annual meeting April 17. Plunkett, who is celebrating his 25th anniversary with the newspaper, joins seven other Master Editors in the paper’s history. From The Hillsboro Journal, past Master Editors include Publisher John M. Galer, as well as former publishers, the late Phillip Galer, Del Galer and Sam Little. From The Montgomery County News are former publishers Nancy (Bliss) Slepicka, and the late Tom Bliss and Bob Bliss. Plunkett is a 1983 graduate of Hillsboro High School and a 1989 graduate of Millikin University in Decatur, where he earned a degree in communications. Plunkett joined the staff of The Hillsboro Journal in October 1990.
Robert Wall has been named publisher of the Morris Daily Herald, The Herald-News in Joliet and Herald Life. He will oversee all facets of revenue and audience development for Shaw Media’s publications and products in Will and Grundy counties. He also Wall will lead the company’s Joliet and Morris executive group. Wall joined Shaw Media in November, 2012, as general manager of the Morris Daily Herald. His role was expanded in January, 2014, when he assumed the additional responsibility of general manager of The Herald-News after Shaw Media purchased the publication.
New sports editor Matt Daniels has been promoted to sports editor of the Champaign News -Gazette. He had been acting sports editor since January. The 29-year-old Edwardsville High School and Eastern Illinois University graduate has been with the company since Daniels July 2011. “I grew up reading Loren Tate’s (long time News-Gazette sports writer) columns in the Alton Telegraph before school while eating breakfast,” Daniels said. “It’s been fun working at a paper that I’ve admired for years.”
John Galer (L), publisher of The Journal-News, and Mike Plunkett, managing editor.
Stone named president of Daily Herald Media
Stone
Johnson
Rosengren
Ritter
New reporter joins Republic-Times staff Evan Binns has joined the Waterloo Republic-Times as a reporter. Prior to joining the newspaper, he spent six years reporting for the St. Louis Business Journal. Binns earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Saint Louis University. He is originally from Belleville.
Scott T. Stone has been named president and chief operating officer of Paddock Publications, which owns the Daily Herald Media Group that includes the suburban Daily Herald, Business Ledger, Reflejos and other publications. Stone, an 18-year employee and chief operating officer since 2014, was promoted as part of the company’s corporate transition strategy, said Douglas K. Ray, Paddock’s chairman, chief executive officer and publisher. Stone’s appointment by Paddock’s board of directors was one of several executive promotions announced April 22. Stone joined Paddock Publications in 1997 as an editor in the Daily Herald’s Elgin office. He went on to work in many different departments of
the company, including advertising, niche publications and circulation, before being named general manager in 2012. The board announced several other executive appointments. Kent Johnson, longtime senior vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer, also assumes the role of corporate secretary. Human Resources Director Heather Ritter was named an assistant vice president. Pete Rosengren was named assistant vice president of advertising. The board also appointed Kristine Wilson as assistant corporate secretary. Winner of Paddock Publications’ 2012 Administrative Award of Excellence, she joined the company in 2010.
MAY-JUNE 2015
illiNois prEssliNEs
23
OBITS
Robert M. Olszewski, Sr. Robert M. Olszewski, Sr., 73, died March 26. He was publisher of the Beverly Review. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson Junior College, Mundelein University and Roosevelt University, where he earned a master’s degree in business administration. Olszewski’s career spanned more than 30 years and included Olszewski working as a chemist in research and development for several paint technology companies including Mobil Chemical in Kankakee. In 1982, Olszewski and his wife purchased the Bourbonnais Herald, a weekly newspaper, where his wife served as editor and publisher. The paper is managed by his son, Jon. In 1984, they purchased The Beverly Review, a weekly newspaper in the 19th Ward of Chicago managed by his children Bob, Sue and Kate. An avid collector in his retirement, he operated a booth in the Manteno Antique Mall.
Barbara Sancken Barbara Sancken, 82, Pontiac, died April 14. She served as secretary-treasurer of the Owego School District for many years and joined the Pontiac Daily Leader in 1965, working as a reporter, photographer, feature writer, copy editor and occasionally pasting up pages. She won several first place awards Sancken from the Illinois Associated Press in special edition, investigative reporting and spot news, and in 1982 received a first place National Associated Press award. In 1983, she won a National Headline Award. She retired from the newspaper in 1996 but continued to write regular columns.
Mary Ann Tucker Mary Ann Morris Tucker, a retired journalist, died April 8. She was 86. Mrs. Tucker was raised in Kansas, Ill., and was a 1951 graduate of the University of Illinois. Following her marriage to Walter (Bill) Tucker Jr., she moved to the family farm west of Horace where she spent her entire married life, moving into Paris several years after Mr. Tucker’s death in 1986. After serving Tucker as a substitute teacher for several years, she became a staff writer and women’s editor of the Paris Beacon-News.
Nancy Louise Galer Nancy Louise (Wright) Galer, 86, of Hillsboro, co-publisher of The Journal-News, died April 22 Mrs. Galer was born on April 11, 1929, in Kankakee to the late John and Louise (Cordes) Wright. She graduated from Kempton High School in 1947 and earned her associate’s degree from Blackburn College in Carlinville in 1949. Later, she earned her bachelor of science Galer degree in agriculture, studying home economics, at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. She married Phillip Curwood Galer in 1951. He preceded her in death on Jan. 11, 2013. The Galers met at Blackburn College where they both served as editors of the school’s newspaper at separate times. In the 1950s, Mrs. Galer was a home economics teacher at Bellflower High School, Coffeen High School and Hillsboro Junior High School. She later worked for 30 years for the Illinois Power Company in sales and public relations. After retiring from Illinois Power Company in 1989, Mrs. Galer joined her husband, Phillip, at The Hillsboro Journal, where they served as publishers for many years. They were also publishers of The Sorento News and The Raymond News.
Della de Lafuente Della de Lafuente, a newspaper reporter who later found success in management roles at magazines and advertising agencies, died March 20. She was 51. She had dedicated much of her career to uncovering flaws in America’s health care and insurance industries, while also celLafuente ebrating the achievements of women, mentoring young journalists and observing trends in politics, culture, art and fashion. Della de Lafuente was born in South Texas, and grew up in Harlingen, Texas. As a student at Harlingen High School, Ms. de Lafuente honed the skills that would make her a successful journalist by taking leadership roles with the student newspaper and yearbook. While earning her bachelor of journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, she published dozens of articles for the Daily Texan newspaper, UT Cactus yearbook and UT Most magazine, serving in a variety of management positions for the student-run publications. After graduation, Ms. de Lafuente’s reporting work at Chicago-based Crain Communications Modern Healthcare and the San Antonio Light newspaper led her to her first position as a reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times. She later worked for the Arizona Republic, Latina Media Ventures, Working Mother Magazine, as a contributor to the features and lifestyle department of the Associated Press and as a senior editor at Adweek Media. Ms. de Lafuente’s career changed directions in 2009, when she left Adweek to work as director of strategic communications and editorial at Adrenalina, a multicultural advertising agency.
W. Newton Burdick Winfield Newton Burdick Jr., who was president of Pioneer Press and publisher of its suburban Chicago newspapers in the 1960s, died March 19 at age 98. A 1939 graduate of Yale University, he was a Navy lieutenant commander in the south Pacific during World War II. Mr. Burdick was involved in the 1970 sale to Time Incorporated of the
weekly newspapers, based in Oak Park and Highland Park, and the offset printing plant in St. Charles. A military service in his honor was conducted March 26 at Moorings Park in Naples, Fla., by the Collier County Honor Flight organization. He had been scheduled to participate in the next flight.
24
illinois presslines
May–JUne 2015