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Official Publication of the Arizona Newspapers Association for distribution to all employees of ANA-member newspapers A community newspaper from community newspaper people

Register

APRIL 2007

NOW

A N Ag r a m s

for the ANA Spring Workshop!

Writing off newspapers is premature Tim J. McGuire Frank Russell Chair Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications

Workshop to feature industry experts, lively happy hour Learn how to keep the lifeblood of your newspaper flowing! Mike Leeds, sales training coach, will cover a dozen ways to grab your customers’ attention and increase your sales.

Roundtable Best Ideas Session Join us on Friday, April 13 at noon for a roundtable discussion luncheon, moderated by John Lindsey, Western Newspapers, Inc. We’ve invited: Heather Bruce • R&R Partners Linda Bishop • Abrazo Health Care Abbie Fink • HMA Public Relations Karen Hallgrisom • Air Marketing Randy Johnson • Cliff Castle Casino Jos Anshell • Moses Anshell And others!!!

Technology guru Lisa Griffin, of the Tennessee Press Association Institute for Newspaper Technology, will be teaching a course on Adobe InDesign, Wednesday, April 11, 2007 and Thursday, April 12, 2007. Wednesday’s class will focus on basics, and Thursday’s class will be for advanced students. Register now, and learn how to make Adobe InDesign work for you!

Mark Henschen, the circulation director of the North County Times will be presenting Circulation Sales Channel Metrics: Maximizing Scarce Resources, a system to get the most out of every sales channel you have. See and understand the impact of EZ-Pay on your units.

Bill Shannon, circulation director at The Daily News (Longview, Wash.), is speaking on Teaming Up Single Copy and Bulk Sales Success, how to sell value-added advertising programs that include potential single copy, bulk and paid sampling sales.

For all of you interested in the Newspapers in Education program, Pat Oso, NIE Coordinator, will be hosting a custom NIE workshop. If you have questions about approaching school districts, marketing or recruiting teachers, come find out how to make it happen!

And who wouldn’t enjoy a funfilled happy hour where we present awards to the winners of ANA’s annual Excellence in Advertising Competition? You don’t want to miss that!

Register soon! You can register online at www.ananews.com or call (602) 261-7655 ext. 110 for more information. See you there!

The newspaper industry has been a lot like a gossip victim the past few years. First, people whispered forecasts of gloom behind the industry’s back. Then, the hints of doom became louder and more obvious.

Now, it seems as if no one is reluctant to shout from rooftops that the newspaper industry is dying and that there is nothing that can be done.

Week magazine published a full page of angst titled, “The Decline of the American Newspaper.” The Economist avoided subtlety completely last year when its cover impolitely inquired, “Who killed the newspaper?”

Critics lament declining circulation and a dramatic loss of advertising, especially classified ads.

They scold the newspaper industry for an assortment of sins, including the failure to recognize the digital revolution, journalistic self-indulgence, greedy harvesting of profits and arrogance.

The circulation declines are undeniable. Some metropolitan newspapers have lost 10 percent of their circulation in the past three years. Classified revenues at some big newspapers are off by $50 million to $100 million in the same period. Layoffs and news-hole reductions are breathtaking. Shortsighted corporations are trying to cut their way to better profit margins.

The bad news is clear, but there are some deeper complexities that must be considered, some good, some bad.

• The largest newspapers are suffering the steepest declines.

• Community newspapers serving their readers well are, for the ANAgrams Arizona Newspapers Association 1001 N. Central Avenue, Suite 670 Phoenix, AZ 85004 - 1947

most part, thriving.

• The digital and global revolutions beleaguer every industry, including television.

• Media companies used to “push” information to consumers with morning newspaper delivery or the 6 p.m. news. The Internet and 24-hour television news offer consumers the capability to “pull” news whenever they want it, so the consumption of news is increasingly fragmenting. Consumers are now in control.

• Advertising is fundamentally changing. In addition to the pushpull problem, the Internet allows advertisers to narrowly target their messages to potential buyers rather than taking a scattershot approach to the masses.

• Although declines are evident, the amount of advertising in a Sunday newspaper is still formidable, and profits at most newspapers remain admirable.

• The business model of newspapers based on mass advertising is under assault, but if the death of CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 “PRSRT STD” U.S. POSTAGE PAID PHOENIX ARIZONA PERMIT NO. 3429

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

APRIL 2007

2

ANA/Ad Services Board of Directors President Pam Mox One-Year Director/Non-Daily Green Valley News and Sun (520) 625-5511 ...................... pmox@gvnews.com First Vice President John Wolfe One-Year Director/Non-Daily Independent Newspapers Inc. (Phoenix) (480) 497-0048 ............................jsw11@aol.com Second Vice President Don Rowley Two-Year Director/Daily Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff) (928) 774-4545 ..................... drowley@pulitzer.net Third Vice President Vacant Vacant (602) 261-7655 .....................office@ananews.com Secretary/Treasurer Michael Chihak One-Year Director/Daily Tucson Citizen (520) 806-7735 ............ mchihak@tucsoncitizen.com Directors Tom Arviso Two-Year Director/Non-Daily Navajo Times (Window Rock) (928) 871-7359 ........ tomarviso@thenavajotimes.com Ward Bushee Two-Year Director/Daily Arizona Republic (Phoenix) (602) 444-8087 .... ward.bushee@arizonarepublic.com Teri Hayt Two-Year Director/At-large Arizona Daily Star (Tucson) (520) 573-4220 ..................... terihayt@tucson.com Dick Larson One-Year Director/Daily Western Newspapers Inc. (928) 634-5898 ............. dlarson@westernnews.com Elvira Espinoza Two-Year Director/At-large La Voz (Phoenix) (602) 444-3835 ....... elvira.ortiz@lavozpublishing.com Mike Quinn Past President Today’s News-Herald (928) 453-4237 ................ quinn@havasunews.com

Arizona Newspapers Foundation Board of Directors The foundation is an educational, charitable nonprofit corporation for education. Its primary mission is to teach newspaper people and teachers how to use a newspaper in a classroom. Its goal in 2007 is to become revenue independent.

Chairman of the Board Josie Cantu-Weber, Tucson Citizen (928) 453-4237 .............. jweber@tucsoncitizen.com Vice Chairman Joann Carranza (520) 730-4298 ......................carranza57@cox.net Treasurer Lee Knapp, The Sun (Yuma) (928) 183-3333 ................... lknapp@yumasun.com Secretary Pam Mox, Green Valley News & Sun (520) 625-5511 ..............................pmox@gvnews.com Directors L. Alan Cruikshank, Fountain Hills Times (480) 837-1925 ........................ alan@fhtimes.com Steve Doig, Cronkite School of Journalism, Arizona State University (480) 965-0798 ...................... steve.doig@asu.edu Bret McKeand, Independent Newspapers, Inc. (623) 972-6101 ......................... SCIbret@aol.com John Wolfe, Independent Newspapers Inc. (480) 497-0048 ..................................... jsw11@aol.com Jeff Weigand, Southwest Valley Sun (623) 386-7077 ............... jweigand@swvalleysun.com

ANAgrams is published every month by the Arizona Newspapers Association 1001 N. Central Ave., Suite 670 Phoenix, AZ 85004-1947 (602) 261-7655 • Fax: (602) 261-7525 www.ananews.com www.publicnoticeads.com

Public Notice wars heating up?

John Fearing Executive Director

With all the talk about the end of the print newspaper, it almost feels old hat to talk about public notices and the legislative intent of requiring their publication in newspapers. I almost sound like Chicken Little.

Your association may sound the alarm but publishers and their staff are the ones who must answer the call.

Member publisher, I ask, do you know if your staff is uploading its notices to our national Web site PublicNoticeAds.com? We don’t either. I assigned the task to one of our staff members, and she began keeping a spreadsheet of the number of notices each member uploaded.

This generated a “score card” that was sent to member publishers and it alerted them if someone stopped uploading notices.

Because of the classified aggregation push, the “score cards” have been placed on the back burner.

Member publishers are on their own.

Please ask your staff if they still are uploading.

Participation is imperative to success. If we stand together, we will have a greater chance of survival.

This public notice project has been underway for nearly 10 years.

Has it been effective? We think so. And I think it will be our savior in the future.

In Washington, D.C., in March, I attended several meetings about legislative events across the country and learned that many state press associations are fighting statewide bills that would move public notices to internet only publication.

The Sky is Falling, The Sky is Falling.

Sometimes Chicken Little knows what he’s talking about.

P.S. We have planned an exciting and informative spring workshop for you, so don’t forget to register for it right away.

Marketing, Member Revenue

Government / Public Policy

Objectives ANA revenue enhancements; Assist members with political advertising sales; ANA directory; Statewide online classified ads; Public Notice promotion; Effective communications to members; Digital archiving of newspapers; Recognize advertising business partners in ad awards contest; The Committee Dick Larson, Chairman, Western Newspapers; Steve Stevens, Today’s News Herald, Lake Havasu City; Lisa Miller, The Sun (Yuma); Mark Bollin, Green Valley News & Sun; Terry Alvarez, East Valley Tribune (Mesa); Blake Dewitt, Western Newspapers; Cindy Meaux, Ad Placement Manager, ANA; Sharon Schwartz, Network Advertising Manager, ANA; John Alexander, Foothills Focus.

First Amendment Coalition

Objectives Provide journalists from member newspapers with educational information and a legal hot line for access issues. ANA is responsible for 12 seats on this board of directors.

ANA Appointees Dan Burnette, West Valley View; Joseph Reaves, Arizona Republic; Terry Ross, Yuma Daily Sun; Josie Cantu-Weber, Tucson Citizen; David Bodney, Steptoe & Johnson; Ben Hanson, Daily Courier; Linda Wienandt, Associated Press; Mark Kimble, Tucson Citizen, and Kevin Kemper, University of Arizona.

Education Task Force

Objectives Conventions: Spring Marketing Workshop in May (Wed-Fri) and Fall Convention in October (Thursday-Saturday), First two days of both are computer training and half-day of sessions eliminated; Regional Education – Need trainers; On-line training -- too expensive? List Serves for various professions; NIE – fund raising; curriculum; marketing; Update Public notice laws and Ad guidelines; Constitution Day Sept.. 17 – create NIE material; NIE Training at conventions; half-day session; NIE Regional North/South full day NIE training. Additional volunteers needed.

The Committee John Wolfe, Chairman, Green Valley News & Sun; Michael Chihak, Tucson Citizen; Pat Oso, Statewide NIE Coordinator, ANF; Paula Casey, Business Manager, ANA.

Objectives Build on 2003, including creating a formal plan for 2005/6; Re-craft Legislative Alert; Note key legislation that requires editor/publisher calls; Simplify way editors/publishers can send an e-mail to key legislators on issues; Create a grid noting each legislator’s committee assignments; Match legislative leadership to Editors & Publishers; Host Legislative Breakfast in January 2006 instead of Legislative Lunch in Fall; Further build allies/ government access groups; Continue “Public Access Counselor” legislation and emphasize “Training;” Support banning suits against public records requestors.

The Committee Teri Hayt, Chairman; Independent Newspapers (Phoenix); Michael Chihak, Tucson Citizen; Janet DelTufo, Wickenburg Sun; Melanie Larson, The Explorer (Tucson); Teri Hayt, Arizona Daily Star (Tucson); David J. Bodney, Steptoe & Johnson, Phoenix; Ward Bushee, Arizona Republic (Phoenix); Tom Arviso, The Navajo Times (Window Rock); Kevin Kemper, University of Arizona; John Moody, ANA Legislative Counsel, Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, Phoenix.

Awards Committee

Objectives Study contest entries and develop an online contest submission form; Study and reshape Hall of Fame criteria, make them less subjective and Improve bios; Work with the University of Arizona to improve the Zenger Award; FOI – broader distribution of news release to improve publicity; Improve ad agency category.

The Committee Don Rowley, Chairman, The Sun (Yuma); Perri Collins, ANA; Paula Casey; Business Manager, ANA

Finance Committee

Objectives This committee reviews the monthly financial reports and questions the staff on budget variances, in order to report to the full board. It also is responsible for working with the staff to develop the annual budget for ANA and Ad Services.

The Committee The secretary-treasurer, past president, and one additional director are appointed to the Finance Committee each year. Currently Michael Chihak, Tucson Citizen, is chairman; Mike Quinn, Past President, and Terry Alvarez, East Valley Tribune.

Legal Services Another benefit of ANA membership

Advertising and Newsroom AnswerLine Miller, LaSota & Peters, PLC (602) 296-0955 * First hour free to all ANA member newspapers.

Media Hotline Perkins, Coie, Brown & Bain (602) 351-8000 Funded by First Amendment Coalition of Arizona Inc. No cost up to the initiation of litigation.

HR Hotline Steptoe & Johnson, LLP (602) 257-5200 Up to two hours of consultation and advice available to publishers and department heads of ANA-member newspapers. * Please note the NEW AnswerLine phone number.

ANA Staff Executive Director John F. Fearing ..................................... Ext. 105 j.fearing@ananews.com Business Manager Paula Casey .......................................... Ext. 102 p.casey@ananews.com Media Buyer Cindy Meaux ..........................................Ext. 112 c.meaux@ananews.com Network Advertising Manager Sharon Schwartz ................................... Ext. 108 s.schwartz@ananews.com Network Ad Sales Representative Don Ullmann ..........................................Ext. 111 d.ullmann@ananews.com Communications Manager Perri Collins ............................................Ext. 110 p.collins@ananews.com Statewide NIE Coordinator Pat Oso ..................................................Ext. 110 beartracks@cox.net Receptionist/Tearsheets Lorraine Bergquist ..................................... Ext. 0 l.bergquist@ananews.com

Join a Committee If you would like to join a committee, ask your publisher to send an e-mail to j.fearing@ananews. com. Your ideas are what makes this association valuable. Join a committee and make a difference!

APRIL 2007

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AnswerLine number changes Schatt lecture emphasizes ethics The Arizona Newspapers Association’s Advertising, Newsroom and Circulation AnswerLine telephone number has changed.

You can now call attorney John Moody with your questions at 602296-0955.

ANA provides this service to member editors, reporters, circulation managers and advertising personnel who may have questions relating to political cov-

erage, advertising, libel, fair reporting and privacy concerns for from ANA-member newspapers.

The first hour of the attorney’s time is paid for by ANA, with subsequent hours receiving a 10 percent discount.

Moody has been the friendly voice behind the ANA AnswerLine for over two years. Don’t hesitate to call him if you have a question.

Ad reps put cash in their pockets Two lucky classified sales reps walked away with a little extra money last month because they sold statewide ads in the Arizona Statewide Classified Advertising Network (AzCAN).

Cathie Towell, The (Kingman) Standard, won $200, and Connie Dahlin, The Glendale Star, won $500 by participating in the Hidden Treasure Bonus Promotion.

“It’s fantastic,” said Dahlin.

“I’m going to have a grandchild in June,” she said, and plans to splurge on the newborn. “I’m going to have fun with it.”

“At first I thought you guys made a mistake,” said Towell, after receiving her check in the mail.

“When I hear of a business that would benefit from statewide ads, I do mention it,” she said.

“It’s an easy way to make a little extra money,” she said.

Several times each year, ANA will hold a bonus program for reps who sell AzCAN ads.

For more information about how your newspaper classified ad representative can benefit from AzCAN, contact Sharon Schwartz at (602) 261-7655, ext. 108.

Writing off newspapers is premature CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

newspapers is inevitable, it does not appear that it will be swift.

There is a temptation to view all this as just one more 21st-century reality that does not affect us until we consider the last month of news coverage. The bizarre wall-to-wall coverage of Anna Nicole Smith and Britney Spears may be the “canary in the coal mine” for what weaker newspapers might mean for society.

No matter how much you enjoy beating up the print media, and no matter how many times the newspaper industry shoots itself in the foot with plagiarism, fabrication and conflict-of-interest scandals, for the past 50 years, American newspapers have been our newsgathering stalwarts.

It is newspapers that uncover scandals like the one at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. It is newspapers that have been out front on social change, repeatedly holding government accountable and attempting to avoid celebrity obsession.

Newspapers under siege create a profound ethical hazard for journalists. Concern over profits and abject fear over ubiquity of the Internet threaten newspaper ethics.

In the new media world, concerns such as harm to story subjects, treatment of identified but not charged suspects, privacy, balance, fairness, taste and accountability stand to get steamrollered by a desperate search for profitable audiences and the chaos of the Web where knee-jerk immediacy and irresponsibility often stretch ethical boundaries.

Newspaper journalism fails too frequently in its ethical quest, but an America without solid newspapers protecting and leading civil discourse is an America that would make the framers of our Constitution despair.

If you are a discerning reader who recognizes the role journalism plays in fortifying our democracy, the raging discussion about the future of newspapers matters to you.

Reprinted from the Arizona Republic, March 18, 2007.

By Loni Dugi

Three prominent journalists attracted more than 100 students, alumni, and faculty from Arizona State University to the Evelyn Smith Music Theatre--engrossing the audience in a civic debate on issues facing journalists today.

Newspapers Under Siege: Ethics on the Firing Line was the focus of this year’s Paul J. Schatt lecture series.

“Civil discourse must be served by journalists. It is the underpinning of American society. Where will that come from, if not from newspapers?” asked Tim McGuire, the Frank Russell Chair in the Business of Journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Mediator Kristin Gilger, assistant dean of professional programs at the Cronkite School, guided the discussion with questions like, “Is the end near” for newspapers?

Jennie Buckner, former vicepresident and editor of the Charlotte Observer, held that this is indeed the end of a era for print newspapers, and that “we must face the facts.”

“Newspapers have been losing readers at a steady pace year after year. I don’t think newspapers will die; I don’t think journalism will die,” said Buckner in the discussion, stressing that the industry must “wake-up.”

Buckner won an Emmy for her series “Taking Back our Neighborhood” and “Hunger in the Land of Plenty,” attesting to her passion for community involvement.

Buckner has previously addressed journalism drifting towards tabloid news and trivia in

her keynote address at the 1998 Batten Awards, an award for journalists whose work supported “people’s involvement in the life of their community.”

She stated that the “if it bleeds it leads” philosophy undermines the credibility of journalists. Her solution: empower readers with civic journalism instead of feeding an “entertainment-addicted society.”

Jim Crutchfield, visiting Professor in Journalism Ethics at the Cronkite School, worried that the death of newspapers depended heavily on putting a value on the content in newspapers for advertisers.

In newspapers’ heyday, said Buckner, a 20 percent profit margin was the norm, but now eight percent is enough to keep a newspaper afloat.

“I’m worried about the six or seven percent profit margins,” said Crutchfield Buckner asserted that there is still hope for the relationship between print newspapers and online newspapers, but the two mediums should be differentiated from each other so that “people are actually getting excited about the different mediums and their different strengths.”

Throughout the debate McGuire also gave an optimistic outlook for successful convergence of print journalism and the internet.

“Journalism and the service of civil discourse in our society will flourish,” said McGuire.

Schatt taught for over 30 years at ASU. He died in 2005. The lecture series was established by Laura Schatt, to keep his spirit and passion for journalism alive.

NIE session answers questions

By Pat Oso Arizona Newspapers in Education Coordinator

A few weeks ago, I sent out a request to NIE folks across the state asking what issues you would like to see addressed in a session at ANA’s Spring Conference. Your responses were enough to fill several sessions.

We have only one session but we will address as many of these issues as possible.

As usual, I have lots and lots of suggestions, but there will be time to brainstorm and share with one another as well. Here is a list of the main concerns we will address.

If your issue is not listed, bring it to the session.

• Review NIE basics on setting up a smoothly running program • How do I approach school

district administrators? Which administrators?

• How do I get the attention of principals?

• How do I recruit more teachers for NIE? • “What qualifies as a classroom for audit bureaus?” and more audit questions.

• Summer programs?

• How do I market my NIE program?

• How do I plan for a teacher workshop?

• NIE Content/Vendors Please join us on Friday, April 13th, 9:00 – 11:45 a.m., Chaparral Suites Resort, 5001 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale.

APRIL 2007

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Arizona historian, journalist Dean Prichard remembered

By Ellie Mattausch Editor and publisher, The Oracle

Dean Prichard, of Oracle’s historic High Jinks Ranch, died March 18 after a short illness. He was a long-time Arizona journalist. Most recently he was editor of the national edition of the Tombstone Epitaph that was read by history buffs around the world.

Prichard is a World War II veteran and a 1950 graduate of University of Arizona. He has worked for the Arizona Daily Star, Kansas City Star, Detroit Free Press and the J. Walter Thompson Company.

At Fairchild Publications of New York he was the bureau chief of Northern Europe and the Soviet Union. At the Reader’s Digest he

By Randy Hines

covered Asia and Australia.

Upon his return to Arizona in 1974, he purchased Buffalo Bill Cody’s old High Jinks Ranch on a mountain top near Oracle and spent 20 years restoring it.

It is now a National Historic Site and a stop on the state-wide Arizona Trail.

From there he set about teaching journalism at the U of A and writing and editing a local weekly newspaper serving the surrounding area. He also produced the Epitaph each month using the old type faces and style of the original Tombstone newspaper.

An avid horseman, he ran cattle below his home and worked as a trail guide in the high country.

In 2004, he wrote and published a science-fiction novel. Tinr’s Journal -- The Alien Prophecy, a Metaphysical Autobiography. It culminated with alien intervention in 2076 when survivors of Earth’s religious wars live in fortified biospheres. The local Biosphere 2 figured prominently in the story.

Dean continued to produce The Epitaph until he had a tragic accident last year that left him paralyzed from the neck down. He spent his last days in a nursing home in Tucson.

Two Cronkite students take home photojournalism awards Two students of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication swept the first student awards given by the National Press Photographers Association.

Senior Elias Johnson finished first in the in-depth category and former student Ian Schwartz scored first and second in the weekly assignments category. The two categories are the first student awards in the association’s annual Best of Photojournalism competition.

Johnson’s winning story profiled Anthony Robles of Mesa, a one-legged wrestler who is trying out for the wrestling team at Arizona State University.

Schwartz’s stories focused on proposed development at Papago Park in east Phoenix and on last year’s massive immigration reform march in downtown Phoenix.

Schwartz, who also was named the nation’s best television reporter for 2006 by the Broadcast Education Association, graduated from ASU in May 2006 and works as a reporter at

Political ad spending may boost newspapers’ bottom line in 2007

WHOI-TV (ABC) in Peoria, Ill. Commenting on the Papago Park story, the judges wrote that Schwartz “figured out that the way to make this story interesting was to show how people enjoy the park.

We’ve seen professionals go out and shoot this assignment and come back with a bunch of real estate shots and shots of signs ... but no people.

Seeing people use the park makes this story work.”

Cronkite School Dean Christopher Callahan applauded the students. “Elias and Ian found ways to capture compelling video of emotion and conflict to tell their stories,” he said.

The National Press Photographers Association is dedicated to the advancement of photojournalism and high ethical standards of professional performance. NPPA members include still and television photographers, editors, students and businesses that serve the photojournalism industry.

There is positive news on the Pundits are predicting one of horizon for the newspaper industry. the most wide-open contests in the Despite predictions for minimal last dozen or so elections. That may advertising growth during 2007, not hold true by next spring, after all earlier-than-usual presidential pri- those primaries narrow the field. But maries could change that forecast for now the advertising opportunities for the better. Initially considered are also wide open for newspapers. a slow year because of the absence Another plus for newspapers is of elections and an Olympics, 2007 the push in many states to ban those will see an increase in ad spending annoying recorded phone calls that after all. Moving more presidential are made to residences by parties and primaries to January and February candidates during the 11th hour of of 2008 will create a jump start on most campaigns. You probably had a the campaign season. dozen per day during the two weeks Although television will garner leading up to Election Day 2006. If the biggest bucks in a freethese unpopular pitches are for-all campaign expected banned, newspapers may to top $1 billion in spending, pick up those remaining ad Arizona newspapers still dollars. stand to profit from the many Discussion among telecandidates who need to gain vision executives centers early recognition in 2007. on what happens when all Hillary R. Clinton As more and more critthe candidates want to place ics complain about all those their TV plugs on the eveempty sound bites, it’s posning news in key markets sible that issues could be of states having primaries. explored in more detail All of their news fits into a via the printed page. Issue 30- or 60-minute time slot. ads should be encouraged Unlike newspapers, that can by newspaper advertising add an extra four pages to John McCain departments. It’s still one of any section quickly, TV news the best places to reach intelis a locked-in format. Howligent, high-income voters ever, with the convergence with crucial information. of media today, many teleSlated for January are vision stations will quickly primaries for one or both be adding Web productions parties in Iowa, Nevada, that can carry candidate’s New Hampshire and South messages. Perhaps Arizona Carolina. States tentatively Barack Obama newspapers can plan a similar adopting February for at least one of strategy to incorporate print ads into their presidential launches are Ala- their own Web editions. bama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Another side of the coin is to Colorado, Delaware, D.C., Florida, ask if American citizens will be Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, overexposed to political campaigns Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mis- with the process so extended. Voters souri, Montana, New Jersey, Nevada, say they hate negative campaigning.

New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Candidates always say they will Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, Vir- avoid it. Yet, time after time, mudginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. slinging starts early and lasts longer More than half of the U.S. population than anyone wants it to. will have the opportunity to vote in Several firsts make this an interesting campaign. For the first those first two months of 2008.

Why the push for more ad time, we have major party, serious spending? For one thing, of course, candidates who are Black, Hispanic, there’s no incumbent. So all the par- female and Mormon. One candidate ties are seeking candidates. This is even formally announced on the the first election in 80 years in which “Late Show with David Letterman.” neither major party has an incumbent How soon will the White House president or vice president running ad push begin? Experts think paid for the nation’s top spot. messages will start appearing soon, “Ralph Nader for President certainly by this summer, especially 2008” items have been on sale for in the above-listed states. Will your the perennial third-party or indepen- paper be ready? dent candidate for months already.

Dr. Randy Hines teaches at Other blips on the radar screen are Susquehanna University in Selinexpected from the Constitution Party, sgrove, Pa. He can be reached by the Green Party and the Libertarian phone at (570) 372-4079 or by eParty. mail at randyhinesapr@yahoo.com.

APRIL 2007

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Advertising sales from A to Z

By John Foust

Attitude: It all starts here. As Henry Ford said, “Think you can, think you can’t. Either way you’ll be right.”

Benefits: People don’t buy products. They buy what those products can do for them. Sell benefits.

Campaigns: Don’t emphasize individual ads. Show your customers how to promote their businesses with long-term advertising campaigns.

Design: Use graphic techniques that make ads stand out on the page (white space, big graphics, easy-tonavigate layouts, etc.).

Expectations: It’s not realistic to expect to close every prospect every time. Sometimes, the objective is just to advance the sale .

Fast: Return phone calls and e-mails quickly. Don’t keep people waiting.

Goals: Establish accountability with specific goals for yourself and your advertisers.

Headline: Research shows that eight out of ten readers don’t read further than the headline. Learn how to write good ones.

Illustration: “A picture or diagram that helps make something clear or attractive.” An ad’s illustration should clarify the headline and attract attention.

Jam: The letter B is taken, so we’ll use the musician’s term for brainstorming. Set aside some time to bounce ad ideas around.

Knowledge: The more you know – about your product and your customers – the more you’ll sell.

Listen: Like the old saying, we have two ears and one mouth because we should listen twice as much as we talk.

Measure: Strive to create ads that generate measurable results.

Nothing sells like success.

Niche: This is a world of niche audiences. Personalize your advertising to hit the bull’s-eye.

Objections: Since most of them are predictable, there are few excuses to be caught off guard.

Proofread: There’s a big difference between $995 and $9.95 Questions: Ask open-ended questions to gather information.

Reason: Create urgency. Give readers a reason to buy now.

Strategy: Go beyond budgets, schedules and flow charts. Formulate creative strategies for advertisers.

Truth: Honesty is still the best policy. The fastest way to lose readers is to make “unbelievable, fantastic, one-of-a-kind” claims.

Unique: Look for ways to differentiate each advertiser from the competition.

Variety: Develop different ways to explain your selling points.

Win-Win: Sure, it has become a cliché. But it is hard to find a better selling compass. Help your customers win, and along the way, you’ll win, too.

X-height: Know more about typography than a few font names and the difference between serif and san serif type. X-height is a good place to start.

Yes: The most important word in customer service. If you’re asked about something that is out of your realm of expertise, say, “Yes, I’ll look into that for you,” instead of “That’s not my job.”

Zero: The number of sales you’ll make if you don’t ask for the order.

E-mail John Foust for information about his training videos for advertising departments: jfoust@ mindspring.com.

UA students form NAHJ group

By Claire Conrad

This semester the University of Arizona became the fifth university in the nation to have a student chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

NAHJ is a national organization that seeks to improve racial diversity in the newsroom and promotes Hispanic journalists and the issues.

Approximately 20 students have joined the chapter. An anonymous donor is currently paying dues for any student who wishes to join.

In 2005, Hispanics were the largest minority group in the department, said Jeannine Relly, faculty advisor for the student chapter of

NAHJ. The new chapter is still exploring what kind of direction it will take and what role it will play for the members.

One of the group’s goals is to help promote diversity in the industry to provide a voice for Hispanics.

“This is important because ... our community has been misrepresented in the past, and if you look at a lot of newsrooms, there isn’t much diversity and that’s one thing we’re looking to change,” said copresident Nathan Olivarez-Giles, a journalism and Mexican-American studies senior.

NEW FACES IN NEW PLACES TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- The former publisher of the Akron Beacon Journal has been named director of student media at Arizona State University.

James Crutchfield, 58, also a professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, stepped down from his position as publisher of the Beacon Journal following the sale

of parent company Knight Ridder last year.

He joined Arizona State as a visiting professor in journalism ethics this semester.

As director of student media, Crutchfield will oversee the department that publishes the university’s independent student newspaper, a weekly magazine and the school’s cable TV station.

Pollster Bruce Merrill, who created the statewide Cronkite/Eight poll, will retire at the end of the semester from his faculty position at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Although Merrill will no longer be teaching, he will continue his work

with the Cronkite/Eight poll, a major force on the Arizona political landscape that is nationally recognized.

Merrill is nationally known for creating the Media Research Program, used to conduct public opinion polls and to train students in the design and interpretation of polls.

A very bad idea for newspapers

By Doug Fisher

Somewhere in the back of our minds, I know many of us might like to return to the “Lou Grant” era.

Life was good. You did your daily few hundred words or minutethirty broadcast story, maybe a weekly takeout or that infamous five-part special package on city hall corruption, the disease of the month or the latest consumer scam.

Except your readers were slowly finding ways to leave you.

They didn’t particularly like you, and it irked them that they could buy 100 types of phones but were stuck with a handful of take-it-or-leaveit information providers. And then came the Internet.

“I’ll come right out and say it: It’s time for newspapers to stop giving away the store. We as an industry need to start charging for – or at the very least controlling – use of our products online,” San Francisco Chronicle/ SFGate.com columnist David Lazarus recently wrote. And later: “My thinking is that this is approach- Doug Fisher ing a life-or-death struggle for newspapers, and an antitrust exemption may be the only way that the industry can smoothly make the transition to a digital future. Put simply, we need to charge a fair price for our products, and we need to do so together.”

That could be dismissed as a momentary loss of sense. But because I suspect this secretly is harbored by more than one journalist, temporarily cheered by Viacom’s

billion-dollar lawsuit against YouTube and a Belgian ruling against Google News, it’s worth looking at why going back to the future is a very bad idea.

The strongest argument is that it just ignores reality. First, papers have always “given away” the news, if you ignore the ads. What they charged for was the distribution and scarcity. You are not going to make scarce again that which is now abundant.

Lazarus seems to assume no other sources of news, but the typical metro area, even a small one, has TV, radio (some still do news), community papers, etc. Even if you could get 90 percent of those to conspire, there’s going to be leakage. All it takes is a little leakage and you lose because (and I hate to say it) “they” – you know, those readers Lazarus seems to want to be at war with – don’t care as much about your product anymore.

Part of it is our fault, our tendency to churn out commoditized news. But our readers have changed, too. Bombarded by wallto-wall news and information, much of which they’d rather not deal with anyhow, they are willing to snack and get on with their lives, not eat your full meal.

My grandfather read at least two newspapers after work. My mother read one, often falling asleep with it CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

APRIL 2007

6 6

SUNSHINE WEEK UPDATE

“Today, Congress took an important step towards restoring openness and transparency in government,” said Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

“Over the past six years, the Bush administration has done everything it can to operate in secret, to avoid public scrutiny, and to limit congressional oversight. I am pleased that Congress is reversing this course by passing four critically important good government bills with strong bipartisan support,”

Waxman said, after the House of Representatives passed four measures during Sunshine Week that promote and preserve open government.

The bills passed and the votes were: H.R. 1309 (308-117) to strengthen FOIA and improve public access to government information; H.R. 1255 (333-93) to nullify an executive order limiting access to presidential records; H.R. 985 (331-94) granting improved protection to federal whistleblowers; and H.R. 1254 (390-34) to require the release of presidential library donor information.

Officials withhold documents Monica Alonzo-Dunsmoor and Corinne Purtill The Arizona Republic

County officials who are responsible for maintaining area emergency-response plans in Arizona are not willing to share that information with the public, even though it’s required by federal law.

As part of a national audit, journalists and volunteers across the country descended on local emergency-management offices and asked for the Comprehensive Emergency Response Plans for their communities. Officials said “no” more than one-third of the time, and one in five provided only partial reports.

None of the five Local Emergency Planning Committee offices contacted in Arizona provided the complete plans. Some offices refused to give any information at all. Offices in Maricopa, Cochise, Yavapai and Pima counties and on the Gila River Reservation were visited.

Congress passed a law about two decades ago requiring every community to develop, update and make public plans for action in cases of chemical or hazardous-materials spills. The federal law also requires annual reviews of the law and public notification of its availability.

Officials around the country who denied requests frequently cited

national-security or terrorism concerns, despite the fact that the 1986 law provides for withholding sensitive information in what’s called a Tier II report.

Dan Roe, executive director of the Arizona Emergency Response Commission, said local jurisdictions are caught “between a rock and a hard spot” when it comes to releasing public documents.

Officials in some states ran background checks on citizen auditors or sent police to follow them.

Warren Leek, director of the Maricopa County Department of Emergency Management said that if people wanted access to information on facilities outside the vicinity of their home or workplace or behaved in a manner that raised the staff’s suspicions, the staff would not release the document immediately.

“If there’s something that kind of raised our hackles and made us concerned that they might be a potential threat . . . we would delay giving them the information and would probably go to authorities who could do some background checking,” Leek said. “As far as CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

Explorer welcomes new editor Walt Nett, a journalist with nearly 30 years of reporting and editing in Arizona and California, has been named editor of the EXPLORER Newspaper, announced Publisher Melanie Larson.

“We are all looking forward to his experience, knowledge of the region and his leadership abilities,” Larson said.

Nett, 52, was most recently an assistant editor with City News Service, a regional wire service based in Los Angeles.

“I feel very fortunate that this opportunity has presented itself.

Tucson’s a competitive market with several large players. That presents some unique challenges and opportunities for a suburban newspaper,” Nett said.

Nett also said that one of his goals is to be part of a newspaper that is a “welcome guest in the reader’s home every week.”

“Readers need the information we provide,” he said. “But I’d like to feel that we’re getting in the front door every week not only because readers need what’s on our pages,

but also because they really want what we’ve got.”

“A native of Evanston, Ill., Nett has called Tucson home for about 40 years. A graduate of Catalina High School and the University of Arizona, he got his start in journalism on the staff of his high school newspaper, The Trumpeteer, and was a high school sports correspondent for the Tucson Daily Citizen.

He has held editing jobs with the Fresno Bee and the Bakersfield Californian. He also wrote the Tucson Weekly column “Media Watch.”

He worked for the Arizona Daily Star for 12 years covering business and local and state government. He was involved in the development and launch of the Star’s online operation, azstarnet.com, as the newspaper’s first online editor.

Nett began his professional career in 1975, as a sports writer with the Arizona Territorial, a now-defunct weekly newspaper that covered Tucson’s northwest side – the area now served by the EXPLORER.

Wickenburg full of winners Kevin Cloe, publisher of the Wickenburg Sun (left) was awarded the Special Achievement Award this year by incoming Chamber of Commerce President Gary Turner (right).

This award has been given only four times to deserving individuals who contribute their leadership skills to the community. This year, the board recognizes and presents this special achievement award to a man who displayed grace under fire, perseverance, and strength in representing the truth in his reporting.

Juan Jimenez (left) and Vic Porto (right) were the recipients of The Wickenburg Sun’s Annual Employee Appreciation Awards.

Jimenez, a graphic artist, was selected for the Publisher’s Extra Mile Award for his creativity, as well as his work as computer trouble-shooter.

Advertising Director Vic Porto was selected by Publisher Kevin Cloe as the 2006 Employee of the Year for creating successful, innovative advertising ideas in the newspaper and producing another record year in advertising sales.

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APRIL2007 2007 APRIL

7 7

Navajo Times endures shutdown and gains independence

By Felicia Fonseca Associated Press

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. - Bill Donovan laughs when he describes the four times he was fired from the Navajo Times for writing stories critical of tribal government. The joking stops when he tells of the day 20 years ago when the newspaper was shut down.

On Feb. 19, 1987, under thenChairman Peter MacDonald Sr., the tribe closed the only daily newspaper in Indian Country at the time, citing an audit of the paper that MacDonald said revealed debts to the IRS and mismanagement.

The newspaper, like most tribal newspapers today, was owned and controlled by the tribe. There was no freedom of the press, and staff members constantly struggled with interference by tribal government.

“There has always been this fight within the paper because technically, the chairman of the tribe is the publisher of the newspaper,” said Donovan, a freelance writer.

“There’s a feeling that you have to be at least somewhat supportive of the administration.”

Navajo Times, then called the Navajo Times Today, survived the shutdown, which spurred discussion of a free press in Indian Country.

The Navajo Nation Council has since granted the newspaper its independence - a unique feat for newspapers in Indian Country, said Mike Kellogg, president of the Native American Journalists Association.

“Government leaders are becoming more aware of what a free press does for citizens. It keeps them better informed, it allows them to ask tougher questions and it allows them not to risk being fired if they ask the tough questions,” said Kellogg, business manager for the Navajo Times Today when it closed.

MacDonald beat out incumbent Chairman Peterson Zah in the 1986 election. Then-publisher Mark Trahant wrote an editorial endorsing Zah, and staff members suspect that and other stories critical of MacDonald’s administration led to the paper’s demise.

“We thought management would be changed, but MacDonald went to an extreme,” said Tom Arviso Jr., a former sports writer for the paper and now its editor. “You have to understand what tribal politics is about. It gets personal.”

While covering MacDonald’s campaign, Betty Reid said she often was criticized for simply being on the newspaper’s staff. Tribal mem-

losing less money each year.

Trahant met with MacDonald and suggested ways to turn a profit, such as a management buyout and creation of a tribal media company. MacDonald didn’t bite.

MacDonald reopened the Navajo Times as a weekly in June 1987 with plans to have it become independent of the tribe by the end of his term to “eliminate the suspicion that there is control somewhere,” he said.

But the Navajo Nation Council Tom Arviso Jr., publisher of the Navajo Times, Feb. 16, 2007, in removed MacDonFlagstaff, Ariz. Arviso was a sports reporter in the late 80s when the then Navajo tribally-owned newspaper was closed by the a l d f r o m o ff i c e tribal government. during a corruption scandal in 1989. bers called her a “gossip teller,” Though he was convicted of federal since there’s no word for reporter in conspiracy charges, MacDonald later the Navajo language. was pardoned by the tribal council The tribal newspaper was and former President Bill Clinton.

Reid’s first job, and she vowed it Arviso returned to the newswould be her last at a tribally funded paper in 1988 with a goal to pay off newspaper after the shutdown. past debts and then break free from “That was the first time free- the tribe. dom of the press took center stage Instead, Arviso had bomb in my mind,” said Reid, who now threats called in, his tires were works for The Arizona Republic in slashed, people threatened his life Phoenix. and he was suspended by former The 78-year-old MacDonald, Navajo President Albert Hale. now living in Tuba City, Ariz., A feeling of relief swept over denies he retaliated against the Arviso in October 2003 when the Navajo Times. tribal council voted 66-1 to approve “So if they did support Zah the newspaper’s independence and editorially, I didn’t think it made any create the Navajo Times Publishing difference,” MacDonald said. “I won, Co. Inc. so why should I take revenge?”

“It feels good now, the work MacDonald said the audit, con- we do, because we’re doing it for ducted shortly after he took office, ourselves,” Arviso said. “We realshowed the newspaper owed the IRS ize when we’re staying out late thousands of dollars - which Trahant and working those extra hours, we acknowledged - and that advertising understand we’re doing it now for money and funds appropriated by the the people. It makes it so much more tribe were used for travel, golfing enjoyable.” and expensive dinners.

Today, more than 300 tribal “Immediately we wanted to publications exist in the United put a stop to it,” MacDonald said, States. explaining there needed to be a move The most widely circulated toward profitability. include the Navajo Times, the CherThe Navajo Times started as okee Phoenix, Indian Country Today an education newsletter in 1961 and and the Native American Times, said became a weekly two years later. The Kim Baca, interim executive director paper had lost nearly $1 million after of the Native American Journalists switching from a weekly to a daily in Association.

1984, but Trahant said the Times was She said some 64 tribes have

adopted provisions stipulating a free press in their constitutions.

The Navajo Nation doesn’t have a constitution, but the tribal council passed a resolution in the late 1990s stating the government could not interfere with the Navajo Times.

However, in approving independence, the Navajo Nation gave the publishing company an initial investment of $500,000, making the government the sole shareholder.

The paper still must report to the tribe on its audit each year.

Arviso is fine with that, as long as the Navajo Nation considers its government to be for the people _ not for the president and not for council delegates.

He hopes one day to buy the 500,000 shares from the tribe.

“I’d like to have my employees own stock,” he said. “I’d like to be a major investor, so that it truly is independent.”

As for switching back to a daily, Arviso and other staffers say it’s not likely any time soon.

“We had our one shot and the tribe blew it,” Donovan said.

APRIL 2007

8

Using open records: Public school salary A bad idea CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 information can lead to better stories

By Jared Taylor Student Press Law Center staff writer

Who gets paid more — teachers at your high school or your crosstown rival? Did your university’s president receive a bigger raise last year than most professors?

Unlike some open records requests, accessing salary information at your high school or university can offer a better glimpse into your school’s chain of command.

Besides knowing how much your high school’s principal or university’s president may have earned last year, salary information can be a great starting point for other enterprise stories.

Only public schools are obligated to disclose salary information.

At private schools, you may be able to find some salary information for top administrators by requesting the school’s Form 990 tax form, which all non-profit organizations are required to file with the federal government.

Once you know which category your school falls under, you are ready to begin.

Obtaining your institution’s salary information depends on which office manages the school’s budget and salaries. But your school district or college’s financial office generally is a good place to start.

Check to see if you can obtain your school district or university budget from the library. Your question could be answered without having to confront an administrator or wait for a response to an open records request.

Before you slap an open records request letter down on an administrator’s desk, always ask to see the salary information first. Use request letters only when if one is requested or if your verbal request is denied.

How do you write an open record request letter? You could contact a media law professor, but an even easier option is to visit the State Open Records Law Letter Generator on the Student Press Law Center Web site, it’s free, easy and is individually tailored to the open records laws in your state.

To find out how one public university handles salary information requests, the Student Press Law Center checked out the University of Maryland in College Park, Md. Dale Anderson, director of university human resources, said his office discloses salary information it is obligated to share whenever a person provides an open records

request letter.

Typically, requests are fulfilled for free as long as it does not take a staff member more than two hours to compile the requested information, Anderson said. If it takes longer —for requesting all salaries at the university, for instance — the school passes its supply and labor costs onto the requestor.

Anderson said that The Diamondback, Maryland’s student newspaper, and area labor unions typically request salary information from his office. The newspaper requests salaries for every university employee every year, pays the university for administrative costs and publishes information in a special section in April.

Diamondback News Editor Kevin Litten said the university salary special section is one of the most popular issues of the year, and helps generate additional advertising revenue. He forwarded a copy of the most recent salary information to the SPLC, which the paper requested in the spring of 2006.

“Students love to see what their professors make,” Litten said. “We get calls constantly from people who want to get a copy of it.”

Litten said that knowing how much professors and administrators make could have a strategic advantage, as well.

“I do know that it is used for renegotiating salaries and luring away faculty,” he said, based on the calls received about university salaries at The Diamondback.

While examining salary information, keep in mind that many faculty and staff can earn additional money that does not come from the state, which is not included in salary reports, Anderson said.

“If they have other provisions in their contract, that’s not going to be in there,” Anderson said.

For example, a headline a Diamondback headline could say: “University president earns more than football coach,” because according to the salary database, Maryland President Dan Mote’s $376,350 salary was nearly $155,000 greater than coach Ralph Friedgen’s 2005 earnings.

However, Friedgen’s actual compensation jumped to almost $1.7 million in 2006 when you include additional contract incentives, according to a Diamondback story.

Remember that although the

numbers alone might not make the story, the information can be handy to have around when that next big story breaks.

Michael Crow Arizona State University Salary: $609,194

Dr. Robert N. Shelton University of Arizona Salary: $570,020

John D. Haeger Northern Arizona University Salary: $370,581

in her lap. I scan the papers before I leave in the morning and vow to read them when I get home, but it’s mostly to check for things that didn’t pop up online during the day (often not on my local newspaper sites). And I struggle through sleepiness to do it. I can function well without them, and I don’t think I’m atypical.

So what Lazarus suggests is to create really great content and then put it behind a wall when people increasingly find that content by search engine or other referral. And if you have great content you’d want people flocking to it, wouldn’t you?

(At least your advertisers would).

Raise the walls and you also encourage competitors because it no longer takes a few million to buy a printing press. The daunting cost of entry, that Economics 101 concept that kept profits high, is almost nil.

More competition is just what you want right now?

Take away the ability of others, like Drudge and Huffington, to link to you, as Lazarus suggests, and you not only lose referrals, you encourage others to do their own reporting.

Or maybe they start by summarizing your stories, but without ever sending people to your site. Then your competitors link to that (it is the “Web,” after all). Before long, your readers, most of whom just wanted the first five to seven inches of that 60-inch opus anyhow, can get it – or a summary of it – and with feedback and commentary that actually enriches the content.

You will have encouraged a parallel knowledge economy that you will have a hard time tracking. And that violates one of the basic principles of “war” – keep your “enemy” where you can see him.

Finally, there is the reality Lazarus acknowledges. The feds have to grant an exemption. What the feds give, they can take away. And you think the industry’s collective chain is being jerked already?

The horse has left the barn, the train has left the station, and all the cliches and antitrust exemptions in the world won’t change that. So let’s get back to figuring out how to make it all work in the new economy, the one that’s reality.

Because Lazarus was right on one thing: It’s a life-or-death moment.

Doug Fisher, a former AP news editor, teaches journalism at the University of South Carolina and can be reached at dfisher@sc.edu or 803-777-3315.

APRIL 2007

9

Citizen Media: Fad or the Future of News?

Local news web sites offering content generated by users are securing a valuable place in the media landscape and are likely to continue as important sources of community news, according to a report released today by J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism.

“Citizen sites are developing as new forms of bridge media, linking traditional news with forms of civic participation,” said J-Lab director, Jan Schaffer, the author of the report, which was funded by a grant from the Ford Foundation.

Citizen media sites have rapidly emerged since 2004. But rather than delivering comprehensive news and “finished stories,” most sites are “forming as fusions of news and schmooze” that pay particular attention to key issues in their communities, Schaffer said.

The report, “Citizen Media: Fad or the Future of News: The rise and prospects of hyperlocal journalism,” was commissioned to determine the prospects for sustainability of these fledgling enterprises. It relied on in-depth interviews of 31 different sites and a 60-question survey that targeted 500 citizen sites.

“This report is the most comprehensive I have seen in documenting the community media revolution,” said Dean Thomas Kunkel of the University of Maryland’s Merrill College of Journalism, which houses J-Lab. “It quantifies what has been inherently difficult to quantify. And it shows in great detail how different entrepreneurs are employing different models and with different goals in mind.”

Most citizen media ventures are shoestring labors of love, funded out of the founders’ own pockets, and staffed by volunteer content

contributors. While they’d like more readers and revenues, site founders nevertheless professed a solid resolve to continue: 51% said they didn’t need to make money to keep going; 82% said they planned to continue “indefinitely.” Nearly all would welcome reinforcements and the ability to make even token payments to writers.

“While not all individual sites will continue to operate, we project that the phenomenon of citizen media will be sustainable, with new sites coming online in serial fashion to replace those that collapse as their founders burn out,” Schaffer said.

A sizable majority, 73%, of the survey respondents, pronounced their sites to be a “success,” based largely on the impact in their communities.

Respondents said their sites provided local news and information not found elsewhere, built connections to the community and helped local media to improve. Asked to describe community impact: • 82% said they provided opportunities for dialogue.

• 61% said they watchdogged local government.

• 39% said they helped the community solve problems.

• 27% said they increased voter turnout.

• 17% said they increased the number of candidates running for office.

The full report is available online at the Knight Citizen News Network, www.kcnn.org.

This article was reprint from the Institute for Interactive Journalism. J-Lab helps news organizations and citizens use new media technologies to create fresh ways for people to participate in public life.

Alvarez moves to Pittsburgh, Royter moves up Terry Alvarez, third vice president of the Arizona Newspapers Association, has been named classified advertising manager at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Alvarez was most recently classified advertising director at the East

Valley Tribune in Mesa, Ariz.

Carla Royter, Recruitment and Real Estate Advertising Manager for the East Valley Tribune, has been promoted to classified advertising director.

Emergency-response plans audit CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

being able to hold the information completely, the law . . . doesn’t give us that option.”

There are no guidelines in county, state or federal law explaining who counts as a “suspicious” person.

If a public record is available to one person, it’s legally available to everyone, said David Bodney, a First Amendment attorney who represents The Republic. “(The county’s) approach invites a discriminatory, uneven practice of sharing public records with members of the public,” Bodney said.

Mike Evans, emergency services coordinator in Cochise County, willingly handed over part of the plan, sections of which hadn’t been updated for more than 10 years.

“Evans...said he had a 10-yearold version of the plan in the back of his car,” Brady McCombs, a reporter for the Arizona Daily Star, wrote in his audit report.

Officials at the Gila River Reservation office in Sacaton provided a 2003 summary version outlining the community’s plan of action in an emergency but not the full report. Local emergency coordinator Beverly Gerlaugh said plans were being updated, but she never

mailed a portion of the report that was requested.

Staff members at the Camp Verde office, which is required to have a copy of the Emergency Response Plan, told a volunteer auditor they didn’t have a copy.

It took Pima County officials about a month to provide one.

David Lenox, emergencymanagement coordinator for the Pima County Office of Emergency Management, told Erica Meltzer, also a Daily Star reporter, that she might not get the information she requested.

“When I asked why not, he said that even though I didn’t fit the profile, I might be a terrorist,” Meltzer wrote.

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APRIL 2007

10

New Adobe program sheds fresh light on photo editing

By Kevin Slimp Institute of Newspaper Technology

In late 2005, I received an e- Web site, but I couldn’t wait to take mail from a colleague at Apple con- the real thing for a spin. Although the cerning the release of their product, commercial version varies greatly Aperture. Aperture is from Photoshop, a photo-editing prothe product is titled gram developed with Adobe Photoshop the professional phoLightroom. I suptographer in mind. A pose Adobe hopes the few days after getgoodwill toward its ting the e-mail from flagship photo editing Apple, I received a software will rub off message from Adobe on Lightroom. Upon announcing the beta opening the applicarelease of their new tion, new users will photo-editing proimmediately take gram, Lightroom, note of the simpler Check back every month for also geared toward the more reviews and tips from interface, compared to professional photog- technology guru Kevin Slimp Photoshop. rapher. Betas are softLet me interject ware used during the development of a side note. I love Photoshop. I’ve applications. Usually only insiders been using this industry standard get their hands on these betas. since the ‘80s, and it’s been thirteen Adobe, however, tried a new years since I taught my first Photostrategy with Lightroom. By releas- shop class in Chattanooga, Tennesing the beta to the public, they hoped see. One drawback of Photoshop, to create a loyal following of Light- if you want to call it that, is that it room users before the product was has become so feature-filled that placed on the market. I guess I’m it’s impossible for anyone to know an insider. everything about the application.

Many software companies send There is so much to it, users often me their products to try out before feel overwhelmed by the number of releasing them to the public. In buttons, tools and palettes. LightFebruary, a few weeks before it was room is much more streamlined. shipped to customers, Adobe sent me This brings up another point. a copy of Lightroom 1.0. I had tried Lightroom isn’t meant as a replacethe free beta available from Adobe’s ment for Photoshop. You probably won’t design ads or create many of Photoshop’s special effects in Lightroom. What you can do is edit photos so they will look their best when printed. And you can do it faster than you can in Photoshop. I edited a few pictures of my family to send to the print shop this week. I was amazed at how quickly and easily I could edit photos in Lightroom with no special training.

When you open Lightroom, you see a single window, which can contain a single or multiple images, with a filmstrip along the bottom.

The workspace seemed somewhat familiar from my experience using Aperture, with libraries and folders located in panels on the left side of the screen. To begin, users import photos into libraries. The Library module has controls used to search for and display specific photos and data. The library also lets you group photos into collections or a temporary collection called a Quick Collection, or use keyword tags and metadata to find your photos.

Comparing photos is as simple as clicking on the photos you wish to view and pressing the Survey Lightroom users have lots of sliders to View button. Then, with the click of adjust color and detail in photos.

a mouse button, you can eliminate photos on the screen until you have just one or two in the image window.

Once I found the image I wanted to work on, I moved to the Develop module to make adjustments. While working in this module, I especially appreciated the ability to see the original photo next to the adjusted image. The images are in sync, meaning if I zoom in or move around the original image, the corresponding image moves with it.

Tools including Temp, Tint, Exposure, Recovery, Light, Blacks, Brightness, Contrast, Vibrance and Saturation appear to the immediate right of the images, making adjustments a snap. A tonal curve lies just below these tools. In addition, preset tonal adjustments, including options like Medium Contrast, Strong Contrast and Grayscale Conversion, are available on the left side of the screen. There is also a nice Red Eye tool below the image area. The Develop module offers a Crop Tool and Straighten Slider, as well as slid-

ers to adjust luminance and color to reduce noise.

A much written-about feature is Lightroom’s ability to work with Camera Raw images quickly and easily. Users of Photoshop will be amazed at how much faster Lightroom handles these images. There’s so much more I could tell you about Adobe Lightroom. But it might be more effective for you to download the free 30- day demo from adobe. com and try it yourself.

Adobe is offering a $100 discount for Lightroom purchases through April 30, 2007. After that, the price will be $299 (US). Recommended system requirements are Macintosh OSX 10.4.3, 1 GHz PowerPC G4 processor or Microsoft® Windows® XP SP2, Intel® Pentium 4® Processor, and 768 MB RAM and a 1024x768 resolution screen. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is a Universal Binary application that will run natively on PowerPC and new Intel-based Macintosh systems.

APRIL 2007

ANA Job Bank www.ananews.com/jobbank

Positions Available EDITORIAL ASSISTANT. The Glendale Star and Peoria Times has an opening for a full-time editorial assistant to design and paginate news pages, to coordinate and produce departmental news and feature coverage and to upload and maintain news and information on our newspaper Web sites. Applicants must have strong written and verbal communication skills, a high command of spelling, grammar and English composition and be proficient in Associated Press style applications and guidelines.

A Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism, media or a professional equivalent is required. Applicants must also be proficient with Microsoft Word, InDesign and PhotoShop software on a P.C. network, as well as the ability to manipulate digital images and artwork in the creation and design of news pages and tabloid publications.

Additional duties will include the creation and design of monthly and quarterly publications, special sections and supplements and the opportunity to report, write and photograph select local news, business and feature assignments. We offer a competitive compensation package that includes a comprehensive health, dental, disability and life insurance program, paid holidays and vacation. Most duties are assigned in house and only minimal travel may be required.

The position is open and available effective March 29, 2007. Candidates interested in applying should send a current resume and professional references to Bill Toops, Pueblo Publishers, Inc., by e-mail to wtoops@star-times.com, by fax to (623) 842-6017 or by mail to 7122 N. 59th Ave., Glendale, AZ 85301-2436. (Mar. 20) GRAPHIC DESIGNER. Oversee and assist with production of the publication error free and on time each week. Handle newspaper pagination for each week’s issue; maintain smooth workflow in collaboration with the Editor, Managing Editor and Production Director. Assign and oversee design of all news graphics. Help to establish deadlines for special projects in collaboration with the Editor, Managing Editor, and Project Editor and ensure they are met. As with all copy, the Business

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Journal’s goal is 100 percent accuracy. Must monitor flow of all copy each day to ensure it meets Business Journal production deadlines.

Work with the production department on deadline day, checking and signing off on pages before electronic transfer to printer. Work with reporters as necessary to finalize story graphics; work collaboratively and cooperatively with all reporters and editors. Graphic Designer must have a working knowledge of libel law, and should flag potentially actionable items for the Editor. College degree or comparable work experience required. Newspaper and magazine page design experience highly desirable. Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Acrobat.

A working knowledge of Word, PowerPoint and Excel a plus. We are seeking a team player with excellent design skills and the ability to work on and meet deadlines.

Strong communications skills and a positive, can-do attitude are imperative! Please send resumes to Ilana Lowery, Editor, 101 N. First Ave, Ste. 2300, Phoenix, AZ 85308. Phone: 602-308-6513, email: ilowery@bizjournals.com.

(Mar. 13) ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE. Join our growing advertising sales team. Well established B2B publication seeks enthusiastic individual with prior advertising sales experience. Base pay with commission & bonus package. Benefits and 401K. Great territory and work environment. If you want to work in a fun environment with the freedom to create your own success, then please apply. Fax resume to 602.253.7636, or e-mail to: lori.wilson@azcapitoltimes.com.

(Mar. 1) SALES REP. The only locally published telephone directory located in the mountain environment of Prescott Valley, AZ is looking for an experienced Sales Rep for our Community Directory publication. The publications are for Northern Arizona. Candidates could live in Flagstaff, Sedona, or Cottonwood. The right candidate must have excellent communication skills. Yellow page advertising sales, Ability to develop and sell Yellow page advertising to various types of business. Some travel required. Sales experience required. The position offers high income potential and an excellent benefits package. NSE and EEOC.

Send resume to Jeff Westra Human Resources Director, Community Directory, P.O. Box 312 Prescott, AZ 86302 or e-mail to jwestra@ prescottaz.com. No phone calls please. (Feb. 28) SALES AND MARKETING REPRESENTATIVE NEEDED. The EXPLORER Newspaper group is looking for the right team member. Publishing since 1993, the EXPLORER has become the leading news source for one of the fastest growing areas of Pima County, the north/northwest. The applicant needs experience in print sales, servicing clients beyond reproach and working with others in a positive environment. First year base plus commission, after, commissions up to 19% and full benefits package available. If you are tired of not being appreciated, and you enjoy helping your clients build their businesses - then send your resume to: mlarson@explorernews.com, no phone calls please.

(Feb. 26) EDUCATION REPORTER. A promotion from within has created an opening for an education/youth reporter at the Mohave Valley Daily News in Bullhead City, Ariz.

The position involves covering four school districts and issues of interest to the youth of our community. The Mohave Valley Daily News is a morning newspaper with a circulation of 11,000, published six days a week. The paper is located in northwest Arizona on the banks of the Colorado River, right across from casino town of Laughlin, Nev., and a mere 15 minutes from Lake Mohave; 45 minutes from Lake Havasu. Send cover letter, resume, clips and references to Managing Editor Wayne R. Agner; Mohave Valley Daily News; 2435 S. Miracle Mile; Bullhead City, AZ 86442; or email info to wagner@mohavedailynews.com. (Feb. 14) GRAPHIC ARTIST. Immediate opening at a fast paced weekly newspaper. The Desert Advocate is looking for a graphic artist with web experience and working knowledge of Quark and Adobe Suite. Candidate must possess page/ad layout and web design.

Must have at least two years working experience. Send resume along with salary requirements, references and three samples of best work in .pdf format. E-mail Kseemeyer@thedesertadvocate. com. (Feb. 14)

Calendar

Calendar April 11-12, 2007

• InDesign CS Training with Lisa Griffin. Chaparral Suites, Scottsdale, Ariz.

April 11-13, 2007 • ANA Spring Advertising, Marketing and Circulation Workshop. Chaparral Suites, Scottsdale, Ariz.

April 21-24, 2007 • NEXPO, NAA’s annual newspaper exhibition.

Orlando, Fla. June 8, 2007 • ANA Better Newspapers Contest entry deadline July ?, 2007 • Members needed to judge the Nevada BNC, TBA July 18-22, 2007 • AIPA Summer Workshop, NAU, Flagstaff, Ariz.

September 21-23, 2007 • ANA Fall Convention

ANA can help you Our Job Bank helps journalists and others find openings at Arizona newspapers.

1. Positions Available are published once in ANAgrams and provided to prospective applicants for 30 days, unless the newspaper asks the ad be continued.

2. Positions Wanted are published once in ANAgrams at no cost. Ads should faxed to (602) 261-7525 or e-mailed to Perri Collins, p.collins@ananews.com.

3. Only member newspapers may advertise help wanted. All of the ads are also posted on the ANA Web site at http://ananews. com/JobBank.

APRIL 2007

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