A REQUEST TO FASHION EDITORS, ADVERTISERS, COPYWRITERS AND OTHERS REGARDING MISUSE OF THE
NAME
is a registered trademark, protected in the U.S. and overseas. Use of the word CHANEL should mean that the products concerned—whether fragrance, makeup, skincare, watches, ready-to-wear, couture, fine jewelry or accessories—come from the House of CHANEL. So please remember: Never use CHANEL generically. Although our style is justly famous, a jacket is not ‘a CHANEL jacket’ unless it is ours, and our name should not be used to describe someone else’s design, as in ‘CHANEL for now.’ Please do not misuse our trademark in such ways as CHANEL-ism, CHANEL-ed or by describing a garment as being a CHANEL-type, CHANEL-like, CHANEL-style or CHANEL-ified. If a garment comes from CHANEL, then it is a CHANEL garment and can be referred to as such; if not, the word CHANEL should not be used at all. Our lawyers insist that our trademark be fully respected, and we take that very seriously. Thank you, , Inc.
inside
November 2018 FOLLOW US ON
BE OUR FRIEND ON
VISIT US ONLINE EDITORANDPUBLISHER.COM
12
30
A Section
Features
HOW TRUSTWORTHY IS YOUR NEWSROOM? NewsGuard creates new ratings system to see if websites provide legitimate news or misinformation . . . . . . . . . . p. 8
INFORMING VOTERS GateHouse Media launches political podcast, Inside Florida Politics . . . p. 9
VERIFYING FACTS The International Center for Journalists is expanding its TruthBuzz initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 12
CREATING NEWS CONSUMERS Grand Junction Sentinel provides free subscriptions for local college students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 13
FACILITATING COLLABORATION
16
Departments
2018 Publisher of the Year
CRITICAL THINKING
Terry Egger, Philadelphia Media Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 30
If a government official approached you to publish an anonymous op-ed on a local or national level, would you? p. 15
Changes Heading to Canada’s Trade-Marks Act The looser rules, set to take effect next year, raises concern among businesses p. 35
The Right Spot How publishers can zone in on locationbased mobile apps . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 38
DATA PAGE Trust in local media, news use on social media platforms, finding new subscribers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 18
PRODUCTION
Journalism’s Silver Lining
Understanding why specific ink compositions work with certain printing processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 26
Can nonprofit news help save the media industry? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 44
NEWSPEOPLE New hires, promotions and relocations across the industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 51
Cover photo by Jessica Griffin/Philadelphia Media Network
SHOPTALK We can save democracy from destructive digital threats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 58
Reveal aims to bring local newsrooms together across the U.S. . . . . . . . . . p. 14
PHOTO OF THE MONTH Xavier Mascareñas/ Treasure Coast Newspapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 16
Columns INDUSTRY INSIGHT
BUSINESS OF NEWS
DIGITAL PUBLISHING
How news organizations can confront ‘information inequality’ . . . . . . . . . p. 20
The future of newspapers is found in its past . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 22
Four apps that will benefit every journalist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 24
2 | E & P | FEBRUARY 2016 editorandpublisher.com
+TOC.indd 2
editorandpublisher.com NOVEMBER 2018 | E & P | 3
10/18/18 2:22 PM
editorial
More Than a Publisher
O
ur Publisher of the Year issue is one of our favorite issues to put together. It gives us a chance to hear the success stories taking place at newspapers around the country, and it gives us a glimpse of the hard work publishers are doing everyday at their companies. For those same reasons, our Publisher of the Year issue is also one of our hardest issues to put together. This year, readers sent in more than 60 nominations. Going through those names was not an easy task; each story was unique because each publisher is unique. Every market brings its own set of challenges, and it was encouraging to read about how publishers met them head-on. John and Jennifer Garrett of Community Impact Newspapers (Pflugerville, Texas) were recognized for growing their print and digital products. Since its creation in 2005, the company has expanded, printing 26 editions, covering 45 communities, with 2 million papers in circulation. In addition, digital user growth per year is up 18 percent and page views are up 28 percent year over year, making the year to date digital growth in dollars 55 percent. “John and Jennifer Garrett outmaneuver the competition with an unprecedented vision to fill the void; a business model that continues to thrive, but more importantly, increases civic engagement and impacts communities for the better,” wrote Grace Dearing of Veritas Group. At the Santa Rosa (Calif.) Press Democrat, publisher Steve Falk was recognized for leading the newsroom during the worst wildfires in the state’s history. According to human resources director Emily DeBacker, “He was in his office by the time the fire jumped six lanes of freeway and consumed an entire neighborhood… He funneled calls to the newsroom and demanded action and answers from politicians.” As a result of the paper’s “lucid and tenacious coverage,” the newsroom was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News. Brian Burns came to the Lakeland (Fla.) 4 |
+editorial.indd 4
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
Ledger in early 2017 after serving as publisher of the Tampa Tribune. “His most immediate impact, which occurred amid a high degree of uncertainty and which has lasted throughout his tenure here, was to boost sagging employee morale,” said editorial page editor Bill Thompson. “He did so through his upbeat personality, energy, positive outlook and hands-on approach. He has placed greater emphasis on teamwork. He’s torn down silos between departments. He’s taught us to relate more to each other as a family and stressed that he is not above getting his own hands dirty when necessary.” At the New Orleans Advocate, Dan Shea was recognized by a number of his peers for several initiatives, such as overseeing the acquisition of the alt-weekly, The Gambit, and securing the regional distribution printing of the Wall Street Journal. “While so many other local media outlets in Louisiana and around the country have allowed their voice and leadership to diminish, Dan’s Advocate has been a source of growing strength for the critical values of public accountability and the democratic process,” said Robert Travis Scott, president of the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, and former journalism colleague. As we went through the pool of nominations this year, we learned from many of you that today’s publisher is much more than a publisher. They are a mentor, a guide and a visionary. Our 2018 Publisher of the Year Terry Egger is a publisher who has gone above and beyond his duties leading the Philadelphia Media Network. His colleagues credit him for turning the organization around since arriving three years ago, when the company was at its “darkest hours.” Now, the future of journalism is bright in the City of Brotherly Love. So, thank you to all the publishers for shining your light and being a champion in our industry. Your accomplishments are important. We hope to read about them next year when our nominations open again.—NY
CORPORATE OFFICES (949) 660-6150 FAX (949) 660-6172 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jeff Fleming jeff@editorandpublisher.com MANAGING EDITOR Nu Yang nu.yang@editorandpublisher.com GRAPHIC DESIGN Meredith Ewell CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Rob Tornoe, Tim Gallagher Matt DeRienzo SALES AND MARKETING CONSULTANT Wendy MacDonald, ext. 231 wendy@editorandpublisher.com CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING SALES Jon Sorenson (800) 887-1615 FAX (866) 605-2323 classifieds@editorandpublisher.com SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES (888) 732-7323 CIRCULATION ASSISTANTS Emily Wells Horneff Dustin Nguyen PRODUCTION Mary Monge TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR David Kelsen OPERATIONS MANAGER Jennifer Chen, ext. 214 jennifer@editorandpublisher.com
DUNCAN MCINTOSH CO. FOUNDED BY: PUBLISHER Duncan McIntosh Jr. CO-PUBLISHER Teresa Ybarra McIntosh (1942-2011)
EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING MAILING ADDRESS 18475 Bandilier Circle, Fountain Valley, CA 92708 www.editorandpublisher.com Editor & Publisher is printed in the U.S.A.
America’s Oldest Journal Covering the Newspaper Industry With which have been merged: The Journalist, established March 22, 1884; Newspaperdom, March 1892; The Fourth Estate, March 1, 1894; Editor & Publisher, June 29, 1901; Advertising, June 22, 1925.
editorandpublisher.com
10/18/18 2:05 PM
MEDIA PUBLISHING BUSINESS AUTOMATION
TOTAL ADVERTISING
TOTAL CIRCULATION
TOTAL PRODUCTION
TOTAL PAYABLES/GL
Classified, Retail, Digital
Subscriber Management
Ad Tracking/Proofing
Accrual Basis
Sales Management/CRM
Carrier Management
Electronic Tearsheets
Multi Profit Center/Company
Accounts Receivable
Self Serve Web Access
Classified Pagination
Automated/Manual Payments
Online Account Management
Total Ad Integration
Retail Ad Layout
Control Voucher Pay Timing
Mgmt & Rep Dashboards
Demographics
Reporting
Optional Hosting Solutions and Full Total Support Provided
www.vdata.com ● sales@vdata.com ● 518.434.2193
comments ))) Know Your Sources They should certainly be viewed with a jaundiced eye. (“Critical Thinking: Should Detention Center Photos Provided By the Government Be Considered Propaganda?” September 2018) They are certainly “edited” by someone before they are handed out. But I often accept data, reports and board minutes from government officials without a minute’s thought. You’ve got to know your sources to trust them. FLOYD O. INGRAM
Submitted on editorandpublisher.com
Hiring Outsiders Not an Issue
Learning to Take Care of Ourselves Thank you for an excellent piece. (“Covering Trauma,” September 2018) It isn’t just the mass disasters that inflict pain—sometimes it is a single victim. In an almost 50-year career perhaps the two worst for me involved single small children. I don’t have nightmares about the Hyatt Regency skywalks collapse, or the mass deaths on a dinner theatre ship shattered on a large lake by a tornado, or other natural and other mass casualty cases, but I still have occasional nightmares about the children. I am so thrilled that our profession has now learned the importance of post-trauma evaluation and help for journalists. The same trends are or have taken hold among first responders—law enforcement, firefighters, EMS and emergency management personnel. And resistance—even among former hard liners who once said, “You’ve gotta just learn to take it”—are recognizing its value. JOHN M. WYLIE II
Submitted on editorandpublisher.com
Workplaces Need More Safety Regulations Sadly, our society and the workplace have become more divisive, threatening and violent as never before. (“Covering Trauma,” September 2018) Employees expect to work and enjoy a safe working environment, and it is the responsibility of the employer to en6 |
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
+comments.indd 6
sure safety at all times. Workplace violence is a reality and employers must be aggressive with financial investment, planning and implementing strong policies, protection, and enforcement. Start thinking outside the box and plan for the worst case scenario. JERRY KURBATOFF
Submitted on editorandpublisher.com
Newspapers, Clean Up Your Act I hear lots of whining by the press, (“Editorial: Public ‘Enemies,’” September 2018) but I don’t hear any accountability for the unprecedented 24/7 harassment of this president, the unprecedented negativity and the near complete denial of any of the positive impacts of his presidency are completely out-of-form with the precepts of conventional journalism. Don’t you think your coverage has placed the president or his family’s life in danger? The glaring irony of the press coverage of this president as opposed to his predecessor is not lost on the American people, nor is the documented liberal bias by the press, nor the fact that the majority of practitioners of your profession identify as Democrat and liberal. Now we have not only anonymous sources, but also the New York Times publishing anonymous editorials. If you really want respect again, clean up your act and start acting like adults engaging an admirable profession. DANE HICKS
Submitted on editorandpublisher.com
This is not a new phenomenon. (“Shoptalk: The Perils of Carpetbaggers Managing Local Newspapers,” September 2018) It has been going on for decades, long preceding the decline of print media. Gannett, Thompson and others were moving around publishers and editors in the 70s. People worried then that this was an issue, yet the next several decades were a time of growth. There are other dynamics in play, including the competence and training of the new generations, but that is not the main reason. AL PACCIORINI
Submitted on editorandpublisher.com
Kudos to Bringing Back Newspaper Congratulations to the Times Media Group for bringing back a local newspaper! (“Back to Life,” October 2018) From a local newspaper owner, publisher and editor who knows her community well enough to see that former advertisers are depending on social media to freely advertise themselves instead of supporting their local newspaper. Why? Because it’s free. BECKY CLARK
Submitted on editorandpublisher.com
Send us your comments nu.yang@editorandpublisher.com “Comments,” Editor & Publisher, 18475 Bandilier Circle, Fountain Valley, CA 92708 Please include your name, title, city and state, and email address. Letters may be edited for all the usual reasons.
editorandpublisher.com
10/18/18 2:06 PM
10NewspapersFP2019.qxp_Layout 1 9/12/18 3:05 PM Page 1
Nominate your paper, submit your ideas Enter via email: (Subject line: E&P 10) editor@editorandpublisher.com
Enter online at: editorandpublisher.com/10newspapers Our March issue will profile what we have long labeled “10 Newspapers That Do It Right.” Never meant to be a “10 Best” list, instead it spotlights select newspapers that have earned a notable achievement in at least one particular area, carried out a successful innovation, implemented cost-savings procedures, or developed programs that have generated revenues or increased circulation. The objective of the story is to bring ideas together and share the best and the brightest in one comprehensive feature. All ideas are welcome.
Deadline: January 14, 2019 Please include: • Your name / contact info • Name of nominated paper • Daily or weekly? • Circulation • Notable innovation, achievement, story, procedure, etc. • Your ideas to help newspapers succeed and grow
editorandpublisher.com
the A section VOLUME 151
FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER 2018
ISSUE 11
> Look Ahead
How Trustworthy is Your Newsroom? NewsGuard creates new ratings system to see if websites provide legitimate news or misinformation By Rachael Garcia
I
s your news site healthy for news consumers? A new ratings system created by NewsGuard Technologies can help determine if it is. Based in New York City, longtime journalists Steven Brill and Gordon Crovitz founded the company and ratings system to undercut those sites that don’t hold up to journalistic integrity criteria. Crovitz said, “The unintended consequences of the internet is that it has become very easy for people to pretend to publish journalistic content, and it’s difficult for readers to decipher what is credible and who has a hidden agenda.” Sponsored by Microsoft Corp., users can download the free web extension at newsguardtech.com. It can be downloaded using Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or the Microsoft Edge browser. After the extension is downloaded, the NewsGuard icon can be seen next to news links on search engines and social media feeds showing a red or green rating. As of press time, the rating system is not available on mobile devices until digital platforms download and license the web extension, which Crovitz said will begin this fall. With news literacy declining among readers, the rating system is transparent about how and why a news site received its rating—also called the nutrition label. The nutrition labels explain who and what’s behind what the consumer is reading and why it received its color rating, where green signifies basic standards of accuracy and accountability while red rated sites do not.
8 |
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
+ASection.indd 8
The NewsGuard ratings systems gives news sites a green rating if it’s trustworthy and a red rating if it’s not.
Steven Brill
Gordon Crovitz
Brill explained although green sites are considered trustworthy, not all sites rated green are equal. “Publishers are generally frustrated by business models; the internet created challenges nobody anticipated, specifically the role of brands,” Brill said. “It’s hard for news consumers to tell one brand from another.” With the uncertainty of where news is coming from, advertisers have become “worried about their brands’ reputations and keep their ads off unreliable news sites,”
according to Crovitz. But now the NewsGuard ratings system can help advertisers and news consumers decide if a site is trustworthy by providing a red or green color rating. Although the technology was initially made available to libraries, news literacy groups and schools to promote news literacy, the staff has now currently analyzed 98 percent of English news sites. Once they have rated all of them, they will move to Spanish news sites, then globally. Websites are analyzed by trained journalists and supervised by experienced editors. The resulting nutrition label and rating is reviewed by at least two senior editors. “NewsGuard’s mission is not to make granular judgments but to establish and communicate adherence to basic standards in order to give readers information they need to assess their sources of information online,” Brill said. editorandpublisher.com
10/18/18 2:16 PM
the A section
Informing Voters
GateHouse Media launches political podcast, Inside Florida Politics
P
odcasts continue to gain popularity among news organizations, and with election season heating up, GateHouse Media has rolled out Inside Florida Politics, a new podcast combining the Sunshine State’s political coverage all in one place. Released every Thursday, the podcast features reporting from the Palm Beach Post, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, the Florida Times-Union, Daytona Beach News-Journal, Lakeland Ledger, Gainesville Sun, Ocala Star-Banner and Northwest Florida Daily News, and Inside Florida Politics. The hosts include Palm Beach Post political reporter George Bennett, Sarasota Herald-Tribune political director Zac Anderson and GateHouse Media State Capitol reporter John Kennedy. The hosts are digitally connected to sound like they are in the same room, delivering seamless, collaborative political coverage. And instead of a structured podcast, the hosts
editorandpublisher.com
+ASection.indd 9
use themes each week as jumpingoff points that explore topics, such as the state’s primaries, winners, losers and trends from the election. Additionally, } Rob Connelly } John Kennedy GateHouse makes it easy for news consumers to listen to the show by imbedding links to the podcast on more than a dozen newspaper home pages and inside a weekly political newsletter sent to readers. According to Rob Connelly, director of digital audio for GateHouse Media, the podcast currently receives a few thousand downloads per episode and continues to grow as they rollout throughout the Florida network. With this type of technology and coverage, the team hopes to bring more reporters on to their podcast live from political events as they unfold, along with the possibility of interviewing voters on the spot throughout Florida. “The podcast gives the consumer a ‘you are there’ element with interviews and live sound from campaign events during the week,” said Kennedy. “With nationally-watched races for governor and U.S. Senate going on in our state, we’re also exploring ways to get the candidates or their handlers on to the podcast for brief interviews while they’re on the trail.” Kennedy emphasized that the team views the podcast as an important supplement to the daily political coverage that GateHouse newspapers already produce throughout the state. “GateHouse papers are already a potent force in Florida,” said Kennedy. “And our podcast can expand our reach and maybe even attract listeners who may discover our papers only after finding our podcast on iTunes or through social media platforms.” Connelly said that the podcast won’t end when election season comes to a close; it will continue with the hosts analyzing legislature. He added that the show has been so successful that advertisers are taking notice, and the podcast expects to have a sponsor by this month. “It is important to work with a civic minded sponsor as the issues discussed relate to the daily lives of its residents,” said Connelly. —RG
NOVEMBER 2018 | E & P
| 9
10/18/18 2:16 PM
the A section Tornoe’s Corner
52% of U.S. voters believe that press freedom is not under threat, based on a report by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
LEGAL BRIEFS Judge Rules in Favor of Media in Death Penalty Case As reported by 48 Hills, a federal judge has ruled in favor of media outlets: the Los Angeles Times, KQED and 48 Hills, to allow them the right to observe all stages of an execution as a representative of the people. In April, the media outlets had filed a lawsuit demanding that the entire death penalty process be opened to the news media. In his decision, Judge Richard Seeborg stated that the plaintiffs had a right as the representatives of the public to view every part of the execution process, including the mixing of the chemicals and the medical intervention if the inmate didn’t die from the lethal
injection. Deputy Attorney General Jay Goldman argued that the issuing of medical aid was not part of the execution and at that point the inmate was not in the “execution process,” and therefore it violated their right to medical privacy. But the judge said the public had a right to witness what happened if something went wrong and not rely on the state’s representation. The lawsuit also sought the right to observe the preparation of chemicals for injection, which under current execution protocols, takes place three hours before and out of view.
Former Roanoke Times Sportswriter Files Counterclaim Against Parent Company According to the Roanoke (Va.) Times, Andy Bitter, who covered Virginia Tech football for the publication, has countersued the newspaper’s parent company, BH Media Group. Bitter claims he was defamed in a Times’ story published on Aug. 7 about the media group’s lawsuit against him regarding a disputed Twitter account. In the article, the Times stated that the company gave Bitter the login for the account, but Bitter claims that was a false statement and that it was actu10 |
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
+ASection.indd 10
ally given to him by the former Tech beat writer who created the account. In the original lawsuit, the Times sued Bitter for access to the Twitter account following his departure from the paper in July for another sportswriting position. He continues to use the account, but BH Media’s lawsuit stated that the purpose of the Twitter account was to generate interest in the Times and advertising revenue. As of press time, no trial date has been set. editorandpublisher.com
10/18/18 2:16 PM
the A section From the Archive OF THE MONTH
Chicago Bears running back Gale Sayers meets with about 40 Chicago newspaper carrier boys to give advice on how they should work and conduct themselves. Sayers, who delivered papers as a boy in Omaha, also provided a scholarship fund to help carriers through high school. In his pep talk, he told the boys to continue going to school, to not drop out and the importance of maintaining good grade averages, even if they didn’t aspire to be football players. This photo originally appeared in the May 13, 1972 issue of E&P.
> Wise Advice “How will your business model for news help transform the information needs of a community?” Community information districts, or info districts, are special service districts that are established to meet the local news and information needs of the communities that fund them. Info districts are estab Simon Galperin lished democratically—by ordinance or referendum—and are funded by a small fee assessed on residents and businesses in a community. They’re just like other special district that supports basic public goods for municipalities, including water and sanitation services. Each district is overseen by board representatives of their community. Each community is different, but board members could include local journalists, educators, librarians, residents, business owners, civic technologists and other information stakeholders.
The board reviews and approves applications to fund local news and information projects. The proposals are submitted and then evaluated and approved based on community needs assessments and engagement campaigns. Funding is allocated based on a participatory budgeting process and regular referendums can be held to determine whether or not to reauthorize the info district. Using clear and specific language, legislative safeguards are included in the district’s charter to protect projects from undue governmental or other influence. Info districts are a model for sustainability in an increasingly precarious industry where market consolidation and digital disruption are only expected to continue. Info districts can revive or seed local news markets, increase public oversight of local government and build local connections to bridge national divides.
Simon Galperin is the founder and director of the Community Information Cooperative, the organization leading development of info districts. He is also the customer success lead at GroundSource, a community engagement platform and consultancy. editorandpublisher.com
+ASection.indd 11
You’ve heard of pop-up restaurants and pop-up shops, but what about pop-up newsrooms? Founded by Meedan and Dig Deeper, Pop-Up Newsroom (@ PopUp_EU) is “an innovation framework for newsrooms that are changing the way they collaborate, communicate and engage audiences through new tools and training,” according to its website. One recent example took place in Sweden this September. Over the course of five days, 100 journalists gathered together to cover the country’s election. Supported by the Google News Initiative, journalists at Riksdagsvalet 2018 used design-thinking to build collaborative reporting and learn digital newsgathering techniques. In addition, they monitored election coverage in real-time and tracked sources of information and misinformation. The progress of the project was shared across multiple digital sources and social media channels, including a live-stream from the Pop-Up Newsroom. A similar Pop-Up Newsroom took place in Mexico in March (#Verificado2018), where 100 journalists met in Mexico City to “fact-check, verify, and debunk claims and content” ahead of its July elections. Their findings can be found at verificado.mx. If a newsroom or journalist wants to get involved with Pop-Up Newsroom, email riksdagsvalet@ popup.news. —RG
NOVEMBER 2018 | E & P
| 11
10/18/18 2:16 PM
the A section
Verifying Facts The International Center for Journalists is expanding its TruthBuzz initiative
Pictured are: Sérgio Spagnuolo, ICFJ TruthBuzz Fellow from Brazil (left); Aimee Rinehart, training and international projects manager with First Draft News (middle); and Nic Dias, senior research fellow for First Draft News (right). (Photo by Oren Levine)
A
udience trust in news media is at an all time low, and with the frequency at which misinformation spreads today, fact-checking has never been more crucial. The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) has partnered with six newsrooms in the U.S., Brazil and Nigeria to experiment with innovative projects and help communicate fact-checked information in a compelling and sharable way through a TruthBuzz Fellowship. Collaborating with First Draft News, the TruthBuzz Fellows are appointed by ICFJ. They must have the experience and skills necessary to envision and execute successful projects that will drive new ways of fact-checking. Although there are multiple fact-checking organizations already out there, ICFJ believes it is beneficial to add a fresh pair of eyes to newsrooms committed to stopping misinformation. The Fellows will be placed at the Aos
12 |
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
+ASection.indd 12
Fellows will design and launch new storytelling methods that will improve the reach and impact of new innovative factchecking models. Fatos and Folha de Sao Paulo in Brazil; Africa Check and Daily Trust in Nigeria; and the News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C. and fact-checking website PolitiFact. The U.S. fellowship is for one year while the others are for six months. Although the U.S. Fellow will predominately work with the News & Observer, he/she will offer support to other regional papers owned by its parent company, McClatchy. Cassandra Balfour, ICFJ program manager, said they chose these countries because they all have vibrant media scenes
and are influencers in their respective regions. They also considered the fact that all five of them would be holding elections soon. TruthBuzz Fellows are also scheduled to launch in India and Indonesia this fall. Balfour said Fellows will design and launch new storytelling methods that will improve the reach and impact of new innovative fact-checking models. “They’ll collaborate with the fact-checking team, graphics team, social media team, among others,” she said. “The Fellows will also share promising approaches with their TruthBuzz counterparts in other countries, and with other newsrooms in their own countries, offering trainings on verification and storytelling methods.” Alexsandra Canedo, ICFJ program officer, added, “We do not believe that there is a cookie-cutter approach, so (storytelling methods) will depend heavily on the local context and the needs of each audience.” TruthBuzz was originally launched as a viral fact-checking contest to crowdsource new ways to combat misinformation and help verified facts reach audiences in a fun way. According to Balfour, that inspired ICFJ to continue working with Craig Newmark Philanthropies to see if they could take the winning TruthBuzz entries and test those formats with different audiences. “We hope not only to increase the reach of fact-checking by our newsroom partners, but also expand the reach and impact of fact-checking more broadly by spreading approaches that work,” said Balfour.—RG editorandpublisher.com
10/18/18 2:41 PM
the A section
Creating News Consumers Grand Junction Sentinel provides free subscriptions for local college students
N
ewspapers are rarely in a position to give away anything for free—let alone 2,000 subscriptions. As a way to help create a generation of enthusiastic news consumers, the Grand Junction (Colo.) Daily Sentinel recently provided incoming freshman at Colorado Mesa University (CMU) with e-editions to their paper for the year. The Sentinel has distributed print copies of the paper for years throughout the CMU campus as part of their Newspapers in Education program, but found that today’s undergraduate student just isn’t accustomed to picking up a printed newspaper. When CMU students presented the idea
™
editorandpublisher.com
of giving away online subscriptions, Sentinel publisher Jay Seaton said that it was an easy ask. “We want to hit them where they are, not where we want them to be,” he said. Both the paper and the leadership at the
university saw the value in a partnership because they could show students at an early age the advantages of reading newspapers, and “getting undergraduates hungry to learn the benefits of the newspaper, and ultimately, our democracy,” said Seaton. The Sentinel is hopeful that when the free subscription expires, some of the undergraduates will find the information valuable enough to pay for and continue their digital subscription. “We think people tire of the churn of the 24-hour news cycle filtered through irresponsible and outrage-prone social media outlets,” said Seaton. “We can offer reliable, vetted national and local news free of political bias or malicious manipulation.”—RG
FUELING PUBLISHERS AROUND THE WORLD
NOVEMBER 2018 | E & P
+1 (706) 750-0016 | info@mirabeltechnologies.com | www.newspapermanager.com
+ASection.indd 13
| 13
10/18/18 2:16 PM
the A section
Facilitating Collaboration Reveal aims to bring local newsrooms together across the U.S.
N
ewsrooms have a tendency to be competitive with one another, but Reveal hopes to change that through Reveal Local Labs, a new local news initiative. Reveal, part of the Center for Investigative Reporting, is collaborating with newsrooms in San Jose, Calif. and New Orleans, La. for two years. The team in San Jose includes the San Jose Mercury News, NBC Bay Area, Telemundo Area de la Bahia and KQED public radio. The partners in New Orleans include the Times-Picayune, FOX 8 WVUE-TV and WWNO New Orleans Public Radio. Two other U.S. cities will be selected and announced at a later date. “This becomes an opportunity to show our value at a local level,” said Bobby Calvan, Reveal collaborations editor. “Each partner is enthusiastic about broadening their audience reach and engaging more with the community.” In a press release, Mark Lorando, editor of NOLA. com/the Times-Picayune and vice-president of content for NOLA Media Group, stated, “Creative partnerships are vital to
“Each partner has their own strengths and skills to bring to the table.”
14 |
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
+ASection.indd 14
the future of local journalism, and we’re thrilled to have the chance to work with CIR on this innovative project. Communities benefit when newsrooms work together to take investigative reporting to another level.” Reveal senior editor Ziva Branstetter said that her staff will work as project managers and help build a toolkit for newsrooms to continue } Bobby Calvan collaboration in the marketplace. Partners will decide and map out a joint investigation that will produce meaningful reporting across print, television, radio and the internet. The toolkit’s objective is to clarify who should publish a story first, the process of weighing investigative ideas and other guiding principles. They also intend to train journalists on radio and data skills. Each participating newsroom will produce three investigative stories, along with an engagement event and } Ziva Branstetter a radio event. First, the partners start with a brainstorming event, where they will discuss story ideas to be followed by an event where they talk to community members. With their first model in San Jose, Calvan said the brainstorming event revealed to each partner gaps in their reporting. For example, some thought they weren’t covering the tech industry well enough, and others though there were gaps in some of their in-house skill sets. “By acknowledging where gaps exist, Reveal could step in to offer its help in developing the expertise some newsrooms might be lacking,” Branstetter said. She added the Local Labs will also “harness the power of the group.” “Each partner has their own strengths and skills to bring to the table,” she said. After the two year collaboration ends, Branstetter said she envisions an expanded program where they can reach even more newsrooms. If your newsroom is interested in participating in a future Local Lab, contact Calvan at bcalvan@revealnews.org. For more information about the project, visit revealnews.org.—RG editorandpublisher.com
10/18/18 2:16 PM
critical thinking
If you have a question you would like to see addressed, please send it to editor@editorandpublisher.com.
J-school students and industry vets tackle the tough questions
“Recently, the New York Times published an anonymous op-ed from a high-ranking government official. If a government official approached you to publish an anonymous op-ed on a local or national level, would you? Why or why not?”
A:
It’s a leap of faith for an editor of a newspaper to quote an anonymous source in an article. It’s an even bigger leap for an editor to publish an op-ed by an anonymous writer. When it’s a news article, readers are given other sources and context to provide credibility to the story. In the case of an anonymous opJulie Pike, 21 ed, such as the one in the New York senior, University of Southern Times, readers can’t be sure of whom Maine (Portland, Maine) to trust if they have only an anonyPike is a communications mous writer to rely on. major and editor-in-chief of Do they trust the anonymous the Free Press, the student-run newspaper of USM. source who claims to be a highranking government official? Do they believe the editor, who knows the identity of the source, to publish stories by credible people? In this tough ethical situation, an editor needs to consider the motivation of an anonymous writer. Ask the questions: Why does this person need to be anonymous? What kind of response are they hoping to get? Is it essential for our readers to know this? Is it worth it to risk our readers’ trust to publish this? There won’t be many situations where the answer to that last question is yes. While the anonymous op-ed in the New York Times did certainly spark a reaction from the public and the White House, I question whether it’s going to cause any true change in how Americans feel about the future of their country. It can be assumed that this writer believes they are “doing what is best for their country,” and they want to inform the public without losing their job. However, they could have continued along with their efforts without going public. Since the writing in question is a personal opinion, the author should be confident enough to put their name on it. Otherwise, their opinion means nothing, and is not worth publishing. As an editor of my college newspaper, I want anyone willing to share their opinions to be prepared to stand their ground. If they fear they may lose their job in response, then it’s not the best idea to publish a piece of personal writing to the public.
editorandpublisher.com
+Critical.indd 15
A:
I would not have run the anonymous op-ed the New York Times printed about a group in the White House protecting the country from Donald Trump. It’s bad for the country. It feeds into a misleading Trump narrative. It’s bad for journalism as a whole. But mostly, it’s horrible for the New York Times. (Full disclosure: I love the Sunday New York Times so much Rich Jackson, 52 my daughter has referred to it as executive editor, Times“Dad’s Girlfriend” since she was 10 News, Burlington, N.C. years old.) Jackson has been executive The op-ed is bad for the country editor of the Times-News because it creates more problems since 2017. Prior to that, he was editor of the Derrick than it solves—all of it coming simply and the News-Herald in Oil from “someone known to the Times.” City, Pa. If we have a secret cabal of unelected people running the country, the Times should have investigated that story rather than printing the screed. The piece also further feeds the claim that any critical stories of the president are “fake news” because no names are attached. That calls into question the hard work of newspapers like mine, where we are daily accused of “fake news” even though we don’t use anonymous sources and every empirical fact can be verified independently by our readers. But the greatest damage, I’m afraid, is to the Times has set itself up for an unfortunate conundrum. I recently read a story told in “The Secret Man” by Bob Woodward about Mark Felt (Deep Throat), the most famous anonymous source of all. Woodward’s colleague at the Washington Post, Richard Cohen, was about to write a column naming Felt as Deep Throat in the late 1970s. But Woodward lied to Cohen, his trusted friend, and told Cohen Felt wasn’t Deep Throat. In doing that, he broke what I would consider a sacred bond. Consider what’s happening now in Washington. For awhile, the hottest story in our nation’s capital was who wrote the anonymous op-ed. We must imagine the Times still has reporters on this so as not to be scooped on its own story. Now we get to the conundrum: When—not if—a Times reporter finds out who wrote it, will the Times break the confidence of the editorial page or spike the news? NOVEMBER 2018 | E & P
| 15
10/18/18 3:02 PM
photo of the month
16 |
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
+ASection.indd 16
editorandpublisher.com
10/18/18 2:16 PM
GREEN STUFF Xavier Mascareñas/Treasure Coast Newspapers (Treasure Coast and Gold Coast, Fla.) Otto Herrera of Royal Palm Beach Fla. takes a closer look at the algae covering much of Lake Okeechobee as it splashes on shore June 29, 2018 at Port Mayaca. Herrera, who has lived in Florida since he was 12 years old and had never seen the lake, was traveling with a friend who suggested the detour. Hoping to see a beautiful lake, Herrera said he was surprised “about the green stuff.”
Send us your photos! E&P welcomes reader submissions for our Photo of the Month. editor@editorandpublisher.com.
editorandpublisher.com
+ASection.indd 17
NOVEMBER 2018 | E & P
| 17
10/18/18 2:17 PM
data page Trust in Local Media Based on a national sample of 2,000 Americans
76%
73%
55%
have confidence in local newspapers
have “a great deal” or “a fair amount” of trust in their local television news
have trust in national network news
59%
47%
have trust in national newspapers
have trust in onlineonly news outlets
Source: “Poynter Media Trust Survey,” conducted July 2018
Many Facebook Users Don’t Understand How the Site’s News Feed Works
Few Facebook Users Think They Have A Lot of Control Over News Feeds
Based on a survey of 4,594 respondents
Based on a survey of 4,594 respondents
% of Facebook users who say they understand _____well why certain posts are included in their news feed and others are not Not at all
Not very
Somewhat
% of Facebook users who say they think users have_____control over the content that appears in their news feed
Very
No
A little
A lot
57 20
33 32
FACEBOOK USERS
12
30
38
28
14
36 30 24
21
65 9
50-64
18-29
14
FACEBOOK USERS
51 33
17
18
14 50-64
18-29
64 18
33 33
30-49
28 33 29
16 65+
Source: Pew Research Center, survey conducted May 29-June 11, 2018
18 |
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
+E+P DataPage.indd 18
22
8 30-49
43 46 13
11 65+
Source: Pew Research Center, survey conducted May 29-June 11, 2018 editorandpublisher.com
10/18/18 12:15 PM
News Use on Social Media Platforms Based on a sample of 4,581 respondents % of U.S. adults who get news on each social media site
Finding New Subscribers Between April 16 and 29, three newsrooms randomly chose an image to accompany their text advertising for a free newsletter or a paid digital/print newspaper subscription. People were shown one of three images: the newspaper’s logo, a journalist at work or an image depicting a top story covered by the newsroom. They appeared in Facebook sponsored posts, emails messages and newsletter advertisements. What images worked and what didn’t? Journalist image
Top story
Logo
NEWSLETTER SIGNUPS
43%
Percentages (No. of Unique Clicks/Reach) 11.0% 9.1%
8.7%
21%
YouTube
5.1%
12%
2.9%
3.6%
3.7% 3.7%
3.0%
2.3%
2.7% 2.5%
2.5% 2.7% 1.3%
8%
6%
Large Local Newspaper, Direct Email
Large Local Newspaper, Facebook Email List
Large Local Newspaper, Facebook Custom Audiences
Small Regional News Magazine, Facebook
Mid-Sized Local Newspaper, Facebook
PAID PRINT/DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION SIGNUPS Percentages (No. of Unique Clicks/Reach)
5%
9.7%
9.4% 7.2%
Snapchat
5.7%
5% 2.4%
3.7% 3.7%
3.1%
2.8%
2.3%
2%
Tumblr
1%
Source: Pew Research Center, survey conducted July 30-Aug. 12, 2018 editorandpublisher.com
+E+P DataPage.indd 19
0.5% Mid-Sized Local Newspaper, Facebook
4.0% 3.8%
Small Regional News Magazine, Facebook
1.0% 1.0% 1.2%
0.9%
Small Regional News Magazine, Newsletter
Large Local Newspaper, Facebook Custom Audiences
Large Local Newspaper, Facebook Email List
Large Local Newspaper, Direct Email
Source: University of Texas at Austin Center for Media Engagement “Subscription Messages” report; in total, 23 tests were conducted reaching 492,965 Facebook or email accounts between April 16-May 15, 2018 NOVEMBER 2018 | E & P
| 19
10/18/18 12:15 PM
industry insight
Shaping the Future of Storytelling How news organizations can confront ‘information inequality’ By Matt DeRienzo
A
merica has an information inequality problem, and the people on the wrong side of it face risks to their physical and mental health, safety and financial wellbeing. News organizations must acknowledge that it exists and start listening to the people most affected in their own communities before it can be addressed. In September, the American Society of News Editors extended the deadline for participation in its annual newsroom diversity survey due to the lack of participation. Only 234 out of 1,700 newspapers and digital media outlets responded, compared to 661 the previous year. That survey showed found that minority journalists comprised only 16.6 percent of the workforce in newsrooms that responded, a ratio that has seen basically no improvement over the past two decades. It also showed that minority journalists and women are under-represented in newsroom leadership positions, where white men still hold a comfortable majority. This contributes to and maintains information inequality in several ways. 20 |
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
+E+P IndustryInsight.indd 20
If entire communities of people are not represented in newsrooms, especially in newsroom leadership, we don’t know the basic stories we are missing, the basic information that they need, in the way that we know how to serve white, middle-to high-income suburban families, for example. There are “known unknowns” and “unknown unknowns,” as Donald Rumsfeld would say. When marginalized communities do find their way into local news stories, implicit bias can shape coverage, with stories about young white men focusing on all of the mitigating circumstances and their great upbringing, and stories about young black victims of crime focusing on negative aspects of their past. Many have pointed out that prominent top male news leaders ousted in recent years in the wake of sexual harassment allegations—Matt Lauer at NBC, Michael Oreskes at NPR, Charlie Rose and Les Moonves at CBS, Roger Ailes and Bill O’Reilly at Fox— had tremendous influence on coverage of the first presidential election with a woman as major party nominee. So it wasn’t just that men dominated coverage of Hillary Clinton that many felt held her to an unfair
double-standard vs. Donald Trump. It was shaped by men with a track record of open hostility toward and abuse of women. Even when newsrooms set out to depict marginalized communities through an empathetic, positive lens, Heather Bryant, a John S. Knight journalism fellow at Stanford last year, argues that journalists are writing “about” those people when they should be writing “for” them. This is particularly evident in how news organizations write about poverty, she argues. There are bright spots. In Philadelphia, a coalition of 19 news organizations has produced “Broke in Philly,” which is writing pieces such as “A comprehensive list of 45 affordable summer camps.” It’s aiming to serve an audience that is trying to break out of poverty instead of producing voyeuristic feature packages with sad details and stark black and white photos depicting their sad lives. In Chicago, Bettina Chang, the editor of local nonprofit online news site City Bureau, says that the key is for a newsroom to go into a community aiming to “give to it, not extract from it.” In Detroit, Sarah Alvarez of Outlier Media editorandpublisher.com
10/18/18 3:10 PM
is using an interactive text messaging platform to connect low-income residents with information about landlords, foreclosures and property taxes.To inform her work, she went to the city and the United Way’s 211 information line to find out what practical information citizens were seeking and what they were complaining about. Bryant suggests finding out what people who use the public internet terminals at local libraries are looking for. Access to technology and platforms can be a factor in information inequality. In Alvarez’s community, residents are more likely to at least have a cell phone with text messaging than a smartphone, and more likely to have a smartphone than a laptop or desktop computer. It’s also something news organizations must keep in mind as they pursue paywall and subscription business models that might end up serving only the 2 to 3 percent of “free content readers” who are most en-
D V M & A
gaged, but also able to pay. And finally, an elephant in the room when it comes to information inequality is the overall decline of access to local news. It hasn’t been some even, across-the-board thing where everyone is getting 30 percent less local news and information. The decline has affected some communities more than others. We’ve seen “news deserts” emerge, and they’re more likely to be in places, whether rural or urban, with less wealth. And within communities that still have local media, news coverage has circled wagons around the most privileged segments of the audience. “...known but not discussed is that certain audiences get more news about their community than other communities go,” journalism industry consultant Fiona Morgan said in a recent interview with Nieman Lab. “That is only getting worse as the capacity of news organizations constricts and we
see more layoffs; we see more attention to luxury products and stuff that’s easier and cheaper to produce, like crime coverage. It’s harder to put the resources into doing really good storytelling that really gets at the people that are most in need and most affected by problems.”
Matt DeRienzo is vice president of news and digital content for Hearst’s newspapers and websites in Connecticut. He has worked in journalism as a reporter, editor, publisher, corporate director of news for 25 years, including serving as the first full-time executive director of LION Publishers, a national nonprofit that supports the publishers of local independent online news organizations.
UNITED COMMUNICATIONS CORP. HAS SOLD
ATTLEBORO (MA) SUN CHRONICLE 10,400 daily circulation and related publications and websites
TO
TRIBORO MASSACHUSETTS NEWS MEDIA We are pleased to have represented United Communications Corp. in this transaction.
Dirks, Van Essen, Murray & April
Santa Fe, NM t: 505.820.2700 www.dirksvanessen.com
editorandpublisher.com
+E+P IndustryInsight.indd 21
NOVEMBER 2018 | E & P
| 21
10/18/18 3:10 PM
business of news
Taking a Look Back The future of newspapers is found in its past By Tim Gallagher
I
f we all had the gift of prescience, we would have: bought property along the California coast 60 years ago; purchased Apple stock in 1998 when it was $1 a share; and bet the Chicago Cubs would win the World Series in 2016. But none of us—including those in the newspaper industry—have that gift. It is enlightening, however, to study the predictions we made about the industry over the past 20 years and see how those proposed solutions have held up. It’s 2000, and futurist Frank Feather predicted the top news sites of 2010: • Knight Ridder.com • USAToday.com • WSJ.com • WashingtonPost.com • TheNewYorkTimes.com That’s not bad, but, of course, a lot has changed since 2010. Only the New York 22 |
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
+E+P BizNews.indd 22
Times cracks the 2018 Top 5. The others in rank order are Yahoo! News, Google News, HuffPost and CNN. Feather thought news content sites would rule, but that has not held up as aggregators own the top two spots. What if we had seen that coming and created our own newspaper industry aggregated site? It’s 2003. More than half the country has the internet at home. Journalism is stinging from the revelations that Jayson Blair of the New York Times has fabricated stories and quotes and plagiarized his work from other newspapers. There is no YouTube (introduced in 2005), no Twitter (2006) and no iPhone (2007), but a book called “TechTV’s Catalog of Tomorrow” makes some correct predictions about where we would be in 15 years. (The book is a collection of essays by futurists, visionaries and technology commentators.) Matt Novak wrote about this in
a 2013 Gizmodo article. • Citizen journalism would be big and it would improve the quality of journalism. The Catalog describes a scenario in which an earthquake in South Korea is reported by video on a citizen’s cellphone and transmitted to a blogger (although they still called them web logs). From there, collective activity adds a GPS overlay and several people add— and others correct— information and misinformation. “The collective efforts of a loosely joined group of amateurs can complement, and occasionally trump, the most powerful news media organizations.” • But even The Catalog knew that citizen journalism has its limits. “Quality is extremely varied, and insights are often couched in political rants and questionable rhetoric.” editorandpublisher.com
10/18/18 2:29 PM
• “No single news organization can compete with huge wired communities. Perhaps they’ll even put ‘bloggers’ in their employ.” 2008-09 It’s 2009 and the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet begins hearings on Sen. Benjamin Cardin’s “Newspaper Revitalization Act.” Sen. John Kerry’s opening remark: “Newspapers look like an endangered species.” The hearings attract a variety of speakers—some stubborn, some specious, some opportunistic and one who is downright prescient. And the bill went nowhere. Marissa Mayer, VP of search products and user experience at Google, correctly noted that Google creates traffic to newspaper websites. But she optimistically predicted Google AdSense would create a financial windfall for publishers. Instead, publishers quickly realized the windfall fell to Google while they made pennies.
David Simon, former reporter at the Baltimore Sun, said, “High-end journalism is dying in America and unless a new economic model is achieved it will not be reborn on the web or anywhere else.” He mocked citizen journalism, but called the non-profit model “intriguing” and asked that newspapers be able to protect their copyright from aggregators so that the money could be used to create subscription services and protect the industry. Jim Moroney of the Dallas Morning News made a similar argument (along with asking for tax relief for publishers). Steve Coll, president and CEO of the New America Foundation, suggested that not-for-profits, some even connected to the government such as the National Endowment for the Arts, could help train and incubate the skills and careers in new media forums. He was not far off and there are several such programs today. Arianna Huffington asked not how do
we save newspapers but how do we save journalism? Huffington never made a blazing economic success of the Huffington Post (although she made a nice profit off the sale), but its readership growth is phenomenal. Perhaps her most prescient statement of the hearing was: “It’s important to remember that the future of journalism is not dependent on the future of newspapers.”
Tim Gallagher is president of The 20/20 Network, a public relations and strategic communications firm. He is a former Pulitzer Prizewinning editor and publisher at The Albuquerque Tribune and the Ventura County Star newspapers. Reach him at tim@the2020network.com.
Daily Newspaper 6ROG Observer-Reporter Washington, PA Cribb, Greene & Cope is pleased to KDYH UHSUHVHQWHG WKH Northrop family in their sale to Ogden Newspapers.
John Cribb
ribb@Cribb.com 406.579.2925ȱ
editorandpublisher.com
+E+P BizNews.indd 23
Gary Greene
reene@Cribb.com 434.227.0952ȱ
Randy Copeȱ
ope@Cribb.comȱ 214.356.3227
NOVEMBER 2018 | E & P
| 23
10/18/18 2:29 PM
digital publishing
The Latest and Greatest Four apps that will benefit every journalist By Rob Tornoe
W
hile technology continues to wreak havoc with our business (walk down the hallway and talk to your colleagues in sales about digital ad rates), one benefit is the wealth of tools and devices that make reporting stories and covering communities easier and more robust than ever. The best part of going to conferences such as ONA and South by Southwest isn’t learning about risky business ventures masquerading as digital cure-alls, or hearing the same, tired speeches about the need to deepen engagement with our readers (if we were any more engaged, we’d be planning a wedding). It’s the offhand conversation you strike up with a slightly sauced-up reporter who can’t stop raving about an app or hack that has freed up time to drink at a journalism conference. I write a column like this once a year, and invariably it leads to journalists from 24 |
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
+e+p digitalpub.indd 24
across the country striking up a conversation about a cool new app or interesting tool they can no long do their reporting without. So, for the large majority of readers who don’t have the time or money to trek to one of these tech meccas, here’s a rundown of four cool apps that I lean on every day that might actually benefit you.
CrowdTangle Aside from my hand-curated Twitter lists and my obsessively sorted Tweetdeck, CrowdTangle is the most successful tool I’m using to generate interesting leads and potential story ideas. CrowdTangle is an analytics platform owned by Facebook (it’s free, but sign-up is required) that tracks the social media performance of articles being shared in your city or town. Many use it to see how wildly their own articles have been shared, but I’ve always used it to see the content created by other newsrooms that’s trending on social media
in my market created, which gives me good insight on how to figure out unique ways for stories to resonate with my readers. Mark Frankel, a social media editor for BBC News, recently turned me on to the platform’s ability to track the activity on individual pages on Reddit and Facebook Groups, both public and private. The simplest description possible is you set up a new dashboard, point it to Facebook Groups and subreddits you think are the most compelling and newsworthy for your particular beat, and it does the rest, alerting you when posts are over-performing and have a high interaction rate. It sounds simple, but it’s a powerful deep dive into content you might otherwise have missed.
Otter If CrowdTangle is indispensable to me for generating story ideas, Otter is irreplaceable when it comes to the arduous editorandpublisher.com
10/18/18 2:31 PM
HOLIDAY Sections That Sell
task of transcribing interviews or phone conversations. Otter, created by the mobile tech company AISense, not only transcribes any audio file or recording you upload, it creates a searchable and hyperlinked transcript of the conversation for you to refer back to when writing your story. The best part is you can click any word in the searchable text and Otter will playback that portion of your recording. Obviously, the language recognition software isn’t perfect and won’t transcribe your conversation word-for-word, but it’s remarkably close for a free app (up to 600 minutes a month). On my Android, Otter works in tandem with my phone’s call recorder, allowing me to end an interview, click a button, and have a decent transcript ready within a handful of minutes. Otter also has a voice recorder feature built in that will transcribe your conversation in real-time and archive it, making it available nearly instantly on your phone and desktop (using your unique login).
Toby I hate tabs, but like most reporters, my web browser becomes littered with them as I chase stories and scrape for information throughout my shift, eventually becoming a nightmare to browse while crippling my computer’s meager resources. I’m not exaggerating when I say Toby has changed how I work. The free browser extension for Chrome is basically a better organized version of your bookmarks bar, which you can easily categorize and separate into groups for your different work needs. Toby’s interface opens on every new browser tab and saves me hours each week performing simple tasks I never realized were so time consuming, such as opening all the important pages and work apps I use on a daily basis with one click. Toby is also extremely handy when you are working on a story and have a number of tabs open that you might want to refer back to later, or you come across a story you want to remember to read. Just slide the open page into a new group, label it and minimize it to access later. You can even save an entire session, regardless of editorandpublisher.com
+e+p digitalpub.indd 25
how many tabs you have open, in just one click. No more wasting time emailing yourself links. I have Poynter’s Ren LaForme to thank for introducing me to Toby, which I first learned about in his incredibly helpful newsletter about digital tools called Try This!, easily one of my favorite reads each week.
Hunter.io Sometimes the most tedious aspect of reporting is the simple digging required to find someone’s email address. Instead of blind Google searches or time-consuming LexisNexis deep dives, I’ve had some success using Hunter.io as my starting point. The free app (sign-up is required) allows you to search all the email addresses attached to a particular domain, such as a government agency or large company. Hunter.io also provides the most common pattern of addresses attached to that domain (firstnamelastname@company.com, for instance), and includes a build-in email verification tool. Like most apps, it doesn’t work all the time, but I’ve been surprised on several occasions when it returned exactly what I was looking for in almost no time at all. One bummer is LinkedIn shut down Hunter.io’s integration last year, forcing the app to remove what I thought was one of its more powerful features: the addition of a “find their email” button on any person’s LinkedIn profile. The app is still worth playing around with, especially if you cover a large government agency guarded by a protective public spokesperson.
Rob Tornoe is a cartoonist and columnist for Editor and Publisher, where he writes about trends in digital media. He is also a digital editor for Philly.com. Reach him at robtornoe@gmail.com.
Start boosting your revenue today.
GREEN SHOOT MEDIA
®
GreenShootMedia.com
10/18/18 2:31 PM
production BY JERRY SIMPKINS
IT’S ALL IN THE INK Understanding why specific ink compositions work with certain printing processes 26 |
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
+Production.indd 26
10/18/18 2:34 PM
M
ark Twain has been credited with the quote “Never argue with a man who buys ink by the barrel.” Many other famous wordsmiths have been credited with this saying, including H.L. Mencken and Ben Franklin. The basic premise of the saying seems to be if a newspaper editor or publisher doesn’t agree with a viewpoint you are advocating, you may have to endure a long series of negative articles in their publication. While we continue to endure challenges with the printed product, this statement, at least to me, continues to express the true power of the printed press. When I first got into the newspaper business, a stogy old ink salesman threw this quote out in conversation. Being new to the business I just chuckled and went along with him, trying to act like one of the good ‘ol boys who had some kind of idea what he was talking about (I didn’t). Fast forward to today, and I now truly understand the meaning of the saying. I am immensely proud of what it stands for in my mind, which is freedom of the press. When I started writing this article, I researched some of the technical aspects of ink, such as composite, viscosity, tack, etc. I also received some very useful information from some of the top ink vendors in the country. After scanning through the facts in preparation for this article, I decided that instead of taking strictly a technical approach, I’d like to tie things back to the effect on our customers and the effect on our industry.
Putting the Customer First If you’ve been in the publishing industry for awhile, you’ve addressed several complaints about ink on fingers, rub-off and smudging. I once had a customer screaming at me because she read the paper on her lap while wearing a new white dress. That one simply didn’t end well for me and I actually ended up buying the customer a new dress (when it comes to newspapers, you just can’t make this stuff up). I’ve lost track of how many customers claim they are canceling their subscription due to how “dirty” their newspaper is. Ink rub-off can be a real issue. So what causes it? Let’s start with “Does ink really dry?” The short answer to this is for cold set inks, no. News ink absorbs into the substrate. Known as penetration, absorption or saturation into the sheet, many different things can affect the “drying process.” Black ink, which is the most widely used color in the newspaper, is obviously what readers complain about most often. Rub-off/ink transfer is dramatically impacted by the type of raw materials that are used to produce the ink. The higher the quality of the ink, the less rub-off, but typically, the expense is higher. If you’ve shopped ink in your career, you no doubt noticed that vendors market “news ink,” “low rub” and “no rub” ink. What controls drying is oil, resin and pigment selection in the ink. Most vegetable or plant based oils are very slow to dry. Soy inks have been popular for many years and are more environmentally friendly than petroleum based products. While petroleum based inks have properties that vary drying time, an ink that is made entirely with soy would not dry at all. Buying ink is a process similar to buying gasoline. Buy cheap gas and your car can knock and run poorly; upgrade to a mid-grade octane
NOVEMBER 2018 | E & P
+Production.indd 27
| 27
10/18/18 2:34 PM
Photo courtesy of Jerry Simpkins
Totes of cyan, magenta and yellow ink wait to be connected to the ink lines and be pumped to the press. Ink is typically sold in three primary vessels: kits, totes and bulk, depending on order volume and the needs of the print site. increases and your car runs better. Then, if you want the best performance, you’ll spend the money and upgrade to premium. Depending on what you want to spend, you can certainly minimize your issues with rub-off. Newsprint, which is the common paper we use in the industry, must have low tack inks due to porosity and surface roughness. As we move to lower gram newsprint and switch between suppliers, drying can be affected. In cold-set printing, most drying occurs by the paper absorbing ink, but will still rub off on fingers even after extended periods of time. This is a direct result of the cold-set printing process. Just for the record, other processes dry in various ways and actually do come out dry. zz Sheetfed dries by oxidation; reacting to the oxygen in the atmosphere. zz Heatset printing dries by evaporation; flashing off the VOC’s as the printed web passed through the oven to flash and “set” the wet ink film. zz UV inks are converted from a wet ink film to a solid as they pass through the UV light source and are cured. Another challenge with ink in our industry is set-off, the transfer of ink onto adjacent pages. 28 |
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
+Production.indd 28
There are three primary offenders I see that contribute to set-off (all can be controlled or eliminated to a degree). The heavy handed press operator. As circulation draws have changed over the years and many of our runs have been reduced in number, the use of densitometers has diminished. On many runs, by the time you’ve set your inks, the run is over and densitometer readings simply aren’t practical. The other issue that can come up here is short staffing. If your press crew is running around adjusting registration and water balance, they tend to take their eye off the ball when it comes to setting ink. The result is over-inking and saturation of the sheet. This contributes to rub-off and set-off and tends to be one of the biggest causes of reader and advertiser complaints. Every publisher I’ve ever worked for has a different opinion of how much ink is right. Some like a dark/dense application of ink, others like a light/even flow across the page. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but don’t forget what it impacts, mainly reader complaints and quality of the final printed product. To me the solution is simple. Talk with the publisher and the ad director to find out what the general consensus is, then come as
close to that as you can on press. Keep on top of the press crew. This is where many of our problems come in—pressmen who like to set the ink heavy. Besides the problem of set-off and ruboff, there is also expense. A normal density setting for black ink is 95 to 105. For each point you set over 105, your ink usage increases quite dramatically. I’m honestly not sure of the formula (your vendor can help you here), but there is a point not awfully high over the maximum recommended ink density that ink usage doubles, and so does your expense and related printing issues. Setting your nips too tight. As the web pulls/passes into the folder through the nips and trolleys, your adjustments are critical and can complicate set-off. Overtightening can in some cases help pulling the sheet, but will also create the “racing strip” effect as it passes through. Take the time to set your press up right and it will minimize ink related problems. Use good quality ink. Granted most of the time you’ll pay more, but that even remains to be seen. I’ve struck up deals with vendors for special mixes/ improvements on ink for no additional cost. It doesn’t always work, but the old adage of “If you don’t ask, you’ll never know” is true. Speak with your vendor, show them the issues you’re having with their ink and explain your goal. Often they can formulate the ink differently and eliminate the issue without increasing the cost to the customer. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. No matter how we try we will never have completely dry ink in our newspapers, but we can come close. High speed presses and the general cold-web process can complicate the issue, but so can many of the controls we mismanage in our operations.
A Quick Word on Tack Inks can be formulated with various tack to work with the specific printing processes, such as cold-set, heat-set, UV, etc. Uni-tack inks can be useful in newspaper printing and have become more common in our industry than step tacks used in the heatset and sheetfed application. Uni-tack inks were developed due to additional four-
editorandpublisher.com
10/18/18 2:34 PM
THE LATEST FROM… Global Ad Distribution
What is unique about the Global Ad Distribution’s Quality Assurance program that will aid publishers with their delivery operations? Global Ad Distribution continues to be the industry leader in delivery quality assurance of free pubs, and our continued perfect track record with AAM is a testament to that fact. We continue to seek out, develop and invest in the latest verification technologies. As important as the GPS technology is though, what truly sets Global apart is our unmatched investment in human field verification. GPS is only the first line of defense, and an indicator of delivery quality from a 30,000-foot level. To achieve the intense level of verification required for AAM certification, Global utilizes
color process work on lower grades of paper, i.e. newsprint. Tack can be defined as the amount of force required to separate an ink film. For this reason, a traditional tack rated set of inks is preferred in most types of offset printing. Tack values on cold set ink can run as low as 3.0 on an Inkometer; in comparison, a high-end sheet-fed ink may have a value approaching 20. Newsprint and commercial stock simply cannot handle the pull of a high tack ink.
Trapping and Lay Down Sequence Lay down sequence and ink trapping are both important parts of the printing process and critical aspects in the outcome of the final printed product. Simply put, trapping is the ability of one ink to overprint another ink. The key control aspect of trapping is delegated by lay down sequence; i.e. which color ink is applied to the press sheet first, second, third and last. The most common and highly used lay down sequence in cold web offset printing is CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black). If you’ve ever worked in a shop that laid down differently, you will understand the challenges the wrong sequence can create. I’ve worked in shops where pressmen insisted that they had the best sequence for that particular press. More times than not, this resulted in orange colored reds and complaints to advertisers about shifts in their logo colors. Laying down outside of the vendor recommended color sequence will almost always result in extreme color shifts and unsatisfactory color reproduction. One of the best explanations on trapping and the lay down sequence was provided to me by Dale Morningstar of Central Ink: “The ink sequence decades ago was YMCK. This was changed to
editorandpublisher.com
+Production.indd 29
a separate employee force to routinely inspect delivery routes to physically inspect and verify address accuracy, “Do Not Deliver” compliance, delivery placement, and product/ad zone integrity. As an industry, we have seen too much reliance on GPS tracking as the “end all” for verification of free pub delivery (and some don’t even go that far). While GPS is certainly required as a minimum first step, there is simply no substitute for human field verification. A vehicle’s GPS tracking report does not tell you if the correct homes were delivered, where the product was placed, if the correct ad zone was delivered or if any product was even delivered at all. As advertisers continue to place more value on free pubs, especially opt-in programs, the industry overall needs to do a better job verifying and protecting the integrity of delivery. Investment in a full complement of quality assurance tools—both GPS and human field verification—should never be overlooked, dismissed or shortchanged. Kennedy Higdon is a newspaper circulation veteran of 25 years. He is co-founder of Global Ad Distribution, widely considered the industry’s leading experts in alternate newspaper delivery.
CMYK due to issues with color reproduction. The reason it was changed was with this sequence, the reds shifted to orange, blues shifted to green. For example, if you run a green screen and use 100 percent yellow and 50 percent blue screen in YMCK sequence, 100 percent of the yellow will print but not all of the 50 percent blue will ‘stick/overprint’ to yellow. There is a significant detail increase and trap efficiency in midtone through shadow tone and solid areas.” With all this said, many printers still prefer to lay yellow down first in order to hide any imperfections in registration. I don’t agree with this approach but whatever works best in your shop and produces the result you’re happy with is always the right way to go. As is the case with many aspects of the newspaper printing process, we, as the printer, can be our own best friend or worst enemy. Meeting with vendors to better understand material issues, following tried and true SOPs and addressing in-house challenges appropriately to ensure we’re following the best procedures can often fix 99 percent of any problem we may have. Lastly, I would like to thank Central Ink, Flint Ink and U.S. Ink for their input for this article. While I’m sure there are other top quality suppliers in the newspaper market, these three suppliers have always stood out when I had a question to ask and have provided tremendous customer service to our industry and myself as a whole. Jerry Simpkins is vice president of the West Texas Printing Center, LLC in Lubbock, Texas. Contact him on LinkedIn.com or at simpkins@tds. net.
NOVEMBER 2018 | E & P
| 29
10/18/18 2:34 PM
30 |
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
+E+P Feature_POY.indd 30
editorandpublisher.com
10/18/18 2:39 PM
E&P PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR
TERRY EGGER PHILADELPHIA MEDIA NETWORK By Nu Yang
Photo by Jessica Griffin/Philadelphia Media Network
W
editorandpublisher.com
+E+P Feature_POY.indd 31
hen you think about the city of Philadelphia, it’s hard not to imagine Rocky Balboa, the resilient boxer featured in the 1976 film “Rocky,” running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and throwing his hands to the sky in victory when he makes it up to the top. It’s the perfect metaphor of the Philadelphia Media Network (PMN), home to our 2018 Publisher of the Year Terrance C.Z. “Terry” Egger. Egger, 61, arrived at PMN in 2015 at a critical point. The parent company of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News, and Philly.com had just been purchased by philanthropist H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest and entrepreneur Lewis Katz a year earlier for $88 million. Less than a week after signing the papers, Katz was killed in a plane crash, leaving Lenfest as the sole owner. At the time, Egger was retired from journalism after spending three decades working in newspapers. The Rock Island, Ill. native received a bachelor’s degree in speech and drama from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D. and a master’s degree in speech communication from San Diego State University. It was during graduate school that a man who worked at the San Diego Union-Tribune encouraged him to consider a career in newspapers. From there, Egger got his start in the business at a small paper in La Jolla, Calif. In 1984, he started working for the Copley Los Angeles Newspapers before moving on to the vice president of advertising position with the Tucson Newspapers in Arizona. In 1996, he joined the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as its publisher and served there until 2006. That same year, he was named president, publisher and CEO of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, where he remained until he retired in 2013. With a resume like that, it should have been a retirement well-deserved. So, what pulled Egger back to the world of newspapers? It was simple: “Gerry’s vision,” Egger told me. The 88-year-old Lenfest passed away in August, but not before tasking Egger with an important mission: to keep local news alive in Philadelphia. NOVEMBER 2018 | E & P
| 31
10/18/18 2:39 PM
E&P PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR
“You’re My Guy” Egger didn’t know Lenfest personally prior to June 2014, when he received a call from Lenfest himself, who was looking for help with running a legacy media company. As the two men spoke, there was an instant connection. “Gerry was humble and smart, and he had a vision to keep journalism alive in Philly,” Egger said. “He wasn’t in it for himself. He wanted to find ways to sustain journalism and give resources.” Shortly after that phone call, Egger visited Philadelphia and met with Lenfest for the first time. Lenfest, who was the current publisher, offered him the job, but the timing wasn’t right. Cleveland was a finalist to be the host city of the 2016 Republican National Convention, and Egger had already announced he would help lead the Cleveland Host Committee. In July 2014, Cleveland received the news it had won the bid. “I had to decline,” Egger said, “but I told Gerry I would help him in any way I could.” He ended up serving as a board member instead. In September 2014, Egger received another call from Lenfest. “How long is your assignment?” he asked Egger. It sounded like the owner was still interested in handing over the title of publisher to Egger, and willing to wait until he was finished with his duties on the host committee. They kept in touch and continued talking on occasion for more than a year. Then, in August 2015, Egger and his wife, Renuka, flew to Philadelphia for another meeting with Lenfest. At that point, Egger still hadn’t made a decision yet on whether or not he was going to take the publisher’s job. But that changed as soon as he met with Lenfest and his wife, Marguerite, and learned how passionate they were about arts and education. Egger said he remembered the exact moment that compelled him to take the job. It was during dinner, and with tears in his eyes, Lenfest reached over to squeeze Egger’s hand. “There’s nothing I want to do more than to keep journalism alive in the city that I 32 |
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
+E+P Feature_POY.indd 32
Pictured from left to right: Stephen Glynn, deputy managing editor, Sunday; Michelle Bjork, deputy managing editor, operations; Gabe Escobar, editor; Sandra Shea, managing editor, opinion; Terry Egger, publisher and CEO; Michael Days, vice president of diversity and inclusion; Peg Clancy, executive secretary; Pat McLoone, managing editor, sports; Kim Fox, managing editor, audience and innovation; Brian Leighton, deputy managing editor, editing and standards; and Stan Wischnowski, executive editor (Photo by Jessica Griffin/Philadelphia Media Network)
love,” he told Egger. “You’re my guy. Please come help.” As Egger recounted the story, he said that’s when he realized he had to come to Philadelphia—not for his career—but for Lenfest’s mission. “This was bigger than me,” he said. “What Gerry wanted to accomplish was so powerful and pure.” So, on Oct. 1, 2015, Egger came out of retirement and officially started as the newest PMN publisher, in one of the first moves toward rebuilding the embattled media company.
The Right Path With a new owner and now a new publisher in place, many of the longtime newsroom employees were filled with some healthy skepticism—and rightfully so. Over the course of a decade, the company had gone through seven owners, endured several rounds of layoffs and buyouts, moved to a new location, and filed for bankruptcy protection.
“When Terry arrived, it was during a disruptive time period,” said executive editor Stan Wischnowski. “We were at a crossroads, and the future was up in the air. Gerry had a vision, but he needed to find the right publisher, a change agent to help with the company’s evolution.” Michelle Bjork, deputy managing editor for operations, said when Egger came in “a lot of hope was pinned on him.” “After so many years of uncertainty, we started to feel that things might change, and we could finally get on the right path,” she said. But that path wasn’t going to be simple. One of the first things Egger did was challenge the newsroom with this question: “If you could build the newsroom of the future from scratch, what would it look like?” The result was to combine the three separate newsrooms of the Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com into a single operation. “It was quite the culture shock for some employees,” Wischnowski said. During the merger, 200 journalists had editorandpublisher.com
10/18/18 2:39 PM
Not long after the merger, another curve in the road appeared. In January 2016, just a few months after Egger came onboard as publisher, Lenfest announced he was donating PMN to the nonprofit Institute for Journalism in New Media (now called the Lenfest Institute for Journalism), along with a $20 From left: Terry Egger; H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest, former owner of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News, and Philly.com; million endowand Pedro Ramos, Philadelphia Foundation president and CEO, join hands after signing documents to launch the Institute for Journalism in New Media on January 12, 2016. (Photo by Michael Bryant/Philadelphia Media Network) ment. The editorial and news coverage would remain independent from the institute and PMN digital workflow. to reapply for jobs, and 46 journalists were could still operate as a for-profit business. Egger said another turning point was laid-off, according to reports. The goal was This was good news for Egger. To him, when a group of editors and non-managers to save the company $5 million over the that meant their journalism wasn’t going to created a 30-page report titled “A Call next three years. “serve someone else.” to Arms,” detailing recommendations “I was honest with them,” Egger said. “We don’t have a Wall Street investor or that would help the company reach their “Financially, we were in tough shape. Our a hedge fund to answer to,” he said. “One audiences and engage with readers. The reputation was in tough shape. Our relahundred percent of our funds stay right company’s leadership took the report seritionship with our customers was in tough here in Philadelphia.” ously, and all of the recommendations have shape. Our industry was in tough shape.” already been implemented except for the But the purpose, said Egger, was to align branding shift, which is set to be finished the fragmented newsrooms and remind Catching Up with the in the first quarter of 2019, according to them of their purpose—they didn’t work Industry Wischnowski. for the Inquirer or the Daily News; they Coming into the position, Egger In addition, Egger was instrumental durworked for the people of Philadelphia. knew he had to inject some digital DNA ing the negotiations with the Newspaper Wischnowski, along with editor Gabe into the legacy media company. Seeing Guild. According to Bjork, “PMN needed Escobar and managing editor Patrick Kerkother news organizations struggle with contracts that allowed for new job categostra, developed an entirely new structure going digital-first or holding on to print ries to meet the digital challenges ahead with new teams and new beats. About too strongly showed Egger they couldn’t be and more flexibility in shifting work as40 new reporting beats were created and either/or—they had to be both. signments. In return, the Guild could have nearly every remaining beat was modified Digital, Egger said, was just a new a lower cost structure for healthcare and with more of a digital first, audience-cenlanguage they had to learn. As part of benefits. Then, (Egger) never wavered. And tered focus, said Wischnowski. He added Egger’s plan, a digital subscription model despite several tense months, he eventually that about 70 percent of the newsroom was launched in September 2017. In just got exactly what he asked for.” employees got the jobs they wanted by the one year, Philly.com generated more than Wischnowski said, “Both newsroom end of the process, and they were able to 25,000 digital-only subscribers, surpassing management and the union unified behind recruit more women and minorities to betthe one-year goal of 20,000, according to this mission to chart a new course for our ter reflect their diverse readership. PMN’s Bjork. future, and Terry deserves tremendous newsroom of the future currently has But Egger still believes in their print credit for giving us the resources, confi250 journalists. Physically, the newsroom product. For example, he sent 24 PMN dence and clarity to make it happen.” layout changed as well to reflect the new journalists to Minneapolis to cover Super editorandpublisher.com
+E+P Feature_POY.indd 33
NOVEMBER 2018 | E & P
| 33
10/18/18 2:39 PM
E&P PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR
arrive, giving welcoming remarks, shaking hands with sponsors, and even serving as a moderator or emcee if needed. Monturano said the new name, hires and products have made a positive impact to the sales team. “There used to be a lot of walls and barriers with the newsroom, but now we’re very open, and we work better together.” Before Egger’s arrival, the company was “treading water,” said Andy Harrison, chief financial officer and chief operating officer. But with Egger at the helm now, Harrison said he feels the company is now able to “catch up with the industry.” “Terry understood we needed to pivot digitally,” he said. “He understood we had a very loyal readership and that required good services and good products. That’s a part of what’s going to help us.” Terry Egger’s family: (from left to right) son, Danny; wife, Renuka; son-in-law, Sully; daughter, Ali; Egger;
and son, Anthony. (Photo provided)
Bowl LII as the Philadelphia Eagles faced the New England Patriots (the Eagles won). “He had so much faith in our coverage that the Monday after, we raised the price of the paper from $2 to $4 and ordered more than 500,000 copies at the newsstand,” Wischnowski said. After creating the newsroom of the future, changes also came to the advertising department. “Like with any legacy product, we were dealing with declining revenue in a competitive digital market,” said Jackie Monturano, director of client strategy. As soon as Egger joined PMN, Monturano said he went on sales calls with advertising reps, attended chamber events, and essentially became the company’s spokesperson. He even “rolled up his sleeves” and jumped headfirst into the interim role of ad director, said Monturano. Egger also quickly decided to shift the mindset of the advertising department and gave the department a new brand. Now known as Inquirer Solutions, the department’s new mission is to not just sell ads to 34 |
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
+E+P Feature_POY.indd 34
customers, but to sell solutions. By recently hiring Bob Geiger in the newly-created role of vice president of Inquirer Solutions and Michael Zimbalist as the company’s chief strategy and innovation officer, Egger showed how invested he was in the department’s new direction. Another new revenue stream was the creation of Inquirer Events. Jennifer Wolf was hired 2.5 years ago as director of special events. She described the department as a “startup with a legacy corporation.” What attracted her to the position was the company’s brand and the opportunity to build revenue and audience engagement. “In a short amount of time, Terry helped build 15 to 20 events within a year,” Wolf said. “With Terry’s leadership and support, I was able to expand my team from one to five…he has allowed us to take ownership of the department and given us a lot of autonomy.” Events range from an opioid forum, a 55+ lifestyle conference, a corporate philanthropy conference and awards, and a craft beer competition. Egger is a familiar face at these events, greeting guests when they
“Why Are We Doing This?” As Egger reflects on his career, he said there are three pillars he rests on: his family (he and his wife have three children, Anthony, Ali, and Danny); his great mentors; and the colleagues he’s made along the way. Coming to Philadelphia is just another milestone on his long list of accomplishments. But what began as a vision for Gerry Lenfest has now become a reality. Journalism is certainly thriving in Philadelphia thanks to Egger’s leadership and the commitment of those who work at PMN. Egger admits there is pressure to get it right, but he’s not in it to impress anyone. “We still have a long way to go, but we need to make sure we’re doing the right things for the right reasons. We have to ask ourselves, ‘Why are we doing this?’” For Egger, it all goes back to when Lenfest took his hand and invited him to become a part of the story of saving journalism in Philadelphia. After three years, he’s even more determined to continue the important work Lenfest envisioned. It’s a lesson Egger relays to his 1,100 employees. “Never underestimate the power of your mission, and share that powerful sense of purpose,” he said. editorandpublisher.com
10/18/18 2:39 PM
Special Trademark Section
Changes Heading to Canada’s Trade-Marks Act The looser rules, set to take effect next year, raises concern among businesses By Michael McKiernan
B
usinesses are rushing to register trademarks ahead of what one lawyer calls the biggest shakeup to the regime in decades. Controversial amendments to the Trade-marks Act, expected to take effect in 2019, will eliminate the requirement for applicants to show use of a mark in Canada before they can get registration in this country. Cynthia Rowden, head of the trademarks practice group at intellectual property law boutique Bereskin & Parr LLP, said the demise of the use requirement is “huge,” calling it the most significant change to the law since the 1950s. “Use has been the basis for trademark rights for basically as long as Canada has been a country, whether through statute or common law,” she said. “So taking it out is going to have a big impact on the meaning of registration as well as on the risk analysis for brand owners going forward.” Rowden, who works out of the firm’s Toronto office, said companies fear the looser rules could clear the way for trademark trolls to start registering marks as a way to squeeze payments out of brand owners. And she said there are signs that a predicted flood of defensive applications by legitimate businesses for marks they never intend to use has already begun, well in advance of the changes taking effect, judging by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office’s database of all registered trademarks and outstanding applications. “If you search it, you’ll see applications in there where they list 75 pages of goods and services. I don’t think they’re planning to use the trademark for all of them; in fact, for some applications, it looks like they’ve just gone through the list of accepted goods and services and filled them all in from A to Z,” Rowden said. “The plan seems to be that if they can keep the application pending until 2019, then they can register the trademarks for all goods and services without showing use. It’s an attempt to significantly broaden their rights.” She said prospective trademark holders have an additional incentive to claim a wide variety of uses for their marks because of this country’s current flat-fee charging for applications. That is likely to end with the upcoming enacting of the legislative changes, because they will also ensure Canada’s compliance with the Nice Agreement, an international accord that standardizes the classification system for goods and services covered by a editorandpublisher.com
+E+P Feature_Trademarks.indd 35
particular trademark registration. At that time, it’s expected that applicants will have to pay separate fees for each of the goods and services listed in the 45 distinct, internationally recognized groupings laid out by the Nice Agreement. “If you file now with your huge list, all you have to pay is the regular fee, which is already low by any measure,” Rowden said. In a recent letter to the federal government, the Canadian Bar Association’s national intellectual property law section also raised concerns about the potential prevalence of overly broad marks in the absence of the use requirement, known in the industry as “cluttering.” It noted that since the Trade-marks Act changes received royal assent in 2014, the number of applications waiting to be registered has ballooned to almost 70,000 from 40,000. “The more cluttered the register, the more difficult it is to provide quality clearance opinions for the adoption and use of new marks. Even if there is a perception that a registration is overbroad, businesses may hesitate to launch a product ‘at risk,’” the letter reads. Claiming the benefits of scrapping the use requirement will be outweighed by the costs and burdens of such a move, the section urges the government to postpone implementation until “all stakeholders have an opportunity to fully explore trademark policy options that achieve our common goal—an effective and efficient Canadian trademark system.” But Rowden said she doesn’t rate the chances of an aboutturn from the federal government, despite the change in leadership since the amendments were first introduced in Parliament. They arrived to an immediate howl of protest for the way Stephen Harper’s administration pushed them through as part of Bill C-31, a 2014 omnibus budget bill, without NOVEMBER 2018 | E & P
| 35
10/18/18 2:46 PM
Special Trademark Section
consulting interested parties. “Lots of companies submitted reports raising concerns about this, as well as professional groups and academics,” Rowden said. “But the impact of all the commentary was nil. Between the bill’s first reading and its passage, not a single comma changed.” Although those concerns have been raised repeatedly since by lawyers and others in the intellectual property community, Rowden sees no sign they have had any more impact on Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government.
But Stephanie Vaccari, partner in the intellectual property practice group at Baker and McKenzie LLP in Toronto, said the reaction to the changes hasn’t been universally negative. A good chunk of her practice involves representing international companies that want to add Canadian rights to their global IP portfolio. “They’re quite excited, because it puts Canada in sync with most of the rest of the world,” she said, noting that key jurisdictions, such as the European Union, do not require use as a prerequisite for trademark registration. Although she expects some short-term cluttering, Vaccari said classification-based pricing will serve as a pressure valve, forcing brand owners to focus their trademark applications to keep the price down. “Dropping the use requirement compli-
cates things for now, but, ultimately, it will resolve itself in a few years,” she said. According to Vaccari, the amendments also provide additional tools that will help tackle potential misuse of the application process by trolls. When they take effect, they will add a new ground of opposition to s. 38(2) of the Trade-marks Act, allowing registrations to be challenged where the applicant was not using and did not intend to use the mark in association with a specified good or service at the time it was filed. “Oppositions are going to increase, and that’s something they have seen in Europe, too. Some squatters are going to be trolls who see it as an opportunity to make money, but I’m not sure how successful they will be,” Vaccari said. But Rowden said even those tools could bring “many years of uncertainty” as cases work their way through the courts. “Showing an intent to use a trademark is a devilishly difficult thing to do. I think we will need to establish some case law, but it’s going to take some time to put together a body of jurisprudence,” she said. Either way, she said Canadian companies will have to develop defensive techniques that weren’t really needed in this country before to protect their trademarks. “They may find it prudent to effectively build a wall around themselves, so that the onus is shifted to other parties who want to challenge their marks,” Rowden said. Vaccari also expects the changes to spark an influx of third-party trademark watch services into the Canadian market. “They monitor marks and advise registrants when somebody else has applied for something similar,” she said. “Brand owners are already investing in these services, but once the legislation is implemented, there’s going to be a lot more joining them. And global companies (that) already employ them will be adding Canada under their jurisdictional umbrella.” Michael McKiernan is a reporter for Law Times, a Thomson Reuters publication, where this article originally appeared. It is reprinted here with permission.
36 |
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
+E+P Feature_Trademarks.indd 36
editorandpublisher.com
10/18/18 3:12 PM
GMAT and NMAT trademarks are respected products from the Graduate Management Admission Council gmac.com/trademarks
The GMAT® exam is accepted by more than 7,000 graduate business programs worldwide.
The NMAT by GMAC™ exam is used for securing admissions to some of the leading graduate business schools in India and South Africa, with plans to expand around the world.
NMAT™ is a trademark of Graduate Management Global Connection (India) Private Limited (GMGC), a subsidiary of Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). The GMAT logo and NMAT by GMAC™ are trademarks, GMAT® and Graduate Management Admission Council® are registered trademarks of GMAC in the United States, India, and other countries. ©2018 Graduate Management Admission Council
2018_GMAC_Ad_Trademarks_CMYK_WIRP_Ad_216mmx303mm__v2.indd 1
10/3/2018 10:37:33 AM
38 |
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
+E+P Feature_Mobile_Location.indd 38
editorandpublisher.com
10/18/18 2:55 PM
THE RIGHT
SPOT How publishers can zone in on location-based mobile apps By Peter Suciu
L
“
ocation, location, location,” a saying that has been around in the real estate world since the 1920s, couldn’t be truer today when it comes to mobile-based apps. Location could be a huge opportunity for publishers and advertisers alike—but it could be one with significant challenges.
“It’s fascinating to think about the historical importance of location,” said Josh Crandall, principal analyst at Netpop Research. “As a proxy for the importance of location we can refer to that oft-quoted saying from the real estate industry, and you could say that location has been critically important to humankind ever since we settled down from a nomadic existence.” Location is more important than ever because of the way that content is now being consumed. What was once just considered the “third screen”—after the TV and computer monitor—today mobile devices are increasingly becoming the way people connect with the outside world. U.S. adults now spend more than three hours, 35 minutes per day on mobile devices, and by next year mobile will surpass TV as the medium attracting the most minutes, according to research from eMarketer. Apps also account for 90 percent of internet time on smartphones, and location based apps are playing an increasing role as well.
editorandpublisher.com
+E+P Feature_Mobile_Location.indd 39
NOVEMBER 2018 | E & P
| 39
10/18/18 2:55 PM
THE RIGHT
SPOT
} Michael Priem, Modern Impact founder and CEO
} Josh Crandall, Netpop Research principal analyst
“Location-based apps are being prominently leveraged for marketing purposes,” said Brock Berry, founder and CEO of AdCellerant. “For bigger brands, location-based data is a way to predict user behavior of their products.” Location data can be used in various ways beyond just selling products, as the concept of “checking in” has become part of many mobile device users’ daily routine. “It can be used to identify audiences based on real-world behaviors and movements—(such as) business travelers, fitness enthusiasts, McDonald’s loyalists,” said Greg Sterling, vice president for strategy and insights at the Local Search Association. “It can be used for attribution and to provide that ads generated store visits—even sales in many cases. It can be used for operational or competitive insights and to support business decision-making.” For newspaper publishers this “localization” could present huge opportunities for advertisers. “Most newspaper advertisers are local or in-market,” Sterling told E&P. “They would be interested to determine how effective ads in the paper or online are. Using location data for attribution could help. It might also help publishers do better audience profiling. People at this address have these behaviors, etc. These profiles would be rolled up into groups or categories.”
The Importance of Location While location as it relates to the surroundings—proximity to a river, town center, good schools, etc.—has long been important, the role that location has with mobile apps 40 |
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
+E+P Feature_Mobile_Location.indd 40
} Lee Little, Bar-Z president and CEO
“For bigger brands, locationbased data is a way to predict user behavior of their products.” is actually fairly new. We can thank the Cold War for making it possible. According to Crandall, “Our Global Positioning System, or GPS, has been used by the U.S. military since 1960, but was only available to the public in (the year) 2000 after President Clinton ordered the military to stop scrambling the signals used by civilians. “To contemplate that, location-based apps have only been around for 18 years is eye-opening. We’ve come so far in only 18 years. Today, the world gets from point A to point B via Google Maps, Waze and Apple Maps. People look to their smartphones editorandpublisher.com
10/18/18 2:55 PM
for local restaurant recommendations and places to go many times a day. Social media apps add geo-locational information to photos and posts everywhere, and some are even designed for in-person meet-ups on the fly.” And yet advertisers have known about the power of “place” for much longer than 20 years, so the past two decades has seen this convergence of the power of location with the ability to direct the ads literally to the palm of the hands. “Out-of-home advertising, (such as) billboards, kiosks and bus stops have been part of the media plan since the beginning,” Crandall said. “GPS brings that power to an online audience that’s bigger and more influential than ever. Today, many advertisers are willing to pay a premium for impressions and clicks if they know the user is nearby rather than miles away. Advertisers value any chance they get to know more about their target, and location is a relatively easy and important signal.” That ability to put such a narrow focus and zero in on users has already proven to be more effective than ads blasted to the masses. “I’ve been surprised that newspaper publishers haven’t embraced more location-based apps,” said Lee Little, president and CEO of Bar-Z, a developer of mobile applications. Little compared how ads can play into location-based news— such as how a story about Manhattan could be seen as a general interest piece, whereas a story more specifically about the Rockefeller Center district becomes one about location. “That is hyperlocal, and this paradigm of hyperlocal hasn’t been embraced as much as could be,” he said. “Location-based advertising can thus become like a dining guide or shopping guide that is very specific to the user.”
The Revenue Stream of Localization Location-based mobile apps have the potential to create greater revenue for content publishers as the ads can more effectively target their respective audience. “Anything that adds precision also adds value,” said Seth Rogin, president and CEO of Nucleus Marketing Solutions. “That is a key value, and if the canvas for creativity is about data than location most certainly becomes an important part of this mix. Location gives you the ability to target people when they’re on the go and generate ads that are especially relevant to them at that exact moment.” Content providers can utilize the apps to better target the audience and advertisers can thus better determine the results from a particular advertising effort. “The ad platform may make money by doing a better job providing return on investment (ROI), and encouraging additional spending by marketers,” added Sterling. “Insight may indirectly generate revenue—better site selection, competitive decisions based on share of foot traffic, and so on.” Geotargeting of business locations has become a norm with mobile apps, and it could become part of every ad campaign on mobile. editorandpublisher.com
+E+P Feature_Mobile_Location.indd 41
U.S. BASED. OUTSOURCED VALUE. IN-HOUSE DEDICATION.
The Gannett Imaging and Ad Design Center leverages technology to provide media companies turn-key solutions to increase ad revenues and reduce costs in all creative processes. We offer a full range of multi-media services.
+ Advertising and Editorial Creative/Production + Imaging and Photo Services + Final Page Processing and Output + Creative Agency Development Services + Landing Page Design + Email Blast Creation + Infographics and Quizzes
D I G I TA L D E S I G N
OUTPUT
C R E AT I V E C A M PA I G N
PRINT DESIGN
IMAGING
GIADC.GANNETT.COM NOVEMBER 2018 | E & P
| 41
10/18/18 2:55 PM
THE RIGHT
SPOT
} Seth Rogin, Nucleus Marketing Solutions president and CEO
} Brock Berry, AdCellerant founder and CEO
“I can’t imagine a mobile campaign that doesn’t make use of location,” said Rogin. “That is like painting the sky without the color blue.”
Challenges of Location-Based Apps While location-based apps allow for greater targeting of ads, the ability to so closely monitor and track users is not without issues or concerns. Facebook and Google are just two examples of companies that have come under scrutiny for tracking users movements in a way that some would find in violation of personal privacy. “This is a serious concern,” said Michael Priem, founder and CEO of Modern Impact, an analytics firm that works to improve ROI for programmatic advertising. “The first thing that publishers need to think about when utilizing location-based apps or any tracking technology is how it relates to privacy regulations such as CCPA.” Understanding how these new privacy regulations fits in with location-based apps and other personal data is the key for content providers to ensure that they’re not violating any new laws. “The most important thing to understand is that publishers could be violating personal identification privacy acts, based on how they are tracking users and whether personally identifiable information is blind to their user data,” Berry said. “For example, you can track the phone’s device ID, but you shouldn’t co-mingle that data with their personal information that you might have from subscriptions.” This level of scrutiny around location-based apps on mobile de42 |
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
+E+P Feature_Mobile_Location.indd 42
} Greg Sterling, Local Search Association vice president for strategy and insights
Newspaper publishers could risk breaching its contract of trust with its readers due to overly specific targeted ads. vices is only going to increase. At the present it will be the makers of the operating systems—including Apple with its iOS or Google with its Android—that have to deal with these privacy concerns, said Berry. Publishers should generally be in the clear for now, but too much personal information being co-mingled with a user’s location is what experts see as a bad mix. “Unfortunately, the rise in GPS and location-aware devices and apps isn’t all positive,” said Crandall. “There aren’t many places left where our digital footprints aren’t tracked, logged and crunched in the cloud. Many say that this is erosion of our privacy, but I believe that there’s something more to it than the erosion of privacy. I’d say that it’s an erosion of our sense of personal freedom. When editorandpublisher.com
10/18/18 2:55 PM
The Success of Location This past summer digital advertising firm AdCellerant called up the concept of “microproximity” to target motorcycle and all-terrain enthusiasts at certain sporting events, fairs and motorcycle shows before a large expo in Ohio. From nearly 3.4 million total impressions, the overall click-through-rate (CTR) was .14 percent, while there were at least 850 confirmed conversions from the tickets purchased receipt page. “This targeting was done in real time, which is where microproximity becomes really important,” said AdCellerant account executive Fatima Manning. “We were able to present fresh messages to consumers not only in Ohio, but we found that we reached targets in Illinois and Pennsylvania as well.” The audience data collected during that campaign can be used again for future expos, and the key to it was the microproximity. “That involves using device’s IDs in mobile phones and targeting them in real time,” said Brock Berry, founder and CEO at AdCellerant. “The device ID lets us know where people had
companies—and governments—are constantly tapping into your whereabouts, it’s hard to feel completely free to be frivolous and push the limit. With location tracking and video surveillance, there’s a sense that we’re always being watched.” One way for content providers to reduce this sense that “Big Brother” might be watching is to limit how often location-targeted ads are sent out. “The frequency is something very important to consider,” said Priem. “If you are sending out any ad too frequently, you will leave a bad taste with the customer, but with location-based ads this only becomes magnified.” Newspaper publishers could risk breaching its contract of trust with its readers due to overly specific targeted ads. “That element of trust doesn’t end at the newsroom door,” Rogin said. “The ad department has to maintain the same level of trust with the reader as the newsroom. We expect newspapers to be held to this higher standard, which is why it is important that publishers work with companies that are aggressively transparent in how we are using their data.” Transparency may be just one aspect of it, but with locationbased data—especially as new regulations regarding privacy are on the horizon—publishers will need to be proactive when it comes to informing the consumer how this data may be used. “We have to communicate clearly to the consumer that we’re providing a service based on location monitoring without stalking them,” Priem said. “Too much personal information about their location freaks them out and rightfully so.” editorandpublisher.com
+E+P Feature_Mobile_Location.indd 43
been, so we can provide a fresh message to those who were at the expo.” Another campaign that the firm launched focused on those doing home remodeling and was aimed at consumers visiting big box home centers. “Those people might be researching the best prices for flooring or new appliances,” said Berry. “Location-based advertising allows us to connect with those people as they’re ready to make a purchase, as they’re likely to be checking prices.” From this campaign, the total impressions were nearly 4 million, which translated to about 5,700 total clicks with a CTR of .14 percent. While the percentage is small, the important takeaway is that this audience was more likely to be in the market for home improvement based on current and recent physical locations. “This is about targeting those people specifically,” Berry said. “Targeting people who are already shopping is a great way to attract potential customers.” -PS
Location Will Be the Future The way that content has been consumed online will continue to be impacted by location-aware news apps, especially as the mobile devices overtake other platforms. “Today, it’s all about global or hyperlocal trends,” said Crandall. “Anything in-between tends to fall through the cracks. The New York Times offers advertising for readers in California. News aggregators like Google, Apple and Yahoo also take location into consideration when deciding on which stories to present to their readers. People care more about content when it speaks to ‘their world’ or global stories that they can’t overlook.” This is likely only to increase due to the adoption of smartphones, which went from a small minority of users a decade ago to the masses. “As readers and revenues continue to shift online for newspapers, presenting content that is meaningful to readers is a key to retaining an audience,” Crandall said. “Hyperlocal content is one need where newspaper editors and staff writers have an edge over other content sources. Location offers an important signal around what content should be prioritized for different readers. Publishers must heed the importance of location when it comes to strategic initiatives or suffer the consequences.” As with real estate, for publishers, it is about location. “I can’t imagine a newspaper that hasn’t found success so far,” said Priem. “But even those that haven’t will soon have to embrace it.”
NOVEMBER 2018 | E & P
| 43
10/18/18 2:55 PM
44 |
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
+E+P Feature_StateofNonprofit.indd 44
editorandpublisher.com
10/18/18 3:01 PM
Journalism’s
Silver Lining Can nonprofit news help save the media industry? By Natalie Hope McDonald
W
hen the Philadelphia Inquirer was donated to a nonprofit organization two years ago, most readers probably didn’t notice the sweeping changes that went on behind the scenes, like appointing a new board comprised of leading journalism school deans and foundation executives, or the $20 million endowment that was set up for the thennew project. What they did start to see, however, was an emphasis on more and better investigative reporting in the sixth largest city in the country. And here’s how it worked: Owner H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest essentially gifted the Inquirer along with the Philadelphia Daily News and Philly.com to the Philadelphia Foundation, or more specifically to the Institute for Journalism in New Media (later renamed the Lenfest Institute for Journalism). The Philadelphia Media Network (PMN), as the company is now known, has since become the beneficiary of key philanthropic donations that have been funding missing critical local journalism.
editorandpublisher.com
+E+P Feature_StateofNonprofit.indd 45
NOVEMBER 2018 | E & P
| 45
10/18/18 4:00 PM
Journalism’s
Silver Lining The move made a lot of headlines in and outside the industry, and for good reason. It was the first time since the 1970s that a major city daily made such a move. And while PMN remains today a self-governing company beholden to its own journalistic merits, the transition has, in part, eased at least some of the financial pains that had previously led to headline-making slashes to operations and talent. Whether more papers will follow suit is a big question, one that’s certainly been on the minds of researchers at Nieman Lab who asked two years ago: “If newspapers are having trouble turning a profit without deep annual cuts, how about becoming a nonprofit?” An even bigger question might be: Could nonprofit journalism actually help save news? It’s a question that’s been echoing through countless newsrooms across the country as media struggles to contend with declining print advertising and subscriptions in the digital age. And if the root of the problem is being able to generate adequate revenue (which is down almost half from a mere decade ago), it makes sense that media companies of all stripes and sizes might want to look more closely at the nonprofit news model as a blueprint for operating, well, a little differently.
Bigger Revenue According to this year’s Institute for Nonprofit News “INN Index: The State of Nonprofit News,” which was published in early October, there are many quantifiable benefits of nonprofit news, most notably the ability for editorial to focus on original reporting with deep coverage into key civic issues. In fact, 40 percent of the nonprofit news organizations surveyed defined themselves as being “primarily investigative.” One in four, says INN, regard their mission as “analysis and explanatory journalism.” These days, most nonprofit media organizations tend to be focused on topics somehow involving and/or impacting the public interest. “Single-subject news is one of the fastest-growing categories in nonprofit media,” according to the report. “A third of news nonprofits focus on a single 46 |
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
+E+P Feature_StateofNonprofit.indd 46
Andrew Putz, MinnPost editor
Sue Cross, Institute for Nonprofit News executive director and CEO
INN is seeing higher growth from individual donors, finding that readers are actually more willing to make donations than to subscribe in the current culture.
subject such as health, education, environment or justice.” The editorial choices are having an impact on the bottom line, said Sue Cross, executive director and CEO of INN. More than half of the nonprofits surveyed generated $500,000 or more in revenue in 2017 (and a third made $1 million or more). “The nonprofit field is still highly reliant on charitable giving,” said Cross, “with grants and donations accounting for 90 percent of total revenue.” The report also shows that as more nonprofits dig deep into investigative news, readers are taking notice and opening their wallets. INN is seeing higher growth from individual donors, finding that readers are actually more willing to make donations than to subscribe in the current culture. And though most nonprofit news organizations are typically young, about eight years old on average, they represent almost $350
million in overall revenue growth. “This improvement in revenue is much bigger than expected,” Cross said. Funding nonprofit journalism has been and continues to be a practice in trial and error. But a few new revenue initiatives are finding a lot of success, like NewsMatch. org, a three-year-old grassroots campaign designed to specifically fund nonprofit news through matching funds. To date, NewsMatch has helped raise more than $5 million for organizations, and engaged tens of thousands of new donors. Some of the national partners include the Knight and Gates Foundations, Democracy Fund and News Revenue Hub. “The economy of covering news is very challenging for everybody,” said Cross. “But nonprofits do have some advantages. The truth is that consumer patterns— where people go for news and where they find it, and even deciding what they believe editorandpublisher.com
10/18/18 3:01 PM
Graphics provided by the Institute for Nonprofit News
and don’t believe—are challenging and changing rapidly.” She said another advantage is being fundamentally mission based. “They belong to the public and so they are transparent. They are really homegrown.”
Choosing Their Targets At the MinnPost, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization based in Minneapolis, Minn., editor Andrew Putz said there are plenty of advantages for operating nonprofit right now. “For us, it’s the fact that we are not trying to be everything to all people,” he said. “We’re not trying to be a digital version of a metro newspaper, so we’re able to pick and choose our targets. That is liberating, even if being disciplined about what we do (and don’t) cover isn’t always easy.” The goal at MinnPost has always been to create a sustainable business model that’s supported by corporate sponsors, advertisers and people from the community. As such, Putz said there tends to be a lot of flexibility to pursue stories that are important, which might explain why MinnPost has been able to attract top talent from the Twin Cities media world. “For journalists, I think sometimes the hardest thing is to say ‘no’ to a story; to not pursue something people are talking about,” Putz said. “But we would rather do three really good stories that are core to our mission than 10 pieces about stuff that everybody else is doing.” editorandpublisher.com
+E+P Feature_StateofNonprofit.indd 47
MinnPost also doesn’t endorse candidates or publish unsigned op-eds as is the norm for most other dailies. Instead, there is much more of an emphasis on community commentary and feedback that parallels, interestingly, to a lot of discourse on social media. Otherwise the editorial goals at MinnPost aren’t so different from the competition—delivering thoughtful and timely reporting that matters. “I think we’re different,” said Putz, “in that our focus isn’t about trying to be incrementalist. We like to break news, of course, but our goal isn’t to have the latest tidbit five minutes before somebody else. Our focus—our obsession, really—is with trying to explain and contextualize the critical issues facing the state.” Investigative journalism has become a big part of what MinnPost and other NOVEMBER 2018 | E & P
| 47
10/18/18 3:01 PM
Journalism’s
Silver Lining nonprofits are focused on, especially as for-profit journalism sees cutbacks to this vital area of reportage. Ask any editor or reporter and they will likely tell you that this serious, in-depth reporting is exactly the sort of work that sustains democracy in both the short and long term, particularly when the media comes under fire almost daily from the White House. Putz admits that he’s seen the results of solid investigative work impact the community for the better, and that readers are taking notice and paying to access the news they trust, news that’s essentially about them and where they live and work. For example, when MinnPost staff writer Sam Brodey discovered that one of the state’s best-known politicians, Rep. Rick Nolan, allowed a former top legislative staffer to quietly resign after being accused of sexual harassment (and then rehired the staffer to work on his congressional campaign), he exposed it. “It was important,” said Putz, “because Nolan had recently agreed to be a lieutenant governor candidate on the gubernatorial ticket.”
Covering All the News NEWS
Nonprofit news is hardly a new phenomenon. In 1936, the owner of the British newspaper the Guardian transferred his shares into a trust that’s still in operation today (in fact, it helped launch the Guardian’s American news site). Similarly, as the oldest and largest nonpartisan, nonprofit investigative news organization, the Center for Public Integrity in Washington D.C. actually got its start on this side of the pond in 1989. Over the years, the Center has had a hand in exposing stories related to everything from politics and national security to business, workers’ rights and, most recently, immigration. “We’re supported primarily by large foundations, which has proven to be a good model given that we’re entering our thirtieth year of existence,” said John Dunbar, the Center’s outgoing CEO. Despite the successes, he is worried about the sustainability of this business model. “We’re actively seeking ways to 48 |
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
+E+P Feature_StateofNonprofit.indd 48
John Dunbar, Center for Public Integrity CEO
diversity revenue through membership programs, individual donors and earned revenue,” he said. Just like for-profits, nonprofits have the inevitable financial debates, too, about not only where funding will come from, but how it should ultimately be allocated. But among nonprofits, clicks tend to be less important than content. Most of them see themselves as delivering the news that needs to be reported, even if it doesn’t go viral, which it often doesn’t. That being said, diverse communities of readers tend to respond favorably to this new old-style approach. “The greatest advantage for us is time,” Dunbar said. “We’re not slaves to the news cycle and can focus on our investigations. Since we’re able to devote more effort into the reporting, the stories have a greater impact than daily coverage. In fact, we expect it. I think it adds a dimension to the news landscape to have investigative specialists from nonprofits. We’re covering things most news outlets are not.” Some of the most recent headlines, for example, take a hard look into dangers at immigrant detention centers, the impact of the latest FCC reforms on cell phone consumers and why wind energy is losing federal support. The Center and its reporters have won several Pulitzers over the years, but as most
Scott Lewis, Voice of San Diego editor and CEO (Photo by Vito Di Stefano)
papers know, industry accolades don’t guarantee profitability. “Probably the biggest challenge we face these days is competition for funding from new nonprofit entities entering the market,” Dunbar said. “We’ve also had a historic problem when it comes to our brand and name recognition, something we’re addressing now with a new communications plan. It’s tough to stand out among all the media players today.” There’s also the question of competition, namely how much or little nonprofits compete with for-profit news organizations. Dunbar said the answer is pretty simple: “We try hard not to compete. We would much rather collaborate. I don’t want to duplicate efforts; it’s just not efficient. Collaborations are often challenging, but also rewarding.”
Overcoming Challenges When it launched in 2005, the Voice of San Diego was the country’s firstever digital nonprofit news organization to serve a local community. Over the years, the online publication has distinguished itself with plenty of hard-hitting investigations into subjects ranging from politics to sexual misconduct in public schools, and provided readers a platform to discuss issues that impact their daily lives. editorandpublisher.com
10/18/18 3:01 PM
“The biggest challenge we face these days is competition for funding from new nonprofit entities entering the market.”
Besides being a pioneer in both nonprofit and digital media, the Voice also does something a little different from its competitors—it shares its staff-produced content with community organizations and even other publications. As a result, it has built a sustainable business model that relies on sponsors, investment from foundations and support from individuals. The collaboration has also helped build name recognition over the years. Scott Lewis, the Voice’s editor and CEO, says the organization is nothing if not mission driven. The nonprofit structure actually encourages best practices. “Nonprofit organizations are not shareholder owned,” Lewis said. “They’re guided by a board of directors, management of the staff and a mission that they all share. Forprofit companies have a mission to deliver shareholder profits and value. I love the free market and think that this has created some wonderful benefits for society. However, in the news business, the nonprofit structure certainly means that you have to justify your approach—what you cover, why and how deeply—based on your mission and how much it matters.” At the Voice, the mission is pretty straightforward: To consistently deliver groundbreaking investigative journalism for the San Diego region, and to increase civic participation by giving residents the knowledge and in-depth analysis necessary to become advocates for good government and social progress. The Voice has positioned itself as not just a news outlet, but also an advocate for the community. A few years ago, the Voice took this idea a step further with its “What we stand for” credo that was designed to help the board and staff “never veer off course,” or to chase revenue over the core mission. In editorandpublisher.com
+E+P Feature_StateofNonprofit.indd 49
that statement, the Voice makes several pleas related to government transparency and accountability, participation in civic affair, an inclusive arts scene and healthy ecosystem. “I don’t think any other news organization has a similar document,” Lewis said. “I think they all should. Being a nonprofit is not necessarily an advantage, but it’s a way of making sure we’re on track and not chasing things just for profit.” But doing the kind of investigative stories that can inform and realistically enact change can be both timely and costly to non-and for-profit media alike, which is why many nonprofits are seeking to diversify their revenue streams in much bigger ways. “We have major donors, grants from foundations, major sponsors, members and media partners that each provide funding,” Lewis said. “The goal is to not only create more of those sources of funding but to diversify within them—more donors, more members, more sponsors.” Currently, the Voice has about 2,600 individual donors, the folks Lewis calls “the backbone of our sustainability.” The biggest challenge, however, is to reach an audience large enough to build an even more diversified base of financial support that can ultimately serve a diverse community. “If you don’t launch with a lot of capital, then you can get stuck in a dilemma,” Lewis said. “You need to cover a lot of things to make sure that you are relevant to a lot of people, but you can’t cover a lot of things without some money and thus you can’t get money unless you cover a lot of things.” It’s a Catch-22 that most newspapers are or have been caught up in, especially in the
increasingly competitive 24/7 news cycle. News organizations that want to make sure a large metropolitan area like San Diego is properly covered with investigative and public accountability reporting, said Lewis, “need to launch with enough startup funds to make sure they can do a good, diverse job at first. Otherwise it can be a long slog, like what we have had to undertake over the last 13 years.” Lewis said it hasn’t always been easy, but that the number don’t lie. Supporting nonprofit media is within reach if people want it bad enough, he said, and San Diego could conceivably have an investigative journalist in every major “mega-neighborhood” (there are about 60 in the region) for about $8 million per year. “That’s less than the operating cost of a major museum,” Lewis said.
What’s Next? Nonprofit journalism, while still not the norm, is finding an important niche in far-reaching communities, from the largest cities to small towns, any place where audiences crave compelling and reliable news covering the issues that are most important to their own lives. Perhaps one of the most powerful aspects of nonprofit media really comes down to the people who are taking the chances and ultimately making it work. INN’s report stated, “They deploy a substantial body of experienced, expert journalists at a time when other media are cutting back, and the nonprofits increasingly fill the gaps in public information. They are starting to diversify the revenue streams that support this important reporting.” Will it be enough to sustain a news industry that continues to face some of the toughest challenges yet? No one can be sure. But one thing nonprofit news organizations do seem to remind us is that making real progress often means being willing to evolve, and not always in the direction we might expect. As technology and peoples’ expectations continue to shift, it’s likely the future of nonprofit will deliver some very surprising results.
NOVEMBER 2018 | E & P
| 49
10/18/18 3:01 PM
NoLiesKnowTruth.qxp_Layout 1 2/12/18 8:42 AM Page 1
NO LIES
KNOW TRUTH
SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSPAPERS
Stronger the Press, Stronger the People Newspapers strive to ensure the free exchange of information that is accurate, fair and thorough. We fear no one.
E&P is a staunch supporter of the newspaper industry and is dedicated to promoting its success and well-being in the years to come. From time to time, we will print full-page ads such as this, to inspire advertising and marketing ideas — touting the importance of ethical journalism and its value to democracy.
NewsPeople
By Rachael Garcia editor@editorandpublisher.com
Jeffrey Potts has been named senior associate at Cribb, Greene & Cope. Potts has more than 18 years of experience in sales in newspaper publishing, information technology, manufacturing, distribution, and business-to-business service firms. He started in the brokerage profession in 1999 at Dirks, Van Essen & Murray, serving as vice president. In 2009, he founded Gold Country Advisors in Northern California. Previously, Potts held management positions with Freedom Communications, Inc., and served as a business writer for the Desert Sun in Palm Springs, Calif. and USA TODAY. Mike Reilly has resigned from the Omaha WorldHerald , where he served as managing editor, executive editor and Berkshire-Hathaway Media vice president for news. Reilly joined the World-Herald in 1990, starting as a reporter covering local government and eventually becoming the paper’s top editor in 2008. Publisher Susie Biehle and executive editor Debbie Hiott have departed the Austin American-Statesman. Biehle had served as publisher since November 2011. She started her career in 1984 when she became vice president and director of marketing at the Arkansas Gazette. She continued working for Gannett as a top executive in business operations in Detroit and as executive vice
Bill Offill has been named group publisher for three GateHouse Media newspapers in Florida: the Times-Union in Jacksonville, the St. Augustine Record and the Daytona Beach News-Journal. Offill has been publisher of the News-Journal since 2013. Prior to that, he worked at the Houston Chronicle, rising to the executive vice president of sales and marketing position. He then became group publisher over community newspapers in Texas for parent company, Hearst Corp.
president and general manager of USA Today. Hiott started as an intern at the Statesman, rising through editing roles leading metro and state coverage before being promoted to executive editor. Louise Story has been named editor, newsroom strategy, for the Wall Street Journal. In her new role, Story will focus on innovation and strategy, where her team will include audience and analytics, the innovation lab, newsletters and editorial ventures. Previously, Story served as an investigative reporter at the New York Times. She was also a co-author of the Times’s 2014 Innovation Report and was a member of the audience workflow within its 2020 Project. She led Live Video for the Times in 2016 and 2017 and also co-hosted the Times’ TimesCast live video program in 2012. Julie Makinen has been named executive editor of the Desert Sun in Palm Springs, Calif. She succeeds Greg Burton, who is now executive editor of the Arizona Republic. Most recently, she was a fellow at Stan-
Madhulika Sikka has been named executive producer of the Washington Post’s audio team, where she will oversee the creation of a new flagship podcast. Sikka most recently served as public editor at PBS. Prior to that, she was executive editor at NPR News where she worked for nine years and also served as the executive producer of “Morning Edition.” She also served as a television producer at ABC News for 13 years including senior producer at “Nightline” with Ted Koppel.
editorandpublisher.com
+E+P Newspeople.indd 51
ford University and a faculty member at San Jose State University. She has managed newsrooms in Beijing, Hong Kong and Los Angeles. Makinen completed internships at the Palo Alto Weekly and Sacramento Bee before landing a job at the Washington Post in 1994. She would go on to spend six years at the newspaper in different roles, including a turn as Weekend Foreign Editor. In 2001, she joined the Los Angeles Times. She later became deputy business editor for Asia at the international New York Times. Aaron Becher has been named vice president of newspaper operations for Forum Communications Co. based in Fargo, N.D. He succeeds Matt McMillian, who recently accepted a leadership position at another newspaper company. In his new role, Becher will be responsible for more than 30 newspapers in four states. Most recently, he was the general manager of the Forum of Fargo-Moorhead and West Fargo Pioneer. He was named the Forum’s advertising director in 2009 after serving in leadership positions at the company’s Duluth newspaper group since 1997. Beau Campbell has been named vice president of Midwest sales at Siebold Co. Campbell has worked in the newspaper industry for more than 40 years, where he worked in press installations, press additions, press upgrades and press sales worldwide. He also serves on the ING board and is actively involved with several NOVEMBER 2018 | E & P
| 51
10/18/18 3:19 PM
NewsPeople ACQUISITIONS D-R Media and Investments has purchased Sun Publications of Florida from Lakeway Publishers. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. Publications include the Sumter Shopper, the Clermont News Leader, the Four Corners News Leader, the Mt. Dora Triangle News Leader, and the commercial printing operations based in Polk County, Fla. Mundo Hispano Digital Network (MHDN) has acquired Mundo Hispanico from Cox Media Group. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. MHDN is a tech-focused media company created to serve the growth and needs of the U.S. Latino community through its digital and written content, publishing reach and social media network. Mundo Hispanico launched in 1979 and has served as metro Atlanta’s largest Spanish-language newspaper for nearly four decades. Jesse and Sasha Mullen has acquired the Silver State Post in Deer Lodge, Mont. and Philipsburg (Mont.) Mail from Tom and Annie Mullen. The terms of the sale were not disclosed. Tom and Annie’s eldest son, Jesse, is a newspaper veteran, who most recently ran Horizon Publications’ Washington State newspapers. Jesse was the publisher of the Mail in 2004 and is also a co-owner of the Thermopolis Independent in Wyoming. Adams Publishing Group has purchased the assets of Cooke Communications, LLC, based in Greenville, N.C., and in Key West, Fla. The sale includes all print publications, websites and commercial printing operations. The terms of the sale were not disclosed. Schneps Communications has acquired Community News Group and New York City Community Media from Les and Jennifer Goodstein. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. The newly-combined company will be known as Schneps Community News Group and will have a total printed weekly circulation of more than 300,000 copies, a digital reach of more than 2.5 million page views per month, and host more than 40 events every year. CNG and NYCCM is one of the largest publishers of community newspapers, niche publications, websites and events in New York State. Ogden Newspapers has purchased the Observer Publishing Co., based in Washington, Pa., from the Northrop family. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. OPC publishes the daily Observer-Reporter, the weekly Almanac and numerous monthly and special interest magazines. The company also runs a digital advertising agency and produces a series of events.
newspaper associations, including SNPA and Inland Press Association. Matthew Sauer has been named general manager at the Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune. He will continue to oversee the Herald-Tribune’s newsroom and work with the media company’s team of executives. Sauer has been executive editor of the HeraldTribune since May 2017. He joined the 52 |
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
+E+P Newspeople.indd 52
paper in 1993 as a county government and politics reporter. He also served as assistant managing editor of the features and sports department before being promoted in 2014 to deputy managing editor. Therese Bottomly has been named editor and vice president of content at the Oregonian and OregonLive. She began her career as a copy desk intern, and has served in
senior leadership roles at the Oregonian and OregonLive since 1998. She was promoted to senior director of news in 2018 and served as interim editor when editor Mark Katches departed the publication. Patrick Dorsey has been named publisher of the Austin American-Statesman. Dorsey will also continue his role as regional vice president of GateHouse’s Coastal Group, a territory that includes newspapers in Florida, Alabama and now the Statesman in Texas. (Photo by Thomas Bender/HeraldTribune) Greg Maibach has been named vice president, chief revenue officer of CNHI. Maibach joined CNHI a year ago as senior vice president for digital revenue, following several years in similar roles with other digital companies, including Advance Digital. He has also served as director of classified advertising for Cleveland.com and as retail advertising director for the Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal. Tory Brecht has been named editor of the Iowa City Press-Citizen. He succeeds Katie Brumbeloe, who has joined the Cedar Rapids Gazette. In his new role, he will oversee all news content for the Press-Citizen for print and web. Most recently, Brecht served as digital content manager for WQAD News 8 in the Quad Cities. He has worked for weeklies and dailies in Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa, including at the Quad-City Times in Iowa from 2004 to 2010, where he was the municipal reporter for the city of Davenport. Nancy Barnes, editor of the Houston Chronicle, has been appointed 2018-2019 ASNE president. Barnes succeeds Alfredo Carbajal of Al Dia at the Dallas Morning editorandpublisher.com
10/18/18 3:19 PM
NewsPeople Danielle Coffey has been named senior vice president of strategic initiatives and counsel for News Media Alliance. In this role, she will be responsible for maintaining digital partnerships to identify business opportunities and eliminate barriers to a sustainable news industry. Coffey joined the Alliance in 2015 and has focused on the intersection of technology and public policy. She previously worked in the telecom industry for more than 10 years.
News. Also elected to ASNE’s executive committee: George Stanley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel as vice president; Manny Garcia from the USA Today Network as secretary; Robyn Tomlin from the News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C. as treasurer. Five directors were elected for three-year terms: Nicole Caroll, editor-inchief, USA Today; Rick Christie, editorial page editor, the Palm Beach (Fla.) Post; Audrey Cooper, editor-in-chief, San Francisco Chronicle; Brian McGrory, editor, the Boston Globe; and Anne Vasquez, media executive. MJ Smith has been named chief editor for News West Publishing in Bullhead City, Ariz. In her new role, she will be directing content, design and direction of the Mohave Valley Daily News, Laughlin Nevada Times, Needles Desert Star and the Laughlin Entertainer. Smith previously worked for the company from 2005 to 2008 as associate editor of the Laughlin Entertainer and Desert Currents magazine. She also served as the marketing director for the Laughlin Tourism Commission and was promoted to executive director in 2011. Chris Brooks has been named vice president of label products for Heidelberg North America. In this role, Brooks will focus directly on the integration of Gallus into Heidelberg North America and editorandpublisher.com
+E+P Newspeople.indd 53
is responsible for expanding the Gallus product line in the United States and Canada. Brooks has spent 24 years in the printing industry, including working in the web offset segment with the former Heidelberg Web Systems, now manroland Goss web systems. Jeffrey M. Peyton has been appointed vice president of Lakeway Publishers of Missouri, Inc. He succeeds Walt Gilbert, who retired after 50 years in journalism. Peyton joined Lakeway in May 2018 as publisher of the Lincoln County Journal, Troy Free Press and Lake St. Louis Newstime. Jacqueline Alemany, a White House reporter, has been named anchor to “Power Up,” a morning newsletter from the Washington Post that will feature relevant news on the White House, Capitol Hill, government agencies, the Pentagon and more. Alemany has covered the White House for CBS News since President Trump’s inauguration. Prior to that, she was a digital journalist on the presidential campaign trail. She has also worked as a digital producer for “60 Minutes” and a broadcast associate for the CBS Sunday show, “Face the Nation.” Jamey Honeycutt has been named publisher of five community newspapers in Missouri: the Bolivar Herald-Free Press, Ce-
dar County Republican at Stockton, Buffalo Reflex, the Marshfield Mail and Christian County Headliner News in Ozark. He succeeds Dave Berry, who has retired. Most recently, Honeycutt served as senior group publisher with GateHouse Media, overseeing newspapers in three states. He has also been group publisher of weeklies in Tulsa, Okla. He also served as president and publisher of Smith Newspapers, and publisher of the Stuttgart (Ark.) Daily Leader, the Cibola County Beacon in Grants, N.M., and a twice weekly in Walterboro, S.C. Chris Etling has been named managing editor of the Arizona Daily Sun. Etling has been with the paper for 10 years, where he started as a copy editor and page designer, and worked his way up to associate editor. In his new role, Etling will oversee newsroom content and stories, in addition to managing page designs and editing copy. Terrence Alexander has been named senior vice president for human resources for CNHI. He has more than 20 years of HR experience. He joined CNHI five years ago as human resources manager before being promoted to director of human resources. Prior to that, he worked for Alfa Insurance.
Thomas Tash has been named marketing manager of Dream Local Digital. He previously worked as a marketing strategist for Dream Local Digital from 2014 to 2016. Tash rejoined the company after leading the marketing departments for two startups. In his new position, he will look for ways to integrate new tools, platforms, workflows, and efficiencies to optimize the company’s marketing efforts and help empower media partners across North America. NOVEMBER 2018 | E & P
| 53
10/18/18 3:19 PM
Business Directory
Companies that provide publishing leaders products and services that help save time, generate new revenue models and strengthen existing ones. AccountScout publishers to manage the accounting, billing, and production of their newspaper or media company. Dashboards, task-lists, and
Optimize archives with online platform With the ArchiveInABox for Publishers platform you can archive your weekly PDF editions and “born digital” website articles along with scans from microfilm or bound volumes on your own, dedicated website.
app for media companies nies give access to your data, w e. no matter where you are. ® A Software Company that Cares About the Details
303-791-3301 www.FakeBrains.com www. ww w FakkeBrains.com w. m
ArchiveInABox for Publishers is Free for Weeklies! There’s a dashboard where you can set public release embargo, include links to your other web properties, and customize your branding. The platform is compatible with CMS systems and even simple WordPress websites. Get your archives organized and accessible with ArchiveInABox for Publishers. Phone: 360-427-6300 Website: www.archiveinabox.com
+Biz Directory.indd 54
10/18/18 3:23 PM
Advance Your Publication Operations
New!
VisionWeb Ad Tracking
TOTAL ADVERTISING
Simple single screen entry and advanced rating engine easily handles complex sales of retail, classified, online, preprints, special sales packages for print and digital.
TOTAL CIRCULATION
Designed to simplify the complexities of today’s print, digital and blended subscription models, system handles postal reporting, mapping, EZ-pay, user friendly CSR, accounting, TMC, etc.
TOTAL PRODUCTION
VisionWeb Ad Tracking system, manages production and streamlines ad creation. Classified Pagination/Publication Layout links to InDesign and speeds publication configuration.
TOTAL ACCOUNTING
Accounts Payable/General Ledger was designed to meet the specific needs of the publishing industry. The user friendly screens employ solid accounting principles to simply and efficiently handle your accounting.
www.vdata.com ● sales@vdata.com ● 1518.434.2193 E&P Directory-Cusstomer Marketplace Portal:E&P Directory Ad-Leverage 5/15/18 10:59 AM Page
+Biz Directory.indd 55
10/18/18 3:23 PM
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Phone: 800-887-1615
Brokers / Appraisers
E-mail: classifieds@editorandpublisher.com
Brokers / Appraisers
Brokers / Appraisers
Fax: 866-605-2323
Brokers / Appraisers
FOR SALE BY KAMENGROUP.COM: Sierra County, New Mexico, San Diego,CA, Charleston, SC, St Louis, MO, Tacoma, WA, Austin, TX, San Jose, CA, Rhode Island & Florida weekly newspapers for sale. National boating/fishing mag, NY/NJ equine magazine, SC Group of titles avail. Oregon, Ohio, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Arkansas & Texas Daily newspapers seek new owners. Outdoors title from Midwest listed. KAMENGROUP.COM • info@kamengroup.com. Discover the current market value of your publishing entity. Plan ahead and schedule your multi media financial valuation! 516-242-2857
I f y ou ar e r eading this , so ar e y our p ot en tial cust omers! To advertise, call 1-800-887-1615 Help Wanted
Help Wanted
CIRCULATION DIRECTOR:Multi-faceted local media group seeks department head to join the leadership team. This position requires a minimum of 10 years experience in circulation sales, distribution and marketing, budgets, AAM rules and regulations. We are looking for a person who believes in excellent customer relations and is forward thinking in revenue growth opportunities. Background in a competitive market would be preferred but not essential. Contact Mike Murray, Publisher, Times Leader Media Group, Wilkes-Barre, PA, mmurray@timesleader.com TIMES LEADER MEDIA GROUP CITY EDITOR: The Williamsport Sun-Gazette is seeking a seasoned news veteran with editing experience to be its next city editor. The city editor is responsible for setting priorities and directing staff to provide readers with excellent journalism and maximize the growth of the Sun-Gazette audience in this critical area. Now in our 217th year of continuous publication, we are a seven-day morning newspaper in a small city in north central Pennsylvania that covers a daily mix of urban, suburban and rural issues. In this role, you will assign and direct individual stories and reporting projects that offer SunGazette readers up-to-the-minute news and the emerging, important trends that affect their communities. You will act as a mentor to young reporters, providing guidance and building skills for the staff. The city editor should love the news business and be able to pass on that enthusiasm to get the story, get it right and make it essential reading. This person will help guide our staff on a daily mission to hold public officials and institutions accountable. We are looking for an experienced editor with rock-solid news judgement who can help reporters look beyond the obvious, see the big picture, ask pointed questions and get answers, file open records requests and find and interpret data. The job also entails daily planning, updating and management of our website, and some pagination. If you are right for this challenge, this is how we would describe you: You have, or can quickly develop, a deep understanding of the region, its major issues and its recent history so the city desk can provide informed and insightful coverage. You have strong leadership skills, the ability to work on multiple projects with different focuses in quick succession and a willingness to learn. Your news judgment is solid; you thrive in a fast-paced environment and are committed to journalism and its role in ensuring a free and informed society. Knowledge of public records law and courage to push boundaries with public officials when appropriate are important. Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree and at least five years’ experience in journalism. Management experience preferred. Some experience with video and multimedia storytelling a definite plus.
Please tell them you saw it in 56 |
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
+Classifieds.indd 56
®
This is a full-time, salaried position with paid vacation, holiday and sick days, benefits package and future advancement opportunities. To apply, please send a resume, five clips that include two of your own writing and three stories you’ve edited, and a cover letter explaining your management style and goals as city editor to llee@sungazette.com. Please put “city editor position” in the subject line.
editorandpublisher.com
10/18/18 3:28 PM
Phone: 800-887-1615
Help Wanted
Help Wanted
CONTROLLER: Cowles Company is looking for a key contributor to join its leadership team as Controller for The Spokesman-Review. The Spokesman-Review is the largest and most read newspaper in the Inland Northwest and is a legacy company for the family owned and operated Cowles Company. What began over 100 years ago as a regional newspaper has grown into a thriving and expanding privately-owned group under leadership of the fourth generation of the Cowles family. This position offers a unique opportunity to work primarily with a legacy print media company and collaborate with the diverse industries developed and invested in by the family for future generations and beyond. As Controller of The Spokesman-Review, you will be responsible for revenue planning, internal financial reporting, operating financial analysis, development and management of the organization’s budget process, external audit package preparation and rolling forecast and long-range planning. This position leads an accounting department team of approximately six employees that provide accounting services to the Spokesman-Review and its affiliated subsidiary corporations. Please visit our careers website to learn more and to apply: https://careers.cowlesco.com
LEAD PRESSMAN / MAINTENANCE: The Killeen Daily Herald has an immediate full time opening for a pressman-maintenance person. This person must have working knowledge of all aspects of printing on a DGM 850 or Urbanite Press to include plating, hanging plates, roll tending, inking, registration, etc. This person must be able to troubleshoot, have mechanical skills, and be able to work flexible hours. This position will report directly to the operations manager. The Killeen Daily Herald prints two daily newspaper with three weeklies and also produces extensive commercial work. Located in the heart of Texas at Fort Hood’s front door, Killeen is a city of 130,000 population and about an hour from Austin and two hours from Dallas. We offer an excellent salary, great benefits, paid vacation, sick leave and profit sharing. We’re looking to move quickly in adding the right person to our team.To apply, email donna.sypion@kdhnews.com.
MANAGING EDITOR: The Times Mail is seeking a hands-on leader to oversee news operations. The managing editor must be able to plan daily coverage, coach and motivate staff, lead the transition to digital and demonstrate writing and reporting ability. The successful candidate will be committed to community journalism and comfortable interacting with readers and community leaders in Bedford and surrounding areas in southern Indiana. Essential Functions: • Manage the news department operations • Plan, assign, and edit news stories daily • Must be able to make editorial judgments on tight deadlines • Report and copy edit stories on deadline. • Manage and coach newsroom staff, approve timecards, disciplinary procedures, perform job evaluations, make hiring decisions. • Attend weekly department head meetings • Lead daily staff meetings and assign stories for daily paper • Interact with the community and co-workers on a regular basis • Responsible for newsroom budget, expense control • Help set editorial policy • Work with other company managers on cross-departmental strategies, product development and overall projects • Write editorials • Serve on editorial board This position offers a full range of benefits, including group health & dental insurance, 401(k) program with company match, generous PTO, company funded short and long term disability, and more. The Times Mail is a subsidiary of Schurz Communications. At Schurz, we invest in you, always striving for continuous growth and development in an effort to meet the needs and wants of readers, listeners, viewers, users, and advertisers. Our company’s strength mirrors the strength of our communities. We support our local communities as a good corporate citizen and encourage active involvement. We are committed to providing an environment that gives our employees the opportunity to achieve their potential. We believe that talented and dedicated employees have made our company successful in the past and are the hope of the future. We value our reputation for honesty and fairness. Our credibility and integrity will never be sacrificed to achieve other objectives.
Help Wanted
Fax: 866-605-2323
Help Wanted
REGIONAL PUBLISHER: GateHouse Media is seeking a successful, growth-focused Regional Publisher to serve as the direct leader/Publisher for The Gainesville Sun and the Ocala Star Banner newspapers, located in Gainesville and Ocala, Florida, respectively, as well as regionally responsible for a collection of other newspapers located in the South. The Publisher is responsible for the strategic, financial and operational success of all phases of the enterprise. We are seeking a proven leader with excellent management skills, who is a strategic thinker and who can work with the leadership team to develop and execute plans and meet projected revenue and expense goals. Our ideal candidate has experience delivering results in both traditional and new media environments, driving digital and print advertising sales, developing ancillary revenue streams, ensuring the continued excellence of editorial content, and being involved in community events and organizations. The person should be proactive and digitally savvy. Desired Skills & Experience To be successful you will need: • College degree in business, marketing, advertising or other relevant area and/or an equivalent combination of education and experience. • At least five years of experience at the publisher level or higher, including P&L responsibility, with a proven track record of high-performance and consistent results. • Substantial advertising experience in the newspaper industry, with the ability to drive digital growth and increase revenue. • Experience in digital journalism with innovative content and delivery. • Exceptional communication, leadership, relationship-building, time management and planning skills. Community & Company Description Gainesville is located in north-central Florida and is home to the University of Florida and UF’s Gators. As a university community, Gainesville is a friendly, progressive community that has been named one of the Best Places to live in the US. Ocala is located about 45 minutes south of Gainesville and has pastoral horse farms, scenic outdoor recreation venues, oak-strewn streets, and is within short driving distance from both Florida coasts and Orlando-area attractions. GateHouse Media is one of the largest publishers of locally-based media in the nation. As of August 2018, we publish 145 daily newspapers, 340 community publications and more than 570 local market websites that reach more than 23 million people each week. You’ll find our publications in 37 states. Application If you want to be part of an award-winning company that is set for growth, apply by submitting a cover letter and resume to HR@gvillesun.com. Successful candidates will be required to complete a pre-employment drug screen, motor vehicle records check and background check. This position will offer a competitive salary, bonus opportunities and a comprehensive benefits plan that includes paid time off, medical, dental, vision, life, STD, LTD, and 401K. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity in our workforce.
REPORTER - MULTI-MEDIA: The Daily Iberian is looking for a general assignment reporter who can produce work in print, online, video, photo and social media. The Daily Iberian, is a 6,000 circulation, 6-day per week newspaper in New Iberia, Louisiana. We are located in the heart of Cajun Country, home of great food, festivals and close to major Louisiana cities such as New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette. We’re a small newsroom so you could be assigned anything from schools to features to sports. You will write, take photos and video, and will be comfortable posting online and using social media. We also guarantee you’ll fall in love with the area. We are looking for stories that help set the agenda, that address uncomfortable issues, are relevant and meaningful, and that tell the rest of the state what we’re all about. Our staff is experienced and enthusiastic about good journalism and serving the community through meaningful work. The successful candidate will have newsroom reporting experience; bachelor’s degree in journalism or comparable field; experience with social media, video and photography; experience with a Mac-based system; strong knowledge of AP style and grammar; clean, consistent, accurate writer. This is a non-exempt position; nights and weekend work as needed. As part of Wick Communications, we offer a competitive package of pay and benefits, including medical, dental vision and 401(k). Visit http://www.wickcommunications.com and www.iberianet.com. Interested? Send a resume and clips with a cover letter laying out what you can bring to the table to Raymond Partsch III, Managing Editor, The Daily Iberian, raymond.partsch@daily-iberian.com
To apply, email resume and cover letter to: ldhensley@heraldt.com.
Call & ask about our 3, 6 and 12 insertion advertising packages, 1-800-887-1615. editorandpublisher.com
+Classifieds.indd 57
“I’m extremely pleased with the fantastic results we receive from advertising in E&P.” - Kevin B. Kamen, Kamen & Co. Group Services NOVEMBER 2018 | E & P
| 57
10/18/18 3:28 PM
shoptalk /commentary We Can Save Democracy From Destructive Digital Threats By Edward Greenspon and Taylor Owen
A
decade ago, governments and regulators allowed Wall Street to run amok in the name of innovation and freedom until millions of jobs were lost, families were forced from their homes and trust in the financial system was decimated. Today, the same kinds of systemic risks— so-called because the damage ripples way beyond its point of origin—are convulsing the information markets that feed our democracy. The growth of the internet has resulted in tremendous opportunities for previously marginalized groups to gain voice, but an absence of a public-interest governance regime or even a civic-minded business ethos has resulted in a flood of disinformation and hate propagated by geopolitical, ideological, partisan and commercial operatives. The result is that the giant digital platforms that now constitute a new public sphere are far too often being used to weaponize information, with a goal of deepening social divisions, fostering unrest and ultimately undermining democratic institutions and social cohesion. As we’ve seen in other countries, the integrity of elections themselves are at risk. What can be done? Some people say we need to invest in digital literacy. This is true, as is the broader need to increase civic knowledge and sharpen critical thinking skills. Yet this isn’t sufficient in itself. When Lake Erie was badly polluted a generation ago, signs were erected along the beaches warning swimmers to stay out of the water. But governments also passed laws and enforced regulations to get at the source of the pollution. Others say these issues are not present in Canada. That would be a welcome kind
of exceptionalism if remotely true. But misogynists, racists and other hate groups foment resentment online against female politicians and just about anyone else. Both the Quebec City mosque shooter and the suspect in the Toronto van attack were at least partially radicalized via the internet. That said, research into digital threats to our democracy is so thin in this country that we know almost nothing about who is purchasing our attention or exploiting our media ecosystem. There’s certainly no basis for complacency about protecting Canada’s 2019 federal election against attacks that would never be tolerated if they manifested themselves physically rather than digitally. Here are some measures that merit serious consideration. The Elections Act needs to be reformed to bring complete transparency to digital advertising. Publishers and broadcasters are legally obligated to inform their audiences about who purchases political ads in election campaigns. Canadians have the same right to know about who is paying for digital ads and to whom they are being targeted. Secondly, we need to do more to make sure that individuals exercise greater sovereignty over the data collected on them and then resold to advertisers or to the Cambridge Analyticas of the world. This means data profiles must be exportable by users, algorithms and AI must be explained, and consent must be freely, clearly and repeatedly given—not coerced through denial of services. Thirdly, platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter need to be made liable to the same legal obligations as newspapers and broadcasters for defamation, hate and the like. Some people say this would amount to governments get-
ting into the censorship business. That’s simply wrong; newspaper publishers and editors abide by these laws—or face the consequences—without consulting government minders. These digital platforms use algorithms to perform the same functions as editors: deciding what readers will see what content and with what prominence. A fake news law would be a trickier proposition, but it is not impossible to think anew about a statute that existed in Canada’s Criminal Code from 1892 to 1992, until it was deemed unconstitutional in a split decision. It said that anyone who “wilfully publishes a statement, tale or news that he knows is false and that causes or is likely to cause injury or mischief to a public interest is guilty of an indictable offence.” The key words here are “wilfully” and causing “injury” to the public interest. We’re not sure such a measure is warranted, but as with the 1960s commission that recommended hate laws in Canada, we think it’s worth public discussion. In the new digital public sphere, hate runs rampant, falsehood often outperforms truth, emotion trumps reason, extremism muscles out moderation. These aren’t accidents. They are products of particular structures and incentives. Let’s get with the program before democracy has its own Great Recession. Edward Greenspon is president of the Public Policy Forum, based in Ottawa, Canada and a former editor-in chief of the Globe and Mail. Taylor Owen is an assistant professor of digital media and global affairs at the University of British Columbia. This article originally appeared in the Globe and Mail.
Printed in the USA. Vol. 151, No 11, EDITOR & PUBLISHER (ISSN: 0013-094X, USPS: 168-120) is published 12 times a year. Regular issues are published monthly by Duncan McIntosh Co. Inc., 18475 Bandilier Circle, Fountain Valley, CA, 92708-7000; Editorial and Advertising (949) 660-6150. Periodicals postage paid at Fountain Valley, CA 92708, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Please send address changes to: EDITOR & PUBLISHER. P.O. Box 25859, Santa Ana, CA 92799-5859. Copyright 2018, Duncan McIntosh Co. Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Subscription Price: U.S. and its possessions, $99.00 per year, additional postage for Canada & foreign countries $20.00 per year. Single copy price $8.95 in the U.S. only; Back issues, $12.95 (in the U.S. only) includes postage and handling. Canada Post: Publication Mail Agreement No. 40612608. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 682. Subscriber Services (888) 732-7323; Customer Service Email: circulation@editorandpublisher.com.
58 |
+shoptalk.indd 58
E & P | NOVEMBER 2018
editorandpublisher.com
10/18/18 3:30 PM
EPDataBookFPadCloseOut18.qxp_Layout 1 10/12/18 11:56 AM Page 1
End-of-Year
Published since 1921
Close-Out
Only 200 sets left in stock! Act now!
The Most Comprehensive and Accurate Source Book of Its Kind The 2018 DataBook contains tens of thousands of facts for more than 8,000 daily and weekly U.S. and Canadian newspapers with a combined circulation of 110.2 million!
Dailies
2 Vol. (2 Book) Set
Over 1,700 Pages • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Details about Daily and Weekly Newspapers Who's Where Contact Directory of Industry Professionals Specialty & Niche Papers Newspaper Groups, Associations, Organizations and Services to the Industry Advertising Representatives and Newspaper Brokers Ethnic and Religious Newspapers Black, Latino and Jewish Newspapers College and University Newspapers + Schools of Journalism Military Newspapers Alternative Newspapers Gay and Lesbian Newspapers Parenting, Real Estate and Senior Publications News, Pictures and Syndicated Services
Included Included Included Included Included Included Included Included Included Included Included Included Included
Now only
Total price for the 2-volume (2 book) set, includes shipping
$
189*$389
*Shipping to the U.S. and its territories only. For Canadian orders, add $65 per set. For International orders, add $85 per set.
While supplies last!
Weeklies
Order Toll Free: (888) 732-7323 (949) 660-6150, ext. 240 (outside U.S.) 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., M-F (PT)
Order Online: editorandpublisher.com/db18
L-E & P full page:Layout 1 10/9/18 2:33 PM Page 1