May 2014 - Tennessee Press Association

Transcription

May 2014
Volume 77
INSIDE
EXTRA, EXTRA!!
The Smokies are calling you!
By ROBYN GENTILE
4-page Summer Convention
Preview
President’s letter
Call out the candidates
Page 2
Accolades
Member papers win awards;
Tenn. students haul them in, too
Pages 3, 4
Tracks
Who’s coming and going in the
industry
Page 5
Remembering Gail Kerr
Her obituary and her legacy
Page 6
Times Free Press named
Pulitzer finalist Page 7
Obituaries
Richard ‘Rikki’ Frederick Hall,
Lauren B. Smith, James L.
Mooney Jr., Jack Gunter, Loraine
Slimp, Edwina Napier
Page 8
No. 11
Member Services Manager
Excitement is building at TPA
for the Summer Convention, June
5-7 in Gatlinburg, and we hope it
is building with you, too! It is just
over a month away, and it offers so
much value for our members and
fun for all.
“Our committee has put together
an outstanding slate of speakers.
We have a jam-packed schedule on
key topics dealing with both the traditional newspaper and the digital
products,” said Jana Thomasson,
chair of the convention committee
and publisher of The Mountain
Press in Sevierville.
“In addition, there’s plenty of fun
to be had in the mountains, a picnic
at Dollywood, a golf tournament,
strolling the streets of Gatlinburg
or just some outlet shopping,” she
added.
Fun for all
Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge
offer plenty of amusement, but
convention attendees will have a
special opportunity on Friday to
enjoy a golf outing or spend the day
at Dollywood. And don’t miss the
party that evening to celebrate the
installation of TPA’s new president.
See CONVENTION, Page 2
Education
The convention offers 11 educational sessions for publishers,
editors, reporters, ad managers and
circulation managers. (Inserted in
this edition is the full convention
brochure.)
Topics include:
• What is really going on in
the newspaper industry, a
keynote by Kevin Slimp
• Retailer Panel to discuss
overall marketing strategies
• Cell phone journalism
• Growing circulation
• Paywalls
• Marketing events
• Open government
• Contests & promotions
• Newspaper digital
offerings
• Hot Ideas exchange
Networking
Adding to the excitement and
networking opportunities of the
convention is the invitation to
members of the Kentucky Press Association to participate. Conventions
in Gatlinburg traditionally include
an invitation to KPA, and we look
forward to renewing friendships
and making new ones.
Photos courtesy of Gatlinburg Convention & Visitors Bureau
Page 2 • The Tennessee Press • May 2014
Call out the candidates
(USPS 616-460)
Published monthly by the
TENNESSEE PRESS SERVICE, INC.
for the
TENNESSEE PRESS ASSOCIATION, INC.
435 Montbrook Lane
Knoxville, Tennessee 37919
Telephone (865) 584-5761/Fax (865) 558-8687/www.tnpress.com
Subscriptions: $6 annually
Periodicals Postage Paid At Knoxville, TN
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Tennessee Press,
435 Montbrook Lane, Knoxville, TN 37919.
The Tennessee Press is printed by The Standard Banner
in Jefferson City, Tenn.
Greg M. Sherrill ................................................................................................................................. Editor
Amelia Morrison Hipps ...................................................................................... Managing Editor
Robyn Gentile .......................................................................................... Production Coordinator
Angelique Dunn ....................................................................................................................... Assistant
The Tennessee Press
is printed on recycled paper
and is recyclable.
The Tennessee Press can be read on
www.tnpress.com
OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE TENNESSEE PRESS ASSOCIATION
TENNESSEE PRESS ASSOCIATION
Lynn Richardson, Elizabethton Star ........................................................................................President
Jason P. Taylor, Chattanooga Times Free Press .......................................................... Vice President
Joel Washburn, The McKenzie Banner ......................................................................... Vice President
John Finney, Buffalo River Review, Linden ...........................................................................Treasurer
Greg M. Sherrill, Knoxville ...................................................................................... Executive Director
DIRECTORS
Keith Wilson, Kingsport Times-News ................................................................................... District 1
Jack McElroy, News Sentinel, Knoxville ................................................................................ District 2
Chris Vass, Chattanooga Times Free Press ........................................................................... District 3
Darren Oliver, Overton County News, Livingston ............................................................ District 4
Hugh Jones, Shelbyville Times-Gazette ................................................................................. District 5
Jesse Lindsey, The Lebanon Democrat ................................................................................... District 6
Mark Palmer, The Daily Herald, Columbia .......................................................................... District 7
Brad Franklin, The Lexington Progress ................................................................................. District 8
Daniel Richardson, Magic Valley Publishing, Camden ................................................... District 9
Eric Barnes, The Daily News, Memphis ...............................................................................District 10
Michael B. Williams ......................................................................................Immediate Past President
Tennesseans need to take full
advantage of opportunities they will
have across the state during this
election year – the opportunities
most of our Tennessee newspapers
provide for them to know more
about the candidates running for
office in their local elections.
In addition to working with the
various candidates and helping them
place their campaign advertising in our publications,
many of our newspapers also host forums and run
extensive articles and interviews with candidates.
It is an important service that we provide to our
communities, which in most cases, no one else offers.
In our community, candidates have been invited by
members of a local citizen’s group to come and take
part in a forum the group has organized, set to take
place in a local school’s auditorium. We have helped
publicize it, and of course, we will be there to cover the
event.
Each candidate will have three minutes to plead
their case to those present telling their story as persuasively and succinctly as they can.
At this point, we aren’t sure how many candidates
will accept the invitation to come and speak their
piece. But one thing is certain – those who make the
choice not to attend will be saying just as much as the
ones who do take the stage.
We are making a big deal of pushing them all to
participate. We think it’s important, that we as a newspaper be the voice of vigorous persuasion in matters of
this kind.
Here’s what we’re telling our candidates, in a very
public way, up here in Northeast Tennessee:
Being shy isn’t an option when you decide to
throw your hat in the ring as a political candidate.
That’s why we call it “public” office. When you
filed your papers with the election commission, you
signed a proclamation of your desire to serve and
respond to your community.
Whether you’re a polished speaker or a novice
behind the podium is quite beside the point. The
point is whether or not you’re willing to come out
and meet us – the voters. After all, we have some
very important decisions to make.
Allowing your community to get to know you
better, expressing your views and introducing
yourself is important. While three minutes isn’t a
great deal of time to explain your platform, if you
CONVENTION, from Page 1
TENNESSEE PRESS SERVICE
Victor Parkins, The Milan Mirror-Exchange ......................................................................President
Jason P. Taylor, Chattanooga Times Free Press .......................................................... Vice President
Ralph C. Baldwin, Jones Media Inc., Greeneville ................................................................ Director
David Critchlow Jr., Union City Daily Messenger ............................................................... Director
Jeffrey D. Fishman, Tullahoma News ....................................................................................... Director
Jana Thomasson, The Mountain Press, Sevierville ............................................................. Director
Greg M. Sherrill ............................................................................................... Executive Vice President
TENNESSEE PRESS ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION
Gregg K. Jones, The Greeneville Sun .......................................................................................President
Victor Parkins, The Milan Mirror-Exchange ............................................................ Vice President
Richard L. Hollow, Knoxville ...................................................................................... General Counsel
Greg M. Sherrill ......................................................................................................... Secretary-Treasurer
CONTACT THE MANAGING EDITOR
TPAers with suggestions, questions or comments about items in The Tennessee Press are
welcome to contact the managing editor. Call Amelia Morrison Hipps, (615) 442-8667;
send a note to 1260 Trousdale Ferry Pike, Lebanon, TN 37087, or email editor@tnpress.
com. The deadline for the June issue is Monday, May 5.
YOUR
PRESIDING
REPORTER
LYNN J. RICHARDSON
Are we calling them out?
You bet we are.
One of the local organizers is calling this election
the most important one in 45 years. We don’t know
about that, but make no mistake about it: Every single
election should be important to all of us.
Apathy has taken hold of our voting public. Either
we don’t vote at all or we rely far too much on advice
from our neighbors and our cousin’s uncle’s sister to
tell us for whom we should vote.
Name recognition has become the ultimate endorsement for office, rather than solid qualifications and
experience.
By providing thorough coverage, supporting and,
in some cases, sponsoring events such as this, we are
offering our communities the opportunity to hear and
see who these candidates are and what they stand for.
Here locally, we don’t know how this forum will
turn out. We don’t know how many candidates will
show up or what the ones in attendance will say when
they get there.
But one thing is certain: our state needs leadership
– strong, fair and honest leadership – at all levels of
government. We owe it to our communities to provide
opportunities for our citizens to learn more about candidates’ positions on crucial issues, whether in print or
in person.
We should also be taking notes and making an issue
of the ones who don’t bother to show up for events or
are reluctant to respond to interviews we request.
This is an important election year and the search is
on – for those who have the character and the qualities
required to help Tennessee move forward – at the local
level and beyond.
Our Tennessee newspapers have the awesome responsibility to help our readers get to know the people
who are asking for their votes. Nothing could be more
important right now.
Lynn J. Richardson is publisher of the Elizabethton
Star in Elizabethton.
Trustees will meet and the TPS
Stockholders (all member newspapers) will gather for the annual
meeting and election of directors.
Welcoming a new
president
Association business
TPA, the Tennessee Press Service
and the Tennessee Press Association Foundation all have business
to conduct during the convention.
TPA’s Board of Directors will meet.
TPA members will vote on new
officers and directors at the Business
Session, while the TPAF Board of
stay on point, you should be able to
offer up a pretty fair description of
your background, experience and
qualifications.
That amount of time should also
give you plenty of time to express
what you consider to be the biggest
issues facing our local government.
TPA will install a new president
during the convention. TPA President Lynn Richardson will pass the
gavel to Jason P. Taylor, publisher
and president of the Chattanooga
Times Free Press. Taylor has served
as vice president of dailies for two
years and is slated for nomination
as TPA’s 2014-15 president.
Convention registration materials
and complete information can be
found online at www.tnpress.com/
summerconvention.html.
Hotel
Attendees are encouraged to
make reservations early with The
Park Vista Hotel. Gatlinburg is a
popular summer resort and the only
rooms left for June 6 are in TPA’s
block. Contact The Park Vista at
(800) 421-7275. TPA’s rate is $114
plus tax, per night. The rate code is
TNP. The deadline is Friday, May 9.
We hope you will make plans
now to join us!
REGISTRATION
For details
see packet
mailed in
April or
scan this
QRC with your mobile device.
May 2014 • The Tennessee Press • Page 3
ACCOLADES
FOR YOUR CALENDAR
The Commercial Appeal claims ASNE award
for retracing King’s final steps in Memphis
The American Society of Newspaper Editors today awarded the
Punch Sulzberger Award to The
Commercial Appeal for its work
last year retracing Dr. Martin
Luther King’s
final 32 hours in
Memphis.
The national
honor, named for
Perrusquia
former New York
Times publisher
Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, recognizes
excellence in digital storytelling
and was awarded to the CA’s Marc
Perrusquia,
a longtime
investigative
reporter, and
photographer Jeff
McAdory.
Their work,
entitled ‘six:01,’
led readers
McAdory
through King’s
last 32 hours in
Memphis, from the moment he
landed at Memphis International
Airport on April 3, 1968 until his
death on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel at 6:01 p.m. the following day. The story was published
last April on the 45th anniversary
of King’s death.
“The Commercial Appeal took
the death of Martin Luther King Jr.
dogged pursuit of public records,
authoritative interviewing, artful
storytelling and skilled photography,” said Louis Graham, editor
of The Commercial Appeal. “The
creative, interactive digital presentation gave it wings. We could not
be prouder the ASNE judges found
it worthy of national recognition.”
The award carries a $2,500
prize.
The Commercial Appeal
April 14, 2014
To read the story, go to http://
media.commercialappeal.com/mlk/
or scan the QRC below with your
mobile device.
further than any news organization had done before, digging deep
into archives to uncover how the
day unraveled for one of America’s
most noteworthy figures,” read the
judges’ comments.
“Judges thought they had read
everything that could be written
about MLK; this innovative online
presentation proved them wrong.
Riveting and powerful, it was best
in class.”
Their work was chosen over
two other finalists, the Tampa Bay
Times and ProPublica, an indepen-
Three Tennessean staffers
win national SPJ awards
By BRIAN WILSON
The Tennessean, April 16, 2014
Three Tennessean staffers won
top national honors from the Society
of Professional Journalists on April
16.
Staff writers
Nate Rau and
Jessica Bliss won
the award for
non-deadline reporting for “txt +
drving = risk,” a
special section foRau
cused on texting
while driving that
published in September 2013.
Longtime photographer John Partipilo also won the organization’s
feature photography award for his
Rural Tennessee project published
in November 2013.
The SPJ’s
Sigma Delta Chi
awards are given
annually to news
organizations
across the country.
The Tennessean joined the Wall
Bliss
Street Journal,
The Washington
Post and The Washington Times
as the only newspapers who won
multiple Sigma Delta Chi awards on
Wednesday.
“It is a great honor for John to be
recognized for his stunning photography, and for Nate and Jessica to
be recognized for their compelling
project,” said Maria De Varenne,
editor and news director of The
See TENNESSEAN, Page 6
dent, nonprofit investigative unit
that operates from New York City
and shares its content with publications around the country.
“six:01 was born from the best
traditional print journalism offers:
What
Award
Will
You
Bring Home?
Who: TPA Members
What: 2014 UT-TPA State Press Contests
When: Friday, July 11, noon
Where: Embassy Suites Nashville Airport Hotel
Why: Because you’re winners!
* Winners will be notified of an award, but not placement, by letter
from TPA on May 19.
MAY
1-2: TPA Advertising/Circulation
Conference, Chattanooga
11-13: International Newspaper
Marketing Association World
Congress at The Fairmont, San
Francisco, CA
15-17: Southern Circulation
Managers Association
Conference, Orlando, Fla.
24: 68th Annual National
Cartoonists Society Reuben
Awards event, San Diego
JUNE
5-7: TPA 145th Anniversary
Summer Convention,
Gatlinburg
16-18: American Jewish Press
Association Annual
Conference, Cleveland, OH
25-29: International Society of
Weekly Newspaper Editors
Conference at Fort Lewis
College, Durango, Colo.
26-29: Investigative Reporters
and Editors Conference,
San Francisco
JULY
11: UT-TPA State Press Contests
Awards Luncheon, Nashville
30-Aug. 3: National Association
of Black Journalists
Convention and Career Fair,
Boston
AUGUST
4-8: Newspaper Association
Managers Annual Conference,
Nashville
6-9: Association for Education
in Journalism and Mass
Communication Convention,
Montreal, Canada
SEPTEMBER
4-6: National SPJ Excellence
in Journalism Conference,
Nashville
4-6: The National Federation
of Press Women annual
convention.
13-16: Asian American
Journalism Association 25th
Annual Convention at the
Renaissance Washington, DC
Downtown Hotel.
14-16: SNPA’s Carmage Walls
Leadership Forum, Galveston,
Texas
15-17: American Society of
Newspaper Editors Annual
Conference at Chicago.
18: Second Annual TPAF/KY
Press Golf Tournament,
Kentucky
ACCOLADES
Tenn. universities bring home awards in the SEJC “Best of the South” 2013 contest
By SEJC ADMINISTRATION
Feb. 26, 2014
LAFAYETTE, La. — The Southeastern Journalism Conference
presented its 2013 “Best of the
South” contest winners at its annual
convention, hosted by The University of Louisiana at Lafayette on Feb.
20-22.
The awards were chosen from
440 qualified entries from 35 universities. Overall, 169 students from
34 universities were ranked in the
30 “Best of the South” categories.
The SEJC consists of 51 member
universities in Alabama, Arkansas,
Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and
Tennessee.
The SEJC chose Tomi Parrish,
journalism instructor and coordinator of the Office of Student Media
at The University of Tennessee at
Martin, as Educator of the Year.
Tennessee State University came
in second for the most overall
awards with 17, just two behind the
University of Mississippi’s 19.
Other Tennessee schools in the
final rankings were:
• Troy University, 13
• Lipscomb University, 10
• University of Tennessee at
Martin, eight
• University of Memphis and
Austin Peay State University,
five each
• Union University, four
• Belmont University, three
• Middle Tennessee State University, two
• University of Tennessee, one
Overall, 169 students from 34 universities were ranked in the 30 “Best
of the South” categories. The SEJC
consists of 51 member universities
in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida,
Georgia, Louisiana, and Tennessee.
The Southeastern Journalism
Conference named University of Alabama senior Abbey Crain as 2013
College Journalist of the Year, for
her reporting on a series of articles,
most notably her work on the “The
Final Barrier,” a story detailing
allegations of racism within the
sorority recruitment process at The
University of Alabama. She received
a $1,000 cash prize from SEJC as
part of the award.
Winners from Tennessee universities were:
Tennessee State
University, Nashville
• Kelli Volk, second place, Best
Radio News and Feature
Reporter and fifth place Best
College Audio News Program
• Alicia Bailey, third place, Best
Multimedia Journalist
• Chantell Copeland, third place,
Best Television Journalist and
fifth place Best Radio Journalist
• Brandi Giles, fourth place, Best
Radio Hard News Reporter
• Ce’Dra Jackson, sixth place,
Best Magazine Writer
• Patrick Lewis, sixth place, Best
Opinion-Editorial Writer
• Quinn Panganiban, sixth place,
Best Television News Feature
Reporter
• Jer’Mykeal McCoy, sixth place,
Best Journalism Research
Paper
• Ashli Beverly, eighth place,
Best Advertising Staff Member
• Brittney Bodden, 10th place,
MARKETPLACE
Associated Publishers Inc., a northwest Tennessee newspaper printing
company, is seeking a lead press operator/supervisor at its Huntingdon,
Tennessee plant. Salary plus benefits. Typically, a four-day work-week,
except on special occasions. Long work hours Monday and Tuesday.
Company has News King press, 8-unit web. The company is equipped
with direct-to-plate, an inserter, and prints six community newspapers.
Responsibilities include serving as lead operator of the press and overseeing the entire production and scheduling. Considerable experience is
a must and good mechanical skills are essential. Send resume to Victor
Parkins at [email protected].
•
•
•
•
Best Magazine Page Layout
Design
LaToya Pickett, third place,
Best Public Service Journalism
TSU Television Newscast,
fourth place, Best College TV
Station
Blue Sapphire Awards Show,
eighth place, Best College Video News Program
TSU Meter, tied ninth place,
Best College Newspaper
Troy University, Clarksville
• Paul Boger, first place, Best
Radio News Feature Reporter
• Natalie Boyd, second place,
Best Radio Hard News Reporter
and second place for Best Radio
Journalist
• Carson Brown, second place,
Best Newspaper Page Layout
Designer
• Kelcie Hathcock, second place,
Best Press Photographer
• Christina Cook, third place,
Best Television Hard News
Reporter
• Danielle Percival, fifth place,
Best Television Journalist
• Brandon Murray, fifth place,
Best News-Editorial Artist/
Illustrator
• Brittany DeLong, seventh
place, Best Advertising Staff
Member
• Zach Winslett, eighth place,
Best Arts & Entertainment
Writer
• Karli Mauldin, ninth place,
Best News Writer
• Troy TrojanVision-TV, fourth
place, Best College Video News
Program,
• Troy TrojanVision-TV, sixth
place, Best College Television
Station
Lipscomb University,
Nashville
• Kelly Dean, ninth place, Best
Television News Feature
Reporter
• Michael Fox, fourth place, Best
Multimedia Journalist
• Janice Ng, 10th place, Best
Feature Writer
• Sydney Poe, fourth place, Best
Television Journalist
• Savanna Schubert, fourth
place, Best Television Hard
News Reporter
• Kyrsten Turner, ninth place,
Best Feature Writer
• Cory Woodroof, second place,
News Writing, On-site Competition
• Erin Turner, third place, News
Photography, On-site Competition
• Kyrsten Turner, second place
(tie), Media Law, On-site Competition
• Lumination Radio, second
place in Best Audio News Program and fourth place in the
Best Radio Station
• Lumination TV, fourth place
in Best Television Station and
sixth place in Best Video News
Program
University of Tennessee at
Martin
• Tomi Parrish, Educator of the
Year
• MaryLynn Williams, first
place, Best Radio Journalist
• Aimee Bilger, third place, Best
Radio News Feature Reporter
• Mary Jean Hall, sixth place,
Best News Graphic Designer
• Bradley Stingfield, ninth place,
Best Sports Writer
• The Pacer, sixth place, for both
Best College Website and Best
Public Service Journalism
• WUTM, third place, for both
Best College Radio Station
and Best College Audio News
Program
University of Memphis
• Samuel Prager, first place, Best
Magazine Writer
• Margo Pero, tied, sixth place,
Best News Writer
• Lisa Elaine Babb, seventh
place, Best Feature Writer
• Faith Roane, tied, 10th place,
Designer
• L. Taylor Smith, tied, 10th
place, Best Feature Writer
Austin Peay State University,
Clarksville
• Christy Walker, first place,
Best News-Editorial Artist/
Illustrator
• David Hoernlen, third place,
Best News Graphic Designer
• Josh Vaughn, tied, ninth, Best
Press Photographer
• Conor Scruton, ninth place,
Designer
• Cable Channel 99, fourth place,
Best College Television Station
Union University,
Hendersonville
• Beth Byrd, fifth place, Best
News Writer
• Alana Hu, seventh place, Best
Special Event Reporter/Editor
• Jacob Moore, ninth place, Best
Press Photographer
• Cardinal and Créme, tied,
fourth place, Best Public Service Journalism
Belmont University, Nashville
• Autumn Allison, second place,
Best Multimedia Journalist
• Katie Greene, seventh place,
Best Sports Writer
• Laura Hostelley, tied, eighth
place, Best Arts and Entertainment Writer
Middle Tennessee State
University, Murfreesboro
• Emily West, first place, Best
Feature Writer
• Seventh place, Best College
Website
University of Tennessee,
Knoxville
• Tenth place, Best College
Website
Tennessean reporter earns award for environment coverage
Tennessean reporter Duane W.
Gang’s coverage of fracking and
coal ash in Tennessee won an
award from the
Southern Environmental Law
Center.
The annual
Reed Environmental Writing
Award for Journalism, which
Gang
was established in
1994, celebrates
work that enhances public aware-
ness of the value and vulnerability
of the South’s natural heritage.
It is given for coverage in one of
the six Southern states of Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
Gang has written extensively
about environmental issues since
joining The Tennessean in 2012.
He led the reporting and writing for
major fracking and coal ash projects
in 2013.
The award is named for SELC
founding trustee Phil Reed, an attorney and environmental advocate.
The Tennessean
March 29, 2014
Please share
this copy of
The Tennessee
Press with your
colleagues!
Pass it on!
TRACKS
McFerron new reporter
at The Jackson Sun
The Jackson Sun announced Nick
McFerron as its education reporter.
McFerron has lived in Jackson
for almost eight years, after leaving
Zimbabwe to attend Union University in 2006.
McFerron earned his bachelor
of arts with a major in journalism
and photojournalism from Union
in 2010.
“I’m very excited to be working
at the Sun and learning more about
Jackson, Madison County and the
U.S. school system,” McFerron said.
He previously worked as a correspondent for the newspaper
The Jackson Sun
March 9, 2014
Miller leaves Daily
Post-Athenian; Whaley
named interim publisher
Daily Post-Athenian Publisher Mike Miller announced he is
leaving that position to accept a post
with the Greater
Florence (S.C.)
Chamber of Commerce effective
April 4. He also
served as publisher of The DPA’s
sister newspaper,
The Monroe
Whaley
County Advocate
& Democrat.
Daily Post-Athenian General
Manager Rhonda Whaley was
appointed by Jones Media Inc., the
DPA’s parent company, as acting
publisher. On March 31, it was
announced that Whaley will also
serve as interim publisher of the
Advocate & Democrat as well.
“Working with the Jones Media
team and the folks here in Athens
has been one of the best experiences I have had personally and
professionally,” Miller said. “Clearly,
Athens is a special place with special people.
“And, Jones Media has a winning
formula for leading successful
newspapers.”
Miller, who came to the newspaper in July 2012, has agreed
to become the Greater Florence
Chamber of Commerce president.
Miller had served as publisher of the
Florence newspaper, the Morning
News, for seven years, from 1999 to
2006, when he took over the helm
of the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal
before becoming publisher here.
“Mike has led the DPA through
a crucial period and we are most
appreciative of his efforts and
achievements,” said Jones Media
Chief Operating Officer Ralph Baldwin. “We all hate to see Mike leave
the DPA, but we understand the
unique opportunity that’s presented
itself to him.”
Whaley has worked at the DPA
for the past 25 years, first joining
the paper’s business department
and then was promoted to business
manager. In 2008, she was appointed as the newspaper’s general
manager and has been responsible
for all aspects of revenue and expenditures. In 2013, she was assigned
additional duties and became the
paper’s advertising director.
She is a McMinn County native,
a graduate of McMinn Central High
School and Tennessee Wesleyan
College. She also earned a master’s
degree in business administration
from Bryan College. She and her
husband, James, live in the Etowah
area.
“Rhonda has been successful at
each and every job and task she’s
been given with the DPA, and I
have every confidence in her ability
to lead the newspaper through this
transition period,” Baldwin said.
“Her experience, understanding,
appreciation and love for this community will serve the newspaper
well.”
“I am very proud of this newspaper and the great staff that works
here. We all share a vested interest
in this newspaper, and each day we
strive to make it the best community newspaper around,” Whaley said.
“My goal as publisher is to continue the great newspaper legacy that
I have been handed, while at the
same time always looking for ways
to improve what we are doing.”
Regarding her position at The
Advocate & Democrat, Whaley said,
“We are extremely fortunate to have
such a wonderful staff. They are
dedicated and are passionate about
what they do. I am excited about
joining this team.
“We have worked together for
years and we all share one goal,
and that is to make The Advocate &
Democrat the best small community
newspaper it can be.”
Daily Post-Athenian
March 19 & 31, 2014
Scalf named Star’s
general manager Delaney Scalf has been promoted
to general manager of The Elizabethton Star and for Elizabethton
Newsmedia, LLC.
Lynn Richardson, president
and publisher,
announced the
promotion to
others at the Star
on March 21.
In that position,
Scalf
Scalf will oversee
and lead all dayto-day operations of the news media
organization – the parent company
of the Elizabethton Star.
“I am excited at the opportunity
to take the Elizabethton Star to new
levels of excellence,” Scalf said.
“My biggest goal is to make this
newspaper better than it’s ever been
– from front to back,” he added.
“Everything I’ve worked toward
has centered on making changes to
improve efficiency and quality. That
will continue going forward.”
“We are thrilled to have someone
of Delaney’s experience available
to take such an important leadership role with our company,” said
Richardson. “I have known Delaney
for many years and have always had
a great respect and admiration for
his commitment to excellence and
his attention to detail. We are very
fortunate to have him as part of our
team.”
Scalf has had a long career with
the Star, one filled with extensive
and varied work experience within
the company.
He began his career with the
Star in June 1986, working in the
pressroom. He left the company
briefly, taking a position with the
East Tennessee Chair Company. He returned to the Star in the spring
of 1989.
Scalf once again went to work
in the pressroom and mailroom,
working first as a machine operator
and then advancing to a supervisory
position. However, he soon began to
work in several other departments,
including the circulation department and prepress, where he gained
experience in everything from ad
and page design to direct sales and
photography.
His leadership abilities were noted and in 1998, Scalf was promoted
to operations manager. In that role,
he selected and oversaw the installation of a new press system that
included a process-less CTP system
– one of only three such systems in
the nation at the time.
Scalf also helped remodel and
ready the Star’s composing room
for pagination, or computer-based
layout. His leadership was instrumental in making the Star one of
the first newspapers in Tennessee to
be 100 percent paginated.
Since that time, he has continued to upgrade the Star’s printing
system, making it one of the best in
the region.
Scalf is active in the community
and is a member of Harmony Freewill Baptist Church in Hampton.
He has also served as the assistant
youth director, as a trustee and
Sunday school teacher at Redeeming Grace Freewill Baptist Church
in Erwin.
A sports enthusiast, Scalf has
coached T-ball, Pee Wee, Little
League and Junior Babe Ruth
baseball, basketball and soccer. He
has also served as the assistant basketball coach for Valley Forge Junior
Cadets this year.
He enjoys landscaping and
working to restore his 1974 Pontiac
Trans Am.
Scalf is a graduate of Elizabethton High School and completed the
Dale Carnegie Training Course with
honors.
He is married to Pam Scalf and
has six children, Cody, J. D., Corey,
Tyler and Madison Scalf and Mindy
Colon.
Scalf also has three grandchildren, Luis, Zachary and Bryson
Colon.
Elizabethton Star
March 23, 2014
first place for General Excellence in
2004 and 2005, the top honor given
to a newspaper by the TPA.
“I’ve certainly seen a lot of
changes in my 27 years at Memphis
Business Journal,” Wellborn says.
“I have tried to maintain the high
standards of business reporting at
our newspaper, and I feel confident
that the new direction of MBJ will
bring readers the most timely business news available.”
Memphis Business Journal
March 23, 2014
MBJ editor Bill Wellborn
retires
Rouse named new
Statesman Publisher
Bill Wellborn, long-time editor
of Memphis Business Journal, announced his retirement in March.
Wellborn
spent more than
27 years with
MBJ, starting
as a reporter in
1986. His weekly
humor column
on the op-ed
page was widely
cherished in the
Wellborn
Memphis community and exhibited his patented,
dry humor.
Many readers remarked Wellborn’s column was the first thing
they read when their newspaper
arrived, and that it was their favorite
feature in the Journal.
Wellborn earned his bachelor’s
degree in journalism from the
University of Arkansas and has remained both an active alumnus and
rabid Razorbacks fan. He still attends most every Arkansas football
game, both home and road games,
and would often cite his alma mater
in his column.
He earned a master’s degree in
journalism from the University
of Memphis, where he taught a
journalism feature writing class for
a time.
His career started in 1978 as a
general assignment reporter at the
Arkansas Sun. He was the sports
editor for both the Daily Record
in Malvern, Ark., and the Helena
World in Arkansas from 1980-1983.
For the next three years, he
served as managing editor of Associations Publications in Collierville,
overseeing all editorial functions for
three national trade magazines.
Wellborn was managing editor
of MBJ and became editor in 1997
when the privately-owned newspaper was purchased by American
City Business Journals.
The list of awards MBJ has
earned under his leadership are too
numerous to name, and his humor
column consistently won awards
from the Tennessee Press Association every year as Best Column, including first place awards most every year from 2004-2011. MBJ won
Shelia Rouse, who has extensive
newspaper management experience
in Southeast Missouri and Western Tennessee,
has assumed
the publisher
position at The
Daily Statesman,
effective Tuesday,
April 1.
It will be an
expanded role
within Rust
Rouse
Communications
for Rouse, who has been publisher
of the State Gazette in Dyersburg,
Tenn., since 2001.
She also will assume duties as
publisher of the Daily Dunklin
Democrat in Kennett, the Delta
News-Citizen in Malden, the Missourian-News in Portageville and
the North Stoddard Countian in Advance-Bloomfield. She will continue
as publisher in Dyersburg.
“I am really excited about accepting this position,” Rouse said. “The
Daily Statesman has always been an
integral part of the community, and
I look forward to being involved in
that tradition in the future. The staff
and I are committed to providing
an outstanding newspaper for our
readers and advertisers.
“We also will be working hard
to continue to develop our digital
media presence as we provide a
wide range of news and advertising
services.”
Rouse is a 1983 graduate of
Kennett High School and studied
journalism at both Williams Baptist
College in Walnut Ridge, Ark., and
Mississippi County Community
College in Blytheville, Ark.
She is married to Jimmie Smith
Jr., formerly of Kennett.
Rouse has been involved in numerous civic activities in Dyersburg,
including service as president of
the Coats for Kids Program and the
Business and Professional Women’s
Foundation. She is a member of the
Rotary Club.
She is a graduate of the Dyer
County Leadership Class, the
Dyersburg Citizens Police Academy,
See TRACKS, Page 10
Beloved Tennessean columnist Gail Kerr dies
By MICHAEL CASS
The Tennessean, March 26, 2014
Gail Kerr, who captured a changing Nashville, held elected officials
accountable and spoke for homeless
people, sexual assault victims and
neglected children as the local columnist for her hometown newspaper, died Tuesday, March 25, 2014.
She was 52.
The cause appeared to be a blood
clot, said her husband, Les Kerr.
Mrs. Kerr had been battling cancer,
a disease she had beaten twice, and
was scheduled to receive a blood
transfusion when she died.
She was still working on Monday.
“Gail was a consummate journalist,” said Tennessean Editor and
Director of News Maria De Varenne,
who edited Mrs. Kerr’s columns.
“She gave voice to those in the community who didn’t have one. She
stood up for people and causes she
believed in, and she wasn’t afraid to
spar with politicians and civic leaders when she disagreed with them.
“Her insightful and thought-provoking columns were a mainstay,
and she will be missed by her
friends at The Tennessean and
throughout the community.”
Mrs. Kerr, who grew up in
Donelson, started working for The
Tennessean as a “copy girl” in 1978,
when she was in high school. After
graduating from Southwestern at
Memphis – now known as Rhodes
College – in 1983, she returned to
the newspaper as a beat reporter,
then team leader, then city editor
and, finally, columnist.
George Walker IV • The Tennessean
Working for the newspaper “is
the only job she ever had,” her
husband said.
Tennessean Chairman Emeritus John Seigenthaler, who hired
Mrs. Kerr, said she came into a
newsroom dominated by men and
asserted herself quickly, always
requesting “the tough beats and the
tough stories.”
“She made a real difference,”
Seigenthaler said. “She had great
self-confidence to match great
talent. It was a combination that the
paper benefited from and I think the
readers benefited from.”
She covered then-Gov. Lamar
Alexander’s second term, shadowed
Bill Clinton and Al Gore during
their campaigns for the White
House, chronicled the downfall of
Davidson County Sheriff Fate Thomas and went to Houston in 1995 to
interview an oilman with an NFL
team named Bud Adams.
Mrs. Kerr wrote a profile of Tipper Gore after Al Gore was elected
vice president. Richard Stevens,
her editor in the mid-1990s, still
remembers a great detail from the
story: Tipper Gore’s red drum set, a
notable belonging in light of her earlier, divisive efforts to put warning
labels on popular music.
Mrs. Kerr “was one of the most
remarkable reporters I ever worked
with,” said Stevens, now editor and
general manager of The Leaf-Chronicle in Clarksville.
She started writing her column
in 2000. Frank Sutherland, the
newspaper’s editor at the time, said
she was good at it because she did
original reporting, which helped her
arrive at “an informed opinion.”
She relished the role, and readers
embraced her.
Mrs. Kerr was never afraid to take
on politicians when she believed
they were hypocritical, grandstanding or shortsighted. She sharply
criticized a proposal that would
have required Metro government to
do business in English only, an idea
voters soundly defeated in 2009.
Last month, after The Tennesse-
Tennessean announces
project honoring Gail Kerr
By ADAM TAMBURIN
The Tennessean, April 2, 2014
The Tennessean launched a fundraising project to help the homeless in memory of Mrs. Kerr, who on several occasions used her
writing to encourage efforts to house Nashville’s most vulnerable
population.
The campaign, called Gail Kerr’s House The Homeless fund, mirrors
a project the beloved columnist proposed before she died. She had
planned to partner with How’s Nashville, a coalition including Metro’s
Homelessness Commission and a long list of nonprofits, to raise money
for housing.
Since June, the How’s Nashville coalition has moved more than 400
of the city’s most vulnerable homeless people into housing at a cost of
about $1,000 a person.
In a proposal pitching the partnership last fall, Kerr called How’s
Nashville “an unprecedented effort to ‘drop the silos’ in the caring
community and get a tough goal accomplished by working together to
raise money.” She also knew there would be deadly consequences for
some Nashvillians if something wasn’t done.
“Homelessness in Nashville is lethal,” she wrote.
Her third bout with cancer delayed plans to start raising money in
February. The Tennessean announced this week that the organization
was moving forward with Kerr’s proposal.
The goal is to raise $25,000.
“The Tennessean wants to create this legacy project in Gail’s name
to fulfill her wish of helping How’s Nashville in its work with the
chronically homeless,” said Laura Hollingsworth, Tennessean president and publisher. “We want the community to share in this opportunity to honor Gail.”
Tennessean editor Maria De Varenne said the project reflects Kerr’s
passion for helping people. Years before she wrote her fundraising
proposal, Kerr regularly used her lunch breaks to serve lunch to the
homeless and urban poor at Downtown Presbyterian Church.
“Gail is an icon in the community, and this will fulfill a dream she
had of helping the homeless,” De Varenne said.
Mrs. Kerr’s husband Les Kerr remembered sitting on the couch with
her in the evening while she eagerly discussing the opportunity to help
See HOMELESS, Page 8
See KERR , Page 8
TENNESSEAN, from Page 3
Tennessean.
Partipilo spent six months documenting the changing landscapes of
rural Middle Tennessee while still
completing other
daily assignments.
His Rural
Tennessee project
also has been
recognized by
Gannett Co.,
the Tennessee
Partipilo
Associated Press
Media Editors and
the National Press Photographers
Association.
Rau and Bliss led the reporting
for the “txt + drvng = risk” special
section and multimedia project that
evaluated the laws, campaigns and
risks tied to texting while driving in
Tennessee.
The special section was also
a finalist for a Gannett Award of
Excellence last year, while the mul-
John Partipilo • The Tennessean
One of the many photographs documenting the changing landscape
of rural Middle Tennessee that John Partipilo took during his six-month
Rural Tennessee project.
timedia elements of the project also
received national recognition.
Chattanooga Times Free Press a Pulitzer finalist
A Chattanooga Times Free Press investigation into the cycle of inner city violence was
honored today as a finalist for the Pulitzer
Prize, journalism’s highest
honor.
The Pulitzer committee
honored “Speak No Evil” in
the local reporting category.
The committee cited
Joan Garrett McClane, Todd
South, Doug Strickland
and Mary Helen Miller “for
Garrett McClane
using an array of journalistic tools to explore the ‘nosnitch’ culture that helps perpetuate a cycle of
violence in one of the most dangerous cities in
the South.”
McClane and South were the reporters for
the series, while Strickland captured the images. Miller was in charge of the multimedia
components of the series.
Matt McClane was responsible for the design and graphics, while Ken Barrett was the
webmaster for the series.
In the About This Series
section of the series, the
Times Free Press noted the
following:
“This series was reported
and written over nine
months. More than 150
people were interviewed.
Some were shadowed for
South
months.
“Other research included
hundreds of pages of police and court records,
books and research papers from universities
and the U.S. Department of Justice.
“Photographers and reporters traveled on
night-time ride-alongs with police, went doorto-door to talk to community members, met
with gang members, drove to North Carolina,
talked to numerous national experts and were
present for court hearings and police interviews with witnesses.
“Subjects provided personal documents including
diaries and records from
psychologists, schools,
juvenile court and the
Tennessee Department of
Children’s Services.
“Most interviews were
recorded on audio. Quotes
Strickland
italicized in the series were
recounted to the reporter
from a source who was present. Quotes in
quotation marks were words heard by a reporter or taken from court transcripts.”
The Pulitzer in local reporting was awarded
to the Tampa Bay Times for an investigation
into the squalid conditions in housing for the
city’s homeless population.
Also cited as a finalist was The Record, of
Woodland Park, N.J., for exposing how heroin
has permeated the suburbs of northern New
Jersey.
Chattanooga
Times Free Press
April 14, 2014
To read the series, go to
http://projects.timesfreepress.
com/2013//12/15/speaknoevil/index.html or scan the
QRC below with your mobile
device.
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OBITUARIES
Richard Frederick Hall
Richard Frederick Hall, known to
everyone as Rikki, succumbed on
March 30, 2014 to a very aggressive
form of brain
cancer, glioblastoma multiforme,
after a 13-month
battle.
Mr. Hall was
born in Redondo
Beach, CA, on
Feb. 13, 1965, and
Hall
attended schools
in Torrance,
Calif., and Gaithersburg, Md.,
before attending the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology where he
received a bachelor’s degree in Humanities and Engineering in 1987.
He attended graduate school in
ecology at the University of Tennessee. He was the managing editor
of The Hellbender Press, an East
Tennessee environmental newspaper and a long-time columnist for
the Metro Pulse.
Mr. Hall was very active in the
progressive political and environmental scene in and around
Knoxville. He was a true naturalist.
His life list of birds seen is long and
his knowledge of insects and other
critters was deep.
He was preceded in death by his
grandparents, Dick and Annelle
Hall of Laguna Hills, Calif., and
Fred and Ella Blozan of San Marino,
Calif., and his brother’s first wife,
Valerie Hall.
Survivors include his loving wife,
Kim Pilarski-Hall; her two children,
Ian Turner of Morganton, W.Va.,
and Alexandra Turner, of Savannah,
Ga.; his parents, Richard and Yolanda Hall of Asheville; his motherand father- in-law, Carol and Harry
Pilarski of Naples, Fla.; his brother
and his wife, Jeff and Mary Hall of
Braintree, Mass., and their children, Laina Hall and Tyler Hall; his
uncles and aunts, Steven and Ann
Hall of Oakton, Va., and Carl and
Kathie Blozan of Cashiers, N.C.; his
cousins, Will Blozan and his family
of Black Mountain, N.C., Ben Blozan
of Greensboro, N.C., Betsy Hall of
Singapore, and Andrew Hall and his
family of Sierra Madre, Calif.; and
a host of friends in Knoxville and
elsewhere.
On March 30, Mr. Hall’s body was
returned to the earth at the Narrow
Ridge Earth Literacy Center in
Washburn, Tenn., a natural burial
preserve. A memorial service was
held at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Church on Saturday, April 12.
Donations may be made to the
Little River Watershed Association.
Arrangements by Click Funeral
Home and Cremations–Middlebrook
Chapel.
Knoxville News Sentinel
March 31, 2014
Lauren B. Smith
Lauren B. Smith “Joe” or “Moon”,
age 91, passed away Tuesday, April
1, 2014 after a short illness.
He was born in Clarksville,
Tenn., to the late Charles M. and Lucile Brunty Smith. He was preceded
in death by two brothers, Charles
M. Smith and Laurence G. “George”
Smith, his twin.
He graduated from Clarksville High School in 1940. He
served in the United States
Navy during World War II on board
LST 1123 as a gunners mate in the
Pacific. After starting at the Clarksville Leaf Chronicle as a printer,
“Moon,” as he was known by fellow
employees, was a printer for the
Newspaper Printing Corp. (Banner,
Tennessean) for 32 years.
He coached many young baseball
players in the Junior and Senior
Knothole Baseball organization
through Inglewood area Dan Mills
Men’s Club and Isaac Litton. He
KERR, from Page 6
an reported that the city had withheld a lengthy
report on domestic violence and published a
much shorter, less alarming version, her reaction
was scathing.
“Mayor Karl Dean and city leaders should be
ashamed of themselves,” she wrote on Feb. 17.
In her final column, published last week, she
called the Tennessee House of Representatives
“boneheaded” for voting to delay implementation
of Common Core standards.
“Common Core is not some evil, communist-created system aimed at brainwashing
America’s school kids into becoming Democrats,”
she wrote. “In fact, it was created and backed by
a bipartisan group of governors and lawmakers
who believe there ought to be universal standards in school.”
But even her targets respected her deeply.
“Gail wrote about state government and a variety of topics, but, in my opinion, Gail was truly
at her best when she was writing about Nashville
enjoyed fishing and golf. He was a
long time member of the Inglewood
group at Fifty Forward Madison Station Senior Citizens where he played
bingo, pool, and reminisce.
Survivors include his wife, Virginia Austin Smith; two sons, Richard Smith and Mac (Vicki) Smith;
grandchildren, April (Keith) Henry
and Jonathan (Samantha) Smith;
great-grandchildren, Jasmine Smith,
Jordan Smith, Alizea Boyle, Justin
Boyle; several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were Friday, April
4, 2014 at 11 a.m., at Spring Hill
Funeral Home, with the Rev. Ron
Lowery officiating. Burial followed
the service at 1 p.m., at Greenwood
Cemetery in Clarksville.
The family requests donations be
made to the Alzheimer’s Association or the Salvation Army in lieu of
flowers.
Arrangements by Spring Hill
Funeral Home & Cemetery.
The Tennessean
April 3, 2014
James L. Mooney Jr.
James L. Mooney Jr., 97, of Red
Bank, passed away peacefully with
his family by his side on Monday,
April 7, 2014.
He was a
graduate of Chattanooga Central
High School.
Jim married the
love of his life,
Dorothy Martin,
in 1945. Mr.
Mooney was an
Mooney
award winning
professional photographer and started his career in
the publishing industry as a boy in
the 1930s, where his duties included
delivering papers and carrying
copy for the Chattanooga News.
This led him to the position of press
photographer, which he continued
and local issues,” Dean said in a statement. “She
understood Metro government better than most,
and that knowledge came from a lifetime of experience covering a city that continues to grow and
change over time.
“Gail could be an elected leader’s best friend
– and worst nightmare. And that’s a good thing.
We need more journalists like that. Reading
her columns, you could tell they were informed
by her knowledge of Nashville’s history – what
we’ve done right and where we’ve gone wrong
– and that gave her a unique understanding of
what it takes to be a good elected official, a good
local government and a good city.”
Gov. Bill Haslam said Mrs. Kerr “was motivated by wanting the best for a city and state that
she cared deeply about, and her love of Nashville
and Tennessee came through in everything she
wrote. I will miss her. Her thousands of readers
will miss her, and The Tennessean has lost a
caring and passionate voice.”
Mrs. Kerr was born on Aug. 22, 1961. She was
a member of Downtown Presbyterian Church.
for 45 years.
His career included time as a military photographer in Hawaii during
World War II, several years with the
Louisville Courier Journal, 18 years
with the Chattanooga News Free
Press and 17 years with The Times
in Chattanooga until he retired in
1981.
Mr. Mooney had many stories
from his years as a combat photographer with the 3116th Army Signal
Corps Battalion as a Sergeant.
During WWII, he was the first
photographer assigned to the new
“Mid Pacifican” Army Newspaper,
and later for the “Stars and Stripes,”
as the Chief Photographer in Honolulu, Hawaii. During his time in Hawaii Jim worked with the co-creator
of Superman, Jerry Siegel.
There he covered a secret meeting
between President Franklin Roosevelt and Gen. Douglas MacArthur, USO shows by Bob Hope, Joe
DiMaggio as an enlisted soldier,
and a Purple Heart ceremony for
Marines wounded at Iwo Jima.
Among his awards was the
international competition of 1949
sponsored by the University of Missouri and Encyclopedia Britannica
in which his winning Best Feature
photograph “My Baby Brother”
was published internationally, and
symbolized an early fascination
with family values following WWII
– before the “Baby Boomer” phrase
was coined.
He was also published in National
Geographic, Life Magazine and
many other books, magazines and
newspapers. Other awards included
the National Press Photographers
Association (NPPA) first place on
two separate occasions.
Mr. Mooney was a devoted
husband, father, grandfather and
great-grandfather, and he loved
spending time with his family.
You could find him driving around
town to see his great grandchildren
She was a member of Kappa Delta Sorority at her
college alma mater Southwestern at Memphis,
now known as Rhodes College.
She was a member of The Society of Professional Journalists. She was very involved with
The Bob Mueller celebrity Golf Tournament for
MS, she also worked with The Annual Woman
against MS luncheon. She helped every year with
the Gridiron fund raising event.
She was preceded in death by father, Joe McKnight and sister, Sherry McKnight.
Survivors include her husband of 20 years, Les
Kerr; mother, Peggy McKnight; sister and brotherin-law, Joyce & Rodger McLean; nephews, Craig
(Maggie) McLean and Keith McLean; great niece,
Alijana McLean.
Services were held at 11 a.m. Friday, March 28,
at Downtown Presbyterian Church, with the Rev.
Ken Locke officiating.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to
Downtown Presbyterian Church, The National
MS Society and The Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation.
participate in sporting events with
his camera in hand.
He was preceded in death by his
parents, Mary Elender Meadows
and James Leonard Mooney Sr.;
three sisters, Anna Franks, Ruth
Harp and Ruby Camp.
Survivors include his loving wife,
Dot, his wife of 68 years; daughter,
Tina Mooney Philpot and son-inlaw, David Philpot, of Dunwoody,
Ga.; and his son, Richard Martin
Mooney and daughter-in-law,
Jan M. Mooney, of Soddy-Daisy;
grandchildren, Susan Thompson
(Fred) Tilton, of Kennewick, Wash.;
Beth Thompson (Matt) Garrett of
Vilos, N.C.; Kristie Mooney (Jared)
Magee, of Soddy-Daisy; Ted (Semra)
Mooney of Rochester, N.Y., and
Laura Mooney (Daniel) Hathaway,
of Atlanta; and great-grandchildren,
Catherine and Madelyn Tilton,
Will and Isabelle Garrett, Andrew
and Ally Magee, Aleyna and Ricky
Mooney and Carter and Ethan
Hathaway.
Mr. Mooney was a member of
First-Centenary United Methodist
Church in Chattanooga where he
and Dot joined the Yomaco Sunday
school class as newlyweds.
In lieu of flowers, donations may
be made to First-Centenary United
Methodist Church, 419 McCallie
Ave., Chattanooga, TN 37402, or
Hearth Hospice, 1800 Rossville Ave.,
Suite 7, Chattanooga, TN 37408.
Funeral services were on Saturday, April 12, at First-Centenary
United Methodist Church with Dr.
David Harr and the Rev. Brian Davis
officiating. Graveside services were
on Monday, April 14, at Chattanooga National Cemetery with military
honors. Arrangements were by the
North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory & Florist.
Chattanooga Times Free Press
April 11, 2014
See OBITUARIES, Page 9
HOMELESS, from Page 6
the How’s Nashville cause. He
said The Tennessean’s project
would bring the same kind of
practical progress she celebrated
as a journalist.
“She was always one for solving problems,” he said. “This
is just another way she can get
things done.”
Donations to Gail Kerr’s
House The Homeless fund may
be made by visiting the Community Foundation of Middle
Tennessee’s website at www.
cfmt.org. Donations can also be
mailed to the Community Foundation’s office at 3833 Cleghorn
Ave., Nashville, TN 37215. If
you’re writing a check, be sure
to include the fund’s name in
the memo line.
OBITUARIES, from Page 8
Jack Gunter
Jack Gunter, 85, the Nashville
Banner’s former chief photographer and a longtime newspaper
executive who
used his fearless,
fiercely inquisitive eye to help
chronicle the city,
died Thursday
afternoon, April
10, 2014.
Mr. Gunter
Gunter
started his storied career at the
now-closed Banner as a 16-year-old
East High School student “errand
boy” and ultimately became the
former afternoon newspaper’s chief
photographer and vice president
and general manager.
He learned photography from his
older brother Frank and other photographers on staff at the Banner
and became a full-time photographer in 1948.
In his almost 50 years as a newspaperman, Mr. Gunter was fearless,
fiercely inquisitive and clearly
loved his work.
“Being in a newsroom is like
having a window on the world,”
he said in 1995 at the time of his
retirement. “During the nearly half
a century at the Banner, I met and
photographed presidents, kings,
cab drivers and little lost children.
What a slice of life!”
Banner editor Beth Stein wrote a
column at the time of Mr. Gunter’s
retirement, aptly describing him as
a “decidedly colorful character.”
“You see old movies about newsrooms where reporters and photographers are always out chasing the
bad buys. That’s Jack,” Stein wrote.
“No one loved the thrill of the
hunt more – so much so that sometimes he became the news,” she
wrote, relating a story of Mr. Gunter chasing down a purse-snatcher
while on assignment with the
police reporter.
“Just ask anyone who has
worked with Jack Gunter … and
you’ll get a slow smile and a great
story,” Stein wrote.
Not only was Mr. Gunter a force
to be reckoned with personally, but
his photographs captured a huge
swath of Nashville’s history from
the late 1940s through the early
1990s.
He covered the civil rights movement and other important events
and issues. In 2008, he donated his
photographs to the Nashville Public
Library, where they are housed in
the Nashville Banner Room at the
main branch downtown.
From 1950 to 1953, Mr. Gunter
served as a combat photographer
for the 45th Infantry Division in
Korea and was awarded an Army
Commendation Medal for acts of
valor or heroism.
Mr. Gunter was a proud veteran
but returned to civilian life and
rejoined the Banner in 1953. He
shot thousands of pictures and was
named chief photographer in 1972.
Over the years his pictures were
featured not only in the afternoon
newspaper but in Life magazine, as
well as Newsweek, Time and many
other publications.
After Mr. Gunter’s retirement,
he worked as a court officer for
the late Probate Judge Jim Everett
and then became a court officer for
Chancellor Judge Carol McCoy.
He was a graduate of Leadership
Nashville, served as chairman of
the TSU Foundation and was a
member of the Tennessee Human
Rights Commission.
He and his late wife, Bettye Hailey Gunter, had two children and
six grandchildren.
Services for Mr. Gunter were
Tuesday, April 14, at St. George’s
Episcopal Church, where he was a
member.
Arrangements were handled by
Phillips-Robinson Funeral Home.
The Tennessean
April 11, 2014
Loraine Slimp
Loraine Southerland Slimp,
91, passed away in her sleep the
morning of Friday, April 11, 2014,
in Tyler, Texas,
where she had
moved earlier
this year.
Born in
Cedar Creek in
Greene County,
Tenn., she was
the daughter
Slimp
of Alfred and
Frances Waddell
Southerland. Her late husband,
Robert Bruce Slimp Jr., served in
the U.S. Army Air Corps during
WW II. Loraine also worked with
her husband at their electronics
shop in Elizabethton and later at
East Tennessee State University.
Survivors include three sons and
their families, Kevin Slimp and
Ann O’Connor, of Knoxville; Barton Slimp and Catherine Brennan,
of Woodridge, Ill.; and Mickey and
Janet Slimp, of Tyler, Texas: and
grandchildren, Ashley and Zachery
Slimp of Knoxville, Lori and Danny
Kessler of Seattle, Wash., Rocky
Slimp of Mokena, Ill., and Sara
Slimp of Tyler, Texas; brothers, JR
Southerland of Johnson City, Tenn.,
and Clarence Southerland of Greeneville, Tenn.; and her sister, Malta
Hunt of Chuckey. She has over 30
nieces and nephews throughout
East Tennessee and the country,
including a very special niece,
Marie Southerland of Johnson City,
and nephew, Alf Southerland of
Houston, Texas.
She was preceded in death by
one son, Ronnie Slimp; sisters
Leoma Ware, Hazel Blevins,
Marilyn Blevins and Ruby Corby;
and brothers, Lonnie and Clinton
Southerland.
Mrs. Slimp was a member of
the Middlebrook United Methodist
Church in Knoxville, where she
lived from 2001 until 2014. She
lived in Johnson City from 1954
until 2001, where she was a member of the East Unaka Christian
Church. A graveside memorial service
was held at Roselawn Cemetery in
Johnson City.
Memorials may be made to
Middlebrook Pike United Methodist Church FISH Food Pantry,
7234 Middlebrook Pike, Knoxville,
TN 37909.
Knoxville News Sentinel
April 13, 2014
Edwina Napier
Edwina Napier, 88, died Wednesday, March 26, 2014, at the Cumberland River Hospital in Celina,
Tenn.
Edwina Ruth
Hargrove was
born May 11,
1925 in Overton
County, Tennessee to the late
William Edward
and Gladys
Napier
(Jouett) Hargrove. Edwina
married Billy J. Napier on June 14,
1947. Billy preceded her in death
on Feb. 18, 1967. Beside her parents
and husband, Mrs. Napier was
preceded in death by brother: Jack
Hargrove, sister: Margaret Langford. She was a longtime member
of the Celina Church of Christ and
served as a postal clerk in Celina,
Tenn. for many years. Mrs. Napier’s column ran in the
Dale Hollow Horizon weekly for
the better part of the past 35 years
and appeared for the final time in
last week’s Dale Hollow Horizon
featuring her well-known recipes,
Bible verses, local birthdays and
announcements of various community events or happenings.
Her work first appeared on
Sept.16, 1979, in the inaugural
issue of The Clay Citizen, a weekly
newspaper founded here by her son
Don Napier and, due to the fact she
never missed a deadline, readers
have enjoyed it ever since.
In April of 1986, Patsy Judd of
Burkesville, Ky., purchased both
The Clay Citizen and The Clay
Statesman newspapers, combining
them into what is known today as
the Citizen-Statesman. The paper
changed, but Mrs. Napier’s column
didn’t as Judd welcomed her writings with open arms.
Like Napier’s son Don, Judd
also eventually sold her newspaper. Mitchell Media of Livingston,
Tenn., continued the Citizen-Statesman name and Mrs. Napier’s column until she found her final home
with her family at the Horizon.
Mrs. Napier’s grandsons Jona-
than and Thomas Weaver, drawing
from their uncle’s vast journalism
experience, began the new paper
in August of 2004. As a show of
continued support for her family,
Mrs. Napier joined her grandsons’
new venture and began directing
her submissions to the Horizon,
where they appeared up until her
death last week.
Though her “Food For Thought”
column graced the pages for the
last time when the paper hit news
stands on March 26, in memory
of Mrs. Napier’s contributions,
the Horizon has begun a new one
called “Nanny’s Favorites,” featuring the columnist’s favorite recipes
and bible verses reprinted from
past editions.
Mrs. Napier’s tradition of announcing local birthdays will also
be continued through another new
feature called “Birthday Weekly,”
which will highlight birthday
submissions from readers who visit
www.dalehollowhorizon.com to
submit a birthday.
Besides her regular column, Mrs.
Napier also offered a weekly history lesson through the Horizon’s
pages called “From Bill Fiske’s Bugle.” Each week, she would scour
the pages in search of interesting
tidbits which appeared in Celina’s
old newspaper called Bill Fiske’s
Bugle. With careful consideration,
she would compile them for readers, giving them a glimpse into the
days of old.
The majority of the papers she
looked through with care were
actually given to Napier’s son Don
in the late 1970’s by Alva Fiske, the
son of the newspaper’s namesake
Bill, while she also searched other
volumes given to her by Frances
Donaldson. In her absence, her
son plans to continue her tradition
with his “From Bill Fiske’s Bugle”
column.
Mrs. Napier was also known for
her vast knowledge of genealogy as
she took pride in not only knowing
her own family history, but also
that of others. She was also very
knowledgeable about the lost community of Willow Grove, due to the
fact she and her (Hargrove) family
were residents of the community
before the construction of Dale
Hollow Lake.
Survivors include her sons Jack
(Mara) Napier and Donald (Natalie)
Napier, both of Crossville, Tenn.;
Bill (Pam) Napier of Chatsworth,
Ga.; daughters: Betsy (Merle)
Holtam of Moss, Tenn., and Linda
(Jerry) Strong of Celina, Tenn.; 14
grandchildren, and 12 great grandchildren, and a niece: Jean Irvin.
Funeral services were Friday,
March 28, at the Celina Church of
Christ with Bill Threet officiating.
Interment followed in the Fitzgerald Cemetery in Celina.
Memorial contributions may be
made to the charity of your choice.
Dale Hollow Horizon
April 15, 2014
FYI - CONTACT INFO
Tennessee Press
Association
Mail: 435 Montbrook Lane,
Knoxville, TN 37919
Phone: (865) 584-5761
Fax: (865) 558-8687
Web: www.tnpress.com
Email: (name)@tnpress.com
Those with boxes, listed
alphabetically:
Laurie Alford (lalford)
Pam Corley (pcorley)
Angelique Dunn (adunn)
Beth Elliott (belliott)
Robyn Gentile (rgentile)
Frank Gibson (fgibson)
Earl Goodman (egoodman)
Kathy Hensley (khensley)
Whitney Page (wpage)
Greg Sherrill (gsherrill)
Kevin Slimp (kslimp)
Kayretta Stokes (kstokes)
Alisa Subhakul (asubhakul)
David Wells (dwells)
Tessa Wildsmith (twildsmith)
Heather Wright (hwright)
Advertising email:
[email protected]
Tennessee Press
Service
Knoxville, TN 37919
Phone: (865) 584-5761
Fax: (865) 558-8687
Web: www.tnadvertising.biz
Tennessee Press
Association
Foundation
Knoxville, TN 37919
Phone: (865) 584-5761
Fax: (865) 558-8687
Web: www.tpafoundation.org
Answer on police records a long time coming
As unbelievable as it might
sound, it has taken 27 years to find
a case to challenge the way local
law enforcement has abused and exploited a state Supreme Court ruling
to make it difficult for the press to
cover crime in our communities.
Reporters and editors will
recognize it as the “matter under investigation” reason to deny records,
which is really not an exemption
under the Tennessee Public Records
Act. A case called Appman v.
Worthington has been the bane of
editors and reporters, particularly
police reporters, since 1987. Not
necessarily the case in particular,
but its interpretation.
Some will remember an audit of
law enforcement by TCOG almost
10 years ago that found 45 percent
of sheriffs and 33 percent of municipal police departments refusing to
release reports of recent burglaries
in their communities. Most argued
they were allowed to withhold the
“offense/incident” reports because
they were part of the department’s
“investigative file.”
The opportunity to challenge that
interpretation comes in a lawsuit by
The Tennessean and a coalition of
10 print and broadcast media organizations and The Tennessee Coalition for Open Government. They
are seeking records collected in
the investigation and arrest of four
(now former) Vanderbilt University
football players accused of raping a
student in a campus dormitory. She
TRACKS, from Page 5
the FBI Citizens Academy and the
Center For Sales Strategy.
Active in numerous newspaper
organizations, she has served on the
board of the SEMO Press Association and the advertising/circulation
committees of the Missouri Press
Association and the Tennessee Press
Association. She also is a member of
the Southern Newspaper Publishers
Association, Inland Press, Local
Media Association and PAGE.
Prior to accepting her first publisher position, Rouse worked as advertising director at the Dyersburg
News. She also served as general
manager at the Democrat Argus in
Caruthersville, advertising director
at Malden and as an advertising
executive at Kennett.
“I really look forward to working
with everyone in the Dexter community,” Rouse said. “Please feel
free to contact me at any time with
ideas you have on how our newspaper can better serve this area.”
Current Publisher Ron Kemp will
continue in his role as regional vice
president for Rust Communications,
working with Rouse on the newspapers she publishes as part of his
overall responsibilities.
PUBLIC
POLICY
OUTLOOK
FRANK GIBSON
was reportedly unconscious at the
time.
The coalition won a partial victory in Davidson County Chancery
Court last month and is appealing
the other parts to the state Court
of Appeals. The Tennessee Press
Association and the Tennessee
Association of Broadcasters plan
to file amicus briefs in support of
the coalition’s appeal and to help
preserve the victory already won.
It should be noted that the coalition is up against a different sort
of coalition that includes the Metro
Police Department, represented by
the Metro-Davidson County Law
Department; the Davidson County
District Attorney General, represented by the state Attorney General and
the former U.S. Attorney for Middle
Tennessee, who represents the
victim as “Ms. Jane Doe.”
The victim’s name has been
known to the news media for
months but under the policy and
practice of news organizations no
one has published or broadcast her
name.
Media lawyers and many journalists (including me) have been
“Shelia is an excellent publisher,
and the newspaper will be in very
good hands under her leadership,”
Kemp said.
The Daily Statesman
March 28, 2014
Joanna Crangle named
MBJ publisher
Joanna Crangle has been named
publisher of the Memphis Business
Journal, succeeding Stuart Chamblin, who retired effective March 31.
Crangle joined
the Memphis
Business Journal as circulation
director in August
2006 and had
been advertising
director since
June 2008.
Crangle
During her
tenure as circulation director, Memphis hit its
paid subscriber budget for the first
time since American City Business
Journals bought the Memphis paper
in the mid-1990s.
While she was ad director, the
business journal beat its ad revenue
budget for the first time.
waiting for a chance to challenge
this “exemption” because it is really
not an exemption. Davidson County
Chancellor Russell T. Perkins last
month gave the answer we’ve been
arguing for several years – without
much success.
The rape allegedly occurred
on June 23 last year but did not
become a matter of public knowledge until Aug. 10 – the date of the
indictment. When The Tennessean
asked for certain records in the
case, the MPD refused, claiming
they were confidential under Rule
16(a)(2) of the Rules of Criminal
Procedure. The rule states:
“This rule does not authorize the
discovery or inspection of reports,
memoranda, or other internal state
documents made by the District
Attorney or other state agents or
law enforcement in connection with
investigating or prosecuting the
case. Nor does this rule authorize
discovery of statements made by
state witnesses or prospective state
witnesses.”
The rule exists to restrict what
defense attorneys in criminal cases
are entitled to get from prosecutors,
not to keep public information out
of the hands of the public.
The keywords in Rule 16 are
“INTERNAL” and “MADE BY,” but
police and prosecutors have argued
for years that it covers the entire file.
In earlier court cases, police had argued they had an absolute “general
law enforcement” exemption that
allowed them to withhold anything
they want. The state Supreme Court
shot that down even years ago.
Chancellor Perkins noted that
there is “no broad law enforcement
privilege” that falls within the
Public Records Act mandate that
public records are open “unless
otherwise provided by state law.”
He also noted the state Supreme
Court has “consistently held there is
a presumption in favor of access to
public records.”
“Taking a case-by-case view as
a trial court, the Court concludes
that exempting all the records from
review under Rule 16(a)(2) would
be tantamount to adopting a law
enforcement privilege for pending
criminal cases that may not necessarily be called for by the language
of 16(a)(2),” Perkins wrote.
“The Court concludes that
records submitted to Metro Police
Department that were not developed
internally and that do not constitute
statements or other documents
reflecting the reconstructive and
investigative efforts…are outside the
expansive reach of Rule 16(a)(2),”
the chancellor held.
The Tennessean sought records
collected from third party sources,
things like text messages between
the football players and friends
(some in California), and university
surveillance video (with images of
the victim removed). There were
reports one of the alleged attackers
videotaped the assault with a smart
phone camera and shared it with
friends, but the newspaper did not
request that. The Criminal Court
judge had granted a protective order
for all photographs and even the
Chancellor did not examine those.
Perkins said the news organizations were entitled to see text
messages (with any attached photos
removed) because “texts do not
reflect mental impressions or investigative tactics of the Metro Police
Department.”
“The court declares that certain of the records plaintiffs have
requested are public records that do
not fall into any exception recognized” by law, he said, while staying his decision pending appeal.
In the Appman case, an inmate at
Morgan County Regional Correctional Facility was murdered. The
prison’s internal affairs department
investigated. Lawyers for one of
several inmates indicted in the case
tried to get the investigator’s records
using the public records act.
The implication at the time was
that defense lawyers were seeking
an advantage by going around court
rules on discovery in Rule 16(a)(2).
The true irony in this situation
is how long Rule 16(a)(2) has been
used to get around the requirements
of the Tennessee Public Records
Act.
Frank Gibson is TPA’s public policy
director. He can be reached at 615202-2685 or [email protected].
“This is an incredibly exciting
time to be a part of this industry, a
dynamic and evolving multi-media
business news platform,” Crangle
says. “It is an incredible honor for
me to lead and serve this great
company of ours and while we have
seen success, we are thirsty for
more.
“As we continue in this new
phase of our journey together, I am
thrilled to take on this challenge
and look forward to what the future
may bring.”
Prior to joining ACBJ, Crangle
was with American Honda and
the Hendrick Automotive Group.
She was born and raised in
Memphis and graduated from
the University of South Florida. She
and her husband, Matt, have two
sons, 4-year-old Caleb and Logan,
12 weeks old, and two dogs, Marley and Manni.
She is a die-hard fan of the University of Tennessee and the Boston
Red Sox, loves to travel – she’s been
to 11 countries – and is an avid supporter of the arts in the Memphis
area, where her brother, Matthew
Hasty, is a well-known artist.
Memphis Business Journal
March 28, 2014
New address for Cannon
Courier
he took a leave of absence to finish
his third book. In Dubai, Murphy
oversaw coverage of the Gulf Arab
states and Iran, and also assisted
in coverage of the Arab Spring
uprisings. Murphy was part of the
AP’s Pulitzer-nominated coverage
of Iran’s contested 2009 presidential
elections.
“Brian is a proven news leader
with a track record for owning the
big story,” Pane said. “He is a storyteller at heart with an infectious
enthusiasm for digging beneath the
surface, for capturing stories in a
vivid and textured way. I’m looking
forward to seeing him bring those
talents to a fascinating part of the
U.S.”
From 2007 to 2008, Murphy was
an assistant international editor
overseeing AP’s coverage of Iraq.
Previously, he served as international religion writer, which included
coverage of the Islamic world and
the papal transition following the
death of Pope John Paul II. In 2007,
Murphy and AP’s Religion Writer
Rachel Zoll won the Wilbur Award
for a series on Christian missionaries in Africa.
The Cannon Courier has moved.
The new physical and mailing address for the paper is: 113 W. Main
St., Woodbury, TN 37190-1143.
Cannon Courier
April 2, 2014
Murphy named AP news
editor for Tenn., Ky. ATLANTA (AP) — Brian Murphy,
a longtime foreign correspondent
who has covered and directed
stories from bases
in Europe and the
Middle East, has
been named The
Associated Press
news editor for
Tennessee and
Kentucky.
The apMurphy
pointment was
announced
Thursday by South Editor Lisa
Marie Pane. He will begin his new
job on June 2.
Murphy was bureau chief based
in Dubai, United Arab Emirates,
from 2009 until late 2013, when
See TRACKS, Page 12
Just which crime records are open to the public?
A city editor called me recently,
wanting to know what records
his local police department was
required to make public.
Seems like a simple question,
but in Tennessee, it has become
anything but that.
The city editor’s staff was dealing
with a new public information
officer at the police department who
was declining to turn over some
incident reports because of their
sensitive nature. The newspaper
had a good relationship with the police chief and knew his track record
was to be as transparent as possible
about crime in the community.
The city editor hopes the matter
is now resolved, with the police
chief’s guidance that incident
reports should not be withheld. But
it exposes a common friction when
it comes to crime reporting in Tennessee – what information does the
public have a right to know about
crime in their community, and what
latitude do police have to withhold
certain details?
The answers have consequences for the media’s ability to report
independently on crime and law
TN COALITION
FOR OPEN
GOVERNMENT
DEBORAH FISHER
enforcement – and a citizen’s ability
to find out about crime in their
neighborhood.
Inquiries related to access to law
enforcement records have steadily
grown in three years for the Office
of Open Records Counsel.
Open Records Counsel Elisha
Hodge logged 288 inquiries on the
topic from March 2013 to February
2014. That compares with 249 the
year before, and 171 the year before
that.
The questions span topics – fees,
access to reports and time frame for
response.
When Hodge gets a question from
a law enforcement agency about
whether they are required to release
incident reports to the public, she
shares Attorney General opinions
from 1980 and 1981, and tells them
case law in Tennessee doesn’t directly address the confidentiality of
incident reports, also called offense
reports.
The Oct. 2, 1980 Attorney General
opinion says “such reports are not
‘public records’ which must be
made available to the public.” It cites
an exception created by Tennessee
Rule of Criminal Procedure 16(a)
(2) that covers work product of law
enforcement during an ongoing
investigation or prosecution.
A follow-up Feb. 12, 1981 opinion
said its earlier opinion “only applied
to so-called ‘work product’; that is,
documents created for internal use
in the preparation of a prosecution
or investigation.”
But because it didn’t specifically
address offense reports, Hodge said
the second opinion did not clear up
the question.
“Do you have the right to access
an offense report or incident report
when there is a pending criminal
action, which could include an
investigation or prosecution? That’s
the question. And in my opinion,
that’s what’s not clear.”
Looking for leads this May? Here’s a few
May is a great time of the year.
The cold winter months are behind
us. Advertisers are shaking off the
winter blues. People are getting out
of their houses. This means business is picking up.
Here are some types of businesses that would be good fits for
multiple newspaper ad placements
in one of Tennessee’s Advertising
Networks: TnSCAN, classified line
ads; TnDAN, small display ads; and
TnNET, online banner ads.
• Air conditioners and repair
• Allergy clinics
• Home improvement – such
as windows, doors, garages,
flooring, paint, and home
furnishings
• Lawn and garden supplies
• Lumber and building materials
• Outdoor furniture
• Sporting goods
• Tires and auto supplies
• Travel/Tourism
The list below contains some
types of businesses seen regularly in
Tennessee’s Advertising Networks:
• Adoption
• Auctions
• Business for Sale
• Business Opportunity
• Cable/Satellite TV
• Cattle Sales
• Divorce Services
• Education
• Help Wanted
• Help Wanted – Drivers
• Help Wanted – Education
• Help Wanted – Sales
NETWORKS
ADVERTISING
MANAGER
BETH ELLIOTT
• Home Remodeling
• Homes for Sale
• Lake Property
• Land for Sale
• Lots & Acreage
• Mobile Homes for Sale
• Schools
• Steel Buildings
Many of the Network ads are
repeats, meaning that multiple
newspaper advertising works and
the person that sold the ad has
stayed in touch with their client.
The newspapers selling the ads
keep a great commission and their
clients are getting great coverage.
There are three keys to selling the
Network ads.
Remember to tell your clients
about the Networks if they have a
need to get their message outside of
your local area.
Follow up with your client once
the ad is sold.
Follow up with your client once
the ad is sold. (Not a typo, just bears
repeating).
If your newspaper is looking
for a new source of revenue, the
Networks might be it. Each ad
your staff sells can bring in a hefty
commission.
Tennessee Press Service is here to
help. If your staff needs a refresher
training session, contact us at 865584-5761 ext. 108 for David Wells,
TPS Director of Advertising or ext.
117 for me. Happy Spring!
TPA awards
luncheon set
for July 11 in
Nashville
Save the date, Friday, July
11, for the 2014 UT-TPA State
Press Contests Awards Luncheon.
It will be held at the Embassy Suites Nashville Airport Hotel in east Nashville. Winners
will be notified of an award,
but not placement, by letter
from TPA on May 19.
For those desiring to stay
overnight in Nashville, TPA
has reserved a block of rooms
at a special rate of $151.20. The
hotel offers free parking and
a complimentary breakfast.
One may make a reservation
by calling the hotel at (615)
871-0033.
The deadline for reservations
is Tuesday, June 10.
Some police departments give out
offense reports. Others don’t. There
are some situations where offense
reports should be redacted before
being released to the public, Hodge
said. For example, if a victim has
a court order of protection, he or
she can go to the law enforcement
agency and ask them to not release
identifying information.
Hodge also cited a 2002 case in
Nashville where an appeals court
found that identifying information
of a juvenile victim of sexual assault
should be redacted in fulfilling a
public records request.
So where does that leave local
newsrooms?
When the waters are calm,
everyone might row in the same
direction.
But the fundamental issue remains. If the public reports a crime,
and the police record that information – the basic who, what, when
and where – in an offense report
that starts the process of investigating, shouldn’t the who, what, when,
where reported by the public be
available to the public?
Shouldn’t the public know what
crime is being reported in their
community in a timely way – not
after the case is over, sometimes
years later? Don’t they have a right
to unfiltered information that outlines the initial details and narrative
reported to law enforcement?
If law enforcement gains ultimate
discretion on all of the public
records in its possession that might
become information in an investigation or prosecution, the ability for
a relevant and timely check on government power secured for citizens
by the Tennessee Public Records
Act becomes a charade.
Claiming the offense report is
part of an investigation shuts the
public out of basic information and
unless noticed and challenged can
contribute to a culture of unnecessary police secrecy.
Deborah Fisher is executive director of Tennessee Coalition for Open
Government, a nonprofit alliance of
citizens, media and good government
groups that provides education and
research on the state’s open government laws.
So many topics, so little space. I needed help.
This morning, I created a poll on
my Facebook wall, which includes
thousands of newspaper friends,
and asked for help in deciding
among three potential topics for this
column. The poll looked like this:
“I need your thoughts. Help me
pick a topic for my column today.
Select one of the following?
• A few new tools out there to
help newspaper folks get their
jobs done.
• The fallout from my previous
Digital First column and their
announcement to close down
their Thunderdome division.
• What I learned from working with six small papers in
Nebraska this month about
running successful papers.
Within minutes, I received 40 or
so responses. I was a little surprised
at the results. Almost 60 percent
selected “What I learned from
working with six small papers in
Nebraska.”
Approximately 22 percent chose
“A few new tools,” while 19 percent
selected a column concerning the
Digital First fallout.
I wasn’t surprised that the column on successful small newspapers was selected, but I didn’t expect
a blowout. Making the results even
more surprising, I could tell who
voted for what, and it was clear
that people at large dailies are just
as interested in what the papers in
Nebraska are doing to be successful
as are people in small community
papers.
So let me tell you a little about Nebraska. Newspapers in Nebraska aren’t that much different than papers
here in Tennessee, just smaller. Rob
Dump and his wife, Peggy, own
six small papers in rural northeast
Nebraska.
The largest is Cedar County News
in Hartington. According to US
Census Bureau numbers, Hartington has dropped in population from
1,662 in 1990 to approximately
1,500 today.
The circulation of Cedar County
News is 2,000. The circulation of
the five smaller papers averages
900 each, with the smallest, The
Coleridge Blade, reporting a circulation of 312. Total circulation for all
six papers is 6,500.
Scenes for the movie “Nebraska”
were filmed at the Osmond Republican.
TRACKS, from Page 10
Murphy joined AP in 1987 as a
reporter in Boston. He later worked
in Miami and as an editor on the
International Desk in New York,
before his first overseas posting in
1993 as a correspondent in Rome,
where he won the 1995 APME hon-
THE
NEWS
GURU
KEVIN SLIMP
Rob, along with Peggy, attended
the Institute of Newspaper Technology years ago and has been
contacting me ever since about my
coming to work with their papers.
The obvious problem was the cost
associated with flying a consultant
across the country to spend a few
days in Hartington.
I learned years ago, when Jean
Matua (another Institute alum) had
both Ken Blum and me at her newspaper, a 1,300-circulation weekly
in a Minnesota town of 700, in the
same week to work with her and
her staff of one, that such problems
are opportunities for people like
Rob and Jean. So I wasn’t surprised
when Rob called me a few months
back to let me know he had received
a government grant to bring me to
Nebraska.
After arriving in Sioux Falls and
making the 90-minute drive to
Hartington on Wednesday, I spent
Thursday training Rob’s incredibly
impressive staff; most seemed to be
graduates of journalism schools in
or near Nebraska.
His daughter, Kalee, shared time
between school at The University of
Nebraska, in Lincoln, and working
with the paper in Hartington. Most
of the staff had worked at the papers
for extensive periods and seemed to
thoroughly enjoy their work.
The staffs of all six papers gathered on the town’s primary street,
in a former store that has since been
converted to a home for the newspaper press, with a conference area in
the front.
We spent most of the day improving the photo editing process for
the papers and training the staff in
advanced skills using Adobe InDesign. We worked on improving their
method of creating ads for their
websites and making the printing
process go more smoothly.
On day two, I worked individually with several of the staff members.
Peggy and I created a new system
for streamlining her classifieds,
using nested styles in InDesign.
Rob and I began the work to create
a photo archiving system for the
papers. I worked with other staff
members to solve PDF problems, get
all the fonts to work together in all
six papers and streamline the entire
process.
At the end of day two, Rob and I
sat in his office and discussed the
time we’d spent together. He was
amazed at how much we’d gotten
done. “I never imagined we could
do so much in just two days,” he
told me a few times.
Then it was my turn to ask questions. In our conversation I learned
that all of his papers were written
and designed in the communities
they served.
All six papers have editors who
live in, or near, the towns they
orary mention for feature writing
for a story chronicling the struggles
of an African immigrant family in
Italy. He was bureau chief in Athens
from 1997 to 2004, directing coverage of the preparations for the 2004
Olympics and assisting in coverage
of Balkan conflicts.
Murphy has spent the past year
working on his third book, which
recounts the story of a World War
II pilot who survived more than 80
days alone in the Alaska wilderness.
Murphy, 54, is a native of New
Jersey and earned a bachelor’s
degree from Boston College.
The Associated Press
April 10, 2014
serve. And get this: All are profitable.
I asked Rob how he could afford
to have a paper with a circulation
of 312.
“Well, people ask me that question a lot,” he said, “and I look at it
this way. We’re able to pay for our
staff and to make a little profit. And
it’s good for the community to have
its own newspaper.”
Rob pretty much summed up
what I say are the three qualities
that exist in most successful newspapers:
• Focus on local content, produced locally
• Support and training for staff
• A quality sales staff that
understands the role and benefits of newspaper advertising
Maybe next month, we can discuss those new tools.
KUDOS
to
Joel Washburn,
the first to
register (April 9)
for the
Summer
Convention.
4 - Summer Convention Preview
June 5-7, 2014
Stay and Play
Park Vista Hotel, Gatlinburg
What Is It About Gatlinburg?
The Gateway City To The Smokies Is Like
No Other Town
It’s a little place: Gatlinburg. About two miles
long by five miles wide.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, now
boasting over nine million visitors a year, has
transformed Gatlinburg from a sleepy little
town of 70-plus years ago into the perennial
mountain getaway choice by generations
of families. And, it was just named as one
of America’s prettiest towns by Forbes
magazine.
RESERVATIONS:
toll free: 800-421-7275
local: (865) 436-9211
Please make your reservations
early. The hotel expects to sell
out on our convention dates!
CONVENTION RATE:
$114 plus tax, per night
CODE: TNP
The Park Vista by Doubletree is
a renovated, 300-room, circular
landmark hotel rising high above
Gatlinburg with stunning views
of the Great Smoky Mountains.
DEADLINE:
Friday, May 9
LOCATION:
705 Cherokee Orchard Road
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
WEBSITE:
www.parkvista.com
The hotel’s pool area was
refurbished into a mini water
park that kids will enjoy.
Check In: 4:00 p.m.
Check Out: 11:00 a.m.
Deadline: May 9
Election of 2014-15 Officers, Installation
TPA will elect a new president, officers and
directors for districts 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 during
the Business Session on June 5. TPA President
Lynn Richardson, publisher of the Elizabethton
Star, will pass the gavel toTPA’s new president
during the Installation Banquet on June 6.
Jason Taylor, president and publisher of the
Chattanooga Times Free Press, is slated to
be TPA’s 2014-15 president.
Arts and crafts have long held a deep
association with the Southern Appalachian
Mountains. Nowhere
else in the South
will you find a richer
heritage of fine
cra
craftsmanship than
in Gatlinburg. Great
Smoky Arts &
Cr
Crafts
Community,
es
established
in 1937,
is the largest group
a
of independent artisans
in North
America. This area offers
y o u
the best in a wide range
of craft shops, including
p o tt e r y, wo o d c a r v i n g ,
candlemaking, quilting,
weaving, broommaking and
painting, among many other
fine art forms.
A leisurely stroll on the
downtown Parkway opens
up a world of opportunities when you’re in
Gatlinburg. See sharks at Ripley’s Aquarium,
play a round of
miniature golf, go
alpine sledding, take
in the view from the
space needle or visit
other attractions.
If you love to shop, Gatlinburg
atlinburg is
your kind of place! With more than 400 specialty
shops, boutiques and galleries, you can easily
find a special collectible or unique one-of-a-kind
piece in this mountain resort.
www.gatlinburg.com.
Moonshine
Three moonshine distilleries are now open for tours
in Gatlinburg.
10 free things to do while visiting
Gatlinburg
http://tinyurl.com/FreeGatlinburg
Synchronous Fireflies
Synchronous fireflies (Photinus carolinus) are
one of at least 19 species of fireflies that live
in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. They
are the only species in America whose individuals can synchronize their flashing
lig patterns. Since 1993, this peak
light
da has occurred at various times
date
fro
from the third week of May to the
thir
third week in June.
TPA
Tennessee Press Association 144th Anniversary Summer Convention
with special invitation to Kentucky Press Association
Summer
Convention
Info
Information
about the 2014 dates of
the firefly shuttle between Sugarlands
Vis
Visitor
Center and Elkmont will be
rele
released
on April 28th. The reservation
syste
system will open on April 30th.
www.nps.gov/grsm/naturescience/fireflies.htm
Party!
Join us after the Installation Banquet for a party
Friday, June 6 at 8:30 p.m.
Richardson
Taylor
Convention Registration
DEADLINE:
Friday, May 16 for discounted registration.
WEBSITE:
http://www.tnpress.com/SummerConvention.html
CONTACT:
Tennessee Press Association (865) 584-5761, ext.100 or 105
The Chattanooga Times Free Press is
hosting a party for all conventioneers to
celebrate the installation of Jason Taylor
Plan to have fun and show your moves
on the dance floor while DJ TRAXX in
The Smokies entertains with a variety
of music.
We’ll see who can keep up with Jason
Taylor, winner of the 2009 Chattanooga
Dancing With The Stars competition.
Gatlinburg
June 5-7, 2014
June 5-7, 2014
Convention Educational Sessions
Invitation to Kentucky Press
Association Members
TPA is delighted to invite members of the Kentucky Press
Association to join in this 2014 Summer Convention. We
look forward to renewing friendships and making new
ones in Gatlinburg!
Convention Schedule
THURSDAY, JUNE 5
Noon
Registration Opens
1:00 p.m.
TPA Board of Directors Meeting
TPA Business Session (membership meeting) will immediately follow the Board of Directors Meeting
3:30 p.m.
TPA Foundation Board of Trustees Meeting
6:00 p.m.
Opening Reception in downtown Gatlinburg
FRIDAY, JUNE 6
8:00 a.m.
Breakfast—Keynote address by Kevin Slimp
9:00 a.m.
Concurrent sessions
A. Retailer Panel
B. Emerging Issues in Open Government
10:15 a.m.
Concurrent sessions
A. Cell phone journalism: One-man banding
from the Àeld
B. ClassiÀeds: What you should do now
C. Contests & Promotions
11:15 a.m.
Sessions adjourn—move to off-site events
12:30 p.m.
Golfers shotgun start at 12:30 p.m.
1:00 p.m.
Picnic and afternoon at Dollywood
7:00 p.m.
TPA Installation Banquet—Jason Taylor,
president of Chattanooga Times Free Press,
to be installed as TPA’s President
8:30 p.m.
Party
SATURDAY, JUNE 7
8:00 a.m.
Hot Ideas Breakfast
9:00 a.m.
Tennessee Press Service Stockholders
Meeting (includes election of directors)
9:30 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions:
A. Marketing Events—Selling Events to Your
Community
Friday, June 6
B. Newspaper Digital Offerings
11:45 a.m.
Convention adjourns
As of 4/22/14, subject to change.
Please refer to on-site program at convention.
HOTEL DEADLINE: May 9
Hot Ideas Breakfast—Get your R.O.I. and some cash
for your wallet!
KEVIN SLIMP, Institute of Newspaper Technology
Bring your great ideas and examples to share at this breakfast where $200 in cash
is on the line. Share your promotions, revenue-generating or cost savings ideas.
The prizes for the best ideas are $100 ¿rst place, $75 second place and $50 third
place. Everyone who attends this breakfast will go home with at least one idea
that gives R.O.I. on your convention attendance!
Kevin Slimp is a familiar face to newspapers throughout the world. His syndicated
column for newspaper publishers can be found in more than 60 industry-related
journals in North America, Asia, Europe and Australia. Kevin has been invited to
keynote many of the major newspaper conferences in North America and Europe
this year, speaking about the future of print journalism. Don’t miss this opportunity
to hear our home-grown expert speak on the topic: “What’s really going on in the
newspaper industry.”
Retailer Panel
Emerging issues in Open Government
Opening Reception in the heart
of Gatlinburg
Join us for this reception in downtown Gatlinburg,
where you will be entertained by local musicians
and enjoy hors d’oeuvres and drinks courtesy of the
Gatlinburg Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Thursday, June 5
6:00 p.m. Reception
7:30 p.m. Evening on one’s own
LYNDSI LANE, Chattanooga Times Free Press
Learn how creative traditional and nontraditional advertising and promotion create
high-traf¿c events. No matter the size of your market or event, Àex your most
powerful marketing muscle—your newspaper!
Lyndsi Lane is Marketing Manager of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Growing Circulation
DEBORAH FISHER, Tennessee Coalition for Open Government
DALE LONG, The Greeneville Sun
Hear an update on Tennessee Coalition for Open Government activity, plus
emerging issues regarding open records and open meetings. Some topics will
include fees for public records, access to crime records, cameras in public meetings
and what recent litigation and appeals court rulings mean for your newsroom.
Deborah Fisher is Executive Director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government.
Dale Long, chairman of TPA’s Circulation Committee, will coordinate this session on
growing home delivery and single copy sales.
Dale Long is Director of Printing and Distribution of The Greeneville Sun.
sponsored by
Gatlinburg Convention
and Visitors Bureau
Marketing Events—Selling Events to Your Community
The panel will discuss their company’s overall marketing strategy (newspapers,
broadcast, web, social media, email campaigns, frequent shopper programs, etc).
They will talk about how newspapers play a role now and what we need to do
to move forward with them in the future. Invited panelists include Food City and
Cracker Barrel. Moderated by David Wells, Advertising Director, Tennessee Press
Service.
Golf Tournament at
Gatlinburg Golf Course
Avid fans know that golfing isn’t just a sport, it’s a way of
life! While in Gatlinburg and the Smokies, indulge in your
favorite pastime at the area’s most uniquely designed
course. From the challenging layout and emerald fairways
to beautifully wooded landscapes and well-manicured
greens, you’ll remember this picturesque setting in the
heart of the Great Smoky Mountains.
Tournament limited to 24 players
Cell phone journalism: One-man banding from the field
JOHN KUNZA, Knoxville News Sentinel
The mobile phone today is much more than just a device that makes phone calls.
Whether you refer to it as mobile, backpack, digital or multimedia journalism, one
thing remains the same— the cellphone is an essential news gathering tool in the
¿eld. Reporters are now expected to update social media, shoot video, edit video,
take photographs and ¿le all from their phone while they are out in the ¿eld.
John Kunza is Digital Managing Editor of the Knoxville News Sentinel.
Classifieds: What you should do now
RICHARD CLARK, Northeast Tennessee Media Group
There is hope for classi¿eds, but the answers are not easy. Here’s what you should
do now. Richard Clark is Vice President of Inside Sales & Small Business Initiatives for the Northeast Tennessee Media Group.
Contests & Promotions
STEPHANIE CAREY, Second Street Media
According to Borrell Associates, online promotions are expected to grow to an 80
billion dollar industry by 2017, which is more than double its current level, while
banner and other online advertising are stagnating. Learn how your publication can
grab its share of this signi¿cant revenue opportunity. You’ll discover how you can
build a plan to develop a sustainable revenue stream from contests, ballots, deals,
and other promotional opportunities.
$65
Friday, June 6
11:15 a.m. Transportation on your own
Concurrent sessions
A. Paywall Panel discussion
Saturday, June 7
What is really going on in the newspaper industry
B. Growing Circulation
10:45 a.m.
Summer Convention Preview - 3
June 5-7, 2014
Paywall Panel
This panel of print executives will describe their experience with website pay models. The session will
cover the different ways in which their companies deal with pricing options, growth projections and
other aspects of digital subscriptions. They’ll cover revenue and editorial angles.
Panelists: Benjy Hamm, Editorial Director, Landmark Community Newspapers, Kentucky; Jack
Lail, MultiMedia Editor, Knoxville
News Sentinel; Darrell Richardson, Publisher, The Oak Ridger,
Oak Ridge, Tenn. and Frank
“Buzz” Trexler, Managing Editor,
The Daily Times, Maryville, Tenn.
Hamm
Lail
Richardson
Trexler
12:30 p.m. Shotgun start
Boxed lunch included
Dollywood is the perfect gathering place to share good
times with family and friends. Thrilling rides and great live
entertainment await you! Those not attending sessions
can arrive for the park’s opening at 10:00 a.m. to maximize
time at the park.
1:00 p.m. Picnic lunch at Dollywood
Transportation on your own
Three local newspapers discuss the digital products they are offering and the successes and/or
setbacks they have encountered. They also discuss how they market these new products and which
one they feel will be the most successful for them. Moderated by David Wells, Advertising Director,
Tennessee Press Service. Panelists: Ed Bourn, Digital Sales Director , Chattanooga Times Free Press;
Rob Bunch, General Manager,
High Road Digital, Greeneville; and
Seth Horn, Digital Media Director,
Lakeway Publishers, Morristown
Park hours 10:00
0 0 a.
aa.m.
m.
m.
to 7:00 p.m.
Ages 12 & up: $20
Ages 4-11: $10
Parking fee: $10
sponsored by
Dollywood
Bourn
Bunch
Horn
Wells
Athlon Media
Group
Picnic and Play at Dollywood!
Friday, June 6
Newspaper Digital Offerings
Prizes
sponsored by
June 5-7, 2014
Stay and Play
Park Vista Hotel, Gatlinburg
What Is It About Gatlinburg?
The Gateway City To The Smokies Is Like
No Other Town
It’s a little place: Gatlinburg. About two miles
long by five miles wide.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, now
boasting over nine million visitors a year, has
transformed Gatlinburg from a sleepy little
town of 70-plus years ago into the perennial
mountain getaway choice by generations
of families. And, it was just named as one
of America’s prettiest towns by Forbes
magazine.
RESERVATIONS:
toll free: 800-421-7275
local: (865) 436-9211
Please make your reservations
early. The hotel expects to sell
out on our convention dates!
CONVENTION RATE:
$114 plus tax, per night
CODE: TNP
The Park Vista by Doubletree is
a renovated, 300-room, circular
landmark hotel rising high above
Gatlinburg with stunning views
of the Great Smoky Mountains.
DEADLINE:
Friday, May 9
LOCATION:
705 Cherokee Orchard Road
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
WEBSITE:
www.parkvista.com
The hotel’s pool area was
refurbished into a mini water
park that kids will enjoy.
Check In: 4:00 p.m.
Check Out: 11:00 a.m.
Deadline: May 9
Election of 2014-15 Officers, Installation
TPA will elect a new president, officers and
directors for districts 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 during
the Business Session on June 5. TPA President
Lynn Richardson, publisher of the Elizabethton
Star, will pass the gavel toTPA’s new president
during the Installation Banquet on June 6.
Jason Taylor, president and publisher of the
Chattanooga Times Free Press, is slated to
be TPA’s 2014-15 president.
Arts and crafts have long held a deep
association with the Southern Appalachian
Mountains. Nowhere
else in the South
will you find a richer
heritage of fine
cra
craftsmanship than
in Gatlinburg. Great
Smoky Arts &
Cr
Crafts
Community,
es
established
in 1937,
is the largest group
a
of independent artisans
in North
America. This area offers
y o u
the best in a wide range
of craft shops, including
p o tt e r y, wo o d c a r v i n g ,
candlemaking, quilting,
weaving, broommaking and
painting, among many other
fine art forms.
A leisurely stroll on the
downtown Parkway opens
up a world of opportunities when you’re in
Gatlinburg. See sharks at Ripley’s Aquarium,
play a round of
miniature golf, go
alpine sledding, take
in the view from the
space needle or visit
other attractions.
If you love to shop, Gatlinburg
atlinburg is
your kind of place! With more than 400 specialty
shops, boutiques and galleries, you can easily
find a special collectible or unique one-of-a-kind
piece in this mountain resort.
www.gatlinburg.com.
Moonshine
Three moonshine distilleries are now open for tours
in Gatlinburg.
10 free things to do while visiting
Gatlinburg
http://tinyurl.com/FreeGatlinburg
Synchronous Fireflies
Synchronous fireflies (Photinus carolinus) are
one of at least 19 species of fireflies that live
in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. They
are the only species in America whose individuals can synchronize their flashing
lig patterns. Since 1993, this peak
light
da has occurred at various times
date
fro
from the third week of May to the
thir
third week in June.
TPA
Tennessee Press Association 144th Anniversary Summer Convention
with special invitation to Kentucky Press Association
Summer
Convention
Info
Information
about the 2014 dates of
the firefly shuttle between Sugarlands
Vis
Visitor
Center and Elkmont will be
rele
released
on April 28th. The reservation
syste
system will open on April 30th.
www.nps.gov/grsm/naturescience/fireflies.htm
Party!
Join us after the Installation Banquet for a party
Friday, June 6 at 8:30 p.m.
Richardson
Taylor
Convention Registration
DEADLINE:
Friday, May 16 for discounted registration.
WEBSITE:
http://www.tnpress.com/SummerConvention.html
CONTACT:
Tennessee Press Association (865) 584-5761, ext.100 or 105
The Chattanooga Times Free Press is
hosting a party for all conventioneers to
celebrate the installation of Jason Taylor
Plan to have fun and show your moves
on the dance floor while DJ TRAXX in
The Smokies entertains with a variety
of music.
We’ll see who can keep up with Jason
Taylor, winner of the 2009 Chattanooga
Dancing With The Stars competition.
Gatlinburg
June 5-7, 2014

May 2014 - Tennessee Press Association

Transcription

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