April 2010 - Tennessee Press Association

The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
Board sends bylaws proposal
to membership for vote
The TPA Board of Directors voted on
Feb. 10, 2010, to send a proposal by the
Constitution and Bylaws Committee to
a full membership vote by ballot.
Ballots were mailed on Feb. 24 to
the publisher or general manager of
each TPA member newspaper. TPA’s
regional directors are available to
answer questions and will contact every
newspaper for which a ballot has not
been received.
An independent auditing firm
distributed the ballots and will receive
them and tabulate the results.
The Constitution and Bylaws
Committee proposal to amend Article
IX of the TPA Constitution and Bylaws
follows:
The words “full-membership” be
replaced with “participating members,”
meaning future amendments be
approved by a two-thirds majority of
the voting membership, rather than
a two-thirds majority vote of the full
membership. As it currently reads, a
non-vote is the equivalent of a vote
against, thus making it difficult for
any amendment to pass, and which
is counter to the Bylaws Committee’s
original intent with its inception in
2004. This proposal, examined by TPA
attorney Rick Hollow, will remedy that
issue. A ballot will still be mailed to
the publisher of every TPA member
publication thus being given the same
opportunity to vote and/or speak
opinions. A case statement was sent
with the ballot and is also available on
the TPA Web site at www.tnpress.com/
bylawsproposal2010.html.
A report of this ballot initiative,
including individual voting results,
will be presented at the June 24, 2010
meeting of the TPA Board of Directors
and will be made available to the
general membership.
Ad/Circ Conference: Learn to achieve more with less
BY ROBYN GENTILE
TPA member services manager
Advertising and circulation personnel
from TPA member newspapers will
gather in Chattanooga on Friday, April
16, for the 2010 Advertising/Circulation
Conference. The theme is “Achieving
More with Less.”
Zalabak
Marsella
Patterson
“Training and idea exchange allow
businesses not only to survive, but to prosper,”
said Don Lovelace, circulation director of the
Meeks, advertising director of the Manchester
Citizen Tribune, Morristown, and chairman of the Times, said, “This is a great opportunity
Circulation Committee. “While most businesses to network with fellow newspaper colleagues,
cut training and travel, now is the time to push learn ideas for bringing in future revenue and
for sales and marketing initiatives. We need to get motivated about your work in advertising
be reminded that our customers are gold and we by the guest speakers. It is also great to see how
must do the mining.
everyone’s hard work pays off at the awards
“Training is part of the equation. It boosts presentation. Each year that I attend I bring back
the overall morale, and it makes individuals fresh ideas and new friendships.”
feel worthy and effective,” Lovelace continued.
The conference programming promises an
“The Ad/Circ Conference is exactly what you “Ad-Ucation” with Tom Zalabak, advertising
need right now for your business to succeed. director of The News-Gazette, Champaign, Ill.;
There is no better way to exchange ideas, pick “Positively Outrageous Service” and “Disciplines
up a new revenue stream or brush up on what of Execution” with Tony Marsella, president of
other newspapers are doing. Please make plans Ranger Data Technologies; and much more.
to join Kerri Meeks and me in Chattanooga. We
Awards in the 2010 Ideas Contest will be
must change how we are doing business, not stop
doing business.”
SEE AD/CIRC, PAGE 3
Not so fast, NNA’s Heath says of reduced postal delivery proposal
CMYK
BY GREG SHERRILL
TPA executive director
The National
N e w s p a p e r
Association just
wrapped up its 49th
Annual Government
Affairs Conference
i n Wa s h i n g t o n ,
D.C. More than 100
representatives from
Sherrill
newspapers and
press associations across the country
met to discuss issues pertaining to our
industry on a national scope.
The conference focused our attention
in several areas, from postal reform to
homeland security to an opportunity
to advance the first proactive push for
public notice legislation in decades, the
Financial Transparency Restoration
Act.
While many across the country
seem resigned to a reduction in postal
delivery, NNA Postal Committee
Chairman Max Heath said not so fast!
Many in Congress do not support a move
to five-day delivery, and Heath pointed
out several obstacles to killing Saturday
service. Since many newspapers rely
on USPS to get their papers out, a
move to eliminate Saturday service
would likely force those papers to use
carrier delivery and could significantly
reduce postal volume on the remaining
days of the week. Saturday delivery
is especially popular in Southern
communities, where Friday night high
school football results are big news.
Also, since most federal holidays are
observed on a Monday, that would mean
about 10 times a year when there would
be no mail service for three or more
days. Think about the backups we see
now when there is a Monday holiday,
and then imagine adding another day
to the backlog!
Along with postal reform, NNA is
focusing its attention to Congress for
several other initiatives. The repeal
of the estate tax is set to sunset next
year, with the tax rebounding to a
55 percent marginal rate! This could
seriously jeopardize the future of
many family-owned businesses. Many
family-owned papers could be forced to
sell to newspaper group buyers, some of
which are on shaky ground financially
or which have records of closing small
newspapers to stave off bankruptcy.
NNA is seeking an exemption for
community newspapers to allow these
papers to stay in local hands that care
deeply about community journalism.
Work continues toward a federal shield
law that would protect journalists.
Currently, 49 states and the District
of Columbia have such protection for
reporters and their sources, and this
is definitely needed on the federal
level as well.
I mentioned the Financial
Transparency Restoration Act, or
HR2727. This is the first chance
newspapers have to be proactive with
regard to public notice in many, many
years. Until 1994, banks on both state and
federal levels were required to publish
detailed “statements of condition”
in newspapers of the communities
in which they did business. In 1994,
Congress very quietly repealed the
publication requirement for federal
banks, and states quickly followed
suit. Now, it’s very difficult for the
public to know which banks are in
sound financial condition. No one is
implying that this could have averted
the banking crisis we experienced in
2007 and 2008, but if more information
had been available to the public, most
agree that the mortgage securities
debacle would have been easier to spot
and that some taxpayer bailouts of
banks might have been avoided. We
maintain that these notices should be
reinstated to restore transparency of
bank financial condition. The small
cost of the notices would go a long way
toward also restoring public confidence
in their financial institutions and could
reduce insurance costs by minimizing
FDIC insurance payouts in the case of
failed institutions.
Finally, in this ever-changing world
of technology and Internet dependence,
newspapers are holding their own,
according to a new survey by NNA and
the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the
University of Missouri. For the fourth
year in a row, community newspaper use
has been consistently high: 81 percent
of those surveyed read a local paper
each week. Three quarters of readers
went to their local papers for local news,
as opposed to 53 percent who say they
never read news online. And of those
No. 4
APRIL 2010
Vol. 73
going online for local news, 63 percent
used their community newspaper Web
site. These findings (and many more)
are available on NNA’s Web site, www.
nnaweb.org.
Who and what
Meeks
Lovelace
DETAILS
WHO: Advertising, circulation staff, other
TPA members
WHAT: TPA Advertising & Circulation
Conference
WHEN: Friday, April 16
WHERE: Sheraton Read House Hotel,
Chattanooga
RESERVATIONS: The deadline for the
TPA rate has passed. Hotel: (423)
266-4121.
REGISTRATION: The deadline for
registration is April 14.
Summer Convention: TN, AR, MS to meet in Tunica
“An editor is a person who knows
more about writing than writers do
but who has escaped the terrible desire
to write.”
E.B. White, writer, 1954
BY ROBYN GENTILE
TPA member services manager
C
M
Y
K
It’s time to make plans for the
“Reunion on the River,” a tri-state press
convention with the members of the
Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee
press associations Wednesday through
Saturday, June 23-26, in Tunica, Miss.
“We are looking forward to a great
convention,” said MPA President
Reece Terry, publisher of the Daily
Corinthian, Corinth. “The Tri-State
Convention provides us with lots of
opportunities. It is a great time to
network with our counterparts from
Arkansas and Tennessee and learn how
others are meeting today’s marketplace
challenges,” he said.
This is the second tri-state meeting
for these associations. The first was in
2004 in Memphis.
Having three states meet together
provides more opportunities for
attendees than a single group meeting.
Networking opportunities increase
with the chance to gain new perspectives
from newspaper professionals in other
states. More educational sessions will
be offered. A trade show with 25 to
30 industry vendors, a silent auction,
parties and even more fun outings
than are normally available during a
INSIDE
PARKINS
FORESIGHT
DETAILS
WHO: TPA members and their staffs
WHAT: Tri-State Summer Convention
WHEN: Wednesday-Saturday,
June 23-26
WHERE: Harrah’s Veranda Hotel,
Tunica, Miss., (866) 635-7095
RESERVATIONS: Deadline for the TPA
rate, Monday, May 24.
REGISTRATION: Deadline for the early
registration discount, Monday, May 24.
traditional summer convention are all
part of this convention’s grand plan.
Tunica offers golf, clay shooting, tennis,
shopping and more.
“Please take time to join us this
summer for the Tri-State Convention,”
TPA President and Convention
Committee member Victor Parkins,
editor of The Milan Mirror Exchange,
urged. “Along with lunch with Gov.
Phil Bredesen, there will be great
training and educational opportunities
with our associates from Arkansas
and Mississippi. We have tons of
entertainment provided for all ages,”
he added.
“Tunica offers two world class
2
3
NIE
ENGRAVINGS
4
6-7
golf courses, a new skeet and trap
shooting center and lots of shopping
nearby. Nine different casinos offer a
variety of shows and some of the best
food in the South. We hope to see you in
Tunica this June,” Parkins said.
The second Convention Committee
member from Tennessee is Brad
Franklin, The Lexington Progress, a
TPA director.
“Members attending the 2010 TriState Convention will benefit from a
vast array of professional networking
opportunities, vendors and trade show
services, as well as participation in a
number of news media hot topics and
panel discussions by top speakers in
the industry,” Franklin said.
“This convention will also offer
attending members and family/
guests superlative social events and an
exciting chance to soak up some very
warm and inviting Southern hospitality
from our gracious hosts, members of
the Mississippi Press Association,”
he said.
Getting down to business
Governors Haley Barbour, Mike
Beebe and Bredesen are invited to speak
in a moderated forum to attendees at a
key luncheon of the convention.
TPA, the TPA Foundation and the
Tennessee Press Service have business
WORTH REPEATING
ADVERTISING
8
9
TUNICA CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU
The opening reception will be held at Tunica River Park, where
conventioneers will be offered riverboat rides.
to conduct during the convention.
TPA members and TPS stockholders
will elect officers during business
meetings.
Educational sessions
Keynote address by Charles Overby,
chief executive officer, The Newseum,
Washington, D.C.
Keynote address by Cal Thomas,
Washington, D.C., syndicated
JUDGING CONTEST
SLIMP
17-19
22-23
columnist
Future of Print: Dr. Samir Husni,
University of Mississippi (Ole Miss),
University, Miss.
Improve Your Writing Skills: Jim
Stasiowski, Sparks, Nev., writing
coach
Paid vs. Free Web Site Model panel
SEE CONVENTION, PAGE 3
IN CONTACT
Phone: (865) 584-5761
Fax: (865) 558-8687
Online: www.tnpress.com
CMYK
24
APRIL 2010
Newspapers are not non-profit
(USPS 616-460)
Published quarterly 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, Jefferson City.
Greg M. Sherrill.....................................................Editor
Elenora E. Edwards.............................Managing Editor
Robyn Gentile..........................Production Coordinator
Angelique Dunn...............................................Assistant
The Tennessee Press
is printed on recycled paper
and is recyclable.
www.tnpress.com
The Tennessee Press can be read on
CMYK
OFFICIAL WEB SITE OF THE TENNESSEE PRESS ASSOCIATION
TENNESSEE PRESS ASSOCIATION
Victor Parkins, The Milan Mirror-Exchange.........................................President
Art Powers, Johnson City Press...................................................Vice President
Jeff Fishman, The Tullahoma News..............................................Vice President
Kevin Burcham, News-Herald, Lenoir City..........................................Treasurer
Greg M. Sherrill, Knoxville....................................................Executive Director
DIRECTORS
Lynn Richardson, Herald and Tribune, Jonesborough........................District 1
Jack McElroy, News Sentinel, Knoxville..............................................District 2
Chris Vass, Chattanooga Times Free Press...........................................District 3
Mike DeLapp, Herald-Citizen, Cookeville.............................................District 4
Hugh Jones, Shelbyville Times-Gazette...............................................District 5
Andrew Oppmann, The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville.............................District 6
John Finney, Buffalo River Review, Linden.........................................District 7
Brad Franklin, The Lexington Progress.................................................District 8
Joel Washburn, Dresden Enterprise.....................................................District 9
Eric Barnes, The Daily News, Memphis..............................................District 10
Tom Griscom, Chattanooga Times Free Press.......................................At large
TENNESSEE PRESS SERVICE
Pauline D. Sherrer, Crossville Chronicle..............................................President
Michael Williams, The Paris Post-Intelligencer............................Vice President
W. R. (Ron) Fryar, Cannon Courier, Woodbury......................................Director
Jeff Fishman, The Tullahoma News........................................................Director
Victor Parkins, The Milan Mirror-Exchange............................................Director
Art Powers, Johnson City Press............................................................Director
Greg M. Sherrill............................................................Executive Vice President
TENNESSEE PRESS ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION
W.R. (Ron) Fryar, Cannon Courier, Woodbury.....................................President
Gregg K. Jones, The Greeneville Sun..........................................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 Elenora E.
Edwards, (865) 457-5459; send a note to P.O. Box 502, Clinton, TN 37717-0502;
or e-mail [email protected]. The deadline for the August issue
is July 12.
Remind politicians
meetings without prior consent.
that newspapers are not non-profit
The policy has been recommended by the
As the campaign trails heat up this election year,
Tennessee School Board Association (TSBA), which
take a moment to remind every politician that walks
gets a rubber stamp by most local boards.
through the front door of your newspaper that we
Here in Milan, the board passed the absurd policy
also have an advertising department.
on first reading. Board members said other than the
For the first time ever, every employee at the
fact that TSBA recommended the policy, they wanted
Mirror-Exchange has been well schooled to
to keep board actions off of ‘You Tube’.
direct our potential lawmakers to the advertising
That’s the best and only explanation they could
department when they call the office.
come
up with.
YOUR
When they leave our newspaper, they know our
The next week, the Mirror-Exchange blasted the
rates and ad sizes, and more importantly, they PRESIDING local board and their flimsy excuses with editorials
know we expect to be included in their advertising
even considering such a ridiculous policy that
REPORTER for
budgets this spring and/or fall.
violates the spirit of the Sunshine Law and dances
Just last week, an assistant for one of the
all over our First Amendment rights.
candidates for governor called our office to Victor Parkins
“What do you have to hide?” we wrote. “This policy
schedule an appointment to chat, which we will
threatens to influence public perception of the board
always welcome.
and shed suspicion on school board meetings. You
The assistant was appalled when she was asked how much of
can’t help but ask yourself, “What are they doing that they
their advertising budget included community newspapers.
don’t want us to capture in still photographs or on video?”
“We thought you were a public service organization,” the
The school board in Milan never discussed the policy again,
assistant replied.
but we’re still hearing about it all over the state. Surprisingly
Wrong answer!
enough, several newspapers have sat idle while their local
While our salesperson explained that we are indeed a public
school boards slowly take away their freedom of the press.
service organization, she did an outstanding job making her
In March of this year, the school board in Crockett
point that we are not non-profit.
County turned away a television station and a newspaper
I don’t think the assistant had ever gotten that kind of a
for attempting to bring their cameras to cover an open
response from a community newspaper, but she seemed to
meeting. The meeting brought special attention because the
take it well after the initial shock.
superintendent of schools had just been arrested in Nashville
As expected, the gubernatorial candidate arrived an hour
for soliciting prostitution.
late the next day and got his chat, and even managed a photo
The Crockett County board refused to discuss the media’s
opportunity with a local personality.
request to bring their cameras into the meeting.
During the interview, the candidate brought up the topic
TSBA Director of Communications Steve Doremus
of advertising before I had the chance.
sidestepped the simple question when asked to explain their
Before he left, the candidate got his ink, although reduced
stance on protecting board members from having their
significantly from what we’ve given in years past. He seemed
photos taken.
appreciative and understanding to our requests and promised
In a written statement to TPA, Mr. Doremus stated that the
we would be considered in his advertising budget.
policy is legal and constitutional; does not constitute a ban on
A day or so later, a representative for a candidate running
cameras, camcorders or other photographic equipment, but
for Congress gave me this answer in writing when I asked how
is only a precondition; the policy has existed for many years;
newspapers would be included in his advertising campaign:
and is not in conflict with a Tennessee attorney general’s
“Newspapers and print media are certainly a part of our
opinions on this subject.
campaign. To my knowledge, we invited every newspaper to
Doremus wrote, “The only way that this reasonable policy
our bus tour last week. We also e-mail all of our news releases
can be considered a ban is if either the members of the Press
to the same media list, although most of the recipients
Association have unfettered camera access to Board meetings,
never open the e-mail. If there are newspapers that are not
a position which is not supported by the law, or if the Press
receiving our releases, please let me know which ones and
Association assumes that all Boards will unreasonably
we’ll try to get better contact info,” he wrote.
withhold the requested permission, an assumption history
I’m still in disbelief over this one, and I kept it on file to show
does not support. (See Crockett County decision above.)
the Congressional candidate if he ever stops by the office.
I appreciate TSBA’s timely response and cooperation they
Time will tell if we get our fair share of the pie in the 2010
give us with other matters, but I still can’t understand why
elections, but at least the candidates know where we stand.
the governing body of school boards across the state doesn’t
If you need help addressing the challenge of wrestling
want cameras in their meetings.
advertising dollars from your local candidates, our
Tennessee newspapers should write editorials and protest
advertising department at TPS has drafted four different
their local board’s policy to ban cameras from open meetings,
letters for our member newspapers to reference.
with or without prior consent.
The letters are available online at www.tnpress.com.
If school board members are afraid to have their photograph
Challenge your local school board on camera ban
published in the local newspaper, they should step down from
As president of TPA, I urge each of you to challenge a
their public office.
policy many of your local school boards have adopted that
bans bringing cameras and video equipment to open board
VICTOR PARKINS is editor of The Milan Mirror-Exchange.
July 16 awards, installation
In memory of
W. Bryant Williams,
The Paris Post-Intelligencer,
by
Elizabeth Kennedy Blackstone,
Columbia
Awards in the 2010 University of
Tennessee-Tennessee Press Association
State Press Contests will be presented
at a luncheon Friday, July 16, in the
Nashville area.
The installation of TPA’s president
for 2010-11 also will occur at the event.
Winning newspapers will be notified
by letter on May 17 of the categories in
which they will receive awards, and a
list of newspapers to receive awards will
be posted at www.tnpress.com.
Mark A. Stevens, publisher of The
Erwin Record, is chairman of the
Contests Committee and will serve as
emcee of the event.
Art Powers, publisher of the Johnson
City Press and TPA vice president for
daily newspapers, is slated to become
president. The election of officers will
be held at the TPA Business Session
during the Tri-State Press Convention
in Tunica, Miss.
Event details and registration
information will be available online by
May 21. Contact TPA at (865) 584-5761
with any questions about the upcoming
event.
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
23
More Qs from all over for TPS’s expert
BY KEVIN SLIMP
TPS technology director
HOW TO CONTACT US
Tennessee Press Association
Mail: 435 Montbrook Lane,
Knoxville, TN 37919
This month I
am covering some
more of the many
questions I receive
every month. As
usual, they came
n o t o n ly f ro m
Tennessee, but
from various other
Slimp
states.
From Becky in Iowa
Hi Kevin,
I have an SD card that was taken out
of a camera and placed in another
without first downloading the photos.
We tried using PhotoRescue (3 years
old) to retrieve the photos. We were able
to get some but most seem corrupt. Do
you have any ideas how else to retrieve
these photos? It is an 8GB card with
approximately 1,000 photos.
Dear Becky,
It sounds like you did what you could
do to get them. There are services that
normally charge $700+ to retrieve info
from drives, but that’s probably more
than you want to spend to get your photos
back. My favorite program to do this is
Klix, from JoeSoft.com. It might be worth
$30 to give it a try. Good luck! (Becky
wrote back: “Thanks Kevin! I tried Klix
and it retrieved almost all of the photos
undamaged. I downloaded it for $30, but
it’s worth it. Thanks!”)
From Victor in Tennessee
Hi, Kevin,
How can I open an InDesign CS3 file
in CS2?
Not a problem, Victor. Simply export
the file in InDesign CS3 as an InDesign
Interchange (INX) file. You will be able
to open the file in InDesign CS2, CS3 or
CS4. Now for an interesting side note.
During a trip to Minnesota recently,
someone told me they had been successful
in opening an INX file in a text editor and
changing a few numbers, which allowed
them to open the file in earlier versions
Phone: (865) 584-5761
Fax: (865) 558-8687
Web: www.tnpress.com
E-mail: (name)@tnpress.com
Those with boxes, listed
alphabetically:
Laurie Alford (lalford)
Jeanie Bell (jbell)
Pam Corley (pcorley)
Adobe Acrobat Pro includes tools for converting text
on all four plates to the black plate only.
of InDesign than usual. Normally, an
INX file can only be opened in versions
of InDesign one number lower than
the version it was exported from. This
morning, I opened a file in InDesign CS4,
exported it as an INX file, then changed
three numbers in the INX file by opening
it in Apple Text Editor and changing
three settings. Sure enough, I sent the file
to someone using InDesign CS and they
were able to open the file successfully. The
settings I changed were “DOMVersion,”
“readerVersion” and “product.”
From Curt in Illinois
Kevin,
We are getting more and more ads
from outside of our company in which
black is made up of all four CMYK
colors. I remember reading one of your
articles a while back about either a plugin or a program used to fix these PDF
files. Can you suggest a good one?
Yes, Curt. I can think of a couple of
options.
Your most affordable option, other
than to open the file in Photoshop and
go through what can be a grueling
process of converting the plates to black,
is available in Acrobat 9 Pro. There is
Angelique Dunn (adunn)
a color conversion
tool that sometimes
does a very good
job of finding all
the black text on
multiple plates
and converting
them to the black Klix, by JoeSoft, helps users save photos on drives
plate only. While that have become corrupted or erased.
this doesn’t always
work, it works often enough to give it a try. on the new machines? I also thought it
Another option, though a bit expensive may be a problem with our ancient font
for many newspaper budgets these days, package; a lot of them conflict with the
is Enfocus Pitstop Pro. This plug-in for system fonts in the new OS. I’ve disabled
Acrobat does a great job of correcting all of the fonts that do, but am still
color problems, including converting having problems. I am assuming that
text on all four plates.
it’s either the fonts, or CS2 or both, but
From Beckham in Iowa
no one can tell me for sure. This only
I’m having trouble that no one can happens in InDesign.
seem to help with. My company is still Dear Beckham,
using InDesign CS2. I tried calling
If it were the fonts, I would think you’d
Adobe for help, but they’re no longer seesimilarproblemsinotherapplications.
supporting this version of Creative Have you tried throwing away your
Suite. We just got two new 27” iMacs, InDesign preferences? That’s the first
with OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard). On thing I always try. You’ll find them in your
the new computers, InDesign keeps User folder>Library>Preferences>com.
crashing, won’t export PDFs, and adobe.indesign.plist. (Beckham wrote
randomly has items disappear from the back the following: “I just exported a
page. Is this a problem with using CS2 PDF. You made my day! Thanks.”)
WORTH REPEATING
Beth Elliott (belliott)
Robyn Gentile (rgentile)
Earl Goodman (egoodman)
Rhonda Graham (rgraham)
Kathy Hensley (khensley)
Barry Jarrell (bjarrell)
Jessica Price (jprice)
Greg Sherrill (gsherrill)
Kevin Slimp (kslimp)
Advertising e-mail:
Knoxville office:
[email protected]
Tennessee Press Service
Knoxville area—
Mail: 435 Montbrook Lane,
Knoxville, TN 37919
Phone: (865) 584-5761
Chalk two up for open government
By refusing to hear an appeal in a
public records case earlier this month,
the Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed
the legal - and common-sense-principle
that citizens have a fundamental right to
monitor work done on their behalf.
The Court of Appeals ruled last year
that a private company managing
a prison or jail is the “functional
equivalent” of a government agency,
which makes it subject to Tennessee
laws on public records.
T he Supreme Cour t rightly
determined that the Appeals Court hit
the bull’s eye.
The case in question is a lawsuit filed
by former prisoner Alex Friedman,
who now is an editor for the magazine
Prison Legal News, against Corrections
Corporation of America. CCA operates
the state’s South Central Correctional
Center in Clifton, Tenn. and several jails
across the Volunteer State.
In April 2007, Friedman submitted a
records request to CCA under the Public
Records Act seeking information on
litigation and other complaints lodged
against the company as a result of
operations at those facilities.
CCA refused, arguing that as a private
company it was not bound by the
Public Records Act. Friedman sued in
Davidson County Chancery Court and
emerged victorious. CCA appealed and
lost again.
According to the state constitution,
incarcerating prisoners is the exclusive
duty of the government. The Private
Prison Contracting Act of 1986
allows the state to outsource prison
management to the private sector.
In a previous decision, the state
Supreme Court has written that
such a delegation of responsibilities
shouldn’t subvert the public’s right
to scrutinize a contractor: “When
a private entity’s relationship with
the government is so extensive that
the entity serves as the functional
equivalent of a governmental agency,
the accountability created by public
oversight should be preserved.”
CAA maintained it wasn’t the
functional equivalent of a government
agency, but the Appeals Court rejected
that claim and the Supreme Court
refused even to hear it.
“With all due respect to CAA,” Appeals
Court Judge D. Michael Swiney wrote
in his opinion on Friedman’s case, “this
Court is at a loss as to how operating
a state prison could be considered
anything less than a governmental
function.”
We agree. Government can outsource
the work, but along with accepting
public money comes the responsibility
to be accountable to the taxpayers.
Friedman didn’t get all he wanted.
The Public Records Act allows for
exemptions, and some of the records
he requested are off-limits under the
Private Prison Contracting Act. The
trial court must now decide if other
records he is seeking also are exempt.
The courts, though, have upheld the
principle that the people’s work is the
public’s business.
(News Sentinel, Knoxville,
March 14, 2010)
Fax: (865) 558-8687
Nashville area—
Phone: (615) 472-8745
Fax: (615) 472-8739
Web: www.tnadvertising.biz
Tennessee Press
Association Foundation
Mail: 435 Montbrook Lane,
Knoxville, TN 37919
Phone: (865) 584-5761
Fax: (865) 558-8687
Read The Tennessee Press
—then pass it on!
CMYK
The Tennessee Press
2
APRIL 2010
Prepare your newspaper for the iPad
BY KEVIN SLIMP
TPS technology director
Keeping in mind that I wrote about
the rumored tablet device by Apple
three months ago, it was with some
satisfaction that I listened to Steve Job’s
announcement concerning the iPad on
Jan. 27. As I visited with attendees at
newspaper conferences in Minnesota,
Iowa and Tennessee, the interest in the
new device was evident as one publisher
after another approached me to get my
opinion on its potential effect on the
newspaper industry.
Rumors concerning the iPad were a
favorite topic of technophiles over the
past few months. Little did I know that
the announcement would generate the
excitement that it did. As I peruse the
list of iPad features, I feel a strange sense
of excitement and fear at the same time.
Let me explain.
While researching material for my
previous column, I was struck by the
response of one expert who responded
to my question about a possible Apple
device by saying, “Look, a unicorn!”
He was referring, of course, to the
inability of any device to live up to the
mountain of hype. Rumors hinted at
a gadget that would combine a high
definition TV, along with a computer
and phone. In addition, all magazines,
newspapers, books and other printed
materials could be viewed on the
large screen with the click of a button.
And Internet connection wouldn’t
be a concern. The tablet would have
continual access to the Internet. No
need to log in to an Internet provider.
And the battery would stay charged for
days at a time.
It looks like some of the hype
was prophetic. Streaming video and
television will be available. So will
books, magazines and newspapers.
Plus, users will be able to browse the
Internet. And with a battery life up to
10 hours, my flying friends won’t be
roaming through airports like zombies
in search of some place to charge their
computer batteries.
Critics cite some of the iPad’s
“deficiencies.” Without a USB port,
there’s no apparent way to transfer
files between computers and iPads.
Apple’s continued alliance with AT&T
drew boos from some of the audience
at the unveiling. Possibly the biggest
Apple’s iPad
criticism relates to the iPad’s inability
to play Flash files, a staple for online
ads on newspaper sites.
At an Apple employee gathering after
the iPad launch, Jobs said, “Apple does
not support Flash because it is so buggy.
Whenever a Mac crashes, more often
than not it’s because of Flash. No one
will be using Flash. The world is moving
to HTML5.”
OK. That’s another conversation
for another day. But I will say this.
When Apple added the Firewire port,
I thought they were crazy. Boy, was I
wrong about that.
So, I’ve been getting e-mails from
publishers wanting to know what I
think of the iPad. They want to know
what effect it will have on our industry.
Obviously, I don’t know for sure. But I
can tell you what I think.
This first edition of the iPad probably
won’t be a game changer. I don’t expect
most newspapers will rush to get their
publications on an iPad. However, just
as Apple revolutionized the music
industry, it doesn’t seem too much of
a stretch to see how future versions
of this device could revolutionize the
publishing world. As the screen gets a
little larger, new technology emerges
to enhance the iPad experience and
applications abound, I could see the
iPad, or something like it, changing the
way many of us produce newspapers.
I’m excited about the opportunities
we’ll have to create new revenue
streams and enhance the distribution
of our papers. On the other hand, I
worry about competition coming out
of the woodwork. Most people wouldn’t
have any idea how to get a newspaper
printed and distributed to the masses.
Creating a publication and getting it
on the iPad will be much easier. That
part of it concerns me, as it should
concern you.
That’s one reason I would strongly
suggest that you prepare your
newspaper for the release of the iPad.
When it appears in the near future,
the iPad will be everywhere. Instead
of reading newspapers or working on
computers in airports, I believe we’ll
see people reading on the iPad . . . or
something like it.
Having said that, I fully expect my
e-mail to be filled with readers who
disagree. Heck, I’m not even sure if I
agree with myself.
It is hard to ignore something that
happened on Facebook recently. I posted
a question related to the new iPad. So far,
negative responses outweigh positive
responses five to one.
Mark my words. One way or another,
the iPad is going to change things. You
might want to get in line behind me to
get one when they’re released in the
near future. This is one technological
leap you don’t want to miss.
CMYK
Print, online newspapers must complement each other
BY KEVIN SLIMP
TPS technology director
As I visit with publishers in Tennessee
and other states, the discussion often
turns to the future of our industry. It’s
impossible to ignore all the pessimistic
news over the past two years. Such was
the case when I had a conversation with
a friend in January sharing her concern
for the future of print media with the
growth of online journalism.
Then I remembered a group of
newspapers based in the small town
of Prescott, Ontario. With a decrease
in the number of industry-related
conferences, I’ve found myself visiting
more places like Prescott of late.
You might call Prescott, located about
an hour south of Ottawa, the epicenter
of a group of community newspapers
that serve the towns in that area. That’s
where I spent two days with Beth Morris
and the staffs of the six newspapers that
make up the Morris Group. Three of
the papers are paid circulation; three
are free.
I had dinner with the staff of the
Prescott Journal my first night in
Ontario. There was electricity in
the air as the group talked about the
new equipment waiting in the new
building we would occupy for training.
New computers, new software and
a new press all awaited editors and
designers from the six papers the next
morning.
When the training was done, I asked
Beth Morris if we could discuss
her papers. After all, while word on
the street is that newspapers are
struggling for survival, here’s a group
of newspapers that are not only
surviving, but adding facilities, staff
and soon, two new publications.
Beth shared a very simple vision
statement for the Morris Group of
newspapers: “A place where people
like to work and customers want to
support.”
She added that a key to a newspaper’s
success is its staff. “It’s important to
keep an eye toward staff. They all work
hard. They know they have secure jobs.
There is definitely a team spirit.”
She wasn’t blowing smoke. The
staff I met in Prescott was, in a word,
impressive.
We first discussed the three free
papers: The Barrhaven Independent,
The Packet (serving South Ottawa) and
Business News.
I asked about the difference in free
and paid newspapers. She noted that
both have their place, but she doesn’t
see many new paid newspapers in
the future. Her two new papers will
be free.
Beth emphasized the importance
of customer service, which keeps
advertisers returning. She noted
this was a deciding factor for many
advertisers who had several options
when it comes to print.
Eventually, I turned the topic to the
Manotick Messenger. The Messenger
is a paid weekly with a circulation of
1,100. There are two people on staff, with
the layout and production done in the
Prescott facility.
I asked if it was possible to make a
profit with a circulation of 1,100. “At
best, it’s break even,” said Beth, “but
it’s important to the people.”
When pressed she added, “This paper
is important to the thousand people
who read it. All you have to do is look
in the eyes of a parent when a child is
in the paper. Then you’ll know why we
do this.”
Playing the devil’s advocate, I pressed
even further. I wanted to know why
she even cared if there was no profit
involved.
“I care,” she said, “because I’m part
of a long chain of newspaper people.
It’s like a legacy. I’m not going to be the
one to end it.”
If you’ve followed my work very long,
you know that I was one of the first
voices urging newspapers to resist the
temptation to ignore online journalism.
And you might know that I speak on
topics related to online journalism at
schools of journalism and industryrelated events on a regular basis.
However, it’s people like Beth Morris
that give me optimism concerning the
future of our business.
Following our earlier conversation
this afternoon, my friend sent the
following email: “Don’t take my
statements earlier today as my saying
that newspapers will vanish. I don’t
think that’s the case at all. However,
I do believe that in order to maintain
survival, both the printed paper and
the online presence have to find a way
to complement each other.”
I think we might have found a point
of agreement.
MARKETPLACE
Marion County Newspapers, Inc.
seeks a dynamic publisher with a proven
track record in print and internet
advertising sales. As publisher, you
will be responsible for all aspects of
the operation. The ideal candidate will
have sound news judgment as well as
experience in managing a small staff.
Community involvement, leadership
and sales skills are a must. Our two
weekly newspapers and shopper
serve the beautiful Sequatchie Valley,
approximately one half-hour west of
Chattanooga, TN. We offer a competitive
salary/incentive plan; along with a
benefit package including paid vacation
and sick leave; group health insurance;
and a company match IRA program.
To apply, please E-MAIL a resume,
cover letter and earnings expectations
using PUBLISHER as the subject line
to [email protected]. EOE.
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
3
AD/CIRC: Achieve more with less
FORESIGHT
FROM PAGE ONE
presented at the conference luncheon.
Marsella will kick the day off with
a joint session for advertising and
circulation titled, “Four Disciplines of
Execution.” Marsella’s keynote address
will give the steps necessary to begin
executing at the highest level possible
to achieve outstanding results and goals
that are realized.
Zalabak will present a day-long
session for advertising personnel
titled, “Ad-Ucation.” The seminar
is for veteran salespeople as well
as new ad representatives. Among
the topics to be covered are selling
multiple products on a single sales
call; designing ads that get results;
prospecting, questioning, listening and
closing; product knowledge and much,
much more.
Marsella will also present “Providing
Positively Outrageous Service ‘More
or Less’:it makes all the difference,” a
session in which he will point out the
keys to delivering the highest level of
service to customers.
Circulators will also hear from James
Patterson, an attorney with Ogletree,
Deakins, Nash, Smoak and Stewart,
Nashville, on employee and contract
labor legal issues for newspapers.
Circulation sessions will include an
update on Audit Bureau of Circulations
rules changes as well as roundtable
discussions on single copy promotion
and subscription promotions.
A group dinner is planned for
those arriving early. The cost of the
meal is not covered by conference
registration.
Meeks and Lovelace are the conference
co-chairmen.
Conference registration is only $99
per person. Registration information
is available at www.tnpress.com.
The conference will be held at
the Sheraton Read House Hotel in
downtown Chattanooga, 827 Broad
St., 37402.
About the speakers: Marsella is
president and chief executive officer of
Ranger Data Technologies, a producer
of outbound call center management
systems and lead generation tools, for
newspapers throughout the United
States and Canada. Prior to joining
Ranger Data, Tony was corporate vice
president of classified advertising for
Morris Communications Co. LLC,
headquartered in Augusta, Ga. He
focused the company’s energies on
meeting the significant challenges to
newspapers in the classified segment.
He was also responsible for creating and
implementing products and programs
that increased classified revenues.
Earlier, Marsella was vice president
for marketing services at the Newspaper
Association of America (NAA) in
Vienna, Va. He coordinated and
directed the marketing activities of the
advertising department for members
and customers of NAA. He also
provided consulting to NAA member
newspapers and conducted training
programs for newspaper advertising
personnel and advertisers to help
them design and use advertising more
effectively.
Patterson focuses exclusively on
the representation of management in
labor and employment issues, with an
emphasis on preventive activity. He
also has counseled management in
discriminationlitigation,wageandhour
litigation, Americans With Disabilities
Act litigation, and has prepared and
reviewed employee handbooks. He
has extensive experience in the area
of National Labor Relations Board
representation and decertification
elections, unfair labor practice
proceedings, labor arbitrations and
collective bargaining.
In Zalabak’s 35 years in advertising,
he has held nearly every position in
newspaper advertising from trainee to
vice president. He has won numerous
national awards for promotions,
internal communication, special
sections and sales training material. In
2002, Zalabak was named Ad Director
of the Year by Suburban Newspapers
of America. He has been a presenter
for training events from New York to
California.
“I have heard Tony Marsella speak
on several occasions. He is very
knowledgeable of our industry
and a dynamic speaker,” said Jana
Thomasson, publisher of The Mountain
Press, Sevierville.
TRI-STATE CONVENTION: Time to make plans
FROM PAGE ONE
discussion
PDF workflow and other topics:
Kevin Slimp, Institute of Newspaper
Technology, Knoxville
Postal issues: Max Heath, NNA Postal
Committee chairman, Shelbyville, Ky.
Public notice, Tonda Rush, American
PressWorks, Arlington, Va.
Revenueideas,JasonTaylor,president,
Chattanooga Times Free Press
Entertainment and networking
Party at the Tunica River Park and
riverboat rides
Gala event Friday evening
Golf, tennis, clay shooting, shopping
Schedule of events
(Tentative schedule as of 3-22-10)
Wednesday, June 23
6:00 p.m. Party for early arrivals at
the Hollywood Cafe
Thursday, June 24
8:00 a.m. Multi-State Board of
Directors Breakfast
9:00 a.m. Association Board
Meetings
12 noon Tri-State Golf Tournament/
Clay Shoot/Tennis Tournament
6:00 p.m. Reception at Tunica River
Park. Enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres while
you tour the museum and take a ride on
the Tunica Queen riverboat.
Friday, June 25
7:45 a.m. Trade Show opens with
continental breakfast
8:30 a.m. Charles Overby keynote
9:00 a.m. Paid vs. Free Web Site
Model
10:15 a.m. Break in trade show area
10:45 a.m. Public notice—Tonda
Rush
11:30 a.m. Break in trade show area
12 noon Luncheon with governors
1:00 p.m. Silent auction opens
2:30 p.m. Break in trade show area
APRIL
2: Deadline for discounted registration for TPA Ad/Circ
Conference
9: 2nd Annual ETSPJ Environmental Journalism Conference, Knoxville
10: SPJ Region 12 Conference,
Knoxville
11-14: American Society of
Newspaper Editors, J.W. Marriott, Washington, D.C.
16: TPA Ad/Circ Conference, Chattanooga
MAY
8: TAPME awards luncheon,
Sheraton Hotel Down, Nashville
15: ETSPJ Golden Press Card
Reception and Awards Banquet,
5:30 p.m., The Foundry, Knoxville
17: ETSPJ and national SPJ freedom of information meeting,
7:30 p.m., Communications
Building, UT-K.
19-21: SNPA and SNA Audience
Development Conference, Embassy Suites Atlanta-Buckhead
JUNE
23-26: Tri-State Summer Convention, Harrah’s Veranda Hotel,
Tunica, Miss.
23-27: International Society
of Newspaper Editors Annual
Conference, Eastern Kentucky
University, Richmond
JULY
17: TPA State Press Contests
awards luncheon, Nashville
24: ETSPJ Front Page Follies
SEPTEMBER
15-17: Workshop for Smaller
Newspapers, Crowne Plaza
Ravinia, Atlanta, Ga.
30-Oct. 3: NNA 125th Anniversary
Celebration at the 124th Annual
Convention and Trade Show,
Omaha Hilton and Qwest Center, Omaha, Neb.
OCTOBER
7-9: 13th TPS Institute of Newspaper Technology, Knoxvville
17-19: SNPA News Industry Summit (Annual Convention), Barton
Creek Resort, Austin, Texas
Kudos
PAM LARIMER | ARKANSAS PRESS ASSOCIATION
Members of the Tri-State Convention Committee met Feb. 18 in Tunica, Miss. (From left) seated, Brooks Taylor,
Tunica Times; Robyn Gentile, TPA; Terri Cobb, APA; and Kimberly Haydu, MPA. standing, Reece Terry, MPA
president; Layne Bruce, MPA executive director; Brad Franklin, The Lexington Progress; Victor Parkins, TPA
president; Barney White, APA president; and Tom Larimer, APA executive director.
3:00 p.m. Concurrent sessions:
A. Revenue—Jason Taylor
B. Technology—Kevin Slimp
C. Future of print—Dr. Samir
Husni
4:00 p.m. Break
4:30 p.m. Various state business and
foundation board meetings
6:30 p.m. Gala event, entertainment
and live auction
Saturday, June 26
8:00 a.m. Breakfast with Cal
Thomas
9:00 a.m. Concurrent sessions:
A. Ad revenue—Jason Taylor
B. Writing coach–Jim Stasiowski
C. Postal session—Max Heath
10:00 a.m. Break
10:15 a.m. Concurrent sessions:
A. PDF workflow—Kevin Slimp
B. Writing coach continued–Jim
Stasiowski
C. Postal session—Max Heath
12 noon APA Awards Luncheon
12 noon MPA Awards Luncheon
Location
The Tri-State Convention will be
headquartered at Harrah’s Veranda
Hotel, Tunica, Miss. Hotel rates for this
convention are as follows: June 23-24,
$69 plus tax per night, and June 25-26,
$129 plus tax per night. Please use Group
Code: S06TSC0 (Tri-State Conference)
to receive the discounted rate. The
deadline for making reservations is
Monday, May 24. Reservations can
be made by calling the hotel at (866)
635-7095.
The Veranda Hotel features the
Bellissimo Spa, tennis courts, outdoor
swimming pool and a convention center
and gaming area separate from the
The first newspaper to submit Ideas
Contest entries, on Jan. 11, was The
Lauderdale County Enterprise, Ripley.
The first registration for the Ad/
Circ Conference came March 4 from
Cathy Agee, Metro Creative Graphics,
Cookeville.
Submitting the first State Press
Contests entry, on Jan. 11, was The
Lauderdale County Enterprise.
hotel. A sampling of Southern cooking
is available at Paula Dean’s restaurant
at the Harrah’s complex.
World class entertainers often
appear at the Tunica hotels. Check the
Tunica Convention & Visitors Bureau
Web site for coming attractions: www.
tunicatravel.com/entertainment/
events.
Visit www.2010TriState.com for
additional convention information,
or contact TPA at (865) 584-5761.
Registration materials will be mailed
on April 23.
CMYK
The Tennessee Press
22
CMYK
Newspapers in education, testing
Teachers, all through the year, have incredible
these timed practice tests.
demands on their time. One of their biggest
Newspaper articles also can be used to teach
challenges is state testing and other end-of-the“cause and effect.” Students can read an article
year tests.
and then list the cause and effect for its main
This spring, teachers are teaching lessons,
topic.
reviewing units and preparing for these tests
The comics are an excellent resource
feared by many students and parents.
for teaching sequencing skills and other
Newspapers In Education can be a valuable
communications skills.
resource during the preparation time for testing.
Students learn best when they are motivated
They are not just for “free reading” in the
and the topics they are studying are interesting
NIE
classroom and between tests.
and relevant to their lives. Using newspapers
Newspapers In Education programs offer NIE
CURRENTS in the classrooms provide some of the best and
activities that teachers can use to review the core
timely resources.
subjects. Many newspaper activities can be quick
The benefits of an NIE program go far beyond
Lu Shep Baldwin providing
and student-directed.
a supplemental resource for teachers,
Teachers and parents can access numerous NIE
parents and students. Studies from the University
curriculum materials from the Tennessee Press Association’s of Minnesota and the Newspaper Association of America
NIE curriculum at www.tnpress.com (click “NIE”). Another Foundation have shown that students who consistently use
valuable Web site is www.naafoundation.org (click “NIE”). newspapers in the classroom score significantly higher on
So much of today’s testing deals with students’ ability to standardized tests and develop stronger thinking skills.
think critically about a situation. The newspaper is packed
Newspapers should not be overlooked or eliminated as
with current events that deal with issues in the community, teachers prepare students for testing. Moreover, newspapers
state, nation and world.
should be a part of every student’s life. Newspapers inform,
Teachers can incorporate current events by giving students educate and, on occasion, infuriate us. They offer perspectives
time to choose an article from the newspaper to discuss. and challenge readers to form opinions. They are simply a
Teachers can open the floor to discussions and debate about part of who we are and where we live.
the article. To discuss critically real-life situations is a great
NIE programs should encourage teachers and parents to
way to exercise a student’s mind. Newspaper editorials incorporate their community newspaper, a “living textbook,”
and political or editorial cartoons also can improve critical in the classroom and at home on a daily basis.
thinking skills. Students can write their own editorials or
For more ideas on how to use the newspaper as a teaching
create their own political or editorial cartoons.
tool or for more information on Newspapers In Education
Many children, as well as adults, “freeze” when it comes programs, contact Lu Shep Baldwin at (423) 506-5980 or lushep.
to taking tests. So, as with anything else, practice makes [email protected].
perfect. Again, the newspaper can be used by having the
students take timed tests by reading articles and answering LU SHEP BALDWIN is director of education services for
questions in a set amount of time. Teachers can use the Jones Media.
questions “Who, What, When, Where, Why and How” for
School board limits on cameras must fail
The Crockett County school board
has a policy that amounts to a ban on
cameras at its meetings. The policy
certainly goes against the spirit of
the state’s Sunshine Law and quite
possibly violates the law and the state
constitution.
With one sentence in its policy
manual, the school board shuts down
photography or videography of its
meetings, apparently because it does
not want the public to see how it handles
potentially embarrassing situations.
The policy states: “No one shall
bring a camera, camcorder or other
photographic equipment to board
meetings without the consent of the
board.”
The board enforced the ban last week
when it met to accept the resignation of
Harold “Stan” Black as superintendent.
Black is charged with patronizing a
prostitute in Nashville. At the beginning
of its meeting, the board heard a request
from a representative of WBBJ-TV to
bring video equipment into the meeting
room. The board did not even give the
station the courtesy of a vote on its
request, showing that the idea of board
consent for photography is a sham.
Our photographer arrived soon after
the meeting began and was merely told
by a security guard that photography
was not allowed.
Eddie Whitby, acting superintendent,
told us later that the policy was adopted
based on information from the state
School Boards Association, which
the system relies on to make sure its
policies are legal and up to date.
Frank Gibson, executive director
of the Tennessee Coalition for Open
Government, said the policy is based
on an opinion issued by the state
attorney general in the mid-1990s. That
opinion said a proposal to ban cameras
at meetings of the Bells Board of
Aldermen would be constitutional.
Several newspapers objected to that
ruling, and the attorney general later
rescinded the opinion. Another opinion
was issued that said the Bells proposal
would probably not fall within the
state constitution or the state’s open
meetings law, Gibson said.
The state School Boards Association
sends out model policies to school
boards across the state and bases
its recommendation on cameras at
meetings on the first opinion from
the attorney general, Gibson said. It
ignores the second ruling, he said.
The Jackson-Madison County
School Board considered the policy
recommended by the state School
Boards Association last year but wisely
let the matter drop.
Allowing cameras in public meetings
is a reasonable extension of the state’s
Sunshine Law. People should be able
to see their elected officials in action
through still or video photography.
The presumption should be that
photography is allowed at all times. If
there are concerns about photography
causing disruption, we and other
media outlets have been more than
cooperative in taking steps to address
those concerns.
The Crockett County school board
should rescind its ban on cameras,
as should any other school board
that took the bad advice of the state
School Boards Association. The
association should revise its policy
recommendation.
Failure to do so would be a disservice
to the entire state and the principle of
open government.
(The Jackson Sun, March 14, 2010)
APRIL 2010
School of Journalism plans
big changes in fall 2010
BY ANDREW PURYEAR
tnjn.com
The School of Journalism and
Electronic Media is one of the fastest
growing majors at UT-K and is also
involved in an industry that is ever
changing and always adapting to more
efficient ways of reporting.
Given that, it is no wonder that when
classes become out of date and are in
need of a facelift, the department heads,
including Director Dr. Peter Gross, see
to it. This is the case for the 2010-2011
catalog school year.
To keep up with the industry, the
department has altered the courses
offered and the content in the courses to
better suit the relevant skills needed to
succeed in the media job market.
“The new courses that were introduced
put additional emphasis on convergence,
understanding the business of media
and reemphasizing the need for basic
skills and ethics,” Gross said.
All of the converted courses are now
the ones that will be in place in the
following academic year. If a student is
planning on retaking one of the previous
courses, they cannot retake it under the
same course name and number, but must
take the new equivalent.
Gross states that the new curriculum,
“has added flexibility and, in fact, is
intended to educate a more flexible
graduate who can keep pace with
the changes in the media and in
journalism’s delivery.”
The following are the course
changes:
JEM 222 Online Journalism to
be converted to JEM 230 Media
Reporting
JEM 236 Foundations of Video
Production to be converted to JEM 250
Visual Communication
JEM 275 Introduction to Journalism
& Electronic Media to be converted
to JEM 175 Principles and History of
Journalism and Media
JEM 280 Communication Graphics
to be converted to JEM 380 Media
Graphics
JEM 290 Photojournalism
to be conver ted to JEM 390
Photojournalism
JEM 311 Electronic News Writing
and Reporting as well as JEM 315
Print and Web News Writing are both
to be combined to JEM 230 Media
Reporting
JEM 457 Media and Society as well
as JEM 465 Media and Diversity are
both to be combined to JEM 466 Media,
Diversity and Society
JEM 485 Media Management to
be converted to JEM 499 Media and
Business and Future of Journalism.
(March 1, 2010)
UTJEM offers teachers’ workshop
The University of Tennessee School of
Journalism and Electronic Media will
hold a “Going Online” for high school
and middle school teachers.
It is set for April 26.
The workshop is for high school and
middle school teachers who want to take
their publications online or who want
to start news Web sites at their schools.
In addition to some instruction, it will
offer the schools a version of the content
management system that runs the
Tennessee Journalist (www.tnjn.com)
at no cost, as well as server space and
site maintenance at no cost. The Web
site for the workshop is www.jprof.com/
iconn/events/goingonline10.html.
This will be the beginning of the
Interscholastic Online News Network
(ISONN), son of the Intercollegiate
Online News Network (ICONN).
Registration for the workshop is $15.
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
21
WORTH REPEATING
Public notice publication must be independent, verifiable, accessible
There’s a movement afoot in Nashville
to allow local governments to meet
public notice requirements merely
by posting those notices on their own
Web sites.
If you talk to proponents of such
legislation you’ll most often hear
statements regarding the cost of placing
public notices in newspapers of general
circulation, “creating an unnecessary
drain on public finances.”
Those were the words of Murfreesboro
City Attorney Susan McGannon, who
recently went on to say that “many local
governments have established a Web
site that is accessible day and night and
affords a more effective and economical
means to inform the public …”
We would question whether such
municipal Web sites are as prolific as
McGannon maintains, whether they
are more economical, as well as whether
they are more effective in serving the
public interest than the local newspaper
of record.
Publishing legal notices in a manner
that is accessible to every citizen is not
an expense issue, but a public service
issue. The spirit of legislation within
the Tennessee Code with regard to
mandated public notices is to ensure
that citizens can readily find the
information they need to be active
participants in civic affairs. Many
legal notice statutes outside of public
meeting notices are also in place to
protect consumers.
At least one state attorney general
opinion has noted, publication of such
information must be accessible in
“a paper to which the general public
resorts in order to be informed of the
news of the day, thus making it more
probable that legal notices will be
brought to the attention of the general
public.”
Is a citizen aware of a public offense
that needs the attention of the grand
jury? Then he or she will look to the
publication that reports on the grand
jury to see when it next meets and apply
to be heard.
Is a voter concerned about how
taxpayer money is being spent? Then
that voter will look to the publication
that reports on county and city
governments to determine when those
bodies meet, as well as how taxpayer
money is being spent by way of the
published budget.
Is a citizen looking to vote in the
general election and wants to know who
is running for what public office? That
voter will then look to the publication
that regularly reports on general
elections.
The spirit of the Sunshine Law is to
ensure transparency in government.
The occasional lack of transparency
is the very reason such laws exist,
and allowing those institutions to
police themselves runs counter to the
understanding and need of public
notice statutes. Only publications
that are independent of governmental
intrusion can effectively provide
citizens with the means to monitor
gover nment perfor mance. And
government officials should make no
mistake: It is the same citizenry that
monitors our performance.
Newspapers provide a more effective,
reliable, independent and accessible
means of providing public notices. We
don’t doubt there are certain benefits
to online publication; in fact, most
newspapers today are actively involved
in that arena. However, it is because
we are actively involved that we are
well aware of that arena’s expense and
limitations.
For instance, we have learned that
there are online readers who will never
pick up a print product, and there are
print readers who cannot afford to
maintain regular online access. Some
of the very citizens our public officials
represent cannot afford a computer,
much less online access.
Frank Gibson, executive director
for the Tennessee Coalition for Open
Government, recently summed the
situation up quite well:
“Our position on that is the only way
to protect the public on such things
as public notice is for it to be on an
independent, verifiable and dependable
medium.”
Gibson goes on to ask, “How does
the public verify that something was
posted when it was supposed to be? If
it’s on the government Web site, how
is the government going to prove that
it was there?”
Gibson also noted that a recent survey
showed that more than a third of the city
governments in Tennessee do not even
have Web sites, while those sites that
are available fall short when it comes
to providing updated information
Those are valid concerns, but there
is another, possibly greater, concern
in that having equal access to public
information should not be a class
privilege. Allowing governments to
meet legal notice requirements by
publishing only online potentially
eliminates access to information for
an entire class of citizens: Those who
cannot afford to be part of the digital
culture.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau,
in 2007 an estimated 12 percent of the
Blount County population lived below
the poverty level; in Tennessee, 15.8
percent of the population lived below
the poverty line.
It’s safe to say that those who are living
in poverty are more likely to be able to
share in the cost of a newspaper than
an iMac and online access, but they
are not alone.
Lest government officials who are
concerned with public expenses have
forgotten, it’s not just municipalities
who are struggling economically: Senior
citizens often have to cut nonessential
expenses such as online access and the
one in 10 who are currently jobless in
this state are having to make difficult
decisions as well.
Those are the very citizens who
oftentimes need public information
the most.
(The Daily Times, Maryville,
Feb. 11, 2010)
Don’t change spirit of state Sunshine Law
The late state Rep. John Bragg
sponsored the Tennessee Open Meetings
Act or Sunshine Law in 1974 requiring
that most meetings of state and local
government be open to the public. As
part of that, governments were required
to start giving adequate public notice
about government meetings.
Murfreesboro Mayor Tommy Bragg
should remember the impact his
father had on open meetings and open
records and carry that legacy forward.
Otherwise, Murfreesboro would return
public information to the Dark Ages.
Murfreesboro officials want the state
legislature to alter the Sunshine Law
and allow it to post legal and meeting
notices only on its Web site and stop
putting them in a local newspaper.
The city has paid to post notices in The
Daily News Journal and Murfreesboro
Post, but now it wants to eliminate
that expense.
We appreciate the attempt at frugality.
But a price tag can’t be placed on
transparency and public information,
and that is where the city’s efforts
should lie.
Too many people, primarily senior
citizens and the poor, don’t have access
to computers and would be left in the
dark, never knowing if a key issue
regarding their neighborhood or
taxes was scheduled to come up for a
vote. They’re more likely to be able to
afford a newspaper than a computer
and Internet connection.
Although we don’t doubt the quality
of the city’s Web site and agree that
notices should run there, public
notices also should be published
in a third-party publication that
maintains independence from the local
government. Suppose the information
disappears from the Web site into
cyberspace and nobody updates it. The
people will be left out of the loop.
But once in print, it stays in print, and
people can go back and verify it.
In addition, only about a third of
Tennessee’s municipalities maintain
Web sites that are updated consistently,
and changing state law to serve them
alone would be detrimental to the free
flow of information.
This proposal flies in the face of
what our local government should be
doing. We understand that times are
tough and costs must be reduced. But
instead of looking for ways to skimp
on public information, the city should
be trying to put public notices in front
of more people.
Elected officials certainly have no
problem trying to reach out to people
when they’re running campaigns. The
philosophy should be no different when
it comes to public notices.
CMYK
The Tennessee Press
4
Open records, open meetings and
public notices are the foundation of the
Sunshine Law, yet city officials want to
chip away at something that is vital to
the heart of democratic government.
Mayor Bragg should know this better
than anyone because his father built his
political career on it. (Incidentally, they
were both in the newspaper business.)
The Murfreesboro City Council
should reverse course on this issue
and resolve to do an even better job of
posting legal ads and public notices to
serve the public for which it works.
(The Daily News Journal,
Murfreesboro, Feb. 12, 2010)
Bill would stifle public notice
RICHARD EDWARDS | THE DAILY POST-ATHENIAN, ATHENS
Adults and children alike in Athens celebrated
Newspapers in Education Week the first week in March,
as well as participating in additional activities all month
long. Gathered at The Daily Post-Athenian, Athens,
were some students, from left, front row, Kennedy
Garrett and Tayla Scruggs, fifth graders at North City
Elementary School, Morgan Blevins and Lucas Bayes,
third graders at Ingleside; and some adults, back row,
Athens Mayor Hal Buttram, McMinn County Mayor
John Gentry, NIE teacher Lori Harbison of the McMinn
County Career and Technical Education Center, NIE
teacher Jill McDonald from North City, NIE teacher
Carol Padgett from Ingleside and NIE Coordinator Lu
Shep Balwin.
A series of bills filed in the Tennessee
General Assembly would take publicnotice advertising out of newspapers
and leave them to government Web
sites.
Such bills should never become law.
Newspapers perform a vital watchdog
role in publishing such notices, and the
public shouldn’t have to rely solely on
the government for information about
its activities.
“A lot of people across the state still get
their news from newspapers,’’ says Sen.
Jim Kyle, D-Memphis. He voted no in the
Judiciary Committee Tuesday to a bill by
Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, that
says the publication requirement for a
proposed constitutional amendment
is satisfied if it is posted on the official
Web site of the secretary of state or
of the General Assembly in a timely
fashion.
The committee approved the bill,
amending it to say the secretary of
state must issue a press release about
the proposed amendment to newspapers
statewide. The bill moved to the Senate
Finance Committee.
“When there is a constitutional
amendment proposed or a foreclosure
notice going out, there ought to
be written notice and a full text
provided,” Kyle said. “We’re shirking
our responsibility to the public when
we do otherwise.’’
Proponents of the bill say a 2006 ruling
by the Tennessee Supreme Court allows
for public notices to go out without
having to be advertised.
In that case, the court ruled that a
lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties
Union failed to establish injury due to
the short notice given for a proposed
constitutional amendment to ban
same-sex marriage. Voters rejected the
measure that November.
“A minimum notice shouldn’t be the
standard,’’ Kyle says. “An accurate
notice should be the standard.’’
That should also be the case whether
the public notice is about a proposed
constitutional amendment or whether
a city council would control the Web
site announcing public meetings or
even court clerks issuing notices about
such things as foreclosures only over
the Internet.
“When a public notice is given in print,
it is verifiable,’’ says Frank Gibson,
executive director of the Tennessee
Coalition for Open Government. “You
can always go back and look at ... a
newspaper, but there’s no way to go
back and see for sure that a notice has
been posted on the Web site. It could
have been hacked.’’
Proponents of Kelsey’s bill say the
state could save about $24,000 a year
by posting notices online only, but it
also costs money to operate Web sites.
And while the Internet is fast, who is
to say notices will be posted in time
for the public to have input and attend
government meetings?
This is not just about newspapers and
transparency; it’s also about consumer
protection when it comes to whether
a clerk has posted information about
a foreclosure in time for the owner to
possibly save a home.
As Kyle told fellow Senate Judiciary
members Tuesday, government officials
shouldn’t be trying to make it harder for
the public to get information but doing
all they can to make it easier.
(The Tennessean, Nashville,
Feb. 12, 2010)
CMYK
Papers avoid postal increase
for in-county ‘flimsy’ issues
National Newspaper Association
(NNA) has received news that
its campaign to help community
newspapers avoid a postage up-charge
intended for lightweight publications
was successful and a 78 percent incounty piece rate increase that would
have taken effect in June has been
averted. The Postal Service announced
that it would not assess a charge on
carrier-routed newspapers entered at
delivery offices. The charge may still
apply to outside-county carrier-routed
newspapers that fail a “droop” test.
The test applies to flat mail that droops
more than 4 inches when extended 5
inches off a flat surface.
NNA President Cheryl Kaechele,
publisher of the Allegan County (Mich.)
News, said the charge was proposed last
fall and that NNA’s Postal Committee
Chairman Max Heath had immediately
swung into action to prevent it. The
“droop” test is imposed to charge flats
that are too lightweight to be handled
by automated sorting machinery, but
in the latest iteration, USPS had said
it thought that even publications not
sorted by machine should be assessed
the charge.
“We were greatly concer ned,”
Kaechele said. “The Postal Service
had announced that there would be
no postage increases during this very
challenging economy. Then to suddenly
find this daunting charge looming
because of a mere rules change was
very bad news indeed. We congratulate
the Postal Committee and Max Heath
for effective advocacy to turn back this
threat to our industry.”
Heath said, “NNA won a decisive
victory in its effort to ensure that
so-called ‘flimsy flats’ entered at
Destination Delivery Unit (DDU) post
offices retain the Basic carrier-route
price for 6-124 Periodical pieces or 10-124
Standard Mail Enhanced Carrier route
pieces on a route if they fail a so-called
‘deflection’ test.
“NNA was the only association
publicly cited during a presentation on
the final rule at the Mailers Technical
Advisory Committee in Washington
Feb. 17 for the reasonableness and
quality of arguments to a Federal
Register filing. NNA, several members
and some state associations filed
comments showing that newspapers
would be discriminated against with a
78 percent increase to 5-digit Periodical
rates should a newspaper fail a new,
more restrictive ‘droop test.’”
The final rule, effective June 7,
indicates that the test will be applied
to periodicals, such as magazines, that
don’t enter at DDUs.
Heath said, “I encourage publishers
to maximize their DDU drops if at all
possible to avoid this nasty penalty
if they have a concern that their
newspaper could fail the droop test.”
“This decision once again shows the
value of mailers dropping their own
subscriber copies via Exceptional
Dispatch to DDU post offices, both
in-county and across county lines,
anywhere substantial carrier-route
mail exists,” Heath said. “Likewise,
those with Standard Mail shoppers get
the same price discount on Basic price
carrier route sorted mail entered at the
DDU. High-density and Saturation mail
is already exempt from this penalty in
both classes.”
Each NNA member newspaper
without high page counts will enjoy
a savings of 4.6 cents per piece when
sorted to the Basic carrier-route price
In-county (line A13 of Form 3541), and
12.3 cents on every Basic carrier-route
price piece Outside County (line C25
of 3541). DDU-entered shopper copies
would have a savings of 11.4 cents per
piece from Basic-price pieces staying
on line I12 rather than going to line E9
for 5-digit rates on a 3602-R.
Members can annualize their savings
by multiplying $0.046 times in-county
Basic carrier route copies times the
number of issues in a year, then $0.123
times outside-county Basic carrier
route copies times annual issues. For
newspapers with shoppers, or free
Standard Mail newspapers, paying
Basic carrier-route rate, multiply $0.114
times line I12 copies times the number of
issues in a year. That should more than
pay for annual dues for any member and
multiple years membership for some.
Details of the deflection test, which
is still being argued by major mailers,
will appear in Max Heath’s Publishers’
Auxiliary Postal Tips column prior to
implementation.
(NNA, March 3, 2010)
FactCheck can help thwart inaccuracies
BY AL CROSS
The Rural Blog, irjci.org
The folks at FactCheck, who do a good
job of separating truth from fiction in
politics, have published “Whoppers of
2009,” their most outrageous examples
of inaccurate and/or misleading
assertions. The list, and future reports
at FactCheck.org, can help local
news media avoid passing along bad
information from interviewees, letter
writers and so on.
“The list of howlers includes the
false claim that the stimulus bill would
dictate to doctors what procedures
they can and can’t perform, and
assertions that health care legislation
would require seniors to get advice
on how to commit suicide,” Lori
Robertson, Brooks Jackson and Jess
Henig write. “Democrats exaggerated
the problems their legislation aims
to fix — at one point Obama falsely
accused an insurance company of being
responsible for the death of an Illinois
cancer patient.”
FactCheck is a project of the
Annenberg Public Policy Center at the
University of Pennsylvania.
APRIL 2010
TPA should promote this national holiday
BY RANDY HINES
A major national holiday that supports
the newspaper industry passed in
early March with no mention in most
publications. In this day of social media
—with invented words and shortcut
communication—National Grammar
Day needs to be promoted vigorously.
Who is better at safeguarding the
standards of the English language than
the word-focused newspaper?
Don’t feel bad if you haven’t heard
of National Grammar Day, celebrated
on March 4. It’s probably not on
your office calendar. The post office
still delivered mail that day. In fact,
it wasn’t established until 2008 by
Martha Brockenbrough, author of
“Things That Make Us [Sic].” She’s
also the founder of the Society for the
Promotion of Good Grammar.
The holiday’s host this year was
Mignon Fogarty, author of “Grammar
Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better
Writing.”
The Web site, nationalgrammarday.
com, provides plenty of material for
features or an entire page devoted to
the topic. Educational material can
be adapted for a children’s section,
but don’t confine your mission to the
little ones. Adult-sized T-shirts are
available to help celebrate the day. Office
parties around the grammar theme are
suggested. Photos with grammatical
mistakes are abundant on the site, as are
other organizations that have joined the
fight for proper language rules.
Among the more than 50 such sites
are several related to journalists. They
include Bill Walsh: Blogslot, Blue Pencil
Editing, Common Sense Journalism,
Copyediting.com, Editor Mark’s
Blog, The Editor’s Desk, Grammar
Monkeys, JProf, National Association
of Independent Writers and Editors,
Ted’s Word, and You Don’t Say.
One of the many fun features on
the site March 4 was titled “Top Ten
Grammar Myths.” Here they are.
10. A run-on sentence is a really long
sentence.
9. You shouldn’t start a sentence with
the word however.
8. Irregardless is not a word.
7. There is only one way to write the
possessive form of a word that ends
in s.
6. Passive voice is always wrong.
5. I.e. and e.g. mean the same thing.
4. You use a before words that start
with consonants and an before words
that start with vowels.
3. It’s incorrect to answer the question
“How are you?” with the statement
“I’m good.”
2. You shouldn’t split infinitives.
1. You shouldn’t end a sentence with
a preposition.
As you probably guessed by this
feature’s title, these statements are all
false. If you want to argue about a couple
of them, head to the Web site. You may
want to bookmark it while you’re there
for an article or more in your paper for
next March 4.
Former journalist and Southerner
RandyHinesisaprofessoratSusquehanna
University in Pennsylvania. His latest
book is Print Matters: How to Write
Great Advertising (www.racombooks.
com) with Bob Lauterborn, former
James L. Knight Chair of Advertising
at UNC-Chapel Hill. One can reach him
at [email protected].
ETSPJ plans major events for spring, summer
The East Tennessee Society of
Professional Journalists has some
big events coming up this spring and
summer.
The first is the second Environmental
Journalism Conference, set Friday,
April 9, at the Holiday Inn Downtown
Conference Center in Knoxville. A
series of sessions by experts in various
environmental aspects will serve as
speakers or panelists.
The mor ning session will be
“Communities and Water Policy:
Awareness and Action.”
The keynote speaker at a luncheon
will be Dr. Joel Kimmons, nutritionist
and epidemiologist with the Division
of Nutrition, Physical Activity and
Obesity at the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
Afternoon sessions are
on examining coverage of the TVA
coal ash spill in Roane County and
“Newsgatherers and Gatekeepers.”
ETSPJ has planned a reception,
including live music, in the evening at
the East Tennessee History Center.
On Saturday, April 10, ETSPJ will
be host to the SPJ Region 12 Spring
Conference.
Sessions in the morning will be
“Covering Race in the Obama Era” and
“Issues in Sports Journalism.”
Mark of Excellence Awards will
be presented at a luncheon at noon.
Reginald Stuart, formerly with The
Tennessean, Nashville, a former
national SPJ president and now with
McClatchy Newspapers, will be the
keynote speaker.
The afternoon sessions will be
“Handling Health Stories” and “Social
Media Ethics.”
Details about both conferences are at
www.etspj.org.
On May 15, ETSPJ will hold its annual
Golden Press Card awards banquet.
It is set for Saturday, May 15, at The
Foundry on World’s Fair Park Drive
in Knoxville.
A reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. and
dinner at 6:15 p.m.
ETSPJ will present awards to print,
broadcast and online winners from the
East Tennessee area. The major awards
are the Golden Press Card Award (best
of show) and the Horace V. Wells Jr.
Public Service Award.
The speaker will be Hagit Limor, an
investigative reporter with WCPO-TV in
Cincinnati, president-elect of SPJ.
Find details about the banquet at www.
goldenpresscard.wordpress.com.
Then, on Monday, May 17, ETSPJ will
sponsor a national SPJ program on
freedom of information. “Access Across
America FOI Training” will be led by
David Cuillier, assistant professor of
journalism at the University of Arizona,
Tucson.
It will be held from 7:30 to 9:45 p.m.
Monday, May 17, at the Communications
Building on Volunteer Drive at the
University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
Details are available at www.etspj.
org.
The final 2009-10 ETSPJ event is Front
Page Follies, which yearly honors an
East Tennessee journalist and which
pokes fun at newsmakers of the past
year.
This year’s honoree will be Gene
Patterson of WATE-TV, a long time
reporter and anchor.
The Follies will take place on Saturday,
July 24, in Knoxville. Watch www.
frontpagefollies.com for further
information.
The ETSPJ year runs from Aug.
1 through July 31. Mia Rhodarmer,
editor and publisher of The Advocate
& Democrat, Sweetwater, is serving her
second term as president.
The late Alberta Brewer, a journalist
from Norris, was honored at the
March 25 meeting of ETSPJ, held in
conjunction with the University of
Tennessee Women’s Coordinating
Council. Her husband was Carson
Brewer, a columnist with the Knoxville
News-Sentinel.
Amanda Womac of Hellbender
Press arranged the program, which
examined gender issues in journalism.
Moderator was Cynthia Moxley of
Moxley Carmichael, a public relations
firm in Knoxville, and a former
newspaper journalist. Panelists were
Jean Ash, a former reporter with
WIVK/WNOX Radio; Georgiana Vines,
political columnist with the News
Sentinel, Knoxville, and lecturer at
the UT-K School of Journalism and
Electronic Media; Jigsha Desai, online
editor at the News Sentinel; and Erin
Donovan, reporter at WBIR-TV.
SPJ recommends census resources
TheSocietyof ProfessionalJournalists
has compiled a list of some resources
that newspaper people can use to
support stories about the 2010 census.
These include the Pew Research
Center’s The All Things Census page,
which also links to many other sites and
organizations that are posting census
information that could be helpful to
journalists.
Check out this and other resources
for statistics and story ideas at www.
spj.org.
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
5
OBITUARIES
James Allen
Former newspaper owner
James Allen, former owner of the
Herald & Tribune, Jonesborough, died
Jan. 25 at his home. He was 81.
A native of Wetumpka, Ala., Allen had
lived in Johnson City since 1954.
He was a businessman in other
areas, having owned and operated
Griffith Motors until 1984, having
formed Southeastern Tile Distributors
and being a founder of Emersons
Restaurants which had one time had
43 restaurants in 16 states.
Former business partner Bill Breeden,
who was once co-owner of the Herald
& Tribune with Allen, described him
as “a fine person.” The two met when
they were members of the same Sunday
school class at Central Baptist Church
in Johnson City. Breeden, who sold
advertising for the Johnson City PressChronicle, also remembers calling on
Allen at his car dealership.
“One day I was there, and somebody
came in and laid a copy of the Herald
& Tribune on his desk. I said, ‘Boy, I’d
really like to own that newspaper.’ He
looked at me and said, ‘OK, why don’t
we buy it?’”
It wasn’t long after that, Breeden said,
the pair approached then-owner Tim
Pridgen, who sold the paper to them. The
two co-owned the Herald & Tribune from
1961 until 1970 when Breeden bought out
Allen and became the sole owner.
Allen was involved in various civic
organizations and was an integral part
of the establishment of ETSU Medical
School and the ETSU Allen Family
Scholarship.
Eunice M. Clark
Retired publisher, editor
Eunice Mitchell Clark, who followed
her father into the newspaper business,
died March 7 at her home in Fulton, Ky.
She was 87.
When she retired, she was publisher
and editor of the Fulton Daily Leader.
She was the sister of the late W. Bryant
Williams, editor emeritus of The ParisPost-Intelligencer at his death. She was
the daughter of William Percy Williams
and Lucy Cowan Williams and was
born in Florence, Ala. before the family
moved to Paris.
She was a 1940 Grove High School
graduate in Henry County and earned
a degree from Whitworth College in
Brookhaven, Miss. After that, she
went into newspaper work. She was
the author of a human interest column
called “Small Talk.” For several years
she also penned a genealogical column
called “Kentucky Kin.”
In 1955, she became editor of the
Fulton Daily Leader. Advancing at the
business, she became publisher in 1977.
She retired in 1985.
She was married March 18, 1942 to
Vyron Mitchell Sr., who preceded her in
death. She was later married on Dec. 30,
1984 to Virgil B. Clark, who died in 2001.
Clark was active in her church, First
United Methodist in Fulton, and in the
Cokebury Sunday school class. She was
a past president of the United Methodist
Women and served on various board
and commissions.
She was a member of the Daughters
of the American Revolution, a charter
member and regent of Jacob Flourney
chapter, and a member and past
president of Fulton Women’s Club. She
was a teacher of several Sunday school
classes for more than 40 years.
She leaves three sons, Vyron Mitchell
Jr. of Newbern, William Mitchell of
Shelbyville and John Mitchell of St.
Marys, Ga.; three daughters, Mary
Elizabeth Prehm and Rebecca Allen,
both of Paris, and Cindy Rodenberger
of Ringgold, Ga.; a stepdaughter,
Amy Grassham of Pleasant View;
one brother, C. Ernest Williams of
Kennewick, Wash.; a sister, Jeane
Hermann of Lisle, Ill.; 22 grandchildren,
44 great-grandchildren and three greatgreat-grandchildren.
Her son William Mitchell is general
manager of the Shelbyville TimesGazette.
She also was preceded in death by four
brothers, Percy, James C., W. Bryant
and H. Lee Williams, and two greatgrandchildren, John Scott Wheeler and
Molly Irene Mitchell.
Gillie Hughes
Worked in printing
Newton Gilmore (Gillie) Hughes,
longtime employee of The DemocratUnion, Lawrenceburg, died Jan. 3. He
was 77.
He worked almost 42 years in printing
and production, beginning in 1964 and
ending when he retired in 2005.
In a feature story about Allen when
he retired, the Ethridge native recalled
his childhood and family activities and
attending the Tennessee School for the
Deaf in Knoxville for 13 years until
graduating in 1952.
In 1975, he received an award from
Gov. Ray Blanton as Outstanding
Handicapped Citizen of Lawrence
County.
He leaves three sisters.
Bonnie Sanders
Former columnist
Bonnie Mary Sanders, for mer
community columnist, died Feb. 17.
She was 93.
She was known for her “Pea Ridge
Rambler” column in The Lake County
Banner, Tiptonville, and the Union City
Daily Messenger.
An Elbridge native, she was the widow
of James Ezra Sanders, who died in 1986.
She was involved in many community
and church activities.
She leaves two daughters, eight
g r a n d ch i l d re n a n d 1 0 g re at grandchildren.
Dennis Sloan
Former printer
Robert Dennis Sloan, who had an
extensive career as a printer, died Feb.
25 at his home in South Carthage. He
was 79.
He was employed with the Carthage
Courier for 17 years and later with The
Lebanon Democrat for 19 years.
He was a member of Pleasant Shade’s
Upper Cumberland Presbyterian
Church, was a veteran and a Mason.
He leaves his wife, the former Gladys
Andrews, whom he married July 7,
1953.
Susan E. Tifft
Journalist and author
Susan Elizabeth Tifft, nationally
known journalist and author and the
wife of former Greeneville Sun Editor
Alex S. Jones, died Thursday morning
(April 1) at her residence in Cambridge,
Mass. She was 59.
Ms. Tifft had been battling serious
cancer since the summer of 2007.
She was a frequent visitor to
Greeneville over the years, and has many
friends in this community in addition
to her in-laws, including Sun Publisher
John M. Jones and Mrs. Jones, and other
members of the Jones family.
Ms. Tifft was for almost 10 years a
national writer and associate editor
with Time magazine, and during her
career had published articles in a wide
variety of leading U.S. newspapers and
magazines.
She and Jones co-authored two
acclaimed biographical works about
family newspaper dynasties: The
Patriarch: The Rise and Fall of the
Bingham Dynasty and The Trust: The
Private and Powerful Family Behind
The New York Times.
The Patriarch focused on the
communications enterprises of the
Barry Bingham Sr. family of Louisville,
Ky., and The Trust profiled Adolph Ochs
and his descendants, who have owned
and operated The New York Times
since 1896.
The Trust was a finalist for the National
Book Circle Award for biography.
In addition, Ms. Tifft was for a decade
the Eugene C. Patterson Professor of
the Practice of Journalism and Public
Policy Studies at Duke University.
In 2009 she was honored by Duke
with the creation of the Susan Tifft
Undergraduate Teaching/Mentoring
Award.
Ms. Tifft was preceded in death by her
parents: Austin and Elizabeth Tifft, of
Fairlee, Vt.
Survivors include, besides her
husband and her mother-in-law and
father-in-law: a sister and brother-inlaw: Sara Tifft and Ray Victurine, of
Bainbridge Island, Wash.; a brother
and sister-in-law: Douglas Tifft and
Bonnie MacAdam, of Fairlee, Vt.; two
sisters-in-law and their spouses: Edith
Jones Floyd and William Stephen
Floyd, of Atlanta, and Sarah Jones
Harbison and Steven K. Harbison, of
Greeneville; two brothers-in-law and
their spouses: John M. Jones Jr. and
his wife, Helena Z. Jones, and Gregg K.
Jones and his wife, Katharine M. Jones,
all of Greeneville.
There will be a memorial service at
11 a.m. on Friday, April 23, at Memorial
Church at Harvard.
Memorials may be made to
CaringBridge.org in her name at
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/
susantifft, or to the Susan E. Tifft
Fund for Teaching and Mentorship at
Duke University’s Sanford School of
Public Policy.
Gifts for the fund at Duke should be
sent to Bruce Kuniholm, Dean, Sanford
School of Public Policy, Duke University,
Durham, NC 27708-0239.
(The Greeneville Sun,
April 2, 2010)
Evelyn Tuttle
Longtime employee
Evelyn Tuttle, a longtime employee
with The Gallatin Examiner and The
Sumner County News, died Dec. 24.
She was 70.
The Gallatin native was an activist
in the restoration and preservation
of Rose Mont, an 1800s Greek revival
house that was the home of Josephus
Conn Guild.
Annie Willingham
Former columnist
A n n i e L e e B a u e r Fe r g u s o n
Willingham, who wrote the news of
the Wooley Springs community, died
Jan. 22. She was 87.
“She brought her news by the office on
Mondays, always ready with a smile,”
said an article in Your Community
Shopper, Ardmore, for which she wrote
more than 40 years.
She was preceded in death by two
husbands, R.L. Ferguson and the
Rev. George Taylor Willingham. She
leaves two sons, Robert Lee and Ray
Ferguson; a daughter, Anita Faulkner;
three grandchildren and six greatgrandchildren.
REWRITES
APRIL 1960
Lee S. Anderson, editor of the
Chattanooga News-Free Press, won
a Freedoms Foundation award, the
George Washington Honor Medal, for
his editorial titled “Do We Pay Lip
Service to Honor?”.
The mayor of Union City ordered
police records opened to the Daily
Messenger after Ed S. Critchlow,
owner and publisher, said at a City
Commission meeting that the police
department was suppressing records.
Across the state, one of the top stories
was about snowfall during March. Some
newspapers experienced delays due
to lost electricity and the difficulty of
delivering newspapers in the snow.
The Carroll County Democrat,
Huntingdon, offered free prizes to
readers who guessed closest to the 1960
census population count.
The Millington Star was being
studied in the community newspaper
management course taught by
Al Westland at Memphis State
University.
MAY 1960
Don Whitehead, a two-time Pulitzer
Prize winner for news reporting, was
to speak at the TPA summer convention
in Gatlinburg. Having returned to
Tennessee, he was a columnist for The
Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Adolph Shelby Ochs retired as
treasurer and a member of the board
of directors of the Times Printing Co.,
parent of The Chattanooga Times. Ochs
was the nephew of Adoph S. Ochs,
former publisher of the Times and The
New York Times.
Planning and zeal are needed to
sell advertising successfully, Tutt S.
Bradford of the Maryville-Alcoa Times
told attendees at a regional ad clinic.
Guy Easterly, president of the
Tennessee Press Service, wrote about
a newspaper tour he, Glenn E. McNeil,
TPA secretary-manager, Joe Williams
and Merritt Creager made to see what
newspapers were doing and what they
could learn from them. In two days they
visited fifteen cities.
Gregg K. Jones became co-publisher
of The Greeneville Sun, which he joined
in 1972.
The TPAF and the Penney-Missouri
Awards program presented a family
lifestyle seminar in Nashville. Tom
Hill, publisher of The Oak Ridger, Oak
Ridge, was chairman of the workshop
committee.
Carson Brewer retired as columnistreporter at The Knoxville News-Sentinel
after a 40-year career. Sam Venable,
outdoor editor of the News-Sentinel,
succeeded Brewer as columnist.
Alex Haley, Pulitzer Prize-winning
author, was appointed an adjunct
professor of journalism and American
studies at UT-K.
TPS’s Statewide Classifieds program
had a successful first year, TPS Assistant
Director Don Campbell said.
MAY 1985
APRIL 1985
The Nashville Banner established
scholarships at UT-K, Publisher Irby
Simpkins Jr. announced.
Nancy Petrey, co-publisher of The
Newport Plain Talk and chairman
of the Journalism Committee, was
named to the search committee for
a new dean of the UT College of
Communications.
Roy McDonald, chairman of the
Chattanooga Printing Co. and publisher
of the Chattanooga News-Free Press, was
honored by the Newspaper Classified
Advertising Managers. He received the
James McGovern Award.
The Southern Standard, McMinnville,
launched a free advertising program
SEE REWRITES, PAGE 6
CMYK
The Tennessee Press
20
The Tennessee Press
6
APRIL 2010
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
Judging Tennessee in Springfield, Ill.
ENGRAVINGS
JOHN I. CARNEY | SHELBYVILLE TIMES-GAZETTE
Elaine Williams, right, South Central Region coordinator for the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth,
presents a Making Kids Count media award to the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, represented by Editor Kent
Flanagan, left, and individually to, from left, Lifestyles Editor Sadie Fowler and Reporters Mary Reeves and
Brian Mosely.
Times-Gazette, writers receive Making Kids Count Award
CMYK
The Tennessee Commission on
Children and Youth has honored the
Shelbyville Times-Gazette and three
of its staffer members, Mary Reeves,
Brian Mosely and Sadie Fowler, for
the newspaper’s coverage of children’s
issues.
The T-G was awarded the Making Kids
Count Media Award for small market
print media. The award was announced
at the commission’s Children’s Advocacy
Days event held March 9 at the War
Memorial Auditorium in downtown
Nashville. Reeves, on her way to accept
the award that day, had a flat tire, and
so south central regional coordinator
Elaine Williams, who had nominated
the newspaper for the award, brought
the plaques—one for each of the three
individuals, and one for the newspaper
—to Shelbyville (two days later).
Williams, who is responsible for the
13 counties of the south central district,
said she submitted 70 Times-Gazette
stories with her nomination form
and identified even more than that.
Topics included the Court-Appointed
Special Advocate (CASA) program, the
county school system, health and safety,
poverty, homelessness, juvenile justice,
child abuse, mental health and even
humorous columns about family life.
“In this day and time, news is not
always positive, but the articles by
these reporters always promote positive
outcomes,” said the remarks delivered
during the awards ceremony. “The
efforts by reporters Mary Reeves and
Brian Mosely and Lifestyles Editor
Sadie Fowler have contributed to an
increase in both volunteer recruitment
and funds raised by child-serving
agencies, and the public has been
educated by other stories. Reeves also
writes a column where, with humor,
she shares the problems of family life
with her readers.
“It just stood out as a collective effort,”
said Williams.
“This is a remarkable
accomplishment, especially since the
Times-Gazette was selected through
an independent process that did not
involve the newspaper submitting an
entry,” said T-G Editor Kent Flanagan.
“The reporters and the community are
to be commended for putting a high
premium on promoting and protecting
youth.”
(March 19, 2010)
Maxwell purchases Polk County News
Ownership of the Polk County News
has shifted to a new generation, but
no staff changes are planned. Cheryl
Maxwell, daughter of Randy and Ingrid
Buehler, has bought the newspaper and
formed a new business, The Newspaper
Publishing Company, LLC.
Randy Buehler has been semi-retired
for a year and Ingrid is working toward
that status. They commented, “As we
began approaching retirement age,
we were delighted that Cheryl decided
to take the helm at Polk County’s
community newspaper.” They said
they had hoped the newspaper would
continue under independent ownership
when they finally decide to retire. This
move provides for a nice transition for
them to eventually retire, they said.
Ingrid, who has been backing off some
of her reporting responsibilities, will
continue to serve as editor. “I’m not
leaving any time soon,” she said. Randy
will continue to man the sports desk and
handle accounting duties.
Maxwell has been working with
the Polk County News since the
Buehlers purchased the Polk County
News in 1983, when she was 10 years
old, starting as an errand-runner
and coffee cup washer after school
and gradually picking up paste-up,
reporting, advertising and circulation
duties.
“I’d debated off and on throughout
the years, but ultimately, I couldn’t
imagine myself anywhere other than
here,” Maxwell said, adding, “I’m lucky
to have the chance to be a part of the
history of our county.”
Maxwell said she didn’t plan any
major changes to the paper. “I know we
are not perfect, but we do our best with
a very small staff to report the news so
that people in our community can keep
up with what’s going on in the county.
People can get national and regional
news just about anywhere these days,
but there is no where else to find news
that is relevant only to Polk County.”
According to Maxwell, the frequent
talk of newspapers being a dying breed
did not deter her. “We’re not a big-city
corporation with millions of dollars
on the line. We just report the news to
the community we live in. As long as
we have the support of the locals, we
will persevere, ” she said.
Maxwell purchased and remodeled
the building housing The Polk County
News in Benton in 2008 and opened The
Newspaper Book Shop, which includes
new regional books, used books, free
Internet, and coffees and snacks.
Copies of old photos, news clippings,
history files and cemetery listings are
also available.
Maxwell said she opened up the book
shop in the hopes that local people will
have a place to go to research their
family history, trade a book or just
get online without a drive out of the
county. “The newspaper belongs to the
community,” Maxwell said. “And I want
the community to feel welcome here.”
(from Polk County News)
The Tennessee Board of Regents
has recognized the publisher of the
Kingsport Times-News and a former
newspaper man
and his wife by
presenting them the
Chancellor’s Award
for Excellence in
Philanthropy for
2010.
The honorees
are Keith Wilson,
Kingsport TimesWilson
News, chairman of
the Northeast State Community College
Foundation, and Tim P. Jones, formerly
of the Johnson City Press, and his wife,
Valda Hicks Jones.
Northeast State President Janice
Gilliam said of Wilson, “Keith has been
instrumental in making education a
priority. His leadership as an advocate
of the Kingsport Center for Higher
Education and the Educate and Grow
scholarship program has transformed
higher education in Sullivan County
and across our region. He is a catalyst
for change and has been a key player for
many years in the Northeast region.”
Wilson championed the Sullivan
County Educate and Grow scholarship
program, which began in 2003 as
a partnership between the local
governments of Sullivan County and
Kingsport and Northeast State. The
city and county governments invested
money to fund scholarships for students
in Sullivan County and Kingsport who
attend Northeast State. The Educate and
Grow program ultimately expanded to
all five counties of the college’s service
area.
The Kingsport Center for Higher
Education brings together Northeast
State, King College, Lincoln Memorial
University and the University of
Tennessee under one roof.
Wilson graduated from Indiana
University. He became advertising
director of the Times-News in 1986 and
was named publisher in 1993.
Wilson served on the board of
Tennessee Press Association and is a
member of the Personnel Committee.
Tim P. Jones, formerly of the Johnson
City Press, as an honorary alumnus,
and Valda Hicks Jones, as an alumna,
are Platinum Society donors for the
ETSU Foundation, indicating financial
Tim and Valda Jones
support of $1 million or more in current
and planned giving. They are also active
volunteers with the Foundation.
Tim Jones served as president and
then chairman of the board for the
ETSU Foundation from 2003-07. During
this time, over $82 million was raised
from Foundation donors, including
the $5 million raised in 12 weeks in
2005 for the establishment of the Bill
Gatton College of Pharmacy. He is a
former member of the TPA Board of
Directors.
“Tim and Valda were instrumental
to encourage the people of our region
to accept the challenge, in addition to
their own personal financial support, for
the new college,” said ETSU President
Dr. Paul E. Stanton Jr. “Whether a
donor gave a dollar or multi-millions
of dollars, Tim and Valda knew the
importance of firing the imagination
and calling into action the people of our
region with this shared opportunity to
better the quality of overall health care
for our region.”
Stanton pointed out that with their
giving, the Joneses have “carried forth a
legacy of leadership that Tim’s parents,
the late Carl and Kathryn Jones, had
established … in a prior generation, as
his parents’ leadership was absolutely
critical for the establishment of the
James H. Quillen College of Medicine
at ETSU almost 40 years ago.”
The Joneses were major contributors
to the construction of the ETSU
Foundation Carillon and Alumni Plaza
on campus, and have also supported
many other areas of the university.
They have also been active in the
surrounding community through both
financial and leadership contributions
to such organizations as the Dawn
of Hope, United Way, Girls Inc.,
Johnson City Public Library, Rotary
International Foundation, Johnson
City Historic Zoning Commission and
Johnson City Development Authority.
Ideas Contest
Melissa Wilson and Ken Goeckner
From left, Linda Dawson, Sandy Pistole and
Jeff Holman
Scott Stravakas, Ann Young and Ed Bushman
Tom Zalabak
From left, Scott Stravakas, Ed Bushman and
Jennifer Barrata
CMYK
Board of Regents cites three
for education philanthropy
BY JOHN I. CARNEY
Shelbyville Times-Gazette
19
Tom Zalabak and Ken Goeckner
Ed Bushman, Jennifer Barrata and Ann Young
State Press Contests
Angelique Dunn, TPA
John Plevka, Journal Star, Peoria, left, and John Beck,
The News-Gazette, Champaign
Mark Colosimo, Suburban Life
Publications, Downers Grove
Greg Bilbney, Robinson Daily News
REWRITES
FROM PAGE 5
called Get Warren County Working for
unemployed local people, Publisher
Ron Fryar said.
The photographs of Dean Stone, editor
of The Daily Times, Maryville, were
displayed at the Blount County Library.
Employees of the Kingsport TimesNews were evacuated from the building
after an anonymous caller phoned in a
bomb threat.
Professional journalists should
return to basics, the simple truths of
reporting, to overcome doubts about
their credibility, John Seigenthaler,
publisher of The Tennessean, Nashville,
said in a Ralph McGill lecture at the
University of Georgia.
Jim Russell, Illinois Association of
School Boards, Springfield
Chris Coates, Suburban Journals,
Collinsville
Linda Dawson, Illinois Association of School
Boards, and Dave Dawson, Herald & Review,
Decatur
Norm Winick, The Zephyr, Galesburg
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
Judging Illinois
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
ENGRAVINGS
Mineral rights series wins prestigious national award
In Nashville
BY J. TODD FOSTER
Editor, Bristol Herald Courier
Mike Towle, The News Examiner, Gallatin,
holds a sports feature he planned to show
to his staff.
CMYK
Candy Webb, The Gallatin Newspaper, left, and
Susan Thurman, The Daily Herald, Columbia
Frank Gibson, Nashville, left; Jim Charlet,
Brentwood, center; and Greg Pogue,The Daiy
News Journal, Murfreesboro
D a n ny Pa r ke r, s p o r t s e d i t o r,
Shelbyville Times-Gazette
Buddy Pearson, editor, Herald-Citizen,
Cookeville
Ken Walker, news editor, The Paris PostIntelligencer
Shirley Nanney, editor, the Carroll County
News-Leader, Huntingdon
Greg Pogue, The Daily News Journal,
Murfreesboro, and Kim Ruff, director of the
Illinois Press Association Foundation
In Knoxville
It’s my favorite e-mail so far in 2010.
“Daniel Gilbert is a National
Journalism Award winner,” read
the subject line in a message from
Mike Philipps, president and chief
executive officer of the Scripps Howard
Foundation.
The foundation holds an annual
awards contest that honors the best
in American journalism. This year,
the organization added “community
journalism” to its list of categories, and
Gilbert, who authored the multipart
series on disputed mineral rights in
Southwest Virginia, is the inaugural
winner. The judges voted unanimously
for the series.
“Congratulations on this significant
prize in American journalism,”
Philipps wrote.
Gilbert wins a $10,000 check and a
trophy, both of which will be presented
April 23 in Tampa Bay, Fla.
Thisprobablyisthemostdistinguished
journalism award ever won by this 139year-old newspaper, and one of our most
impactful projects. Gilbert’s reporting
explored how a 1990 state law has
allowed energy corporations to profit
from landowners’
natural gas without
compensating
them, and how
corporations
required to pay
royalties into staterun escrow accounts
have failed to do
Gilbert
so. The series and
subsequent articles so far have prompted
gas companies to deposit more than
$825,000 in outstanding royalties, and
motivated area lawmakers to introduce
legislation that has the potential to give
relief to the thousands of landowners
whose natural-gas royalties are tied
up in escrow.
This is a good time to cite the fine
work done by our entire staff, which
proved that we could still tackle such
a project and cover a two-state region
larger geographically than Connecticut
without sacrificing quality journalism.
Our other six news reporters are
Roger Brown, Claire Galofaro, Debra
McCown, David McGee, Mac McLean
and Michael L. Owens. The editors
on Gilbert’s project also included City
Editor Susan Cameron and Assistant
City Editor Christine Uthoff. Project
photographers were David Crigger, Earl
Neikirk and Andre Teague. The copy
editors who crafted the eye-catching
front-page designs were Jerry Shell,
John Hudson, Guy Kramer, Bill McKee
and George Stone. And Web content
coordinator Heather Provencher helped
Gilbert create the searchable online
database that was specifically cited
by contest judges. Three newsroom
staffers, Mary Dutton, Hetty Canter
and Linn Casey, helped assemble the
Scripps entry package.
Here’s what the Scripps Howard panel
of judges wrote about Gilbert’s work:
“Gilbert’s series on the Virginia Oil
& Gas Board is community watchdog
journalism at its finest. This entry
rose above all others in the depth of
reporting and the care he took to put
a human face on a very complex issue,
helping explain it in understandable
terms. The intersection of geology,
politics and economics could have
been so confusing as to leave readers
bewildered, but Gilbert repeatedly
put the tale in human terms in clean,
unpretentious prose. But the real
standout feature was the first public
database of escrowed natural-gas
royalty interests, enabling the affected
population to conveniently investigate
their own stake in the controversy.
Times earns Cancer Society Lighthouse Award
BY BONNIE LILL
Stewart County editor
Stewart-Houston Times, Dover and Erin
Terri Likens, Roane Newspapers, Kingston, left, and
Dorothy Bowles, retired journalism professor, Knoxville
Foreground, Stan Voit, The Mountain Press,
Sevierville, left, and J. Todd Foster, Bristol Herald
Courier
Brad Gaskins, Macon County
Times, Lafayette
Dale Gentry, The Standard Banner,
Jefferson City
Stewart-Houston Times General
Manager Loretta Threatt accepted the
American Cancer Society’s Tennessee
Lighthouse Award in the Print Category
for Best Media Supporter, Rural Market,
for the Mid-South Division, at the Jan. 26
Stewart County Relay For Life meeting.
The award was given to the Times for
exceptional coverage given to Relay For
Life in Stewart and Houston counties
in 2008-09. This included Relay For Life
tabloids in both counties and promotion
and coverage of the events surrounding
the relays within the community.
Stewart County Relay for Life
Chairman Sheryl Williams made the
presentation.
Williams said she was pleased
to be able to present the award in
appreciation for the newspaper’s
promotion and coverage of the relay
since Stewart County first started
holding the event in 2001.
Threatt pointed out that the quality of
the tabloid and the coverage is in direct
THE STEWART-HOUSTON TIMES
Stewart County Relay for Life Chairman Sheryl Williams presents Stewart
Houston Times General Manager Loretta Threatt the American Cancer
Society’sTennessee Lighthouse Award in the Print Category for Best Media
Supporter, Rural Market, as Stewart County Editor Bonnie Lill looks on.
proportion to Williams’ organization
and dedication to providing the most
accurate and up-to-date information.
She said that once Houston County
Relay For Life officials had seen the
publication, they were interested in
having one to use as a promotional tool,
and the paper was happy to oblige.
“It’s a good way for the community to
learn about Relay,” said Threatt.
APSU instructor, columnist has book on performance at work
Seated, Amy Blakely, UTK, left, and Elenora
E. Edwards, The Tennessee Press, with Lynn
Richardson, Herald & Tribune, Jonesborough
(Left photo) Susan Campbell, editor, The
Tullahoma News, left, and Carrie Hollowell,
city editor, Manchester Times
Mark Stevens, The Erwin Record, and
Lynn Richardson, Herald & Tribune,
Jonesborough
7
Foreground, Timothy Hankins, The Daily
Times, Maryville, with Mark Stevens, The
Erwin Record, and Jim Zachary, Grainger
Today, Bean Station, in background
PHOTOS BY ROBYN GENTILE | TPA
A noted sports psychologist and
faculty member at Austin Peay State
University, Clarksville, now has the
sixth national best-selling nonfiction
book, according to The Washington
Post.
Gregg Steinberg, an associate
professor of health and human
performance, is the author of Full
Throttle: 122 Strategies to Supercharge
Your Performance at Work. Released
last summer, it discusses how to build
emotional toughness for business
and life through entertaining and
informative stories.
Steinberg, a faculty member at APSU
for nearly 12 years, has written a
newspaper column, “The Head Coach,”
for The Tennessean, Nashville.
Gilbert was able to do that because
his editors realized that he needed
training in database work and got it for
him—at [the] time he was producing
daily stories on other subjects in a
newsroom with only seven reporters.
That’s a fine example of what this new
category should be about, recognizing
quality journalism at the community
level, where it is usually more difficult
to produce than at metropolitan outlets.
It is also a lesson in the virtues of solid
beat reporting; Gilbert went to a board
meeting that other reporters might have
dismissed as routine, heard something,
and started turning over rocks.”
This project also employed something
you can expect to see more of in the
Herald Courier: the use of database
reporting to hold public officials
accountable.
Halfway into the 13-month project,
Gilbert had the data he needed but no
way to analyze it. So he reminded me
of a promise I made him during his
job interview here. The promise was
to send him to a week-long boot camp
on computer-assisted reporting at
Investigative Reporters and Editors,
based at the University of Missouri.
Publisher Carl Esposito approved
Gilbert’s trip and made good on our
promise.
Gilbert used one week of vacation
to attend the camp and quickly put
his newfound knowledge to use
shortly after returning. He built a
database that revealed an average of
30 percent of accounts in escrow did
not receive payments even though they
corresponded to producing wells.
State energy officials, who initially
brushed off the escrow discrepancies as
insignificant, have now acknowledged
widespread problems in the system
and pledged to correct them. Without
Gilbert’s analysis and further probing,
this admission might never have been
forthcoming.
Here’s what I wrote the Scripps
Howard judges when we entered this
competition: “This project underscores
the vital importance of investigative
reporting in rural areas, where only a
newspaper has the will, resources and
influence to uncover and attempt to
rectify an injustice that has persisted
for two decades. It is a testament to
what a journalist, backed with those
resources, can accomplish under very
challenging circumstances.”
(March 14, 2010)
Series garners award for CA reporter
Governing
Magazine has
awarded Marc
Perrusquia,
The Commercial
Appeal, Memphis,
its seventh
annual Hal Hovey
Award, presented
Perrusquia
for outstanding
journalistic
c ove r a g e o f s t at e a n d l o c a l
government.
The award, sponsored by Governing
and Stateline.org, a nonprofit online
publication funded by the Pew Center
on the States, was presented Feb. 3 at the
National Press Club in Washington.
Perrusquia won for “Always a
Fighter,” a series of stories about the
life of former Memphis mayor Willie W.
Herenton, who retired last year as the
target of a federal grand jury probe and
is now challenging incumbent Ninth
District Rep. Steve Cohen for a seat in
Congress.
“Marc’s work as an enterprise and
investigative reporter helps readers
of The Commercial Appeal understand
how this city and region work,” said
Chris Peck, editor of The Commercial
Appeal. “This award underscores what
we already know, that Marc is one of the
best reporters in the country.”
The award is named for the late Hal
Hovey, a former government official,
public finance expert and journalist.
The presentation this year breaks a
three-year East Coast strangle-hold
on the award. The past three winners
were the New York Daily News, the
Philadelphia Enquirer and The New
York Times.
Perrusquia, 51, has been a CA staff
member since 1989.
(The Commercial Appeal,
Memphis, Feb. 2, 2010)
Newspaper working on bicentennial book
Commemorating its city’s 200th
birthday this year, the Shelbyville TimesGazette will publish a bicentennial
history book. The newspaper is asking
for additional community photos and
information about the city’s history
and heritage to add to the content
collected so far.
The newspaper expects the book to
be ready in early June.
It will serve as a companion piece to
the 2007 Bedford County Bicentennial:
Celebrating the Past 1807-2007 and will
have a similar appearance.
Former Times-Gazette editor and
author of the Bedford County book
Rene Capley is compiling material for
the 2010 volume.
Ruse
“Blaming the media is a tried and
true method that charlatans use to
distract from bad news.”
Alex Jones, director, Shorenstein
Center on the Press, Politics and
Public Policy, 2004
CMYK
18
APRIL 2010
WORTH REPEATING
Without newspapers, where would Internet news come from?
BY MICHAEL THOMAS
The Advocate & Democrat
Sweetwater
It was the iPod
that brought home
the fact I had been
stuck in the house
for nearly 10 long,
cold winter days.
See, I use an iPod
to listen to music
while I’m driving
Thomas
in the car and I
don’t like to leave
the expensive little gadget in the vehicle
when the nighttime temperatures are
dropping to 12 degrees or lower. I don’t
like to leave it in the car at all, but most
of the time I just leave it in my jacket
pocket because otherwise I’d walk out
the door and forget it. And then I’d be
stuck listening to the radio, and nobody
should be forced to do that.
But this time I laid it on the counter
and there I was, making my way
through the house, trying to see how
much movement I could make before
the pain from recent surgery made
me sit down, when I noticed the little
black square.
I picked it up and turned it on. It
immediately went to a song that I had
paused the last time I’d used it. It had
been on pause for 10 days. During a time
I had been sliced open, sewn back up
and stumbled around the house like an
old(er) man, it had patiently sat on the
counter, waiting for me to hit the play
button and finish the song.
If I’m back at work Monday like I
hope to be, I will have missed a grand
total of 13 days. That’s a lot for a guy
who over the past 19 years had missed
a total of about five days. In one way
that seems like a lot of time to miss,
but I’m old enough now that even this
time has flown by. Pretty soon I’ll
say, “Remember when I missed those
two weeks?” and somebody will reply,
“Yeah. Can you believe that’s been
two years?”
My time off has given me an
opportunity to keep up with what’s
going on in the world. The president
reportedly moved a State of the Union
speech after it threatened to bump the
season premiere of the TV show “Lost”
and nerds worldwide became outraged.
I only sent one angry e-mail myself.
Sticking with politics, a person on
one side reportedly said something that
outraged the other side. The other side
said when one of their own did the same
thing a few years ago, they were forced
to resign, so it was only fair this person
now resign. This argument will carry
on until somebody else says something
outrageous.
A baseball player came out and
admitted to the shock of only his
mother that he had indeed been using
steroids when he set a home run record
in the summer of 1998. The various
ESPN channels all but fainted dead
away with excitement as they reported
and commentated on the story for 37
straight hours.
In the part of the world I know a
little something about, a survey done
in Baltimore said that of the news
reported on the Internet, only 4 percent
of it is actually self-generated. Of the
remaining 96 percent, 83 percent of it
is ripped from newspapers. The other
is divided up between TV and radio,
who get 78 percent of their news from
newspapers. OK, that last part is
exaggerated. Slightly.
This wasn’t much of a surprise to
those who work in the newspaper
business. We’ve all had the experience
of seeing something on the Internet
and thinking it looked awful familiar.
But this isn’t a new phenomenon. A
few years ago I was at a gathering of
news people in Knoxville and more
than one TV person said he read all the
newspapers to get ideas for stories.
Of course, most Internet “reporters”
aren’t news gatherers at all. The
bloggers, as they’re called, are about 90
percent commentators, meaning they
see something in a newspaper and they
give their opinion on it. A few, very few,
will credit whichever newspaper they
get their news from. Others will act like
they’re the digital version of Edward
R. Murrow.
Of course, this brings up a standard
question for those of us in the newspaper
business. If/when the Internet finally
brings the curtain down on this
business, where exactly will all those
cutting edge new media reporters get
their news?
(Jan. 14, 2010)
Inching toward Act II of my life
CMYK
BY JASON TIPPITT
Weekend editor, The Jackson Sun
The dimmest way of looking at it: It
only took me half my life to finish my
college degree.
The best way of looking at it: Hey, that
only took a semester.
More realistically: I did my four years
like anyone else. Just...not all at once.
Take your pick. I finished my
bachelor’s degree last fall (by taking
the long-delayed public speaking class)
and picked up my diploma a couple
of weeks ago from the University of
Tennessee Martin.
The story’s less interesting than you
might imagine, probably more common
than I realize even now: Promising
student gets too serious too young with
a sweetheart, ends up engaged at too
young an age, goes off the academic rails
after the relationship ends, ultimately
drops out and enters the work force just
a little bit shy of having a diploma.
Given Tennessee’s low rate of people
with a degree past high school and
the growth of college programs for
nontraditional students, you’d think
the Tennessee Lottery would consider
making it a little easier for us to
qualify—even if not right away, perhaps
after we’ve been back in school a little
while and shown we’re serious about
finishing.
And considering the job market is
pushing a lot of people to go back and
finish that bachelor’s degree or to start
work on an advanced program, that
seems like another area the Tennessee
legislature might consider letting the
lottery funds be spent.
The story made The Jackson Sun’s
business page a few weeks ago that this
newspaper was cutting several more
positions from its staff, most as a result
of a consolidation project. The design
and copy desk where I’ve worked since
1999 is part of that process; some time in
the next few weeks, probably by the end
of April, our corner of the newsroom
will be full of vacant cubicles.
My manager, Katie Gould, is staying
with the Sun to serve as liaison to
the new consolidated design desk in
Murfreesboro; she’ll also pick up some
of my weekend editing duties, from
what I understand.
The rest of us will scatter like pollen,
looking for a place to land either in the
newspaper business or. for most of us, I
suspect, more fertile ground in another
profession.
None of this is said to solicit pity:
Getting that bit of news a few weeks
ago was almost a relief—at least now
I didn’t have to wonder when it would
come.
I’ve worked with a lot of great people
here over nearly 11 years, and it’s been
my privilege to appear on the op-ed
pages since fall 2001, even with the angry
voice mails and e-mails that sometimes
ensued. (Hey, it beat no response at all.)
I’m hoping to continue writing these
columns as a freelancer, but I think my
journalism career is essentially over.
My goal is to go to graduate school.
First, I’ll pursue a master’s degree in
religious studies—probably purely
academic. And then I want to pair that
background in broad religious study
with a degree in counseling psychology,
either a master’s or doctorate. (If you
want to know how a person thinks, start
with what he or she believes.)
That combination could point the
way to pastoral counseling if I decided
I wanted to pursue ordination as a
Unitarian Universalist minister or
Ethical Culture leader. It could lead to
work as a hospital or hospice chaplain or
to more traditional counseling work.
It’s a lot of school work, a lot of
hours of study and workship, but the
results will be worth it if I can make a
difference for one person in crisis. And
while jobs are in short supply, “crisis”
is in abundance: You can hardly go a
day without hearing about a domestic
violence arrest, for example.
Besides, dealing with the occasional
person standing on the ledge of a
building or thinking he’s Napoleon
sounds downright tranquil compared
to waiting for the other shoe to drop on
the newspaper industry.
(March 14, 2010)
Candidates, will you make me a promise?
BY MARK A. STEVENS
Publisher, The Erwin Record
Did you know this
is national Sunshine
Week?
It’s time to
celebrate open
government. Folks
in the newspaper
business, like me,
pay close attention
Stevens
to Sunshine Week,
because being able
to accurately report on government
business sometimes means accessing
public documents and, yes, even public
meetings.
That’s not always as easy as it sounds.
Not all government officials like people
knowing “their” business. Those people
especially don’t like reporters knowing
their business.
I remember a few years ago, the Unicoi
County Board of Education wanted to
choose the next director of schools by
secret ballot despite the fact that state
law clearly prohibited such a vote.
You might think the law was confusing
and buried in high-brow legal terms,
thus making it hard for board members
to know how to, legally and ethically,
proceed. You’d be wrong.
Here’s what the law says: “No secret
votes, secret ballots, or secret roll calls
shall be allowed.”
Seems clear to me, and I bet it does
to you, too.
Certainly there have been other
issues with public documents and
public meetings here in Unicoi County
over the last several years, and, almost
always, those disagreements were
solved quickly or in short order.
All meetings of your government
bodies—be it the school board, the
board of mayor and alderman, the
county commission, etc.— are always
open to the public.
YOU have the RIGHT to know what
your elected officials are doing. It’s
your money, after all, in the form of
tax dollars.
What always has surprised me is why
a county commissioner, an alderman
or a school board member wants to
deny the public access to a meeting or
to a document. It’s not their personal
property after all.
We have a big county election coming
up this year, and you should read all the
campaign cards and advertisements
coming your way. Almost every single
candidate is making promises to get
your vote.
You will also notice a familiar theme—
all these folks want to represent YOU.
They want for be there for YOU. They
want to make things better for YOU.
And that’s great, and I want them to
do all those things for YOU—and me,
too, but here’s what I’d like to ask every
single person running for any office in
Unicoi County to do this week—the very
important Sunshine Week.
How many of you will sign off on the
following pledge:
“I, the undersigned, pledge to all the
people of Unicoi County that I will
never deny a public document to any
citizen.
“Not only will I never block access to
any public meeting, but I will always
SEE WORTH REPEATING, PAGE 9
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
17
We must work at getting honest, skeptical reporting
So, what do you do when your barber is
scowling?
I was in a hurry, and my usual barbershop
(actually a salon with a cute name, so I loathe
it) was crowded. In desperation, I drove around
looking for any option.
I don’t fuss over my hair. First of all, although
my wife, Sharon, loves me, it cannot be for my
looks. (Hmmmm … that leaves my character. No,
that can’t be it. My charm? I’m … I’m running
out of possibilities here. Not my money, that’s for
sure. OK, well, she likes me a lot, and she thinks
I’m a good driver.)
Second, my hair has been thinning since the
Carter administration. Not when he was president.
When he was governor of Georgia.
Third, good hair requires cash and labor:
expensive styling treatments, shampoos brimming
with the essence of tropical flowers, constant
mirror stops to eliminate renegade curls. I don’t
have time. I am a writing coach.
My mission, hair-wise, is to avoid total
humiliation.
I spotted a barbershop squeezed between a
taco joint and a discount store. I thought: This
neighborhood feels right.
But the barber, sheeeeesh. Her Stygian scowl
said she was outraged to have a customer.
I swallowed hard, struggled to smile and said,
“Pretend it’s July outside, steamy hot, so make it
nice and short.”
I expected her to say: “Sit down, shut up, I don’t
take orders from pipsqueaks.”
Sources say that to journalists all the time.
OK, so they don’t use those words. But their
message of intimidation is the same,
So, without an appointment, Jack went
and many of them think of us as
to the agency headquarters and asked
pipsqueaks.
for the director. He sat in the lobby for
Jennifer, a reporter I coach, was writing
20 minutes until a flack arrived, said the
about a utility company’s sneering refusal
director was too busy, then read from a
to reveal financial information even
press release.
though the company was demanding
He followed up with more requests. Still
money from customers for a new power
no interview, but he was establishing his
plant. Fearlessly, Jennifer attacked the
determination.
company in several stories.
A day later, he appealed to another
WRITING
Then came the phone call: Company
flack. Yes, he was told, he could interview
executives wanted to meet with the COACH
the director, but only after he first
newspaper’s editor and Jennifer.
interviewed an underling.
The executives showed up, well-scrubbed Jim Stasiowski The agency’s intention, no doubt, was
and polite, to insist the newspaper was
for the underling to find out what the
making huge mistakes in its coverage.
tough questions were, then report back
The stated purpose of the visit was to clear to the director so she would be prepared for her
up a few things. But when the execs continued interview.
to withhold the financial data, the only thing
So with the underling, Jack held back, asking
cleared up was their mission: to tell the editor about only the nuts-and-bolts of the new policy. Two
and Jennifer how she should write stories about days later, when he got the director, he still had in
the utility company.
reserve his best, back-her-into-a-corner questions,
Such sugary (“Hey, we all want the same thing”), such as: Wasn’t she shirking her responsibilities by
duplicitous attempts at suasion too often prompt hurting those she was supposed to be serving?
reporters to, consciously or unconsciously, back
Interviews with top officials and top executives
off.
are getting harder and harder to arrange, and we
Jennifer, supported by her editor, was polite but must recognize that that’s part of a larger strategy
unswayed. Her next story attacked again.
designed by public relations types who, in learning
At another newspaper, Jack sought to interview every trick of manipulation, have lost all contact
the director of a state agency that had botched the with the truth.
carrying out of a change in policy, resulting in
We cannot always win, but we really lose only
hardships for the people her agency served. Jack
wanted to hold the top person accountable.
His telephone requests for interviews got
nowhere; the director always was busy.
when we don’t show up (in person, preferably),
or we allow sources to make us feel guilty about
reporting honestly and skeptically.
As for the scowling barber, she did an excellent job
with questionable material, and she charged only
$8, four bucks less than at that salon. So pleased
was I that I gave her a $2 tip.
So how come when I left, she was still
scowling?
THE FINAL WORD: In vogue these days is the
adverb “purposefully,” as in, “While watering his
lawn, Stanton purposefully squirted water at the
loud teenagers.”
The simpler word “purposely” means to do
something intentionally, not by accident, which
probably is what Stanton was doing. “Purposefully”
has a stronger meaning, that the person was not to
be deterred: “Stanton purposefully walked across
the street to confront the bully.”
JIM STASIOWSKI, writing coach for the Dolan
Media Co., welcomes your questions or comments.
Call him at (775) 354-2872 or write to 2499 Ivory Ann
Drive, Sparks, Nev. 89436.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Jim Stasiowski will lead
a session on improving one’s writing skills
at the Tri-State Press Convention in Tunica,
Miss. He has been a columnist for The
Tennessee Press for several years.
CMYK
The Tennessee Press
8
Judging other state’s newspapers interesting
BY SHIRLEY NANNEY
Editor
Carroll County News-Leader
Huntingdon
On Thursday of last week, I
participated in judging the Illinois State
Press Contest at the Radisson Hotel in
Nashville near the airport.
Every year the Tennessee Press
Association trades out the judging with
another state.
This is an occasion that I really
look forward to every year. It gives
me a chance to see stories and page
layouts from other newspapers and
an opportunity to read about the
interesting happenings they write
about. Also, I pick up some ideas here
and there.
There are a number of different
categories and I usually try to judge
features, feature photos or best-written
news stories.
This year I judged feature stories.
There were about 30 entries in each
of the four different categories that
I judged.
During lunch, I shared newspaper
talk with Candy Webb, a staff writer
from the Gallatin newspaper, and Susan
Thurman, who writes for The Daily
Herald in Columbia.
In one of the categories, I awarded
the first place on a story about a man
named Bob Carroll who had terminal
cancer and had been advised that he had
only a few months to live. The story was
titled, “Cancer can’t slow him down.”
During the short time he has left, he has
taken up car racing and has reached
the speed of 143 miles per hour with
the determination to up the speed to at
least two more miles per hour. A large
photo accompanying the story showed a
smiling man in his racing attire.
My own personal opinion of this
man is that he made his goal before
his death.
My second place selection was about
a little red hen that showed up one
day in an alleyway and became the
neighborhood pet. Her antics and ways
won the neighbors’ hearts.
The article was titled, “A chicken that
brought joy to the lives of neighbors.”
In one instance, it told how when
she became hungry she would fly to a
windowsill and peck on the window. It
always gained attention and food for
her craw.
And then one day, she was found
dead. Neighbors were never sure what
happened but thought possibly that
she had been attacked by some sort
of animal.
The neighbors buried her in the alley
where she was found when she arrived
and bought a stepping stone with a
chicken on a nest and also placed a
sign above her grave that said “Chicken
Crossing.”
I picked as the third place a feature
about a barber named Joseph “Muzzy”
Muzzareilli, who had been in the
business for 50 years.
He was a fellow who had soaked up lots
of interesting stories and experiences
over the years and could relate them
with much humor.
The writer made you feel as if you
were right there in the barbershop
with him.
He related a story about a visit to
his doctor. He said that his doctor told
him as long as he felt good and had his
health “to keep going” at what he was
doing. So when he left the examining
room, he said, “I just kept going” and
didn’t pay him. “You know you have to
do what your doctor says,” he added.
During his lifetime, he has cut the hair
of three generations of families.
Another time, he related that he once
cut John Wayne Gacy Jr.’s hair—that’s
the fellow from Chicago that murdered
a lot of young boys and buried them all
around and under his house. Muzzy
said Gacy came into his shop and
wanted a haircut because he wouldn’t
make it back to Chicago before all the
barbershops would be closed.
A few weeks later, he was startled
to see Gacy on TV. He knew the fellow
looked familiar but thought to himself,
“I don’t like his haircut.”
Another patron, who was in the shop
at the time, called him up and told him
that he had cut Gacy’s hair.
Now you see why I like to go every
year and be a judge.
(March 3, 2010)
ROBYN GENTILE | TPA
Susan M. Sharp, editor of the LaFollette Press, left, hands over the
newspaper’s entries in the UT-TPA State Press Contests to Angelique
Dunn, administrative assistant.
Late winter brings hustle, bustle
of newspaper contest judgings
If it’s February, it must be contest
judging time.
The call has gone out for entries in
TPA’s Ideas Contest for advertising and
circulation as well as for the UT-TPA
State Press Contests. And the entries
trickle in and then pile up as the
deadline nears. Then, judging.
Thisyear,TennesseePressAssociation
members judged the Illinois Press
Association contest, with some folks
judging part of them Feb. 25 in Nashville
and others judging the rest Feb. 26 in
Knoxville.
Then Illinois Press Association
members judged the Tennessee
Advertising/Circulation Ideas Contest
March 10 and the State Press Contests
March 11 in Springfield, Ill.
Robyn Gentile, TPA member services
manager, and Angelique Dunn,
administrative assistant, handled the
various related tasks for Tennessee.
On the next two pages, 18 and 19,
you’ll see photos of the judgings. At
left, read a column Shirley Nanney,
editor of the Carroll County NewsLeader, Huntingdon, wrote about her
experience as a judge this year.
In all, 49 TPAers judged the Illinois
contests, while 34 Illinoians judged the
Tennessee competitions.
APRIL 2010
CMYK
Is your political coverage passing your readers’ scrutiny?
Nothinginthepagesof yournewspaper
is more heavily scrutinized by readers
than how candidates for public office
are introduced before an election,
according to newspaper consultant
Jim Pumarlo.
“We strive for consistent and fair
coverage in everyday reporting; it’s
doubly important for election coverage,”
Pumarlo said during a recent Inland
Webinar.
Ensuring your election coverage is
fair and consistent begins when you
plan your coverage, he said. Create a
to-do list and make sure it includes
contacting the candidates to obtain
bios and photos and sending them
questionnaires. Let them know your
coverage plans and get election night
contact information, Pumarlo said.
“It may seem fairly elementary, but
you’re better off for it in the long run,”
he said. “You need uniform quality
and consistency. With photos, you may
take your own photos or you might ask
candidates to submit a photo. If you want
to run two stories from competitors on
the same page and one has a large color
photo and the other submitted a small
black-and-white photo, it’s not going to
appear fair.”
Keep in mind readers are quick to
pounce when they perceive bias on the
part of the paper, Pumarlo said.
“Introducing the candidates is all
about perception,” he said. “If you’re
putting candidate one and two in the
same paper, put them on the same page
or, as much as possible, put them in the
same edition.
“Be sensitive to how you present
them—if you have one beneath the
other. Put them in alphabetical order by
last names. Have a set order so you can
have a response to candidates if they say
they weren’t represented fairly.”
A good schedule helps newspapers run
information in a logical order, such as
running profiles before endorsements.
Pumarlo also said to schedule candidate
interviews well in advance because
political candidates might not be
available for interviews right away.
Reporters, of course, need to do some
homework when preparing questions
for candidate interviews. To get a feel
for important issues and topics that
need to be addressed, they should
ask their colleagues who cover the
community what issues are important
to them and solicit input from readers
through a newspaper column.
“As you approach the candidate
interviews, approach them as you
would a job interview, like when your
boss chose you for your job,” Pumarlo
said. “What distinguished you from the
other applicants? They are applying
for a job. Their answers must convince
their bosses—the electorate—that
they’re qualified.”
Thinking beyond the usual questions
will force candidates to think on
the spot, Pumarlo said. Reporters
should prepare both the usual generic
questions (“What prompted you to seek
office?”) and unorthodox questions
(“You are elected to represent your
constituency, yet at some point their
wishes and beliefs likely will be
contradictory to your personal beliefs.
How will you arrive at your vote?”)
Pumarlo said reporters should also
tailor questions to the candidate’s
views on specific issues that may be
cornerstones of their campaigns—such
as a school board candidate who
is running to make the Pledge of
Allegiance in classrooms illegal.
Pumarlo said reporters cannot overprepare for a candidate interview and,
in some cases, newspapers should
consider having more than one person
conduct the interview.
“Utilizing two people in the interview
can be helpful,” he said. “Some election
contests rise above the rest, a candidate
may have a history of avoiding direct
questions, a reporter may be new
to the beat—an editor may want to
sit in on select interviews. This will
provide additional insight for editors
and publishers who may be doing the
endorsements.”
Pumarlo also discussed policies
for letters to the editor, editing
questionnaires, deciding which
forums to cover, political advertising,
letter-writing campaigns and write-in
candidates.
(SNPA, March 11, 2010)
ROBYN GENTILE | TPA
Members of the staff of The Fayette Falcon pose with a figure of John
Wayne in the publisher's area, which features Wayne memorabilia and
other collectibles. From left are Publisher Butch Rhea, Randy Rhea,
Carolyn Rhea and Susan Logan. The Rheas have owned the newspaper, in
Somerville, since 2002; however, Butch Rhea has worked for the newspaper
since 1965. He began his career as a Linotype operator. The Falcon was
established in 1837. It has a paid circulation of 4,262 and publishes on
Wednesdays. Somerville is located in West Tennessee in Fayette County,
which borders Mississippi.
Bargain-hunters start
with newspaper, magazine
According to a recent Adweek
Media/Harris Poll, 23 percent of adult
Americans believe that newspaper and
magazine advertisements are where
they can find the best bargains. Eighteen
percent believe online advertisements
are most likely to help them find the
best bargains. Ten percent say direct
mail and 12 percent catalogs, 11 percent
television commercials, and just 2
percent say radio. And, 34 percent of
Americans believe the type of ad makes
no difference when they are looking for
the best bargain.
When looking for the best bargains,
different age groups have different ideas
of where to look:
18 to 34-year-olds are more likely to say
online ads (22 percent) and television
commercials (17 percent) are the best
places to go
35 to 44-year-olds go online (26
percent)
24percentof those44to54and33percent
of those 55 and older say newspaper and
magazine advertisements those are
media most likely to help them find the
best bargain.
Among the genders, women are more
likely than men to say newspaper and
magazine advertisements, and direct
mail and catalogs are more likely to
help them find a bargain. Men, on the
other hand, are more likely to say online
advertisements are more likely to help
them find a bargain.
Thereisalsoaninterestingeducational
difference in the media people believe
can help them find the best bargains:
One-quarter of those with a high
school education or less say newspaper
and magazine advertisements are more
likely to help them find a bargain,
compared to 20 percent of those with
at least a college degree.
29 percent with at least a college
degree believe online advertisements
are more likely to help them find a
bargain compared to 12 percent of those
with a high school education or less
The report concludes that, while
newspaper ads are still slightly ahead of
others among all adults when it comes
to bargain hunting, online is not far
behind. And online ads lead newspaper
and magazine ads as a source of
information about bargains among
younger, better educated consumers.
For additional information on
the study, go to www.businesswire.
com/portal/site/home/
permalink/?ndmViewId=news_vie
w&newsId=20100122005073&newsLa
ng=en.
(MediaPost, Feb. 1, 2010)
Advertising 2009: bad but less bad at end
ROBYN GENTILE | TPA
TPA Vice President for Dailies Art Powers, right, andTPA Executive Director
Greg Sherrill look at portraits of recent presidents that are collected in the
conference room at TPA headquarters in Knoxville. Powers, a Knoxville
native and longtime newspaperman, is slated to become the 2010-11 TPA
president.
Walking the relationship tightrope
If nobody is upset at you, you’re probably not
doing very much.
This universal truth is especially true in the field
of journalism. While our goals should not include
ticking off folks, it ought to be an inevitable byproduct
of pursuing truth with vigor.
Even on the most seemingly innocuous of
assignments, conflicts arise en route to deadline and
after publication.
At the same time, the heart of any successful
business is relationships. And our business is telling
stories in a fresh, compelling way. The stronger
rapport we build with people, the stronger our stories
can become.
So how can we walk that tightrope and manage
the inevitable strife with sources even as we strive
to nurture productive relationships?
Here are three strategies:
1. Anticipate the conflict. With new sources, who
might very well become regular sources, emphasize
that your goal is accuracy. Urge them to speak up
when they feel a story misses the mark.
Nothing is too minor, and go to bat for them when
an error you make warrants a clarification or
correction in the paper.
The result: heightened respect, and rapport grows
through experiences that otherwise would damage a
productive reporter-source relationship. In the end,
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
readers benefit because information
over-the-liners, no friendly social
continues to flow and your stories
outing is too inappropriate to attend.
achieve greater balance, even if one
They cozy up too close to people
side of an issue feels that the last
they write about, undermining their
story was tipped in the opposing
ability to report with comprehensive
camp’s favor.
fairness.
This is especially helpful in
While covering a police beat, for
covering local government, which can
instance, stick to friendly small talk
descend into day-to-day spats among
during visits to the police station
public figures.
to review reports and other brief,
INSIDE
2. Know your source’s kids’ names—
chance encounters in your day-to-day
just don’t show up at their birthday EDGE
travels.
parties! Some reporters remain
It is not a good idea to play cards with
Matt Baron a group of cops in a private setting—an
distant from sources, nibbling at
the corners of a story’s potential
invitation I repeatedly, but politely,
because they skim only the surface of
declined years ago because I knew it
interviews and are content with a bare
would have compromised my work in
minimum. These reporters have no personality, a heartbeat.
no warmth and little interest in anything but
What if, over a drink and backslaps, they said
answers to questions for the next story.
something newsworthy but swore me to secrecy?
If this describes you, then develop some What if I saw illegal activity or, worse yet, had
“small talk” skills. Really, it should be called become part of it? I would have become a part of
“big listening” because you need not say much to the story—a story that someone with better sense
spark someone else’s conversational fire. People would have been able to cover.
thirst for a genuine audience, and you’ll rise in
3. Suppress your natural yearning to be liked.
others’ esteem when you provide it.
Seeking fondness from sources plants seeds of
Less prevalent is the hazard of reporters journalistic dysfunction. It’s far better to gain
growing too chummy with sources. For these your sources’ respect and trust.
Your job description does not include expanding
your friendship circle.
The circumstances of the real world dictate that
we must write hard-hitting stories. They can be
uncomfortable for the newsroom, for the advertising
department, for the publisher, for sources, and for
the community at large.
Thankfully, our job is not to keep people comfortable.
It’s to take a snapshot of our community that is as
faithful, accurate and balanced as we can muster.
So aim for 100-percent accuracy. In the process, you
accomplish two main things. First, you get it right.
And second—of more long-term importance—you
develop a reputation as someone who is dedicated
to getting it right.
That commands respect. And that’s something sure
to strengthen the arms-length rapport that you need
and your readers deserve.
MATT BARON, a longtime reporter, has experience
at small weeklies to large dailies, and his work has
appeared in Time magazine, the Chicago Tribune
and USA Today. He delivers seminars, in person and
via Webinar, on interviewing techniques, deadline
reporting, numeracy and other communication topics.
One can reach him at [email protected] or
1-888-713-6589.
According to a report in The New
York Times, 2009 was a bad year for
ad spending, but it got less worse in
the fourth quarter, according to a
leading research company. The year
ended better than it began—still
down, yet the rate of decline slowed
significantly—and early signs for 2010
seem promising.
Ad spending in the United States fell
12.3 percent in 2009 compared with 2008,
WORTH REPEATING
FROM PAGE 8
welcome you in and ask that you be a
part of making a positive difference for
your community.
“I promise to always conduct the
business of government in a transparent
way. I will never covert secretly. I will
never deliberate outside the public’s
view. I will always be honest with you.
“I will do all these things, because I
know this isn’t just MY business, but
it’s YOUR business, too, and I’m working
for you.”
That’s the campaign promise I want
from each candidate, and I’m asking
that every candidate write out the
above pledge in his or her own hand
and sign off on it and bring it to me
so I can publish it in this column and
show the voters that you pledge to do
the public’s business.
How about it, candidates, will you
make that pledge, that campaign
promise?
I hope you will.
(March 16, 2010)
according to figures released March 17
by Kantar Media. The fourth quarter
fell 6 percent compared with the same
period the previous year, a marked
improvement from declines of 14.2
percent in the first quarter, 13.9 percent
the second and 15.3 percent the third.
One can read more at mediadecoder.
blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/yes-itwas-a-bad-year-for-ad-spending-but-itgot-less-worse-in-the-fourth-quarter/.
Moon is candidate
Jerome Moon, former publisher
of The Daily Times, Maryville, has
announced his candidacy for Blount
County Commmission. He is seeking
the Republican nomination for District
4m Seat C. He served as publisher
from 1981 until the paper was sold to
Persis Corp. in December 1989. He has
served as treasurer of the Tennessee
Press Association and as a director of
Tennessee Press Service. He also was a
co-owner of a community newspaper.
Gracy on board
Randy Gracy of Knoxville, a former
employee of the Chattanooga Times Free
Press, has been chosen to serve on the
UT Alumni Board in Knoxville. He is an
alumnus of UT at Chattanooga.
Parallels
“When the public’s right to know is
threatened, all other public rights are
threatened.”
Christopher Dodd, U.S. senator, 2005
9
Stay away from generalities
I remember hearing a radio interview with a
a tendency to exaggerate, a carelessness of truth.
teacher who had a unique approach to teaching
They lead readers to discount all the statements
high school students about communication. In her
that you make.”
classroom, she paid special attention to what she
Let’s take a closer look at the “comfort deluxe”
called “glittering generalities,” those phrases that
description of athletic shoes. Right off the bat, the
look and sound impressive but have no meaning.
word “deluxe” can be tossed out the window. Like
She said that politicians (regardless of party
its cousins, “fantastic” and “excellent,” it is too
affiliation) are the most visible offenders, but the
vague to mean anything. On the other hand, the
affliction has crept into every corner of the world
word “comfort” has potential, because it suggests
of communication. Her students have fun finding
a specific benefit to the wearer. What is it about
glittering generalities so they can tear them apart
these shoes that makes them comfortable? Special
in class.
cushioning? Extra ankle support? Larger toe box?
If her classes ever examine ad copy, they will have
Focus on the specifics of comfort, and you’ll have
no problems locating glitter. In a matter of minutes, John Foust
a winning idea.
I ran across the following colorful phrases. Can you
Glittering generalities can also appear in
guess the products and services being advertised?
conversations. If you’re on the receiving end, it is
1. Cloud nine never looked better than this.
a frustrating experience. For example:
2. Inspired by genius. Crafted with care.
Friend: You’ve gotta see the new movie that just opened.”
3. Relaxation is calling. Are you ready?
You: How did you like it?
4. Get the right perspective.
Friend: It’s fantastic.
5. Nobody does it more. Nobody does it better.
You: What is it about?
6. Treat yourself.
Friend: You won’t believe the plot. It’s one of the best
7. Unparalleled amenities to enhance your lifestyle of ever.
luxury.
You: So, what happens in the movie?
8. Comfort deluxe.
Friend: All kinds of incredible things. Unbelievable special
9. Now you can have your dreams and wake up, too.
effects. It kept me on the edge of my seat for two hours.
10. From urban elegance to casual design, we can take you
You: Is it an action movie? A mystery? A comedy?
wherever your dreams and budget can reach.
Friend: I can’t say enough good things about it. You’ll be
Answers: (1) Condo development, (2) Furniture, (3) Vacation impressed.
resort, (4) Solar heating, (5) Health club, (6) Windows, (7) Real
You: I don’t know.
estate, (8) Athletic shoes, (9) Auto, (10) Outdoor furniture.
Friend: Let me tell you about special ingredients in the
What these phrases need—what advertising needs—is popcorn. It was the best I’ve ever tasted.
specificity. Claude C. Hopkins, one of the early gurus of
One of the keys to effective communication and effective
advertising, wrote, “Platitudes and generalities roll off the advertising is to replace glitter with specifics.
© Copyright 2010 by John Foust. All rights reserved.
human understanding like water from a duck. They leave no
impression whatever. They suggest looseness of expression,
Free offer a good marketing tool
Recently, I ran across two interesting ads in the same be more expensive than a gift that rewards an inquiry. And
paper. Each ad made use of one of the most effective tactics of course, the bigger the purchase, the bigger the giveaway.
A car is an eye-popping gift, big enough to stop readers in
in the marketing toolbox, a free offer. The first ad was for
an insurance company, and promised a free key ring with their tracks. A key ring is small. But that’s okay, because
built-in flashlight to anyone who called for an estimate on each offer is a good match.
3. Keep it fresh. If an advertiser offers freebies all the
car insurance. The second ad offered a free Mini Cooper
time, the tactic will eventually lose its appeal. To produce
automobile with the purchase of a high-end condo.
Obviously, there is a huge difference, in significance and results, a free offer should seem special and create a sense
cost, between a new car and a key ring. However, even though of urgency. (“Respond now, before we run out of these handy
these offers are worlds apart, they have a lot going for them. widgets.”)
Every offer should seem new and different, not the same old
Here’s what we can learn from these two examples:
1. Make it relevant. The insurance ad targeted an older thing. For years, a business magazine to which I subscribe
audience, a fact which was clearly stated in the ad. The made the same renewal offer, a free pen. Ho hum. They finally
real estate ad was aimed at hip, young professionals, the changed their tune, and their most recent subscription
audience that also fits the profile of Mini buyers. That was notice offered additional issues at no extra cost. That offer
is much better.
no coincidence.
Although free offers have been around for years, they
An offer has to be relevant to the target audience. The condo
buyers would not pay attention to a key ring offer. And a Mini continue to motivate consumers to take action. The secret
is to think it through – and make the right offer to the right
would have zero importance to senior readers.
Even though the flashlight feature may seem cumbersome audience.
© Copyright 2010 by John Foust. All rights reserved.
and unnecessary to some readers, that feature makes the key
ring particularly desirable for seniors. Many older people
E-mail JOHN FOUST for information about his training videos
have difficulty finding keyholes at night.
The condo developer probably considered a variety of for ad departments: [email protected].
models, once he or she decided to give
cars away. But I have a hunch that the
choice was quickly narrowed by the fact
Tennessee Press Service
that the Mini’s “coolness factor” would
make a statement about the personality
Advertising Placement Snapshot
of the development. If you’re cool , or
if you want to be cool, this is the place
for you. It’s clearly an offer that appeals
ROP: Network:
to their Yuppie audience.
December 2009,
2. Be a matchmaker. The value of
$ 203,756
January & February 2010: $1,129,665
the giveaway should match the action
you want readers to take. A freebie
$ 203,756
Year* as of Nov. 30: $1,129,665
that accompanies a purchase should
*The Tennessee Press Service Inc. fiscal year runs Dec. 1 through Nov. 30.
CMYK
The Tennessee Press
16
APRIL 2010
AP awards event in May
CMYK
Sanford, CA editor, continues
APME’s critical mission
Otis L. Sanford,
editor of opinion
and editorials at
The Commercial
Appeal in Memphis,
took the reins as
president of The
Associated Press
Managing Editors
Sanford
at the organization’s
annual conference
in October in St. Louis, Mo. Below is
his column that appeared in the latest
edition of APME News:
Perhaps the single greatest highlight of my 34-year journalism career
occurred shortly after 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009, in a hotel meeting
room in St. Louis. It was there that I
was formally elected president of the
Associated Press Managing Editors
Association for the coming year.
To say that I am thrilled and humbled by this opportunity is an understatement. As a kid growing up in
segregated Mississippi in the 1950s
and ’60s, I had aspirations of becoming
a newspaper reporter. Many thought
that goal was beyond my reach. But I
never dreamed that I would some day
lead a group as influential and storied
as APME.
In my view, APME is by far the nation’s leading journalism organization helping to ensure the credibility
and viability of our industry in these
challenging times. We do this through
hard work, innovative ideas, adherence
to our bedrock values and an intense
focus on the journalism. That is how
we have operated for 76 years, and it is
how we will continue to operate in 2010
and beyond.
As we look back at our achievements
in 2009, several things stand out. Among
them:
We continued to train editors and
members of journalism’s academic
world through NewsTrain, our
signature program that travels the
country featuring the best trainers in
the industry and the most up-to-date
approaches to newsgathering and
content presentation for a 21st century
audience.
We completed an extensive online
credibility project in which six
newsrooms in the United States and
Canada developed, tested and issued
reports on the best practices in online
journalism. The findings are currently
being presented through a series of Webinars hosted by the Poynter Institute
for Media Studies in St. Petersburg,
Fla.
We initiated another national
reporting project, this one examining
the impact of federal stimulus dollars
flowing into local communities and
detailing how those funds are being
spent.
As we look ahead to 2010, we expect
NewsTrain to reach even more frontline
editors and journalism educators,
thanks to grant funding from the
McCormick Foundation and others. We
are currently identifying NewsTrain
sights for 2010.
In addition, we will look to partner
with other journalism groups for
another national reporting project.
We also plan to focus more attention
on diversity issues, particularly
as they relate to digital and other
online operations and newsroom
management.
Plus, we also expect our annual
Innovator of the Year contest to grow
in popularity as media organizations
look to showcase their exceptional work
to make their journalism relevant to
today’s digital-savvy audience.
Those of us who are involved in APME
understand the enormous pressure
on news organizations these days.
Declining profits, staff reductions and
declining readership for print products
have created more than enough stress
in newsrooms around the country.
Yet, we still believe in providing
quality journalism to our audience,
the kind of journalism they can’t get
anywhere else. We take seriously our
watchdog roles, our unique ability at
storytelling, our persuasive voices as
expressed through our editorial pages,
columns and commentaries, our strong
stand on First Amendment issues
and our unmatched relevance in our
communities.
We hope that you will continue to
support APME and our noble causes.
Foundations including Ethics and
Excellence in Journalism, McCormick,
Ford and Knight, have seen the value in
APME’s mission and programming and
have been generous contributors.
Please consider becoming an APME
member and supporting us financially
in this effort. Please visit www.apmecredibility.org/ for more information.
(Used with permission)
Open government
fight needed
AP’s chief executive says strong fight
is needed to open government.
Journalists should be willing to fight
for strong laws protecting open access to
government even as the news industry
struggles in a weak economy, the top
executive of the Associated Press
said in a speech to the Kentucky Press
Association.
Tom Curley, chief executive of the AP,
said that strong open-access laws are
important items in the “journalistic
tool kit” but that journalists have often
taken them for granted. Journalists
need to push before Congress and
state legislatures changes that would
make government more open and
resist efforts to let government keep
secrets.
One can read the full AP story at
www.ap.org/pages/about/whatsnew/
wn_012210a.html. To read the full
text from AP CEO Tom Curley’s
remarks, www.ap.org/pages/about/
pressreleases/pr_012210b.html.
The Tennessee Associated Press
Managing Editors (TAPME) and the
Tennessee AP Broadcasters will hold
a joint awards banquet on Saturday,
May 8, at the Downtown Sheraton in
Nashville. When details are firmed
up, they will be posted at www.ap.org/
tennessee.
AARON HARDIN | THE JACKSON SUN
ALLISON KWESELL | CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS
PATRICK SMITH | CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS
J. MILES CARY | NEWS SENTINEL, KNOXVILLE
DAVE BOYD | JOHNSON CITY PRESS
The winner of Tennessee‘s Associated Press Photo of the Month for
December was Dave Boyd of the Johnson City Press. His photograph shows
disabled vehicles Dec. 18, 2009 near Johnson City after a snowstorm
hit the area. Boyd received $100 and the showcasing of his photo on
Photostream.
CORRECTION: In the January issue
of TheTennessee Press, the cutlines
of three photos named Associated
Press member photos of the month
failed to mention AP. The Tennessee
Press appreciates AP’s allowing
us to print these photos as we
recognize the excellent work done
by news photographers across the
state, and we apologize for the
oversight.
READS
Mark Henschen, circulation director
at the North County Times in Escondido,
Calif., believes the 1984 book Managing
by Harold Geneen, the late chief
executive officer of ITT, still has
value for circulation managers in
2010. “Harold Geneen was brilliant,”
Henschen said, because Geneen
believed “numbers have a language
of their own and can reveal the facts
about a business if a person studies
them enough.” Below is an excerpt
from this out-of-print book:
“Paying attention to the numbers is
a dull, tiresome routine, drudgery. The
more you want to know about your
business, the more detail you want to
have, the more numbers there will be.
They cannot be skimmed. They must be
read, understood and thought about and
compared with other sets of numbers
which you have read that day, that week,
or earlier that year. And you have to
do it alone, all by yourself, even when
you know that it would be far more
stimulating to be doing almost anything
else. If you are a running a well-managed
company, most of the numbers will be
those you expect. That makes them
even more mundane and dull. But you
cannot skip over them; you dare not
allow your concentration to flag. Those
numbers are your controls, and you read
them, on and on, until your mind reels
or until you come upon one number or
set of numbers which stands out from
all the rest, demanding your attention,
and getting it ... Your experience and
skill at working with the numbers,
which come from the drudgery of all
those long hours at it, will enable you
to make projection into the future on
paper which can be relied upon as
realistic, not only by yourself but also
by the banks, the security analysts,
and the shareholders. When you have
mastered the numbers, you will in fact
no longer be reading numbers ... You will
be reading meanings. Your eyes may be
seeing numbers, but your mind will be
reading ‘markets,’ ‘costs,’ ‘competition,’
‘new products.’ All the things you are
doing and planning will stare out at you,
if you will only learn to read through
the numbers. It is an acquired, special
skill perhaps, but it is the key to the
mastery of any business.”
(The Inlander, March 1, 2010)
SCMA conference set
this month in Alabama
Members of the Southern Circulation
Managers Association (SCMA) will hold
their conference April 18 to 20 at the
Riverview Plaza Hotel in Mobile, Ala.
Dean Blanchard of the Baton Rouge
(La.) Advocate serves as chairman
and George Markevicz, Press-Register,
Mobile, Ala., as president.
Three Tennesseans currently hold
posts on the board of directors: Jim
Boyd, the News Sentinel, Knoxville,
as first vice president; Glen Tabor,
Kingsport Times-News, as treasurer;
and Dale Long, The Greenville Sun,
director at large.
15
TRACKS
End of an era
Citizen Tribune photographer retires after 40 years
BY STAN JOHNSON
Staff writer
Citizen Tribune, Morristown
The winner ofTennessee’s Associated Press November 2009 Photo of the
Month competition was Aaron Hardin of The Jackson Sun. He captured
this photograph of Richard Drury, 96, saluting as he is honored for
being the oldest veteran at the Veterans Day program Nov. 10, 2009 at
Malesus Elementary. Hardin received $100 and the photo’s showcasing
on PhotoStream.
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
Gary Smith long ago lost track of
how many tens of thousands of his
photographs have been published in
the Citizen Tribune during his 40 years
as the newspaper’s chief photographer.
He figures he passed the 100,000 mark
several years ago.
His career as a news photographer
began on a Saturday night, Sept. 19,
1969. It ended on a Saturday night when
he completed his duties and retired on
Oct. 31, 2009.
In between those dates, he has
photographed the daily lives and
activities of the people of Lakeway
Area, from garden club meetings to
awards presentations, from wrecks to
fires and murder scenes.
Raised on a farm in the Strawberry
Plains community of Jefferson County,
Smith was hooked on photography for
about as long as he can remember.
“I always had an interest in
photography from when I was a child.
I made pictures of everything and
everybody with a Brownie Hawkeye,”
he said.
After graduating from Jefferson High
School, he attended
Carson-Newman
College for a year,
then joined the U.S.
Air Force.
His four-year tour
of duty with the Air
Force included a
year in Greenland.
Smith
Out of the service,
he worked at American Enka for four
years, followed by a couple of short tries
at jobs he didn’t much like. That’s when
he heard there was an opening for a
photographer at the Citizen Tribune.
He was given an interview on a Friday
and started as the paper’s only full-time
photographer the following day.
Although his interest in photography
got him the job, he admits his technical
skills were somewhat lacking. In those
days taking a picture was only the
beginning. The photographer also had
to go to the darkroom to develop the film
and print the image.
“When I went to work here I’d never
seen a darkroom or an adjustable
camera. I wondered why they hired
me,” he said.
R. Jack Fishman was the paper’s
publisher and editor who hired
Smith.
“Gary came with a lot of enthusiasm
for photography and that is what I found
impressive. He has been an outstanding
photographer and has always been
dedicated to telling the stories of the
area in his pictures,” Fishman said.
“Tough assignments or simple ones,
he always brought back the images we
needed for the paper.”
Smith soon learned the basics of
the skills he needed and had plenty of
opportunity to practice. While most of
the pictures run together in his mind, he
still recalls the first one that appeared
in the paper.
“It was Sgt. Tommy Ricker at the
National Guard Armory. He was
sticking his head up out of a tank,”
Smith recalls.
Some assignments stand out in
Smith’s mind more than others.
“There are several I’ll never forget,
some bad, some good,” he said.
Probably the worst was in the early
1970s and involved a head-on collision
between a truck and a bus that killed
14 people near Bean Station. Another
was a huge chlorine leak at the water
treatment plant on Walters Drive in
Morristown in the late 1980s. It spread
over a wide area.
“That’s what I thought was the most
dangerous to the most people. Luckily,
no one died in that,” Smith said.
Among the good jobs was
photographing the opening of Walters
State Community College in 1970. That
was one of the most important things
that ever happened in Morristown, in
his opinion.
For sheer fun, there was the night
he went to Bulls Gap High School
when Archie Campbell and Junior
Samples, two funnymen stars of the
wildly popular TV show “Hee-Haw,”
were appearing.
“They got to cutting up and had me
in stitches,” Smith said.
He has photographed many celebrities
over the years, along with busloads of
high-level politicians from governors
to senators to congressmen, and five
presidents, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford,
Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and
George W. Bush.
Through four decades Smith has seen
many changes in both photography and
newspaper production.
In his early years there were few color
photos published because the process
to get just one ready took more than
four hours.
He also remembers when 35 or 40
people worked late on Saturday nights
to layout a Sunday paper.
Today photos are ready to go in the
paper within minutes, and a crew of four
or five can lay out the Sunday paper. He
still finds that a bit amazing.
As the paper grew, so did Smith’s
responsibilities, eventually leading him
to supervising and scheduling a staff
of four full-time and several part-time
photographers.
News doesn’t take place on a 9 to 5
schedule, so even with help, he still
got those phone calls at 3 a.m. that
meant something bad had happened
somewhere.
Beverly, his wife of 44 years, had to
learn to live with his often late hours and
being on call 24 hours every day.
Gary and Beverly have three children,
Jeff and wife Karen, Susan and husband
Anthony Basham, and Jason.
On this, his first day of retirement,
Smith is looking forward to no longer
answering those 3 a.m. phone calls or
working until 10 p.m. He won’t put his
cameras on a shelf and forget them,
however.
“I’m going to keep my photography
going to make some pocket money. I’ll
spend some time with my grandbabies,
and maybe travel a little,” he said.
(Nov. 1, 2009)
Hotel becomes ‘Rosy’s Diner’ for cartoonist Daniel’s 80th birthday
BY CYNTHIA MOXLEY
Moxley Carmichael, Knoxville
From ‘Blue Streak’
More than 150 folks donned “Rosy’s
Diner” baseball caps and filed into
the ballroom of the Crowne Plaza
hotel Friday night for a laughfilled celebration of News Sentinel
editorial cartoonist Charlie Daniel’s
80th birthday.
Rosy’s Diner is a staple location for
much of the action that takes place in
Daniel’s cartoons. Good sport Donna
Colburn of the News Sentinel put
on a vibrant red wig and played the part
of “Rosy” for the evening. She looked
exactly like the cartoon. “Wow,” said
Daniel. “I’ve never really seen Rosy
before!”
One of the evening’s highlights had
to be the choice of food. It was exactly
what you would expect to be served
at Rosy’s Diner: fried chicken AND
meatloaf accompanied by mashed
potatoes with gravy and country-style
green beans (meaning they had bacon
in them!).
“We could have had this party at
Wright’s Cafeteria and then we could
have just gone through the line,”
quipped Bob Griffitts of Congressman
Jimmy Duncan’s office.
The evening’s master of ceremonies
was News Sentinel columnist Sam
Venable, who introduced
a variety of speakers close
to Daniel.
Ginny Weatherstone,
the executive director
of Volunteer Ministry
Center on whose board
Daniel serves, said of him,
“Charlie Daniel lives at
the intersection of good
humor and love.”
Jack McElroy, editor of
the News Sentinel, said
Patsy and Charlie Daniel, wearing a University of North
he is glad Daniel is only
Carolina Santa hat
80 years young. “Charlie
D a n i e l w h e n year 2009!
is turning 80 and surely
he himself was
But Charlie got the last words—and
he is good for another 10
a n a s s i s t a n t some of the best.
years. I’m 56 and Scripps
state editor at
“School kids ask me how they can
editors have to retire at
The Knoxville become a cartoonist when they grow
age 65, so I’m glad I won’t Charlie cartoon
have to replace Charlie. Because he’s Journal. Duncan said his father always up,” Daniel said. “I tell them, ‘Don’t
told him, “Everything looks easy from grow up.’”
irreplaceable.”
Daniel said he himself has never
Harry Moskos, editor of the News a distance.” He said Daniel makes
grown up: “I was as surprised as you
Sentinel from 1984 to 2001, said he cartooning look easy, but it isn’t.
City Councilman Marilyn Roddy read when I found out I was 80!
became friends with Daniel when Daniel
“For cartoonists, the greatest award
worked for the competing Knoxville a beautiful proclamation honoring
Journal and drew a cartoon of Moskos Daniel from Knoxville Mayor Bill you can get is being stuck up on a
himself. He said he was delighted to Haslam. It took about 10 minutes to read. refrigerator,” Daniel said. “But this
eventually have the opportunity to When she concluded to hearty applause, is greater.”
Standing ovation. Sweet night.
hire Daniel. “The readers of the News she picked up another proclamation
Some of the other folks there: Rose
Sentinel don’t know how lucky they are. and tossed it to emcee Venable. “Oh,”
The News Sentinel actually has two she said. “The county also sent one.” Moseby, Fred Brown, Tom Chester, Jack
Lail, Amy McCrary, Mr. and Mrs. Hoyt
cartoonists, Charlie and Dan Proctor. Big laugh.
Door prizes were a hit. Especially Canady, Georgiana Vines, Ben Byrd,
That’s very rare.”
Congressman Duncan said he met the Charlie Daniel calendars—for the Mr. and Mrs. Bob Calloway, Susan and
Daniel and ‘Rosy,’ (Donna Colburn)
David Lauver, Jack and Doris Sharp,
Duane and Marsha Grieve, Barry and
Leslie Henderson, Ed and Donie Green,
Ed and Corrine Patrick, Joe Johnson
of A&W Office Supply and a LOT of
members of Daniel’s family.
(Dec. 19, 2009.
Used with permission)
CMYK
The Tennessee Press
10
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
Heartland papers
have new publisher
CMYK
Pat Lay has
been appointed
group publisher
of Heartland
Publications’
newspaper group,
which includes
the Claiborne
Progress, Tazewell,
Lay
and newspapers in
Middlesboro and Harlan, Ky.
Lay served 13 years as publisher of the
Harland Daily Enterprise. She began
her newspaper career there in 1983 as the
human resources director and served as
controller and general manager before
becoming publisher.
Lay is a graduate of Evarts (Ky.)
High School and attended Southeast
Community College and Lincoln
Memorial University. She lives in Verda
with her husband, Eddie. They have
two children.
Other leaders at the Heartland
newspapers are Marisa Anders, general
manager and editor of the Claiborne
Progress; John Henson, general
manager and editor of the Harlan Daily
Enterprise; and Brandy Calvert, editor
of the Middlesboro Daily News.
Murfreesboro Post
names new publisher
W.R. (Ron) Fryar
has been named
publisher of The
Murfreesboro Post.
He takes the place
of former Publisher
and President Mike
Pirtle, who will
continue to work
Fryar
with the Post as an
owner and contributor. Michelle Willard
will work as editor.
The MTSU graduate comes to the Post
with more than 30 years’ experience in
the industry, having formerly worked as
publisher of The Daily News Journal
from 1993 to2004, publisher of The
Review Appeal and Franklin Publishing
Co. from 2002 to 2004 and vice president
of operations for American Hometown
Publishing from 2005 to 2009.
Fryar will split his time between
the Post and the Cannon Courier in
Woodbury. He bought the weekly
community paper last year.
Fryar is president of the Tennessee
Press Association (TPA) Foundation
and earlier was president of TPA
and Tennessee Press Service. He is a
founding member of the Tennessee
Coalition for Open Government.
Klose rejoins CA
as business editor
Roland Klose is the new business
editor of The Commercial Appeal,
Memphis. It is his second stint at the
newspaper.
Klose joined The CA in 1989 as a
Elliott joins paper
as circulation manager
Linnea Elliott has joined the NewsHerald, Lenoir City, as circulation
manager, succeeding longtime manager
Richard Smith, who retired.
Elliott, a native of Michigan, moved
to Tennessee after living in Florida
for 26 years. She formerly ran her own
cleaning business. After her husband,
Bob, retired from United Parcel Service,
he took a job as an insurance agent at
Carriage Hill Insurance in Loudon
County, and the family now lives there.
The Elliotts have two teenage sons.
Stewart steps aside;
two other changes
Scott Stewart, editor of the Pulaski
Citizen, has stepped down in order to
avoid any possible conflict of interest
in his upcoming bid for Giles county
executive.
Publisher Steve Lake will assume
the title of editor and publisher for the
immediate future, while Paul Manke
has been named political editor. Stewart
will retain employment with the paper
at least until the August election and
will take Manke’s former position as
sports editor. Stewart was editor for
12 years.
as a reporter.
Sauls holds a Bachelor’s degree
in journalism from California State
University, Fresno.
Both The Stewart-Houston Times
and The Leaf-Chronicle are owned and
operated by Gannett Co. Inc.
|
Gerilyn Richardson Burnett has
joined the staff of the Carroll County
News-Leader, Huntingdon, as a sales
representative and columnist. Burnett
is the daughter of Dennis and Lisa
Richardson, publishers of the NewsLeader and other newspapers. She
graduated recently from UTK with a
degree in psychology and an emphasis
on nutrition, and her column will
feature nutritious recipes.
The new ad rep and columnist is
married to Clint Burnett, and they live
in Camden.
|
Allen Moore has been named digital
sales manager at the Johnson City
Press. His 20 years’ experience in local
media includes posts as Johnson City
Press advertising sales representive,
a sales representative with WKPT-TV
and account executive with Lamar
Outdoor Advertising. He most recent
served as online sales coordinator with
the Johnson City Press. He is an ETSU
graduate with a bachelor’s degree in
mass communications.
|
Misty Madonna Hays has joined
The Paris Post-Intelligencer as a news
staff writer. She will cover things such
as education and court cases. Daniel
Williams, who has been in that spot
for several months, is moving to a news
beat that features crime, wreck and
fire reporting and will also assist the
sports department and Sports Editor
Tommy Priddy.
Dave Phillips, who had been with
The P-I in the sports area, has left the
area, accepting a job with The Oakland
Press in suburban Detroit, where he
grew up.
Hays, a Murray State University
graduate, was photo editor for two
years of The Murray State News and
worked as a photographer one summer
at Alive Fashion Magazine in St. Louis.
She spent this past summer in London
and Scotland, studying photography
THE MOUNTAIN PRESS, SEVIERVILLE
Bruce McCarter, who worked for The Mountain Press, Sevierville, in
maintenance for more than 40 years, shows he’s still a kid at heart as he
goes sledding in his daughter’s yard in Pigeon Forge the last of January.
and helping teach a media class.
|
A top adviser to Gov. Phil Bredesen
is leaving to take a senior position
with Bill Frist’s education initiative.
Will Pinkston has been hired to run
the advocacy arms of Frist’s State
Collaborative on Reforming Education,
or SCORE. Frist founded SCORE last
year.
Pinkston was a main coordinator
of the governor’s education agenda
passed overwhelmingly in the January
special legislative session. The effort
was supported by SCORE.
Pinkston is a former reporter for The
Wall Street Journal and The Tennessean,
Nashville. He joined Bredesen’s staff for
the 2002 gubernatorial campaign.
|
Former Chattanoogan Michael
Golden will become chairman of the
board of the International Center for
Journalists, a Washington, D.C.-based
nonprofit that seeks to raise journalism
standards through workshops,
seminars, fellowships and international
exchanges.
He serves as vice chairman of The
New York Times Co. and is a former
officer of The Chattanooga Times. He is a
son of Ruth Holmberg, former publisher
of The Chattanooga Times.
Sauls is managing editor
of Stewart-Houston Times
Kevin Sauls is the new managing
editor of The Stewart-Houston Times.
Sauls, 53, comes to Middle Tennessee
after a 31-year career in community
journalism at the The Union Democrat
in Sonora, Calif. He also has worked as
a news and sports correspondent for
The Leaf-Chronicle in Clarksville since
moving to the area last fall.
Sauls’ arrival comes after The
Stewart-Houston Times restructured
its news leadership from two co-editors
to a single editor overseeing the print
and digital editions. He replaces Sharon
Knight, the Houston County editor,
and Bonnie Lill, the Stewart County
editor. Lill will remain with the Times
11
No special occasion needed to point out need for ‘sunshine’
TRACKS
business reporter
c o v e r i n g
transpor tation,
labor and other
subjects. In 1996,
he became assistant
business editor.
In 1998, Klose left
Memphis to work
Klose
for The Tampa
Tribune, where he was assistant
business editor in charge of the
Tuesday through Saturday daily
section. He later served as managing
editor of The Riverfront Times in St.
Louis and editor of the Illinois Times
in Springfield.
Beginning last September, Klose
has assisted with the launch of Going
Green, the Web-only environmental
weekly of The CA. He will continue as
editor of Going Green.
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
MARY E. HINDS | NEWS-HERALD, LENOIR CITY
Two teens spent March 9 at the News-Herald, Lenoir City, job shadowing staff members. Tyler Elliott, right,
spent the day with his mom, Linnea Elliott, circulation manager, and Diego Vega learned the ins and outs of
putting a newspaper together. He is with Sports Editor Dewey Morgan.
For those who missed the fifth annual national
“Sunshine Week,” it’s not too late to participate.
Given the debate over the state of American
journalism, no one needs an occasion to extol the
virtues of press freedom and the need for more
openness in government.
No excuse is needed to remind the public that “if
the press didn’t tell you, who would?”
There’s no scheduling magic for “Sunshine
Week.” It falls in the third week of March because
James Madison, author of the First Amendment
and our fourth president, was born on March 16.
SPJ and other press groups started marking the
birthday as FOI Day more than 30 years ago.
In 2002, the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors
staged a coordinated “Sunshine Sunday” event
to focus public attention on an unprecedented
150 proposed new exemptions pending in the
legislature. Fewer than a half-dozen passed.
I remember being in the Sunshine State that
weekend and watching newspapers publish
stories that illustrated the perils of “excessive and
unwarranted government secrecy.” My favorite
bill was the one closing regulatory records to keep
terrorists from finding crop dusting companies.
It died after someone pointed out the legislation
didn’t outlaw the Yellow Pages.
Five years ago, the American Society of News
Editors started urging members to remind
Americans to take stock in the value of “sunshine”
laws and public information to “enlighten and
empower people to play an active role in their
government at all levels and to give them access
to information that makes their lives better and
their communities stronger.”
“Transparency” has become a buzz word in
political stump speeches and press releases. In
fact, the issue of openness may be more relevant
this year than any in the past.
Anyone paying attention can see how government
action—or inaction—impacts lives and the anger
that results when citizens see or
the meeting. That means parents have
suspect government secrecy.
to show up to find out whether action
Take the recent reports on auto
might affect their children.
safety problems and allegations
Some agencies impose large fees for
that some defects were hidden from
hard copies of records when it would
the public by confidential court
be easier and cheaper on the taxpayers
settlements. Or look at the angry
to provide it electronically.
backlash at health care reform
There are recurring examples of
legislation because details were
county commissions meeting in
worked out behind closed doors. TENNESSEE
secret “executive” sessions under
Some aspects of the bank bailouts
the attorney-client privilege with
COALITION
were shrouded in secrecy.
no lawyers present. Other bodies try
That loss of public confidence in
to take secret votes that are clearly
government can be compared to how FOR OPEN
illegal under the “sunshine law.”
one economist described consumer GOVERNMENT Some local bodies take up issues
confidence and attitudes about the
not on their printed agendas and
economic recovery. “Last year, they
without telling the public in advance
Frank Gibson
saw the glass as half empty. This year,
they will be discussed. Now there is a
they see it as half full.”
movement to replace the traditional
Attitudes and actions that lead to public anger,
method of giving notice of public meetings with
like that reflected in the Tea Party movement,
posting on Web sites.
are often displayed by school boards, county
That’s the “half-empty” part. Now for the
commissions, city councils and other public
“half-full” part.
bodies across the state. Not everywhere, but
Two years ago the legislature made modest
enough to show up in polls. When voters were
improvements to the Tennessee Public Records
asked two years ago whether they thought more
Act, including setting deadlines for responses
public business was conducted in the open or in
to open records requests because requests in
secret, 62 percent said “in secret.” That was 12
some cities were ignored for weeks and months.
points higher than 2004.
Others charged high fees to discourage records
In the last two years, we have seen an
requests. Some agencies tried to charge to see
unprecedented 30 bills filed in the state legislature
routine records.
to weaken our records and open meetings laws.
In many ways those improvements fell short of
Many of them are for the benefit of one county
efforts to clear up vagueness in the law, including
mayor/commission or one school board, but they
a reasonable deadline to actually produce
would apply statewide.
records. The legislation made one significant
From the 300-plus calls the Tennessee Coalition
addition, however, that should provide long-term
for Open Government received from citizens and
returns.
reporters in the past 18 months, here’s how those
The legislature, with a nudge from Gov. Phil
attitudes play out:
Bredesen, created the Office of the Open Records
One school board just outside Nashville refuses
Counsel within the state Comptroller’s Office
to let the public see its agenda until the day of
and established an Advisory Committee on Open
Government.
Elisha Hodge, an attorney and the state open
records counsel, filed her 2009 annual report
earlier this month. It showed that the office handled
1,085 inquiries about the requirements of the
law—almost twice as many as the year before. Half
came from government employees. The other half
came from the general public and news media, but
mostly from citizens.
The office has never been adequately funded,
but there were two pieces of good news in those
numbers. First, some 800 public employees called
to get guidance on how to handle requests. And,
for the first time ever, an almost equal number
of citizens had a place to call for assistance or
questions about the law. Before, they had to hire
an attorney.
The office has posted 29 advisory opinions on its
official Web site to help when questions recur and
has made 51 presentations on the law to various
groups across the state, many of them public
officials.
In Memphis, Mayor AC Wharton has ordered his
departments to respond to open records requests
more quickly than state law requires and has
instructed them to post routine and frequentlyrequested information on the city’s Web site. In
Nashville, the mayor has instructed departments
to provide records electronically if the public
requests them that way.
So, if the government in your city or town makes
things tough—for you or anyone—tell that story.
And, if the government or any official bends over
backwards to “enlighten and empower people to
play an active role in their government,” tell that
story, too.
FRANK GIBSON is executive director of the
Tennessee Coalition for Open Government. He can
be reached at [email protected] or at (615) 2022685.
How open records laws help everyone
BY MICHAEL L. OWENS
Reporter, Bristol Herald Courier
Chances are
you’ve noticed it –
the words “Freedom
of Infor mation
Act” tossed into
front-page stories,
probably one
about a governor’s
Vegas trip with his
Owens
mistress, or a police
chief ’s lobster dinner with his buddies,
all on the public dime.
So blasé is the phrase splashed onto the
page. It’s as though you’re expected to
automatically nod your head in perfect
understanding at the mere mention, and
read on as though you now understand
that the day’s front page exists only
because some crass reporter legally
wrested the records from a reluctant,
but compliant, government office.
So, you skip past the phrase and
continue reading without ever realizing
you just missed the real story.
A simple description of FOIA as an
open-records law would better explain
the article’s importance. Heck, just
change it to “Watchdog Act.” Or even the
“Peek-Over-Their-Shoulder Act.”
But that still leaves too much mystery.
It skips the part where the records the
reporters FOIA’d (it’s often a verb in the
news game) sent them digging through
budget ledgers, court files or meeting
minutes just to find the tell-all nugget
of information.
You see, FOIA doesn’t always deliver
the jackpot reporters are looking for,
but the records it opens to us often point
the way to the truth.
For example, I spent much of last
summer sifting through criminal
records and computer spreadsheets
just to prove how an Abingdon, Va.,
magistrate falsified court documents
so he could slip business to his bail
bondsman father. I couldn’t have even
guessed at the file cabinets to rummage
through had it not been for my FOIA
request for Virginia Supreme Court
records.
Weeks passed before I found the
evidence against the magistrate – a
signature and several official time
stamps on the bottom of six crumpled
sheets of yellow paper.
Why does the FOIA game work that
way? Because FOIA is more treasure
map than it is a law forcing government
officials to talk.
In fact, it doesn’t even force town
managers, university finance officers
or any government workers to explain
anything. All they have to do is hold
open the door to a few select meetings
and hand over documents. Meaning has
to be deciphered.
Rarely will the words “lobster dinner”
appear on a public official’s receipt. But
there will be an obscure line item tucked
away in budget books referencing an
unusually high restaurant bill. The
truth comes out only after the hunt
begins.
Simply put, the real nitty gritty on
FOIA is shoe leather – lots of it.
There’s a bit of head scratching, too,
followed by phone calls, door-to-door
research, and more head scratching.
Eventually there is something of an
eureka moment, when the time stamps
on a jail release form, or the dollars
and cents on a ledger, finally reveal a
well-kept secret.
My shoe-leather drama from last
summer began when several sources
swore that a local magistrate routed
business to his father by forging another
magistrate’s signature onto bail bond
release forms. Proving it boiled down
to finding the falsified signature on
release forms. But how?
FOIA put in my hands the names
of the more than 140 defendants the
father bonded out of jail in a single
year. Those names directed me to bond
release forms filed in 12 court offices
throughout Southwest Virginia. Shoeleather reporting revealed only the
exact minute defendants were released
from jail, as well as the magistrate on
duty. That was half of what I needed.
Employee timesheets would have
shortened my search by more than a
month, had the magistrate in question
not destroyed his records in violation
of state regulations. But FOIA did get
me the timesheets of the magistrate
whose name was supposed to have
been forged.
By typing names, dates and hours into
a spreadsheet database, I was able to
cross reference the bond release forms
against the magistrate’s timesheets.
What popped up on the computer screen
was the most likely night and hour
documents were falsified.
My spreadsheet didn’t prove a forgery,
but it did send me back to sources with
more detailed questions about the inner
workings of the magistrate computer
system. That last round of questions
revealed that each magistrate has to
punch in a personal computer password
to print a bond release form. The name
printed on the form reveals whose
password was used.
This newfound knowledge rerouted
me back to a county courthouse and,
in turn to documents signed by one
magistrate but printed with his coworker’s password. With the proof in
hand, I confronted the co-worker and
he confessed to sharing his password,
all so a fellow magistrate could hide the
dealings with the father.
Before my story ran, the state
Supreme Court fired one magistrate
and forced the other to resign. My FOIA
request had piqued the curiosity of
state officials and sparked an in-house
investigation.
Behind-the-scenes stories like that
will never be found in a brief, singlesentence definition of FOIA, simply
because more story space will always
be needed to explain the roll-up-yoursleeves work behind the front-page
headline.
(March 16, 2010)
CMYK
14
The Tennessee Press
12
APRIL 2010
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
13
New ad contest can mean
money in sales reps’ pockets
BY BETH ELLIOTT
TPS ad networks coordinator
A new Tennessee
Press Service (TPS)
contest for sales
reps will run May
1 through July 31.
Sales reps, this is
your turn to put
money in your
pocket. Plus, your
Elliott
newspaper makes
an excellent commission.
For every TnScan and/or TnDAN
ad you sell, you will get 10 points. For
each TnNET ad you sell, you will get 20
points. At the end of July, the rep with
the most points will get $250, the rep
with the second most points will get
$150, and the rep with the third most
points will get $100.
Are you looking for the catch? There
are a couple of restrictions. Only
participating newspapers can sell
TnScan, TnDAN and TnNET ads and
keep 40 percent commission.
Don’t know if your newspaper
participates? Contact TPS or go to
www.tnadvertising.biz and download
the list of participating newspapers.
Enrollment is open, so you can join the
92 TnScan, 89 TnDAN and 45 TnNET
participants as early as today.
The other restriction is that ads
cannot be sold and then resubmitted
to TPS for placement. In other words,
ads should be from your direct client to
qualify for contest points.
Rate sheets, ad placement details,
even house ads can be downloaded from
www.tnpress.com/statewides or by
contacting TPS at (865) 584-5761 x 117 or
[email protected]. Good luck!
Arkansas
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Associations
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It’s been six years since these three press associations gathered for a summer convention and the 2010 gather
ing of Arkansas Press Association, Mississippi Press Association and Tennessee Preess Association promises to
be like none other.
Gathering Jun
ne 23-226 at Harrah’s Tuniica, the Tri-State Press Convention brings to
ogether industry-recognized
speakerrs, valuable networking with co
olleagues and fun-filled events for participants and families.
At least 71 journalists were killed
across the globe in 2009, the Committee
to Protect Journalists announced in
February, the largest annual toll in the
30 years the group has been keeping
track.
An article in The New York Times
reported that 29 of those deaths came in
a single, politically motivated massacre
of reporters and others in November
in the Philippines. It was the worst
known episode for journalists, the
committee said.
In another worrisome trend, China
had 24 journalists imprisoned at the
end of 2009 and Iran had 23.The number
jailed in Iran has since jumped to 47, the
committee said.
“It is a pretty grim picture,” Robert
Mahoney, the deputy director of the
committee, told a news conference,
saying that governments had 136
reporters in jail at the close of last
year.
Governments around the globe also
deployed the tools of the Internet
against their critics, Mahoney noted,
citing the Middle East as particularly
problematic.
Of the 71 confirmed deaths, 51
were murders, the committee said.
The report noted that 24 additional
deaths of journalists remained under
investigation to determine if they
were related to the journalists’ work.
Previously, the highest number of
journalists killed in a single year was
67, in 2007, when violence in Iraq was
raging.
Mahoney called on Ban Ki-moon, the
United Nations secretary general, to be
more forceful on the issue.
THE DAILY POST-ATHENIAN, ATHENS
As part of National Newspaper in Education Month and Reading Across America celebrations, Tommy Wilson,
publisher of The Daily Post-Athenian, Athens, read a chapter from The DPA NIE serial story “Alice’s Adventures
in Wonderland” to sixth grade students in Karen Siklosi’s class at North City Elementary School. “Alice’s
Adventures in Wonderland” is published on Thursdays. The story is provided by the Reading is Fundamental
Foundation and is being sponsored by Arch Chemicals, Inc. of Charleston. Wilson also talked to the students
about the importance of learning to read and how reading would always impact their lives.
East Tennessee Foundation Awards Grant for Eyes on LaFollette Exhibit
The School of Journalism and
Electronic Media (JEM) at UTK has
been awarded a $1,000 grant from the
East Tennessee Foundation to support
an exhibition of the Eyes on LaFollette
project.
The project began in spring 1993
when JEM Professor Rob Heller and
his students decided to photograph
everyday life in LaFollette. It has since
become an almost yearly endeavor.
The results are published in the
LaFollette Press, and Heller said that
they have built up quite a collection over
the past 17 years. The best of them will
be featured in this new exhibit.
“It’s nice to see this project shown
to the public in another format. A
newspaper is more fleeting. You see it
and it’s done with,” he said. “An exhibit
has a little more permanence to it.”
The exhibit will initially be shown
in LaFollette, and it will later move
on to Knoxville. Heller said that the
exhibit might even lead to publication
of the project.
The East Tennessee Foundation
is a public, non-profit community
foundation exhibit possible.
For more information, check out
easttennesseefoundation.org.
(www.tnjn.com)
Recollections about carrying newspapers at St. Mary’s Hospital
BY DON K. FERGUSON
The name of St.
Mary’s Medical
Center in Knoxville
was recently
changed to Mercy
Health Partners,
but it will always be
St. Mary’s Hospital
to me. The hospital
Ferguson
holds a special place
in my life, but not for
any medical reason.
It’s where I started my career in
journalism in 1943 as a News Sentinel
carrier at the age of 11. But I didn’t know
at the time that it was a career start.
Thanks to the connections I made
with News Sentinel personnel during
my four years as a carrier, I landed a
job several years later as a copyboy in
the newsroom, when I was a student at
the University of Tennessee.
My newspaper route was the three
blocks of Oak Hill Ave. nearest the
hospital and the hospital itself. During
those days, the hospital was much
smaller, and it was the only commercial
establishment in that North Knoxville
neighborhood. It was surrounded by
nice, middle-class homes and wooded
areas.
The front of the hospital faced
southeast, overlooking a large grassy
hillside with several big trees. That
green slope and the trees vanished
long ago as the hospital expanded time
and time again, eventually filling up
the entire hillside with buildings and
parking areas.
After delivering to the homes, I went
from room-to-room in the hospital
selling newspapers to patients and their
visitors. The cost was a nickel during
the week and a dime on Sunday.
The newspaper was the main source
of news for hospital patients, because
television and transistor radios hadn’t
come along yet.
So when I made my rounds each
afternoon (the News Sentinel was an
afternoon newspaper in those days)
and on Sunday mornings, most of
the patients or their visitors bought
a newspaper.
At times, the hospital had so many
patients that they had to be placed in the
halls, their only privacy being provided
by cloth-curtain screens placed around
their beds.
I had one regular subscriber at the
hospital, the chaplain, Father C.P.
Wassem, who lived there with his small
dog. Today, it would be unheard of for a
dog or any pet to live in a hospital.
The Sisters of Mercy ran the hospital
in those years, and they were highly
visible throughout the hospital, in
part because they wore full habits that
left only their face and hands exposed.
They changed to more traditional attire
in the 1960s. Each unit of the hospital
was supervised by one of the Sisters,
but the one in overall charge was Sister
Annunciata.
Her business skills were so widely
recognized that she was often referred
to fondly as “the best businessman
in town,” alluding, of course, to the
fact that, in those days, as the chief
administrator, she was in a man’s
world.
I can still see her out on the hospital
grounds with architect David Liberman,
a distinguished-looking man, he in a
dark suit and she in her flowing habit,
pointing this way or that as they studied
the existing building while discussing
and planning a major expansion on the
western side of the hospital, a project
that was completed in 1948.
Several years later, when I was
working as a News Sentinel reporter,
Liberman and I became friends. He had
become a business and civic leader, and I
often dealt with him on news stories.
In my carrier days, the nurses, who
were all females, wore starched white
uniform dresses, white caps, white hose,
and white shoes—no long pants.
Just as the Sisters and the nurses were
easily recognizable because of their
attire, so were the doctors, practically
all men, who were always well dressed in
business suits when they arrived at the
hospital to make their rounds checking
on their patients.
And they hadn’t just walked to the
hospital from their respective offices
in an adjoining professional building
wearing a smock, like many doctors do
today. There weren’t any such buildings.
The doctors had to drive from their
offices, which were located throughout
the city.
(March 1, 2010)
THURSDAY, JUNE 24
TPA Board of Directors
TPA Bussiness Session
Golf Tou
urnaamen
nt
Clay Shoot
Tennis Tournament
Reception
p
and
Riverboat Rides at
the Tunica RiverPark
FRIDAY, JUNE 25
Concurrent Sessions
SATU
URDAY, JUNE 26
Breakfast
Lunch with threee state
Governors
Conccurrent Sessions
Web content: paid vs. free
Revenue and more
TPAF Board of Trustees
Meeting
Vendor Trade Show
Silent Auction
Graand Partyy
with Cal Thomas, syndicated
columnist
including writing coach
h Jim
Stasio
owski, revenue-generator
Jason Taylor and postal guru
Max Heath
CMYK
CMYK
71 journalists killed in 2009
The Tennessee Press
12
APRIL 2010
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
13
New ad contest can mean
money in sales reps’ pockets
BY BETH ELLIOTT
TPS ad networks coordinator
A new Tennessee
Press Service (TPS)
contest for sales
reps will run May
1 through July 31.
Sales reps, this is
your turn to put
money in your
pocket. Plus, your
Elliott
newspaper makes
an excellent commission.
For every TnScan and/or TnDAN
ad you sell, you will get 10 points. For
each TnNET ad you sell, you will get 20
points. At the end of July, the rep with
the most points will get $250, the rep
with the second most points will get
$150, and the rep with the third most
points will get $100.
Are you looking for the catch? There
are a couple of restrictions. Only
participating newspapers can sell
TnScan, TnDAN and TnNET ads and
keep 40 percent commission.
Don’t know if your newspaper
participates? Contact TPS or go to
www.tnadvertising.biz and download
the list of participating newspapers.
Enrollment is open, so you can join the
92 TnScan, 89 TnDAN and 45 TnNET
participants as early as today.
The other restriction is that ads
cannot be sold and then resubmitted
to TPS for placement. In other words,
ads should be from your direct client to
qualify for contest points.
Rate sheets, ad placement details,
even house ads can be downloaded from
www.tnpress.com/statewides or by
contacting TPS at (865) 584-5761 x 117 or
[email protected]. Good luck!
Arkansas
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Associations
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It’s been six years since these three press associations gathered for a summer convention and the 2010 gather
ing of Arkansas Press Association, Mississippi Press Association and Tennessee Preess Association promises to
be like none other.
Gathering Jun
ne 23-226 at Harrah’s Tuniica, the Tri-State Press Convention brings to
ogether industry-recognized
speakerrs, valuable networking with co
olleagues and fun-filled events for participants and families.
At least 71 journalists were killed
across the globe in 2009, the Committee
to Protect Journalists announced in
February, the largest annual toll in the
30 years the group has been keeping
track.
An article in The New York Times
reported that 29 of those deaths came in
a single, politically motivated massacre
of reporters and others in November
in the Philippines. It was the worst
known episode for journalists, the
committee said.
In another worrisome trend, China
had 24 journalists imprisoned at the
end of 2009 and Iran had 23.The number
jailed in Iran has since jumped to 47, the
committee said.
“It is a pretty grim picture,” Robert
Mahoney, the deputy director of the
committee, told a news conference,
saying that governments had 136
reporters in jail at the close of last
year.
Governments around the globe also
deployed the tools of the Internet
against their critics, Mahoney noted,
citing the Middle East as particularly
problematic.
Of the 71 confirmed deaths, 51
were murders, the committee said.
The report noted that 24 additional
deaths of journalists remained under
investigation to determine if they
were related to the journalists’ work.
Previously, the highest number of
journalists killed in a single year was
67, in 2007, when violence in Iraq was
raging.
Mahoney called on Ban Ki-moon, the
United Nations secretary general, to be
more forceful on the issue.
THE DAILY POST-ATHENIAN, ATHENS
As part of National Newspaper in Education Month and Reading Across America celebrations, Tommy Wilson,
publisher of The Daily Post-Athenian, Athens, read a chapter from The DPA NIE serial story “Alice’s Adventures
in Wonderland” to sixth grade students in Karen Siklosi’s class at North City Elementary School. “Alice’s
Adventures in Wonderland” is published on Thursdays. The story is provided by the Reading is Fundamental
Foundation and is being sponsored by Arch Chemicals, Inc. of Charleston. Wilson also talked to the students
about the importance of learning to read and how reading would always impact their lives.
East Tennessee Foundation Awards Grant for Eyes on LaFollette Exhibit
The School of Journalism and
Electronic Media (JEM) at UTK has
been awarded a $1,000 grant from the
East Tennessee Foundation to support
an exhibition of the Eyes on LaFollette
project.
The project began in spring 1993
when JEM Professor Rob Heller and
his students decided to photograph
everyday life in LaFollette. It has since
become an almost yearly endeavor.
The results are published in the
LaFollette Press, and Heller said that
they have built up quite a collection over
the past 17 years. The best of them will
be featured in this new exhibit.
“It’s nice to see this project shown
to the public in another format. A
newspaper is more fleeting. You see it
and it’s done with,” he said. “An exhibit
has a little more permanence to it.”
The exhibit will initially be shown
in LaFollette, and it will later move
on to Knoxville. Heller said that the
exhibit might even lead to publication
of the project.
The East Tennessee Foundation
is a public, non-profit community
foundation exhibit possible.
For more information, check out
easttennesseefoundation.org.
(www.tnjn.com)
Recollections about carrying newspapers at St. Mary’s Hospital
BY DON K. FERGUSON
The name of St.
Mary’s Medical
Center in Knoxville
was recently
changed to Mercy
Health Partners,
but it will always be
St. Mary’s Hospital
to me. The hospital
Ferguson
holds a special place
in my life, but not for
any medical reason.
It’s where I started my career in
journalism in 1943 as a News Sentinel
carrier at the age of 11. But I didn’t know
at the time that it was a career start.
Thanks to the connections I made
with News Sentinel personnel during
my four years as a carrier, I landed a
job several years later as a copyboy in
the newsroom, when I was a student at
the University of Tennessee.
My newspaper route was the three
blocks of Oak Hill Ave. nearest the
hospital and the hospital itself. During
those days, the hospital was much
smaller, and it was the only commercial
establishment in that North Knoxville
neighborhood. It was surrounded by
nice, middle-class homes and wooded
areas.
The front of the hospital faced
southeast, overlooking a large grassy
hillside with several big trees. That
green slope and the trees vanished
long ago as the hospital expanded time
and time again, eventually filling up
the entire hillside with buildings and
parking areas.
After delivering to the homes, I went
from room-to-room in the hospital
selling newspapers to patients and their
visitors. The cost was a nickel during
the week and a dime on Sunday.
The newspaper was the main source
of news for hospital patients, because
television and transistor radios hadn’t
come along yet.
So when I made my rounds each
afternoon (the News Sentinel was an
afternoon newspaper in those days)
and on Sunday mornings, most of
the patients or their visitors bought
a newspaper.
At times, the hospital had so many
patients that they had to be placed in the
halls, their only privacy being provided
by cloth-curtain screens placed around
their beds.
I had one regular subscriber at the
hospital, the chaplain, Father C.P.
Wassem, who lived there with his small
dog. Today, it would be unheard of for a
dog or any pet to live in a hospital.
The Sisters of Mercy ran the hospital
in those years, and they were highly
visible throughout the hospital, in
part because they wore full habits that
left only their face and hands exposed.
They changed to more traditional attire
in the 1960s. Each unit of the hospital
was supervised by one of the Sisters,
but the one in overall charge was Sister
Annunciata.
Her business skills were so widely
recognized that she was often referred
to fondly as “the best businessman
in town,” alluding, of course, to the
fact that, in those days, as the chief
administrator, she was in a man’s
world.
I can still see her out on the hospital
grounds with architect David Liberman,
a distinguished-looking man, he in a
dark suit and she in her flowing habit,
pointing this way or that as they studied
the existing building while discussing
and planning a major expansion on the
western side of the hospital, a project
that was completed in 1948.
Several years later, when I was
working as a News Sentinel reporter,
Liberman and I became friends. He had
become a business and civic leader, and I
often dealt with him on news stories.
In my carrier days, the nurses, who
were all females, wore starched white
uniform dresses, white caps, white hose,
and white shoes—no long pants.
Just as the Sisters and the nurses were
easily recognizable because of their
attire, so were the doctors, practically
all men, who were always well dressed in
business suits when they arrived at the
hospital to make their rounds checking
on their patients.
And they hadn’t just walked to the
hospital from their respective offices
in an adjoining professional building
wearing a smock, like many doctors do
today. There weren’t any such buildings.
The doctors had to drive from their
offices, which were located throughout
the city.
(March 1, 2010)
THURSDAY, JUNE 24
TPA Board of Directors
TPA Bussiness Session
Golf Tou
urnaamen
nt
Clay Shoot
Tennis Tournament
Reception
p
and
Riverboat Rides at
the Tunica RiverPark
FRIDAY, JUNE 25
Concurrent Sessions
SATU
URDAY, JUNE 26
Breakfast
Lunch with threee state
Governors
Conccurrent Sessions
Web content: paid vs. free
Revenue and more
TPAF Board of Trustees
Meeting
Vendor Trade Show
Silent Auction
Graand Partyy
with Cal Thomas, syndicated
columnist
including writing coach
h Jim
Stasio
owski, revenue-generator
Jason Taylor and postal guru
Max Heath
CMYK
CMYK
71 journalists killed in 2009
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
Heartland papers
have new publisher
CMYK
Pat Lay has
been appointed
group publisher
of Heartland
Publications’
newspaper group,
which includes
the Claiborne
Progress, Tazewell,
Lay
and newspapers in
Middlesboro and Harlan, Ky.
Lay served 13 years as publisher of the
Harland Daily Enterprise. She began
her newspaper career there in 1983 as the
human resources director and served as
controller and general manager before
becoming publisher.
Lay is a graduate of Evarts (Ky.)
High School and attended Southeast
Community College and Lincoln
Memorial University. She lives in Verda
with her husband, Eddie. They have
two children.
Other leaders at the Heartland
newspapers are Marisa Anders, general
manager and editor of the Claiborne
Progress; John Henson, general
manager and editor of the Harlan Daily
Enterprise; and Brandy Calvert, editor
of the Middlesboro Daily News.
Murfreesboro Post
names new publisher
W.R. (Ron) Fryar
has been named
publisher of The
Murfreesboro Post.
He takes the place
of former Publisher
and President Mike
Pirtle, who will
continue to work
Fryar
with the Post as an
owner and contributor. Michelle Willard
will work as editor.
The MTSU graduate comes to the Post
with more than 30 years’ experience in
the industry, having formerly worked as
publisher of The Daily News Journal
from 1993 to2004, publisher of The
Review Appeal and Franklin Publishing
Co. from 2002 to 2004 and vice president
of operations for American Hometown
Publishing from 2005 to 2009.
Fryar will split his time between
the Post and the Cannon Courier in
Woodbury. He bought the weekly
community paper last year.
Fryar is president of the Tennessee
Press Association (TPA) Foundation
and earlier was president of TPA
and Tennessee Press Service. He is a
founding member of the Tennessee
Coalition for Open Government.
Klose rejoins CA
as business editor
Roland Klose is the new business
editor of The Commercial Appeal,
Memphis. It is his second stint at the
newspaper.
Klose joined The CA in 1989 as a
Elliott joins paper
as circulation manager
Linnea Elliott has joined the NewsHerald, Lenoir City, as circulation
manager, succeeding longtime manager
Richard Smith, who retired.
Elliott, a native of Michigan, moved
to Tennessee after living in Florida
for 26 years. She formerly ran her own
cleaning business. After her husband,
Bob, retired from United Parcel Service,
he took a job as an insurance agent at
Carriage Hill Insurance in Loudon
County, and the family now lives there.
The Elliotts have two teenage sons.
Stewart steps aside;
two other changes
Scott Stewart, editor of the Pulaski
Citizen, has stepped down in order to
avoid any possible conflict of interest
in his upcoming bid for Giles county
executive.
Publisher Steve Lake will assume
the title of editor and publisher for the
immediate future, while Paul Manke
has been named political editor. Stewart
will retain employment with the paper
at least until the August election and
will take Manke’s former position as
sports editor. Stewart was editor for
12 years.
as a reporter.
Sauls holds a Bachelor’s degree
in journalism from California State
University, Fresno.
Both The Stewart-Houston Times
and The Leaf-Chronicle are owned and
operated by Gannett Co. Inc.
|
Gerilyn Richardson Burnett has
joined the staff of the Carroll County
News-Leader, Huntingdon, as a sales
representative and columnist. Burnett
is the daughter of Dennis and Lisa
Richardson, publishers of the NewsLeader and other newspapers. She
graduated recently from UTK with a
degree in psychology and an emphasis
on nutrition, and her column will
feature nutritious recipes.
The new ad rep and columnist is
married to Clint Burnett, and they live
in Camden.
|
Allen Moore has been named digital
sales manager at the Johnson City
Press. His 20 years’ experience in local
media includes posts as Johnson City
Press advertising sales representive,
a sales representative with WKPT-TV
and account executive with Lamar
Outdoor Advertising. He most recent
served as online sales coordinator with
the Johnson City Press. He is an ETSU
graduate with a bachelor’s degree in
mass communications.
|
Misty Madonna Hays has joined
The Paris Post-Intelligencer as a news
staff writer. She will cover things such
as education and court cases. Daniel
Williams, who has been in that spot
for several months, is moving to a news
beat that features crime, wreck and
fire reporting and will also assist the
sports department and Sports Editor
Tommy Priddy.
Dave Phillips, who had been with
The P-I in the sports area, has left the
area, accepting a job with The Oakland
Press in suburban Detroit, where he
grew up.
Hays, a Murray State University
graduate, was photo editor for two
years of The Murray State News and
worked as a photographer one summer
at Alive Fashion Magazine in St. Louis.
She spent this past summer in London
and Scotland, studying photography
THE MOUNTAIN PRESS, SEVIERVILLE
Bruce McCarter, who worked for The Mountain Press, Sevierville, in
maintenance for more than 40 years, shows he’s still a kid at heart as he
goes sledding in his daughter’s yard in Pigeon Forge the last of January.
and helping teach a media class.
|
A top adviser to Gov. Phil Bredesen
is leaving to take a senior position
with Bill Frist’s education initiative.
Will Pinkston has been hired to run
the advocacy arms of Frist’s State
Collaborative on Reforming Education,
or SCORE. Frist founded SCORE last
year.
Pinkston was a main coordinator
of the governor’s education agenda
passed overwhelmingly in the January
special legislative session. The effort
was supported by SCORE.
Pinkston is a former reporter for The
Wall Street Journal and The Tennessean,
Nashville. He joined Bredesen’s staff for
the 2002 gubernatorial campaign.
|
Former Chattanoogan Michael
Golden will become chairman of the
board of the International Center for
Journalists, a Washington, D.C.-based
nonprofit that seeks to raise journalism
standards through workshops,
seminars, fellowships and international
exchanges.
He serves as vice chairman of The
New York Times Co. and is a former
officer of The Chattanooga Times. He is a
son of Ruth Holmberg, former publisher
of The Chattanooga Times.
Sauls is managing editor
of Stewart-Houston Times
Kevin Sauls is the new managing
editor of The Stewart-Houston Times.
Sauls, 53, comes to Middle Tennessee
after a 31-year career in community
journalism at the The Union Democrat
in Sonora, Calif. He also has worked as
a news and sports correspondent for
The Leaf-Chronicle in Clarksville since
moving to the area last fall.
Sauls’ arrival comes after The
Stewart-Houston Times restructured
its news leadership from two co-editors
to a single editor overseeing the print
and digital editions. He replaces Sharon
Knight, the Houston County editor,
and Bonnie Lill, the Stewart County
editor. Lill will remain with the Times
11
No special occasion needed to point out need for ‘sunshine’
TRACKS
business reporter
c o v e r i n g
transpor tation,
labor and other
subjects. In 1996,
he became assistant
business editor.
In 1998, Klose left
Memphis to work
Klose
for The Tampa
Tribune, where he was assistant
business editor in charge of the
Tuesday through Saturday daily
section. He later served as managing
editor of The Riverfront Times in St.
Louis and editor of the Illinois Times
in Springfield.
Beginning last September, Klose
has assisted with the launch of Going
Green, the Web-only environmental
weekly of The CA. He will continue as
editor of Going Green.
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
MARY E. HINDS | NEWS-HERALD, LENOIR CITY
Two teens spent March 9 at the News-Herald, Lenoir City, job shadowing staff members. Tyler Elliott, right,
spent the day with his mom, Linnea Elliott, circulation manager, and Diego Vega learned the ins and outs of
putting a newspaper together. He is with Sports Editor Dewey Morgan.
For those who missed the fifth annual national
“Sunshine Week,” it’s not too late to participate.
Given the debate over the state of American
journalism, no one needs an occasion to extol the
virtues of press freedom and the need for more
openness in government.
No excuse is needed to remind the public that “if
the press didn’t tell you, who would?”
There’s no scheduling magic for “Sunshine
Week.” It falls in the third week of March because
James Madison, author of the First Amendment
and our fourth president, was born on March 16.
SPJ and other press groups started marking the
birthday as FOI Day more than 30 years ago.
In 2002, the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors
staged a coordinated “Sunshine Sunday” event
to focus public attention on an unprecedented
150 proposed new exemptions pending in the
legislature. Fewer than a half-dozen passed.
I remember being in the Sunshine State that
weekend and watching newspapers publish
stories that illustrated the perils of “excessive and
unwarranted government secrecy.” My favorite
bill was the one closing regulatory records to keep
terrorists from finding crop dusting companies.
It died after someone pointed out the legislation
didn’t outlaw the Yellow Pages.
Five years ago, the American Society of News
Editors started urging members to remind
Americans to take stock in the value of “sunshine”
laws and public information to “enlighten and
empower people to play an active role in their
government at all levels and to give them access
to information that makes their lives better and
their communities stronger.”
“Transparency” has become a buzz word in
political stump speeches and press releases. In
fact, the issue of openness may be more relevant
this year than any in the past.
Anyone paying attention can see how government
action—or inaction—impacts lives and the anger
that results when citizens see or
the meeting. That means parents have
suspect government secrecy.
to show up to find out whether action
Take the recent reports on auto
might affect their children.
safety problems and allegations
Some agencies impose large fees for
that some defects were hidden from
hard copies of records when it would
the public by confidential court
be easier and cheaper on the taxpayers
settlements. Or look at the angry
to provide it electronically.
backlash at health care reform
There are recurring examples of
legislation because details were
county commissions meeting in
worked out behind closed doors. TENNESSEE
secret “executive” sessions under
Some aspects of the bank bailouts
the attorney-client privilege with
COALITION
were shrouded in secrecy.
no lawyers present. Other bodies try
That loss of public confidence in
to take secret votes that are clearly
government can be compared to how FOR OPEN
illegal under the “sunshine law.”
one economist described consumer GOVERNMENT Some local bodies take up issues
confidence and attitudes about the
not on their printed agendas and
economic recovery. “Last year, they
without telling the public in advance
Frank Gibson
saw the glass as half empty. This year,
they will be discussed. Now there is a
they see it as half full.”
movement to replace the traditional
Attitudes and actions that lead to public anger,
method of giving notice of public meetings with
like that reflected in the Tea Party movement,
posting on Web sites.
are often displayed by school boards, county
That’s the “half-empty” part. Now for the
commissions, city councils and other public
“half-full” part.
bodies across the state. Not everywhere, but
Two years ago the legislature made modest
enough to show up in polls. When voters were
improvements to the Tennessee Public Records
asked two years ago whether they thought more
Act, including setting deadlines for responses
public business was conducted in the open or in
to open records requests because requests in
secret, 62 percent said “in secret.” That was 12
some cities were ignored for weeks and months.
points higher than 2004.
Others charged high fees to discourage records
In the last two years, we have seen an
requests. Some agencies tried to charge to see
unprecedented 30 bills filed in the state legislature
routine records.
to weaken our records and open meetings laws.
In many ways those improvements fell short of
Many of them are for the benefit of one county
efforts to clear up vagueness in the law, including
mayor/commission or one school board, but they
a reasonable deadline to actually produce
would apply statewide.
records. The legislation made one significant
From the 300-plus calls the Tennessee Coalition
addition, however, that should provide long-term
for Open Government received from citizens and
returns.
reporters in the past 18 months, here’s how those
The legislature, with a nudge from Gov. Phil
attitudes play out:
Bredesen, created the Office of the Open Records
One school board just outside Nashville refuses
Counsel within the state Comptroller’s Office
to let the public see its agenda until the day of
and established an Advisory Committee on Open
Government.
Elisha Hodge, an attorney and the state open
records counsel, filed her 2009 annual report
earlier this month. It showed that the office handled
1,085 inquiries about the requirements of the
law—almost twice as many as the year before. Half
came from government employees. The other half
came from the general public and news media, but
mostly from citizens.
The office has never been adequately funded,
but there were two pieces of good news in those
numbers. First, some 800 public employees called
to get guidance on how to handle requests. And,
for the first time ever, an almost equal number
of citizens had a place to call for assistance or
questions about the law. Before, they had to hire
an attorney.
The office has posted 29 advisory opinions on its
official Web site to help when questions recur and
has made 51 presentations on the law to various
groups across the state, many of them public
officials.
In Memphis, Mayor AC Wharton has ordered his
departments to respond to open records requests
more quickly than state law requires and has
instructed them to post routine and frequentlyrequested information on the city’s Web site. In
Nashville, the mayor has instructed departments
to provide records electronically if the public
requests them that way.
So, if the government in your city or town makes
things tough—for you or anyone—tell that story.
And, if the government or any official bends over
backwards to “enlighten and empower people to
play an active role in their government,” tell that
story, too.
FRANK GIBSON is executive director of the
Tennessee Coalition for Open Government. He can
be reached at [email protected] or at (615) 2022685.
How open records laws help everyone
BY MICHAEL L. OWENS
Reporter, Bristol Herald Courier
Chances are
you’ve noticed it –
the words “Freedom
of Infor mation
Act” tossed into
front-page stories,
probably one
about a governor’s
Vegas trip with his
Owens
mistress, or a police
chief ’s lobster dinner with his buddies,
all on the public dime.
So blasé is the phrase splashed onto the
page. It’s as though you’re expected to
automatically nod your head in perfect
understanding at the mere mention, and
read on as though you now understand
that the day’s front page exists only
because some crass reporter legally
wrested the records from a reluctant,
but compliant, government office.
So, you skip past the phrase and
continue reading without ever realizing
you just missed the real story.
A simple description of FOIA as an
open-records law would better explain
the article’s importance. Heck, just
change it to “Watchdog Act.” Or even the
“Peek-Over-Their-Shoulder Act.”
But that still leaves too much mystery.
It skips the part where the records the
reporters FOIA’d (it’s often a verb in the
news game) sent them digging through
budget ledgers, court files or meeting
minutes just to find the tell-all nugget
of information.
You see, FOIA doesn’t always deliver
the jackpot reporters are looking for,
but the records it opens to us often point
the way to the truth.
For example, I spent much of last
summer sifting through criminal
records and computer spreadsheets
just to prove how an Abingdon, Va.,
magistrate falsified court documents
so he could slip business to his bail
bondsman father. I couldn’t have even
guessed at the file cabinets to rummage
through had it not been for my FOIA
request for Virginia Supreme Court
records.
Weeks passed before I found the
evidence against the magistrate – a
signature and several official time
stamps on the bottom of six crumpled
sheets of yellow paper.
Why does the FOIA game work that
way? Because FOIA is more treasure
map than it is a law forcing government
officials to talk.
In fact, it doesn’t even force town
managers, university finance officers
or any government workers to explain
anything. All they have to do is hold
open the door to a few select meetings
and hand over documents. Meaning has
to be deciphered.
Rarely will the words “lobster dinner”
appear on a public official’s receipt. But
there will be an obscure line item tucked
away in budget books referencing an
unusually high restaurant bill. The
truth comes out only after the hunt
begins.
Simply put, the real nitty gritty on
FOIA is shoe leather – lots of it.
There’s a bit of head scratching, too,
followed by phone calls, door-to-door
research, and more head scratching.
Eventually there is something of an
eureka moment, when the time stamps
on a jail release form, or the dollars
and cents on a ledger, finally reveal a
well-kept secret.
My shoe-leather drama from last
summer began when several sources
swore that a local magistrate routed
business to his father by forging another
magistrate’s signature onto bail bond
release forms. Proving it boiled down
to finding the falsified signature on
release forms. But how?
FOIA put in my hands the names
of the more than 140 defendants the
father bonded out of jail in a single
year. Those names directed me to bond
release forms filed in 12 court offices
throughout Southwest Virginia. Shoeleather reporting revealed only the
exact minute defendants were released
from jail, as well as the magistrate on
duty. That was half of what I needed.
Employee timesheets would have
shortened my search by more than a
month, had the magistrate in question
not destroyed his records in violation
of state regulations. But FOIA did get
me the timesheets of the magistrate
whose name was supposed to have
been forged.
By typing names, dates and hours into
a spreadsheet database, I was able to
cross reference the bond release forms
against the magistrate’s timesheets.
What popped up on the computer screen
was the most likely night and hour
documents were falsified.
My spreadsheet didn’t prove a forgery,
but it did send me back to sources with
more detailed questions about the inner
workings of the magistrate computer
system. That last round of questions
revealed that each magistrate has to
punch in a personal computer password
to print a bond release form. The name
printed on the form reveals whose
password was used.
This newfound knowledge rerouted
me back to a county courthouse and,
in turn to documents signed by one
magistrate but printed with his coworker’s password. With the proof in
hand, I confronted the co-worker and
he confessed to sharing his password,
all so a fellow magistrate could hide the
dealings with the father.
Before my story ran, the state
Supreme Court fired one magistrate
and forced the other to resign. My FOIA
request had piqued the curiosity of
state officials and sparked an in-house
investigation.
Behind-the-scenes stories like that
will never be found in a brief, singlesentence definition of FOIA, simply
because more story space will always
be needed to explain the roll-up-yoursleeves work behind the front-page
headline.
(March 16, 2010)
CMYK
14
APRIL 2010
AP awards event in May
CMYK
Sanford, CA editor, continues
APME’s critical mission
Otis L. Sanford,
editor of opinion
and editorials at
The Commercial
Appeal in Memphis,
took the reins as
president of The
Associated Press
Managing Editors
Sanford
at the organization’s
annual conference
in October in St. Louis, Mo. Below is
his column that appeared in the latest
edition of APME News:
Perhaps the single greatest highlight of my 34-year journalism career
occurred shortly after 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009, in a hotel meeting
room in St. Louis. It was there that I
was formally elected president of the
Associated Press Managing Editors
Association for the coming year.
To say that I am thrilled and humbled by this opportunity is an understatement. As a kid growing up in
segregated Mississippi in the 1950s
and ’60s, I had aspirations of becoming
a newspaper reporter. Many thought
that goal was beyond my reach. But I
never dreamed that I would some day
lead a group as influential and storied
as APME.
In my view, APME is by far the nation’s leading journalism organization helping to ensure the credibility
and viability of our industry in these
challenging times. We do this through
hard work, innovative ideas, adherence
to our bedrock values and an intense
focus on the journalism. That is how
we have operated for 76 years, and it is
how we will continue to operate in 2010
and beyond.
As we look back at our achievements
in 2009, several things stand out. Among
them:
We continued to train editors and
members of journalism’s academic
world through NewsTrain, our
signature program that travels the
country featuring the best trainers in
the industry and the most up-to-date
approaches to newsgathering and
content presentation for a 21st century
audience.
We completed an extensive online
credibility project in which six
newsrooms in the United States and
Canada developed, tested and issued
reports on the best practices in online
journalism. The findings are currently
being presented through a series of Webinars hosted by the Poynter Institute
for Media Studies in St. Petersburg,
Fla.
We initiated another national
reporting project, this one examining
the impact of federal stimulus dollars
flowing into local communities and
detailing how those funds are being
spent.
As we look ahead to 2010, we expect
NewsTrain to reach even more frontline
editors and journalism educators,
thanks to grant funding from the
McCormick Foundation and others. We
are currently identifying NewsTrain
sights for 2010.
In addition, we will look to partner
with other journalism groups for
another national reporting project.
We also plan to focus more attention
on diversity issues, particularly
as they relate to digital and other
online operations and newsroom
management.
Plus, we also expect our annual
Innovator of the Year contest to grow
in popularity as media organizations
look to showcase their exceptional work
to make their journalism relevant to
today’s digital-savvy audience.
Those of us who are involved in APME
understand the enormous pressure
on news organizations these days.
Declining profits, staff reductions and
declining readership for print products
have created more than enough stress
in newsrooms around the country.
Yet, we still believe in providing
quality journalism to our audience,
the kind of journalism they can’t get
anywhere else. We take seriously our
watchdog roles, our unique ability at
storytelling, our persuasive voices as
expressed through our editorial pages,
columns and commentaries, our strong
stand on First Amendment issues
and our unmatched relevance in our
communities.
We hope that you will continue to
support APME and our noble causes.
Foundations including Ethics and
Excellence in Journalism, McCormick,
Ford and Knight, have seen the value in
APME’s mission and programming and
have been generous contributors.
Please consider becoming an APME
member and supporting us financially
in this effort. Please visit www.apmecredibility.org/ for more information.
(Used with permission)
Open government
fight needed
AP’s chief executive says strong fight
is needed to open government.
Journalists should be willing to fight
for strong laws protecting open access to
government even as the news industry
struggles in a weak economy, the top
executive of the Associated Press
said in a speech to the Kentucky Press
Association.
Tom Curley, chief executive of the AP,
said that strong open-access laws are
important items in the “journalistic
tool kit” but that journalists have often
taken them for granted. Journalists
need to push before Congress and
state legislatures changes that would
make government more open and
resist efforts to let government keep
secrets.
One can read the full AP story at
www.ap.org/pages/about/whatsnew/
wn_012210a.html. To read the full
text from AP CEO Tom Curley’s
remarks, www.ap.org/pages/about/
pressreleases/pr_012210b.html.
The Tennessee Associated Press
Managing Editors (TAPME) and the
Tennessee AP Broadcasters will hold
a joint awards banquet on Saturday,
May 8, at the Downtown Sheraton in
Nashville. When details are firmed
up, they will be posted at www.ap.org/
tennessee.
AARON HARDIN | THE JACKSON SUN
ALLISON KWESELL | CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS
PATRICK SMITH | CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS
J. MILES CARY | NEWS SENTINEL, KNOXVILLE
DAVE BOYD | JOHNSON CITY PRESS
The winner of Tennessee‘s Associated Press Photo of the Month for
December was Dave Boyd of the Johnson City Press. His photograph shows
disabled vehicles Dec. 18, 2009 near Johnson City after a snowstorm
hit the area. Boyd received $100 and the showcasing of his photo on
Photostream.
CORRECTION: In the January issue
of TheTennessee Press, the cutlines
of three photos named Associated
Press member photos of the month
failed to mention AP. The Tennessee
Press appreciates AP’s allowing
us to print these photos as we
recognize the excellent work done
by news photographers across the
state, and we apologize for the
oversight.
READS
Mark Henschen, circulation director
at the North County Times in Escondido,
Calif., believes the 1984 book Managing
by Harold Geneen, the late chief
executive officer of ITT, still has
value for circulation managers in
2010. “Harold Geneen was brilliant,”
Henschen said, because Geneen
believed “numbers have a language
of their own and can reveal the facts
about a business if a person studies
them enough.” Below is an excerpt
from this out-of-print book:
“Paying attention to the numbers is
a dull, tiresome routine, drudgery. The
more you want to know about your
business, the more detail you want to
have, the more numbers there will be.
They cannot be skimmed. They must be
read, understood and thought about and
compared with other sets of numbers
which you have read that day, that week,
or earlier that year. And you have to
do it alone, all by yourself, even when
you know that it would be far more
stimulating to be doing almost anything
else. If you are a running a well-managed
company, most of the numbers will be
those you expect. That makes them
even more mundane and dull. But you
cannot skip over them; you dare not
allow your concentration to flag. Those
numbers are your controls, and you read
them, on and on, until your mind reels
or until you come upon one number or
set of numbers which stands out from
all the rest, demanding your attention,
and getting it ... Your experience and
skill at working with the numbers,
which come from the drudgery of all
those long hours at it, will enable you
to make projection into the future on
paper which can be relied upon as
realistic, not only by yourself but also
by the banks, the security analysts,
and the shareholders. When you have
mastered the numbers, you will in fact
no longer be reading numbers ... You will
be reading meanings. Your eyes may be
seeing numbers, but your mind will be
reading ‘markets,’ ‘costs,’ ‘competition,’
‘new products.’ All the things you are
doing and planning will stare out at you,
if you will only learn to read through
the numbers. It is an acquired, special
skill perhaps, but it is the key to the
mastery of any business.”
(The Inlander, March 1, 2010)
SCMA conference set
this month in Alabama
Members of the Southern Circulation
Managers Association (SCMA) will hold
their conference April 18 to 20 at the
Riverview Plaza Hotel in Mobile, Ala.
Dean Blanchard of the Baton Rouge
(La.) Advocate serves as chairman
and George Markevicz, Press-Register,
Mobile, Ala., as president.
Three Tennesseans currently hold
posts on the board of directors: Jim
Boyd, the News Sentinel, Knoxville,
as first vice president; Glen Tabor,
Kingsport Times-News, as treasurer;
and Dale Long, The Greenville Sun,
director at large.
15
TRACKS
End of an era
Citizen Tribune photographer retires after 40 years
BY STAN JOHNSON
Staff writer
Citizen Tribune, Morristown
The winner ofTennessee’s Associated Press November 2009 Photo of the
Month competition was Aaron Hardin of The Jackson Sun. He captured
this photograph of Richard Drury, 96, saluting as he is honored for
being the oldest veteran at the Veterans Day program Nov. 10, 2009 at
Malesus Elementary. Hardin received $100 and the photo’s showcasing
on PhotoStream.
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
Gary Smith long ago lost track of
how many tens of thousands of his
photographs have been published in
the Citizen Tribune during his 40 years
as the newspaper’s chief photographer.
He figures he passed the 100,000 mark
several years ago.
His career as a news photographer
began on a Saturday night, Sept. 19,
1969. It ended on a Saturday night when
he completed his duties and retired on
Oct. 31, 2009.
In between those dates, he has
photographed the daily lives and
activities of the people of Lakeway
Area, from garden club meetings to
awards presentations, from wrecks to
fires and murder scenes.
Raised on a farm in the Strawberry
Plains community of Jefferson County,
Smith was hooked on photography for
about as long as he can remember.
“I always had an interest in
photography from when I was a child.
I made pictures of everything and
everybody with a Brownie Hawkeye,”
he said.
After graduating from Jefferson High
School, he attended
Carson-Newman
College for a year,
then joined the U.S.
Air Force.
His four-year tour
of duty with the Air
Force included a
year in Greenland.
Smith
Out of the service,
he worked at American Enka for four
years, followed by a couple of short tries
at jobs he didn’t much like. That’s when
he heard there was an opening for a
photographer at the Citizen Tribune.
He was given an interview on a Friday
and started as the paper’s only full-time
photographer the following day.
Although his interest in photography
got him the job, he admits his technical
skills were somewhat lacking. In those
days taking a picture was only the
beginning. The photographer also had
to go to the darkroom to develop the film
and print the image.
“When I went to work here I’d never
seen a darkroom or an adjustable
camera. I wondered why they hired
me,” he said.
R. Jack Fishman was the paper’s
publisher and editor who hired
Smith.
“Gary came with a lot of enthusiasm
for photography and that is what I found
impressive. He has been an outstanding
photographer and has always been
dedicated to telling the stories of the
area in his pictures,” Fishman said.
“Tough assignments or simple ones,
he always brought back the images we
needed for the paper.”
Smith soon learned the basics of
the skills he needed and had plenty of
opportunity to practice. While most of
the pictures run together in his mind, he
still recalls the first one that appeared
in the paper.
“It was Sgt. Tommy Ricker at the
National Guard Armory. He was
sticking his head up out of a tank,”
Smith recalls.
Some assignments stand out in
Smith’s mind more than others.
“There are several I’ll never forget,
some bad, some good,” he said.
Probably the worst was in the early
1970s and involved a head-on collision
between a truck and a bus that killed
14 people near Bean Station. Another
was a huge chlorine leak at the water
treatment plant on Walters Drive in
Morristown in the late 1980s. It spread
over a wide area.
“That’s what I thought was the most
dangerous to the most people. Luckily,
no one died in that,” Smith said.
Among the good jobs was
photographing the opening of Walters
State Community College in 1970. That
was one of the most important things
that ever happened in Morristown, in
his opinion.
For sheer fun, there was the night
he went to Bulls Gap High School
when Archie Campbell and Junior
Samples, two funnymen stars of the
wildly popular TV show “Hee-Haw,”
were appearing.
“They got to cutting up and had me
in stitches,” Smith said.
He has photographed many celebrities
over the years, along with busloads of
high-level politicians from governors
to senators to congressmen, and five
presidents, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford,
Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and
George W. Bush.
Through four decades Smith has seen
many changes in both photography and
newspaper production.
In his early years there were few color
photos published because the process
to get just one ready took more than
four hours.
He also remembers when 35 or 40
people worked late on Saturday nights
to layout a Sunday paper.
Today photos are ready to go in the
paper within minutes, and a crew of four
or five can lay out the Sunday paper. He
still finds that a bit amazing.
As the paper grew, so did Smith’s
responsibilities, eventually leading him
to supervising and scheduling a staff
of four full-time and several part-time
photographers.
News doesn’t take place on a 9 to 5
schedule, so even with help, he still
got those phone calls at 3 a.m. that
meant something bad had happened
somewhere.
Beverly, his wife of 44 years, had to
learn to live with his often late hours and
being on call 24 hours every day.
Gary and Beverly have three children,
Jeff and wife Karen, Susan and husband
Anthony Basham, and Jason.
On this, his first day of retirement,
Smith is looking forward to no longer
answering those 3 a.m. phone calls or
working until 10 p.m. He won’t put his
cameras on a shelf and forget them,
however.
“I’m going to keep my photography
going to make some pocket money. I’ll
spend some time with my grandbabies,
and maybe travel a little,” he said.
(Nov. 1, 2009)
Hotel becomes ‘Rosy’s Diner’ for cartoonist Daniel’s 80th birthday
BY CYNTHIA MOXLEY
Moxley Carmichael, Knoxville
From ‘Blue Streak’
More than 150 folks donned “Rosy’s
Diner” baseball caps and filed into
the ballroom of the Crowne Plaza
hotel Friday night for a laughfilled celebration of News Sentinel
editorial cartoonist Charlie Daniel’s
80th birthday.
Rosy’s Diner is a staple location for
much of the action that takes place in
Daniel’s cartoons. Good sport Donna
Colburn of the News Sentinel put
on a vibrant red wig and played the part
of “Rosy” for the evening. She looked
exactly like the cartoon. “Wow,” said
Daniel. “I’ve never really seen Rosy
before!”
One of the evening’s highlights had
to be the choice of food. It was exactly
what you would expect to be served
at Rosy’s Diner: fried chicken AND
meatloaf accompanied by mashed
potatoes with gravy and country-style
green beans (meaning they had bacon
in them!).
“We could have had this party at
Wright’s Cafeteria and then we could
have just gone through the line,”
quipped Bob Griffitts of Congressman
Jimmy Duncan’s office.
The evening’s master of ceremonies
was News Sentinel columnist Sam
Venable, who introduced
a variety of speakers close
to Daniel.
Ginny Weatherstone,
the executive director
of Volunteer Ministry
Center on whose board
Daniel serves, said of him,
“Charlie Daniel lives at
the intersection of good
humor and love.”
Jack McElroy, editor of
the News Sentinel, said
Patsy and Charlie Daniel, wearing a University of North
he is glad Daniel is only
Carolina Santa hat
80 years young. “Charlie
D a n i e l w h e n year 2009!
is turning 80 and surely
he himself was
But Charlie got the last words—and
he is good for another 10
a n a s s i s t a n t some of the best.
years. I’m 56 and Scripps
state editor at
“School kids ask me how they can
editors have to retire at
The Knoxville become a cartoonist when they grow
age 65, so I’m glad I won’t Charlie cartoon
have to replace Charlie. Because he’s Journal. Duncan said his father always up,” Daniel said. “I tell them, ‘Don’t
told him, “Everything looks easy from grow up.’”
irreplaceable.”
Daniel said he himself has never
Harry Moskos, editor of the News a distance.” He said Daniel makes
grown up: “I was as surprised as you
Sentinel from 1984 to 2001, said he cartooning look easy, but it isn’t.
City Councilman Marilyn Roddy read when I found out I was 80!
became friends with Daniel when Daniel
“For cartoonists, the greatest award
worked for the competing Knoxville a beautiful proclamation honoring
Journal and drew a cartoon of Moskos Daniel from Knoxville Mayor Bill you can get is being stuck up on a
himself. He said he was delighted to Haslam. It took about 10 minutes to read. refrigerator,” Daniel said. “But this
eventually have the opportunity to When she concluded to hearty applause, is greater.”
Standing ovation. Sweet night.
hire Daniel. “The readers of the News she picked up another proclamation
Some of the other folks there: Rose
Sentinel don’t know how lucky they are. and tossed it to emcee Venable. “Oh,”
The News Sentinel actually has two she said. “The county also sent one.” Moseby, Fred Brown, Tom Chester, Jack
Lail, Amy McCrary, Mr. and Mrs. Hoyt
cartoonists, Charlie and Dan Proctor. Big laugh.
Door prizes were a hit. Especially Canady, Georgiana Vines, Ben Byrd,
That’s very rare.”
Congressman Duncan said he met the Charlie Daniel calendars—for the Mr. and Mrs. Bob Calloway, Susan and
Daniel and ‘Rosy,’ (Donna Colburn)
David Lauver, Jack and Doris Sharp,
Duane and Marsha Grieve, Barry and
Leslie Henderson, Ed and Donie Green,
Ed and Corrine Patrick, Joe Johnson
of A&W Office Supply and a LOT of
members of Daniel’s family.
(Dec. 19, 2009.
Used with permission)
CMYK
The Tennessee Press
10
APRIL 2010
CMYK
Is your political coverage passing your readers’ scrutiny?
Nothinginthepagesof yournewspaper
is more heavily scrutinized by readers
than how candidates for public office
are introduced before an election,
according to newspaper consultant
Jim Pumarlo.
“We strive for consistent and fair
coverage in everyday reporting; it’s
doubly important for election coverage,”
Pumarlo said during a recent Inland
Webinar.
Ensuring your election coverage is
fair and consistent begins when you
plan your coverage, he said. Create a
to-do list and make sure it includes
contacting the candidates to obtain
bios and photos and sending them
questionnaires. Let them know your
coverage plans and get election night
contact information, Pumarlo said.
“It may seem fairly elementary, but
you’re better off for it in the long run,”
he said. “You need uniform quality
and consistency. With photos, you may
take your own photos or you might ask
candidates to submit a photo. If you want
to run two stories from competitors on
the same page and one has a large color
photo and the other submitted a small
black-and-white photo, it’s not going to
appear fair.”
Keep in mind readers are quick to
pounce when they perceive bias on the
part of the paper, Pumarlo said.
“Introducing the candidates is all
about perception,” he said. “If you’re
putting candidate one and two in the
same paper, put them on the same page
or, as much as possible, put them in the
same edition.
“Be sensitive to how you present
them—if you have one beneath the
other. Put them in alphabetical order by
last names. Have a set order so you can
have a response to candidates if they say
they weren’t represented fairly.”
A good schedule helps newspapers run
information in a logical order, such as
running profiles before endorsements.
Pumarlo also said to schedule candidate
interviews well in advance because
political candidates might not be
available for interviews right away.
Reporters, of course, need to do some
homework when preparing questions
for candidate interviews. To get a feel
for important issues and topics that
need to be addressed, they should
ask their colleagues who cover the
community what issues are important
to them and solicit input from readers
through a newspaper column.
“As you approach the candidate
interviews, approach them as you
would a job interview, like when your
boss chose you for your job,” Pumarlo
said. “What distinguished you from the
other applicants? They are applying
for a job. Their answers must convince
their bosses—the electorate—that
they’re qualified.”
Thinking beyond the usual questions
will force candidates to think on
the spot, Pumarlo said. Reporters
should prepare both the usual generic
questions (“What prompted you to seek
office?”) and unorthodox questions
(“You are elected to represent your
constituency, yet at some point their
wishes and beliefs likely will be
contradictory to your personal beliefs.
How will you arrive at your vote?”)
Pumarlo said reporters should also
tailor questions to the candidate’s
views on specific issues that may be
cornerstones of their campaigns—such
as a school board candidate who
is running to make the Pledge of
Allegiance in classrooms illegal.
Pumarlo said reporters cannot overprepare for a candidate interview and,
in some cases, newspapers should
consider having more than one person
conduct the interview.
“Utilizing two people in the interview
can be helpful,” he said. “Some election
contests rise above the rest, a candidate
may have a history of avoiding direct
questions, a reporter may be new
to the beat—an editor may want to
sit in on select interviews. This will
provide additional insight for editors
and publishers who may be doing the
endorsements.”
Pumarlo also discussed policies
for letters to the editor, editing
questionnaires, deciding which
forums to cover, political advertising,
letter-writing campaigns and write-in
candidates.
(SNPA, March 11, 2010)
ROBYN GENTILE | TPA
Members of the staff of The Fayette Falcon pose with a figure of John
Wayne in the publisher's area, which features Wayne memorabilia and
other collectibles. From left are Publisher Butch Rhea, Randy Rhea,
Carolyn Rhea and Susan Logan. The Rheas have owned the newspaper, in
Somerville, since 2002; however, Butch Rhea has worked for the newspaper
since 1965. He began his career as a Linotype operator. The Falcon was
established in 1837. It has a paid circulation of 4,262 and publishes on
Wednesdays. Somerville is located in West Tennessee in Fayette County,
which borders Mississippi.
Bargain-hunters start
with newspaper, magazine
According to a recent Adweek
Media/Harris Poll, 23 percent of adult
Americans believe that newspaper and
magazine advertisements are where
they can find the best bargains. Eighteen
percent believe online advertisements
are most likely to help them find the
best bargains. Ten percent say direct
mail and 12 percent catalogs, 11 percent
television commercials, and just 2
percent say radio. And, 34 percent of
Americans believe the type of ad makes
no difference when they are looking for
the best bargain.
When looking for the best bargains,
different age groups have different ideas
of where to look:
18 to 34-year-olds are more likely to say
online ads (22 percent) and television
commercials (17 percent) are the best
places to go
35 to 44-year-olds go online (26
percent)
24percentof those44to54and33percent
of those 55 and older say newspaper and
magazine advertisements those are
media most likely to help them find the
best bargain.
Among the genders, women are more
likely than men to say newspaper and
magazine advertisements, and direct
mail and catalogs are more likely to
help them find a bargain. Men, on the
other hand, are more likely to say online
advertisements are more likely to help
them find a bargain.
Thereisalsoaninterestingeducational
difference in the media people believe
can help them find the best bargains:
One-quarter of those with a high
school education or less say newspaper
and magazine advertisements are more
likely to help them find a bargain,
compared to 20 percent of those with
at least a college degree.
29 percent with at least a college
degree believe online advertisements
are more likely to help them find a
bargain compared to 12 percent of those
with a high school education or less
The report concludes that, while
newspaper ads are still slightly ahead of
others among all adults when it comes
to bargain hunting, online is not far
behind. And online ads lead newspaper
and magazine ads as a source of
information about bargains among
younger, better educated consumers.
For additional information on
the study, go to www.businesswire.
com/portal/site/home/
permalink/?ndmViewId=news_vie
w&newsId=20100122005073&newsLa
ng=en.
(MediaPost, Feb. 1, 2010)
Advertising 2009: bad but less bad at end
ROBYN GENTILE | TPA
TPA Vice President for Dailies Art Powers, right, andTPA Executive Director
Greg Sherrill look at portraits of recent presidents that are collected in the
conference room at TPA headquarters in Knoxville. Powers, a Knoxville
native and longtime newspaperman, is slated to become the 2010-11 TPA
president.
Walking the relationship tightrope
If nobody is upset at you, you’re probably not
doing very much.
This universal truth is especially true in the field
of journalism. While our goals should not include
ticking off folks, it ought to be an inevitable byproduct
of pursuing truth with vigor.
Even on the most seemingly innocuous of
assignments, conflicts arise en route to deadline and
after publication.
At the same time, the heart of any successful
business is relationships. And our business is telling
stories in a fresh, compelling way. The stronger
rapport we build with people, the stronger our stories
can become.
So how can we walk that tightrope and manage
the inevitable strife with sources even as we strive
to nurture productive relationships?
Here are three strategies:
1. Anticipate the conflict. With new sources, who
might very well become regular sources, emphasize
that your goal is accuracy. Urge them to speak up
when they feel a story misses the mark.
Nothing is too minor, and go to bat for them when
an error you make warrants a clarification or
correction in the paper.
The result: heightened respect, and rapport grows
through experiences that otherwise would damage a
productive reporter-source relationship. In the end,
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
readers benefit because information
over-the-liners, no friendly social
continues to flow and your stories
outing is too inappropriate to attend.
achieve greater balance, even if one
They cozy up too close to people
side of an issue feels that the last
they write about, undermining their
story was tipped in the opposing
ability to report with comprehensive
camp’s favor.
fairness.
This is especially helpful in
While covering a police beat, for
covering local government, which can
instance, stick to friendly small talk
descend into day-to-day spats among
during visits to the police station
public figures.
to review reports and other brief,
INSIDE
2. Know your source’s kids’ names—
chance encounters in your day-to-day
just don’t show up at their birthday EDGE
travels.
parties! Some reporters remain
It is not a good idea to play cards with
Matt Baron a group of cops in a private setting—an
distant from sources, nibbling at
the corners of a story’s potential
invitation I repeatedly, but politely,
because they skim only the surface of
declined years ago because I knew it
interviews and are content with a bare
would have compromised my work in
minimum. These reporters have no personality, a heartbeat.
no warmth and little interest in anything but
What if, over a drink and backslaps, they said
answers to questions for the next story.
something newsworthy but swore me to secrecy?
If this describes you, then develop some What if I saw illegal activity or, worse yet, had
“small talk” skills. Really, it should be called become part of it? I would have become a part of
“big listening” because you need not say much to the story—a story that someone with better sense
spark someone else’s conversational fire. People would have been able to cover.
thirst for a genuine audience, and you’ll rise in
3. Suppress your natural yearning to be liked.
others’ esteem when you provide it.
Seeking fondness from sources plants seeds of
Less prevalent is the hazard of reporters journalistic dysfunction. It’s far better to gain
growing too chummy with sources. For these your sources’ respect and trust.
Your job description does not include expanding
your friendship circle.
The circumstances of the real world dictate that
we must write hard-hitting stories. They can be
uncomfortable for the newsroom, for the advertising
department, for the publisher, for sources, and for
the community at large.
Thankfully, our job is not to keep people comfortable.
It’s to take a snapshot of our community that is as
faithful, accurate and balanced as we can muster.
So aim for 100-percent accuracy. In the process, you
accomplish two main things. First, you get it right.
And second—of more long-term importance—you
develop a reputation as someone who is dedicated
to getting it right.
That commands respect. And that’s something sure
to strengthen the arms-length rapport that you need
and your readers deserve.
MATT BARON, a longtime reporter, has experience
at small weeklies to large dailies, and his work has
appeared in Time magazine, the Chicago Tribune
and USA Today. He delivers seminars, in person and
via Webinar, on interviewing techniques, deadline
reporting, numeracy and other communication topics.
One can reach him at [email protected] or
1-888-713-6589.
According to a report in The New
York Times, 2009 was a bad year for
ad spending, but it got less worse in
the fourth quarter, according to a
leading research company. The year
ended better than it began—still
down, yet the rate of decline slowed
significantly—and early signs for 2010
seem promising.
Ad spending in the United States fell
12.3 percent in 2009 compared with 2008,
WORTH REPEATING
FROM PAGE 8
welcome you in and ask that you be a
part of making a positive difference for
your community.
“I promise to always conduct the
business of government in a transparent
way. I will never covert secretly. I will
never deliberate outside the public’s
view. I will always be honest with you.
“I will do all these things, because I
know this isn’t just MY business, but
it’s YOUR business, too, and I’m working
for you.”
That’s the campaign promise I want
from each candidate, and I’m asking
that every candidate write out the
above pledge in his or her own hand
and sign off on it and bring it to me
so I can publish it in this column and
show the voters that you pledge to do
the public’s business.
How about it, candidates, will you
make that pledge, that campaign
promise?
I hope you will.
(March 16, 2010)
according to figures released March 17
by Kantar Media. The fourth quarter
fell 6 percent compared with the same
period the previous year, a marked
improvement from declines of 14.2
percent in the first quarter, 13.9 percent
the second and 15.3 percent the third.
One can read more at mediadecoder.
blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/yes-itwas-a-bad-year-for-ad-spending-but-itgot-less-worse-in-the-fourth-quarter/.
Moon is candidate
Jerome Moon, former publisher
of The Daily Times, Maryville, has
announced his candidacy for Blount
County Commmission. He is seeking
the Republican nomination for District
4m Seat C. He served as publisher
from 1981 until the paper was sold to
Persis Corp. in December 1989. He has
served as treasurer of the Tennessee
Press Association and as a director of
Tennessee Press Service. He also was a
co-owner of a community newspaper.
Gracy on board
Randy Gracy of Knoxville, a former
employee of the Chattanooga Times Free
Press, has been chosen to serve on the
UT Alumni Board in Knoxville. He is an
alumnus of UT at Chattanooga.
Parallels
“When the public’s right to know is
threatened, all other public rights are
threatened.”
Christopher Dodd, U.S. senator, 2005
9
Stay away from generalities
I remember hearing a radio interview with a
a tendency to exaggerate, a carelessness of truth.
teacher who had a unique approach to teaching
They lead readers to discount all the statements
high school students about communication. In her
that you make.”
classroom, she paid special attention to what she
Let’s take a closer look at the “comfort deluxe”
called “glittering generalities,” those phrases that
description of athletic shoes. Right off the bat, the
look and sound impressive but have no meaning.
word “deluxe” can be tossed out the window. Like
She said that politicians (regardless of party
its cousins, “fantastic” and “excellent,” it is too
affiliation) are the most visible offenders, but the
vague to mean anything. On the other hand, the
affliction has crept into every corner of the world
word “comfort” has potential, because it suggests
of communication. Her students have fun finding
a specific benefit to the wearer. What is it about
glittering generalities so they can tear them apart
these shoes that makes them comfortable? Special
in class.
cushioning? Extra ankle support? Larger toe box?
If her classes ever examine ad copy, they will have
Focus on the specifics of comfort, and you’ll have
no problems locating glitter. In a matter of minutes, John Foust
a winning idea.
I ran across the following colorful phrases. Can you
Glittering generalities can also appear in
guess the products and services being advertised?
conversations. If you’re on the receiving end, it is
1. Cloud nine never looked better than this.
a frustrating experience. For example:
2. Inspired by genius. Crafted with care.
Friend: You’ve gotta see the new movie that just opened.”
3. Relaxation is calling. Are you ready?
You: How did you like it?
4. Get the right perspective.
Friend: It’s fantastic.
5. Nobody does it more. Nobody does it better.
You: What is it about?
6. Treat yourself.
Friend: You won’t believe the plot. It’s one of the best
7. Unparalleled amenities to enhance your lifestyle of ever.
luxury.
You: So, what happens in the movie?
8. Comfort deluxe.
Friend: All kinds of incredible things. Unbelievable special
9. Now you can have your dreams and wake up, too.
effects. It kept me on the edge of my seat for two hours.
10. From urban elegance to casual design, we can take you
You: Is it an action movie? A mystery? A comedy?
wherever your dreams and budget can reach.
Friend: I can’t say enough good things about it. You’ll be
Answers: (1) Condo development, (2) Furniture, (3) Vacation impressed.
resort, (4) Solar heating, (5) Health club, (6) Windows, (7) Real
You: I don’t know.
estate, (8) Athletic shoes, (9) Auto, (10) Outdoor furniture.
Friend: Let me tell you about special ingredients in the
What these phrases need—what advertising needs—is popcorn. It was the best I’ve ever tasted.
specificity. Claude C. Hopkins, one of the early gurus of
One of the keys to effective communication and effective
advertising, wrote, “Platitudes and generalities roll off the advertising is to replace glitter with specifics.
© Copyright 2010 by John Foust. All rights reserved.
human understanding like water from a duck. They leave no
impression whatever. They suggest looseness of expression,
Free offer a good marketing tool
Recently, I ran across two interesting ads in the same be more expensive than a gift that rewards an inquiry. And
paper. Each ad made use of one of the most effective tactics of course, the bigger the purchase, the bigger the giveaway.
A car is an eye-popping gift, big enough to stop readers in
in the marketing toolbox, a free offer. The first ad was for
an insurance company, and promised a free key ring with their tracks. A key ring is small. But that’s okay, because
built-in flashlight to anyone who called for an estimate on each offer is a good match.
3. Keep it fresh. If an advertiser offers freebies all the
car insurance. The second ad offered a free Mini Cooper
time, the tactic will eventually lose its appeal. To produce
automobile with the purchase of a high-end condo.
Obviously, there is a huge difference, in significance and results, a free offer should seem special and create a sense
cost, between a new car and a key ring. However, even though of urgency. (“Respond now, before we run out of these handy
these offers are worlds apart, they have a lot going for them. widgets.”)
Every offer should seem new and different, not the same old
Here’s what we can learn from these two examples:
1. Make it relevant. The insurance ad targeted an older thing. For years, a business magazine to which I subscribe
audience, a fact which was clearly stated in the ad. The made the same renewal offer, a free pen. Ho hum. They finally
real estate ad was aimed at hip, young professionals, the changed their tune, and their most recent subscription
audience that also fits the profile of Mini buyers. That was notice offered additional issues at no extra cost. That offer
is much better.
no coincidence.
Although free offers have been around for years, they
An offer has to be relevant to the target audience. The condo
buyers would not pay attention to a key ring offer. And a Mini continue to motivate consumers to take action. The secret
is to think it through – and make the right offer to the right
would have zero importance to senior readers.
Even though the flashlight feature may seem cumbersome audience.
© Copyright 2010 by John Foust. All rights reserved.
and unnecessary to some readers, that feature makes the key
ring particularly desirable for seniors. Many older people
E-mail JOHN FOUST for information about his training videos
have difficulty finding keyholes at night.
The condo developer probably considered a variety of for ad departments: [email protected].
models, once he or she decided to give
cars away. But I have a hunch that the
choice was quickly narrowed by the fact
Tennessee Press Service
that the Mini’s “coolness factor” would
make a statement about the personality
Advertising Placement Snapshot
of the development. If you’re cool , or
if you want to be cool, this is the place
for you. It’s clearly an offer that appeals
ROP: Network:
to their Yuppie audience.
December 2009,
2. Be a matchmaker. The value of
$ 203,756
January & February 2010: $1,129,665
the giveaway should match the action
you want readers to take. A freebie
$ 203,756
Year* as of Nov. 30: $1,129,665
that accompanies a purchase should
*The Tennessee Press Service Inc. fiscal year runs Dec. 1 through Nov. 30.
CMYK
The Tennessee Press
16
APRIL 2010
WORTH REPEATING
Without newspapers, where would Internet news come from?
BY MICHAEL THOMAS
The Advocate & Democrat
Sweetwater
It was the iPod
that brought home
the fact I had been
stuck in the house
for nearly 10 long,
cold winter days.
See, I use an iPod
to listen to music
while I’m driving
Thomas
in the car and I
don’t like to leave
the expensive little gadget in the vehicle
when the nighttime temperatures are
dropping to 12 degrees or lower. I don’t
like to leave it in the car at all, but most
of the time I just leave it in my jacket
pocket because otherwise I’d walk out
the door and forget it. And then I’d be
stuck listening to the radio, and nobody
should be forced to do that.
But this time I laid it on the counter
and there I was, making my way
through the house, trying to see how
much movement I could make before
the pain from recent surgery made
me sit down, when I noticed the little
black square.
I picked it up and turned it on. It
immediately went to a song that I had
paused the last time I’d used it. It had
been on pause for 10 days. During a time
I had been sliced open, sewn back up
and stumbled around the house like an
old(er) man, it had patiently sat on the
counter, waiting for me to hit the play
button and finish the song.
If I’m back at work Monday like I
hope to be, I will have missed a grand
total of 13 days. That’s a lot for a guy
who over the past 19 years had missed
a total of about five days. In one way
that seems like a lot of time to miss,
but I’m old enough now that even this
time has flown by. Pretty soon I’ll
say, “Remember when I missed those
two weeks?” and somebody will reply,
“Yeah. Can you believe that’s been
two years?”
My time off has given me an
opportunity to keep up with what’s
going on in the world. The president
reportedly moved a State of the Union
speech after it threatened to bump the
season premiere of the TV show “Lost”
and nerds worldwide became outraged.
I only sent one angry e-mail myself.
Sticking with politics, a person on
one side reportedly said something that
outraged the other side. The other side
said when one of their own did the same
thing a few years ago, they were forced
to resign, so it was only fair this person
now resign. This argument will carry
on until somebody else says something
outrageous.
A baseball player came out and
admitted to the shock of only his
mother that he had indeed been using
steroids when he set a home run record
in the summer of 1998. The various
ESPN channels all but fainted dead
away with excitement as they reported
and commentated on the story for 37
straight hours.
In the part of the world I know a
little something about, a survey done
in Baltimore said that of the news
reported on the Internet, only 4 percent
of it is actually self-generated. Of the
remaining 96 percent, 83 percent of it
is ripped from newspapers. The other
is divided up between TV and radio,
who get 78 percent of their news from
newspapers. OK, that last part is
exaggerated. Slightly.
This wasn’t much of a surprise to
those who work in the newspaper
business. We’ve all had the experience
of seeing something on the Internet
and thinking it looked awful familiar.
But this isn’t a new phenomenon. A
few years ago I was at a gathering of
news people in Knoxville and more
than one TV person said he read all the
newspapers to get ideas for stories.
Of course, most Internet “reporters”
aren’t news gatherers at all. The
bloggers, as they’re called, are about 90
percent commentators, meaning they
see something in a newspaper and they
give their opinion on it. A few, very few,
will credit whichever newspaper they
get their news from. Others will act like
they’re the digital version of Edward
R. Murrow.
Of course, this brings up a standard
question for those of us in the newspaper
business. If/when the Internet finally
brings the curtain down on this
business, where exactly will all those
cutting edge new media reporters get
their news?
(Jan. 14, 2010)
Inching toward Act II of my life
CMYK
BY JASON TIPPITT
Weekend editor, The Jackson Sun
The dimmest way of looking at it: It
only took me half my life to finish my
college degree.
The best way of looking at it: Hey, that
only took a semester.
More realistically: I did my four years
like anyone else. Just...not all at once.
Take your pick. I finished my
bachelor’s degree last fall (by taking
the long-delayed public speaking class)
and picked up my diploma a couple
of weeks ago from the University of
Tennessee Martin.
The story’s less interesting than you
might imagine, probably more common
than I realize even now: Promising
student gets too serious too young with
a sweetheart, ends up engaged at too
young an age, goes off the academic rails
after the relationship ends, ultimately
drops out and enters the work force just
a little bit shy of having a diploma.
Given Tennessee’s low rate of people
with a degree past high school and
the growth of college programs for
nontraditional students, you’d think
the Tennessee Lottery would consider
making it a little easier for us to
qualify—even if not right away, perhaps
after we’ve been back in school a little
while and shown we’re serious about
finishing.
And considering the job market is
pushing a lot of people to go back and
finish that bachelor’s degree or to start
work on an advanced program, that
seems like another area the Tennessee
legislature might consider letting the
lottery funds be spent.
The story made The Jackson Sun’s
business page a few weeks ago that this
newspaper was cutting several more
positions from its staff, most as a result
of a consolidation project. The design
and copy desk where I’ve worked since
1999 is part of that process; some time in
the next few weeks, probably by the end
of April, our corner of the newsroom
will be full of vacant cubicles.
My manager, Katie Gould, is staying
with the Sun to serve as liaison to
the new consolidated design desk in
Murfreesboro; she’ll also pick up some
of my weekend editing duties, from
what I understand.
The rest of us will scatter like pollen,
looking for a place to land either in the
newspaper business or. for most of us, I
suspect, more fertile ground in another
profession.
None of this is said to solicit pity:
Getting that bit of news a few weeks
ago was almost a relief—at least now
I didn’t have to wonder when it would
come.
I’ve worked with a lot of great people
here over nearly 11 years, and it’s been
my privilege to appear on the op-ed
pages since fall 2001, even with the angry
voice mails and e-mails that sometimes
ensued. (Hey, it beat no response at all.)
I’m hoping to continue writing these
columns as a freelancer, but I think my
journalism career is essentially over.
My goal is to go to graduate school.
First, I’ll pursue a master’s degree in
religious studies—probably purely
academic. And then I want to pair that
background in broad religious study
with a degree in counseling psychology,
either a master’s or doctorate. (If you
want to know how a person thinks, start
with what he or she believes.)
That combination could point the
way to pastoral counseling if I decided
I wanted to pursue ordination as a
Unitarian Universalist minister or
Ethical Culture leader. It could lead to
work as a hospital or hospice chaplain or
to more traditional counseling work.
It’s a lot of school work, a lot of
hours of study and workship, but the
results will be worth it if I can make a
difference for one person in crisis. And
while jobs are in short supply, “crisis”
is in abundance: You can hardly go a
day without hearing about a domestic
violence arrest, for example.
Besides, dealing with the occasional
person standing on the ledge of a
building or thinking he’s Napoleon
sounds downright tranquil compared
to waiting for the other shoe to drop on
the newspaper industry.
(March 14, 2010)
Candidates, will you make me a promise?
BY MARK A. STEVENS
Publisher, The Erwin Record
Did you know this
is national Sunshine
Week?
It’s time to
celebrate open
government. Folks
in the newspaper
business, like me,
pay close attention
Stevens
to Sunshine Week,
because being able
to accurately report on government
business sometimes means accessing
public documents and, yes, even public
meetings.
That’s not always as easy as it sounds.
Not all government officials like people
knowing “their” business. Those people
especially don’t like reporters knowing
their business.
I remember a few years ago, the Unicoi
County Board of Education wanted to
choose the next director of schools by
secret ballot despite the fact that state
law clearly prohibited such a vote.
You might think the law was confusing
and buried in high-brow legal terms,
thus making it hard for board members
to know how to, legally and ethically,
proceed. You’d be wrong.
Here’s what the law says: “No secret
votes, secret ballots, or secret roll calls
shall be allowed.”
Seems clear to me, and I bet it does
to you, too.
Certainly there have been other
issues with public documents and
public meetings here in Unicoi County
over the last several years, and, almost
always, those disagreements were
solved quickly or in short order.
All meetings of your government
bodies—be it the school board, the
board of mayor and alderman, the
county commission, etc.— are always
open to the public.
YOU have the RIGHT to know what
your elected officials are doing. It’s
your money, after all, in the form of
tax dollars.
What always has surprised me is why
a county commissioner, an alderman
or a school board member wants to
deny the public access to a meeting or
to a document. It’s not their personal
property after all.
We have a big county election coming
up this year, and you should read all the
campaign cards and advertisements
coming your way. Almost every single
candidate is making promises to get
your vote.
You will also notice a familiar theme—
all these folks want to represent YOU.
They want for be there for YOU. They
want to make things better for YOU.
And that’s great, and I want them to
do all those things for YOU—and me,
too, but here’s what I’d like to ask every
single person running for any office in
Unicoi County to do this week—the very
important Sunshine Week.
How many of you will sign off on the
following pledge:
“I, the undersigned, pledge to all the
people of Unicoi County that I will
never deny a public document to any
citizen.
“Not only will I never block access to
any public meeting, but I will always
SEE WORTH REPEATING, PAGE 9
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
17
We must work at getting honest, skeptical reporting
So, what do you do when your barber is
scowling?
I was in a hurry, and my usual barbershop
(actually a salon with a cute name, so I loathe
it) was crowded. In desperation, I drove around
looking for any option.
I don’t fuss over my hair. First of all, although
my wife, Sharon, loves me, it cannot be for my
looks. (Hmmmm … that leaves my character. No,
that can’t be it. My charm? I’m … I’m running
out of possibilities here. Not my money, that’s for
sure. OK, well, she likes me a lot, and she thinks
I’m a good driver.)
Second, my hair has been thinning since the
Carter administration. Not when he was president.
When he was governor of Georgia.
Third, good hair requires cash and labor:
expensive styling treatments, shampoos brimming
with the essence of tropical flowers, constant
mirror stops to eliminate renegade curls. I don’t
have time. I am a writing coach.
My mission, hair-wise, is to avoid total
humiliation.
I spotted a barbershop squeezed between a
taco joint and a discount store. I thought: This
neighborhood feels right.
But the barber, sheeeeesh. Her Stygian scowl
said she was outraged to have a customer.
I swallowed hard, struggled to smile and said,
“Pretend it’s July outside, steamy hot, so make it
nice and short.”
I expected her to say: “Sit down, shut up, I don’t
take orders from pipsqueaks.”
Sources say that to journalists all the time.
OK, so they don’t use those words. But their
message of intimidation is the same,
So, without an appointment, Jack went
and many of them think of us as
to the agency headquarters and asked
pipsqueaks.
for the director. He sat in the lobby for
Jennifer, a reporter I coach, was writing
20 minutes until a flack arrived, said the
about a utility company’s sneering refusal
director was too busy, then read from a
to reveal financial information even
press release.
though the company was demanding
He followed up with more requests. Still
money from customers for a new power
no interview, but he was establishing his
plant. Fearlessly, Jennifer attacked the
determination.
company in several stories.
A day later, he appealed to another
WRITING
Then came the phone call: Company
flack. Yes, he was told, he could interview
executives wanted to meet with the COACH
the director, but only after he first
newspaper’s editor and Jennifer.
interviewed an underling.
The executives showed up, well-scrubbed Jim Stasiowski The agency’s intention, no doubt, was
and polite, to insist the newspaper was
for the underling to find out what the
making huge mistakes in its coverage.
tough questions were, then report back
The stated purpose of the visit was to clear to the director so she would be prepared for her
up a few things. But when the execs continued interview.
to withhold the financial data, the only thing
So with the underling, Jack held back, asking
cleared up was their mission: to tell the editor about only the nuts-and-bolts of the new policy. Two
and Jennifer how she should write stories about days later, when he got the director, he still had in
the utility company.
reserve his best, back-her-into-a-corner questions,
Such sugary (“Hey, we all want the same thing”), such as: Wasn’t she shirking her responsibilities by
duplicitous attempts at suasion too often prompt hurting those she was supposed to be serving?
reporters to, consciously or unconsciously, back
Interviews with top officials and top executives
off.
are getting harder and harder to arrange, and we
Jennifer, supported by her editor, was polite but must recognize that that’s part of a larger strategy
unswayed. Her next story attacked again.
designed by public relations types who, in learning
At another newspaper, Jack sought to interview every trick of manipulation, have lost all contact
the director of a state agency that had botched the with the truth.
carrying out of a change in policy, resulting in
We cannot always win, but we really lose only
hardships for the people her agency served. Jack
wanted to hold the top person accountable.
His telephone requests for interviews got
nowhere; the director always was busy.
when we don’t show up (in person, preferably),
or we allow sources to make us feel guilty about
reporting honestly and skeptically.
As for the scowling barber, she did an excellent job
with questionable material, and she charged only
$8, four bucks less than at that salon. So pleased
was I that I gave her a $2 tip.
So how come when I left, she was still
scowling?
THE FINAL WORD: In vogue these days is the
adverb “purposefully,” as in, “While watering his
lawn, Stanton purposefully squirted water at the
loud teenagers.”
The simpler word “purposely” means to do
something intentionally, not by accident, which
probably is what Stanton was doing. “Purposefully”
has a stronger meaning, that the person was not to
be deterred: “Stanton purposefully walked across
the street to confront the bully.”
JIM STASIOWSKI, writing coach for the Dolan
Media Co., welcomes your questions or comments.
Call him at (775) 354-2872 or write to 2499 Ivory Ann
Drive, Sparks, Nev. 89436.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Jim Stasiowski will lead
a session on improving one’s writing skills
at the Tri-State Press Convention in Tunica,
Miss. He has been a columnist for The
Tennessee Press for several years.
CMYK
The Tennessee Press
8
Judging other state’s newspapers interesting
BY SHIRLEY NANNEY
Editor
Carroll County News-Leader
Huntingdon
On Thursday of last week, I
participated in judging the Illinois State
Press Contest at the Radisson Hotel in
Nashville near the airport.
Every year the Tennessee Press
Association trades out the judging with
another state.
This is an occasion that I really
look forward to every year. It gives
me a chance to see stories and page
layouts from other newspapers and
an opportunity to read about the
interesting happenings they write
about. Also, I pick up some ideas here
and there.
There are a number of different
categories and I usually try to judge
features, feature photos or best-written
news stories.
This year I judged feature stories.
There were about 30 entries in each
of the four different categories that
I judged.
During lunch, I shared newspaper
talk with Candy Webb, a staff writer
from the Gallatin newspaper, and Susan
Thurman, who writes for The Daily
Herald in Columbia.
In one of the categories, I awarded
the first place on a story about a man
named Bob Carroll who had terminal
cancer and had been advised that he had
only a few months to live. The story was
titled, “Cancer can’t slow him down.”
During the short time he has left, he has
taken up car racing and has reached
the speed of 143 miles per hour with
the determination to up the speed to at
least two more miles per hour. A large
photo accompanying the story showed a
smiling man in his racing attire.
My own personal opinion of this
man is that he made his goal before
his death.
My second place selection was about
a little red hen that showed up one
day in an alleyway and became the
neighborhood pet. Her antics and ways
won the neighbors’ hearts.
The article was titled, “A chicken that
brought joy to the lives of neighbors.”
In one instance, it told how when
she became hungry she would fly to a
windowsill and peck on the window. It
always gained attention and food for
her craw.
And then one day, she was found
dead. Neighbors were never sure what
happened but thought possibly that
she had been attacked by some sort
of animal.
The neighbors buried her in the alley
where she was found when she arrived
and bought a stepping stone with a
chicken on a nest and also placed a
sign above her grave that said “Chicken
Crossing.”
I picked as the third place a feature
about a barber named Joseph “Muzzy”
Muzzareilli, who had been in the
business for 50 years.
He was a fellow who had soaked up lots
of interesting stories and experiences
over the years and could relate them
with much humor.
The writer made you feel as if you
were right there in the barbershop
with him.
He related a story about a visit to
his doctor. He said that his doctor told
him as long as he felt good and had his
health “to keep going” at what he was
doing. So when he left the examining
room, he said, “I just kept going” and
didn’t pay him. “You know you have to
do what your doctor says,” he added.
During his lifetime, he has cut the hair
of three generations of families.
Another time, he related that he once
cut John Wayne Gacy Jr.’s hair—that’s
the fellow from Chicago that murdered
a lot of young boys and buried them all
around and under his house. Muzzy
said Gacy came into his shop and
wanted a haircut because he wouldn’t
make it back to Chicago before all the
barbershops would be closed.
A few weeks later, he was startled
to see Gacy on TV. He knew the fellow
looked familiar but thought to himself,
“I don’t like his haircut.”
Another patron, who was in the shop
at the time, called him up and told him
that he had cut Gacy’s hair.
Now you see why I like to go every
year and be a judge.
(March 3, 2010)
ROBYN GENTILE | TPA
Susan M. Sharp, editor of the LaFollette Press, left, hands over the
newspaper’s entries in the UT-TPA State Press Contests to Angelique
Dunn, administrative assistant.
Late winter brings hustle, bustle
of newspaper contest judgings
If it’s February, it must be contest
judging time.
The call has gone out for entries in
TPA’s Ideas Contest for advertising and
circulation as well as for the UT-TPA
State Press Contests. And the entries
trickle in and then pile up as the
deadline nears. Then, judging.
Thisyear,TennesseePressAssociation
members judged the Illinois Press
Association contest, with some folks
judging part of them Feb. 25 in Nashville
and others judging the rest Feb. 26 in
Knoxville.
Then Illinois Press Association
members judged the Tennessee
Advertising/Circulation Ideas Contest
March 10 and the State Press Contests
March 11 in Springfield, Ill.
Robyn Gentile, TPA member services
manager, and Angelique Dunn,
administrative assistant, handled the
various related tasks for Tennessee.
On the next two pages, 18 and 19,
you’ll see photos of the judgings. At
left, read a column Shirley Nanney,
editor of the Carroll County NewsLeader, Huntingdon, wrote about her
experience as a judge this year.
In all, 49 TPAers judged the Illinois
contests, while 34 Illinoians judged the
Tennessee competitions.
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
Judging Illinois
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
ENGRAVINGS
Mineral rights series wins prestigious national award
In Nashville
BY J. TODD FOSTER
Editor, Bristol Herald Courier
Mike Towle, The News Examiner, Gallatin,
holds a sports feature he planned to show
to his staff.
CMYK
Candy Webb, The Gallatin Newspaper, left, and
Susan Thurman, The Daily Herald, Columbia
Frank Gibson, Nashville, left; Jim Charlet,
Brentwood, center; and Greg Pogue,The Daiy
News Journal, Murfreesboro
D a n ny Pa r ke r, s p o r t s e d i t o r,
Shelbyville Times-Gazette
Buddy Pearson, editor, Herald-Citizen,
Cookeville
Ken Walker, news editor, The Paris PostIntelligencer
Shirley Nanney, editor, the Carroll County
News-Leader, Huntingdon
Greg Pogue, The Daily News Journal,
Murfreesboro, and Kim Ruff, director of the
Illinois Press Association Foundation
In Knoxville
It’s my favorite e-mail so far in 2010.
“Daniel Gilbert is a National
Journalism Award winner,” read
the subject line in a message from
Mike Philipps, president and chief
executive officer of the Scripps Howard
Foundation.
The foundation holds an annual
awards contest that honors the best
in American journalism. This year,
the organization added “community
journalism” to its list of categories, and
Gilbert, who authored the multipart
series on disputed mineral rights in
Southwest Virginia, is the inaugural
winner. The judges voted unanimously
for the series.
“Congratulations on this significant
prize in American journalism,”
Philipps wrote.
Gilbert wins a $10,000 check and a
trophy, both of which will be presented
April 23 in Tampa Bay, Fla.
Thisprobablyisthemostdistinguished
journalism award ever won by this 139year-old newspaper, and one of our most
impactful projects. Gilbert’s reporting
explored how a 1990 state law has
allowed energy corporations to profit
from landowners’
natural gas without
compensating
them, and how
corporations
required to pay
royalties into staterun escrow accounts
have failed to do
Gilbert
so. The series and
subsequent articles so far have prompted
gas companies to deposit more than
$825,000 in outstanding royalties, and
motivated area lawmakers to introduce
legislation that has the potential to give
relief to the thousands of landowners
whose natural-gas royalties are tied
up in escrow.
This is a good time to cite the fine
work done by our entire staff, which
proved that we could still tackle such
a project and cover a two-state region
larger geographically than Connecticut
without sacrificing quality journalism.
Our other six news reporters are
Roger Brown, Claire Galofaro, Debra
McCown, David McGee, Mac McLean
and Michael L. Owens. The editors
on Gilbert’s project also included City
Editor Susan Cameron and Assistant
City Editor Christine Uthoff. Project
photographers were David Crigger, Earl
Neikirk and Andre Teague. The copy
editors who crafted the eye-catching
front-page designs were Jerry Shell,
John Hudson, Guy Kramer, Bill McKee
and George Stone. And Web content
coordinator Heather Provencher helped
Gilbert create the searchable online
database that was specifically cited
by contest judges. Three newsroom
staffers, Mary Dutton, Hetty Canter
and Linn Casey, helped assemble the
Scripps entry package.
Here’s what the Scripps Howard panel
of judges wrote about Gilbert’s work:
“Gilbert’s series on the Virginia Oil
& Gas Board is community watchdog
journalism at its finest. This entry
rose above all others in the depth of
reporting and the care he took to put
a human face on a very complex issue,
helping explain it in understandable
terms. The intersection of geology,
politics and economics could have
been so confusing as to leave readers
bewildered, but Gilbert repeatedly
put the tale in human terms in clean,
unpretentious prose. But the real
standout feature was the first public
database of escrowed natural-gas
royalty interests, enabling the affected
population to conveniently investigate
their own stake in the controversy.
Times earns Cancer Society Lighthouse Award
BY BONNIE LILL
Stewart County editor
Stewart-Houston Times, Dover and Erin
Terri Likens, Roane Newspapers, Kingston, left, and
Dorothy Bowles, retired journalism professor, Knoxville
Foreground, Stan Voit, The Mountain Press,
Sevierville, left, and J. Todd Foster, Bristol Herald
Courier
Brad Gaskins, Macon County
Times, Lafayette
Dale Gentry, The Standard Banner,
Jefferson City
Stewart-Houston Times General
Manager Loretta Threatt accepted the
American Cancer Society’s Tennessee
Lighthouse Award in the Print Category
for Best Media Supporter, Rural Market,
for the Mid-South Division, at the Jan. 26
Stewart County Relay For Life meeting.
The award was given to the Times for
exceptional coverage given to Relay For
Life in Stewart and Houston counties
in 2008-09. This included Relay For Life
tabloids in both counties and promotion
and coverage of the events surrounding
the relays within the community.
Stewart County Relay for Life
Chairman Sheryl Williams made the
presentation.
Williams said she was pleased
to be able to present the award in
appreciation for the newspaper’s
promotion and coverage of the relay
since Stewart County first started
holding the event in 2001.
Threatt pointed out that the quality of
the tabloid and the coverage is in direct
THE STEWART-HOUSTON TIMES
Stewart County Relay for Life Chairman Sheryl Williams presents Stewart
Houston Times General Manager Loretta Threatt the American Cancer
Society’sTennessee Lighthouse Award in the Print Category for Best Media
Supporter, Rural Market, as Stewart County Editor Bonnie Lill looks on.
proportion to Williams’ organization
and dedication to providing the most
accurate and up-to-date information.
She said that once Houston County
Relay For Life officials had seen the
publication, they were interested in
having one to use as a promotional tool,
and the paper was happy to oblige.
“It’s a good way for the community to
learn about Relay,” said Threatt.
APSU instructor, columnist has book on performance at work
Seated, Amy Blakely, UTK, left, and Elenora
E. Edwards, The Tennessee Press, with Lynn
Richardson, Herald & Tribune, Jonesborough
(Left photo) Susan Campbell, editor, The
Tullahoma News, left, and Carrie Hollowell,
city editor, Manchester Times
Mark Stevens, The Erwin Record, and
Lynn Richardson, Herald & Tribune,
Jonesborough
7
Foreground, Timothy Hankins, The Daily
Times, Maryville, with Mark Stevens, The
Erwin Record, and Jim Zachary, Grainger
Today, Bean Station, in background
PHOTOS BY ROBYN GENTILE | TPA
A noted sports psychologist and
faculty member at Austin Peay State
University, Clarksville, now has the
sixth national best-selling nonfiction
book, according to The Washington
Post.
Gregg Steinberg, an associate
professor of health and human
performance, is the author of Full
Throttle: 122 Strategies to Supercharge
Your Performance at Work. Released
last summer, it discusses how to build
emotional toughness for business
and life through entertaining and
informative stories.
Steinberg, a faculty member at APSU
for nearly 12 years, has written a
newspaper column, “The Head Coach,”
for The Tennessean, Nashville.
Gilbert was able to do that because
his editors realized that he needed
training in database work and got it for
him—at [the] time he was producing
daily stories on other subjects in a
newsroom with only seven reporters.
That’s a fine example of what this new
category should be about, recognizing
quality journalism at the community
level, where it is usually more difficult
to produce than at metropolitan outlets.
It is also a lesson in the virtues of solid
beat reporting; Gilbert went to a board
meeting that other reporters might have
dismissed as routine, heard something,
and started turning over rocks.”
This project also employed something
you can expect to see more of in the
Herald Courier: the use of database
reporting to hold public officials
accountable.
Halfway into the 13-month project,
Gilbert had the data he needed but no
way to analyze it. So he reminded me
of a promise I made him during his
job interview here. The promise was
to send him to a week-long boot camp
on computer-assisted reporting at
Investigative Reporters and Editors,
based at the University of Missouri.
Publisher Carl Esposito approved
Gilbert’s trip and made good on our
promise.
Gilbert used one week of vacation
to attend the camp and quickly put
his newfound knowledge to use
shortly after returning. He built a
database that revealed an average of
30 percent of accounts in escrow did
not receive payments even though they
corresponded to producing wells.
State energy officials, who initially
brushed off the escrow discrepancies as
insignificant, have now acknowledged
widespread problems in the system
and pledged to correct them. Without
Gilbert’s analysis and further probing,
this admission might never have been
forthcoming.
Here’s what I wrote the Scripps
Howard judges when we entered this
competition: “This project underscores
the vital importance of investigative
reporting in rural areas, where only a
newspaper has the will, resources and
influence to uncover and attempt to
rectify an injustice that has persisted
for two decades. It is a testament to
what a journalist, backed with those
resources, can accomplish under very
challenging circumstances.”
(March 14, 2010)
Series garners award for CA reporter
Governing
Magazine has
awarded Marc
Perrusquia,
The Commercial
Appeal, Memphis,
its seventh
annual Hal Hovey
Award, presented
Perrusquia
for outstanding
journalistic
c ove r a g e o f s t at e a n d l o c a l
government.
The award, sponsored by Governing
and Stateline.org, a nonprofit online
publication funded by the Pew Center
on the States, was presented Feb. 3 at the
National Press Club in Washington.
Perrusquia won for “Always a
Fighter,” a series of stories about the
life of former Memphis mayor Willie W.
Herenton, who retired last year as the
target of a federal grand jury probe and
is now challenging incumbent Ninth
District Rep. Steve Cohen for a seat in
Congress.
“Marc’s work as an enterprise and
investigative reporter helps readers
of The Commercial Appeal understand
how this city and region work,” said
Chris Peck, editor of The Commercial
Appeal. “This award underscores what
we already know, that Marc is one of the
best reporters in the country.”
The award is named for the late Hal
Hovey, a former government official,
public finance expert and journalist.
The presentation this year breaks a
three-year East Coast strangle-hold
on the award. The past three winners
were the New York Daily News, the
Philadelphia Enquirer and The New
York Times.
Perrusquia, 51, has been a CA staff
member since 1989.
(The Commercial Appeal,
Memphis, Feb. 2, 2010)
Newspaper working on bicentennial book
Commemorating its city’s 200th
birthday this year, the Shelbyville TimesGazette will publish a bicentennial
history book. The newspaper is asking
for additional community photos and
information about the city’s history
and heritage to add to the content
collected so far.
The newspaper expects the book to
be ready in early June.
It will serve as a companion piece to
the 2007 Bedford County Bicentennial:
Celebrating the Past 1807-2007 and will
have a similar appearance.
Former Times-Gazette editor and
author of the Bedford County book
Rene Capley is compiling material for
the 2010 volume.
Ruse
“Blaming the media is a tried and
true method that charlatans use to
distract from bad news.”
Alex Jones, director, Shorenstein
Center on the Press, Politics and
Public Policy, 2004
CMYK
18
The Tennessee Press
6
APRIL 2010
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
Judging Tennessee in Springfield, Ill.
ENGRAVINGS
JOHN I. CARNEY | SHELBYVILLE TIMES-GAZETTE
Elaine Williams, right, South Central Region coordinator for the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth,
presents a Making Kids Count media award to the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, represented by Editor Kent
Flanagan, left, and individually to, from left, Lifestyles Editor Sadie Fowler and Reporters Mary Reeves and
Brian Mosely.
Times-Gazette, writers receive Making Kids Count Award
CMYK
The Tennessee Commission on
Children and Youth has honored the
Shelbyville Times-Gazette and three
of its staffer members, Mary Reeves,
Brian Mosely and Sadie Fowler, for
the newspaper’s coverage of children’s
issues.
The T-G was awarded the Making Kids
Count Media Award for small market
print media. The award was announced
at the commission’s Children’s Advocacy
Days event held March 9 at the War
Memorial Auditorium in downtown
Nashville. Reeves, on her way to accept
the award that day, had a flat tire, and
so south central regional coordinator
Elaine Williams, who had nominated
the newspaper for the award, brought
the plaques—one for each of the three
individuals, and one for the newspaper
—to Shelbyville (two days later).
Williams, who is responsible for the
13 counties of the south central district,
said she submitted 70 Times-Gazette
stories with her nomination form
and identified even more than that.
Topics included the Court-Appointed
Special Advocate (CASA) program, the
county school system, health and safety,
poverty, homelessness, juvenile justice,
child abuse, mental health and even
humorous columns about family life.
“In this day and time, news is not
always positive, but the articles by
these reporters always promote positive
outcomes,” said the remarks delivered
during the awards ceremony. “The
efforts by reporters Mary Reeves and
Brian Mosely and Lifestyles Editor
Sadie Fowler have contributed to an
increase in both volunteer recruitment
and funds raised by child-serving
agencies, and the public has been
educated by other stories. Reeves also
writes a column where, with humor,
she shares the problems of family life
with her readers.
“It just stood out as a collective effort,”
said Williams.
“This is a remarkable
accomplishment, especially since the
Times-Gazette was selected through
an independent process that did not
involve the newspaper submitting an
entry,” said T-G Editor Kent Flanagan.
“The reporters and the community are
to be commended for putting a high
premium on promoting and protecting
youth.”
(March 19, 2010)
Maxwell purchases Polk County News
Ownership of the Polk County News
has shifted to a new generation, but
no staff changes are planned. Cheryl
Maxwell, daughter of Randy and Ingrid
Buehler, has bought the newspaper and
formed a new business, The Newspaper
Publishing Company, LLC.
Randy Buehler has been semi-retired
for a year and Ingrid is working toward
that status. They commented, “As we
began approaching retirement age,
we were delighted that Cheryl decided
to take the helm at Polk County’s
community newspaper.” They said
they had hoped the newspaper would
continue under independent ownership
when they finally decide to retire. This
move provides for a nice transition for
them to eventually retire, they said.
Ingrid, who has been backing off some
of her reporting responsibilities, will
continue to serve as editor. “I’m not
leaving any time soon,” she said. Randy
will continue to man the sports desk and
handle accounting duties.
Maxwell has been working with
the Polk County News since the
Buehlers purchased the Polk County
News in 1983, when she was 10 years
old, starting as an errand-runner
and coffee cup washer after school
and gradually picking up paste-up,
reporting, advertising and circulation
duties.
“I’d debated off and on throughout
the years, but ultimately, I couldn’t
imagine myself anywhere other than
here,” Maxwell said, adding, “I’m lucky
to have the chance to be a part of the
history of our county.”
Maxwell said she didn’t plan any
major changes to the paper. “I know we
are not perfect, but we do our best with
a very small staff to report the news so
that people in our community can keep
up with what’s going on in the county.
People can get national and regional
news just about anywhere these days,
but there is no where else to find news
that is relevant only to Polk County.”
According to Maxwell, the frequent
talk of newspapers being a dying breed
did not deter her. “We’re not a big-city
corporation with millions of dollars
on the line. We just report the news to
the community we live in. As long as
we have the support of the locals, we
will persevere, ” she said.
Maxwell purchased and remodeled
the building housing The Polk County
News in Benton in 2008 and opened The
Newspaper Book Shop, which includes
new regional books, used books, free
Internet, and coffees and snacks.
Copies of old photos, news clippings,
history files and cemetery listings are
also available.
Maxwell said she opened up the book
shop in the hopes that local people will
have a place to go to research their
family history, trade a book or just
get online without a drive out of the
county. “The newspaper belongs to the
community,” Maxwell said. “And I want
the community to feel welcome here.”
(from Polk County News)
The Tennessee Board of Regents
has recognized the publisher of the
Kingsport Times-News and a former
newspaper man
and his wife by
presenting them the
Chancellor’s Award
for Excellence in
Philanthropy for
2010.
The honorees
are Keith Wilson,
Kingsport TimesWilson
News, chairman of
the Northeast State Community College
Foundation, and Tim P. Jones, formerly
of the Johnson City Press, and his wife,
Valda Hicks Jones.
Northeast State President Janice
Gilliam said of Wilson, “Keith has been
instrumental in making education a
priority. His leadership as an advocate
of the Kingsport Center for Higher
Education and the Educate and Grow
scholarship program has transformed
higher education in Sullivan County
and across our region. He is a catalyst
for change and has been a key player for
many years in the Northeast region.”
Wilson championed the Sullivan
County Educate and Grow scholarship
program, which began in 2003 as
a partnership between the local
governments of Sullivan County and
Kingsport and Northeast State. The
city and county governments invested
money to fund scholarships for students
in Sullivan County and Kingsport who
attend Northeast State. The Educate and
Grow program ultimately expanded to
all five counties of the college’s service
area.
The Kingsport Center for Higher
Education brings together Northeast
State, King College, Lincoln Memorial
University and the University of
Tennessee under one roof.
Wilson graduated from Indiana
University. He became advertising
director of the Times-News in 1986 and
was named publisher in 1993.
Wilson served on the board of
Tennessee Press Association and is a
member of the Personnel Committee.
Tim P. Jones, formerly of the Johnson
City Press, as an honorary alumnus,
and Valda Hicks Jones, as an alumna,
are Platinum Society donors for the
ETSU Foundation, indicating financial
Tim and Valda Jones
support of $1 million or more in current
and planned giving. They are also active
volunteers with the Foundation.
Tim Jones served as president and
then chairman of the board for the
ETSU Foundation from 2003-07. During
this time, over $82 million was raised
from Foundation donors, including
the $5 million raised in 12 weeks in
2005 for the establishment of the Bill
Gatton College of Pharmacy. He is a
former member of the TPA Board of
Directors.
“Tim and Valda were instrumental
to encourage the people of our region
to accept the challenge, in addition to
their own personal financial support, for
the new college,” said ETSU President
Dr. Paul E. Stanton Jr. “Whether a
donor gave a dollar or multi-millions
of dollars, Tim and Valda knew the
importance of firing the imagination
and calling into action the people of our
region with this shared opportunity to
better the quality of overall health care
for our region.”
Stanton pointed out that with their
giving, the Joneses have “carried forth a
legacy of leadership that Tim’s parents,
the late Carl and Kathryn Jones, had
established … in a prior generation, as
his parents’ leadership was absolutely
critical for the establishment of the
James H. Quillen College of Medicine
at ETSU almost 40 years ago.”
The Joneses were major contributors
to the construction of the ETSU
Foundation Carillon and Alumni Plaza
on campus, and have also supported
many other areas of the university.
They have also been active in the
surrounding community through both
financial and leadership contributions
to such organizations as the Dawn
of Hope, United Way, Girls Inc.,
Johnson City Public Library, Rotary
International Foundation, Johnson
City Historic Zoning Commission and
Johnson City Development Authority.
Ideas Contest
Melissa Wilson and Ken Goeckner
From left, Linda Dawson, Sandy Pistole and
Jeff Holman
Scott Stravakas, Ann Young and Ed Bushman
Tom Zalabak
From left, Scott Stravakas, Ed Bushman and
Jennifer Barrata
CMYK
Board of Regents cites three
for education philanthropy
BY JOHN I. CARNEY
Shelbyville Times-Gazette
19
Tom Zalabak and Ken Goeckner
Ed Bushman, Jennifer Barrata and Ann Young
State Press Contests
Angelique Dunn, TPA
John Plevka, Journal Star, Peoria, left, and John Beck,
The News-Gazette, Champaign
Mark Colosimo, Suburban Life
Publications, Downers Grove
Greg Bilbney, Robinson Daily News
REWRITES
FROM PAGE 5
called Get Warren County Working for
unemployed local people, Publisher
Ron Fryar said.
The photographs of Dean Stone, editor
of The Daily Times, Maryville, were
displayed at the Blount County Library.
Employees of the Kingsport TimesNews were evacuated from the building
after an anonymous caller phoned in a
bomb threat.
Professional journalists should
return to basics, the simple truths of
reporting, to overcome doubts about
their credibility, John Seigenthaler,
publisher of The Tennessean, Nashville,
said in a Ralph McGill lecture at the
University of Georgia.
Jim Russell, Illinois Association of
School Boards, Springfield
Chris Coates, Suburban Journals,
Collinsville
Linda Dawson, Illinois Association of School
Boards, and Dave Dawson, Herald & Review,
Decatur
Norm Winick, The Zephyr, Galesburg
CMYK
Papers avoid postal increase
for in-county ‘flimsy’ issues
National Newspaper Association
(NNA) has received news that
its campaign to help community
newspapers avoid a postage up-charge
intended for lightweight publications
was successful and a 78 percent incounty piece rate increase that would
have taken effect in June has been
averted. The Postal Service announced
that it would not assess a charge on
carrier-routed newspapers entered at
delivery offices. The charge may still
apply to outside-county carrier-routed
newspapers that fail a “droop” test.
The test applies to flat mail that droops
more than 4 inches when extended 5
inches off a flat surface.
NNA President Cheryl Kaechele,
publisher of the Allegan County (Mich.)
News, said the charge was proposed last
fall and that NNA’s Postal Committee
Chairman Max Heath had immediately
swung into action to prevent it. The
“droop” test is imposed to charge flats
that are too lightweight to be handled
by automated sorting machinery, but
in the latest iteration, USPS had said
it thought that even publications not
sorted by machine should be assessed
the charge.
“We were greatly concer ned,”
Kaechele said. “The Postal Service
had announced that there would be
no postage increases during this very
challenging economy. Then to suddenly
find this daunting charge looming
because of a mere rules change was
very bad news indeed. We congratulate
the Postal Committee and Max Heath
for effective advocacy to turn back this
threat to our industry.”
Heath said, “NNA won a decisive
victory in its effort to ensure that
so-called ‘flimsy flats’ entered at
Destination Delivery Unit (DDU) post
offices retain the Basic carrier-route
price for 6-124 Periodical pieces or 10-124
Standard Mail Enhanced Carrier route
pieces on a route if they fail a so-called
‘deflection’ test.
“NNA was the only association
publicly cited during a presentation on
the final rule at the Mailers Technical
Advisory Committee in Washington
Feb. 17 for the reasonableness and
quality of arguments to a Federal
Register filing. NNA, several members
and some state associations filed
comments showing that newspapers
would be discriminated against with a
78 percent increase to 5-digit Periodical
rates should a newspaper fail a new,
more restrictive ‘droop test.’”
The final rule, effective June 7,
indicates that the test will be applied
to periodicals, such as magazines, that
don’t enter at DDUs.
Heath said, “I encourage publishers
to maximize their DDU drops if at all
possible to avoid this nasty penalty
if they have a concern that their
newspaper could fail the droop test.”
“This decision once again shows the
value of mailers dropping their own
subscriber copies via Exceptional
Dispatch to DDU post offices, both
in-county and across county lines,
anywhere substantial carrier-route
mail exists,” Heath said. “Likewise,
those with Standard Mail shoppers get
the same price discount on Basic price
carrier route sorted mail entered at the
DDU. High-density and Saturation mail
is already exempt from this penalty in
both classes.”
Each NNA member newspaper
without high page counts will enjoy
a savings of 4.6 cents per piece when
sorted to the Basic carrier-route price
In-county (line A13 of Form 3541), and
12.3 cents on every Basic carrier-route
price piece Outside County (line C25
of 3541). DDU-entered shopper copies
would have a savings of 11.4 cents per
piece from Basic-price pieces staying
on line I12 rather than going to line E9
for 5-digit rates on a 3602-R.
Members can annualize their savings
by multiplying $0.046 times in-county
Basic carrier route copies times the
number of issues in a year, then $0.123
times outside-county Basic carrier
route copies times annual issues. For
newspapers with shoppers, or free
Standard Mail newspapers, paying
Basic carrier-route rate, multiply $0.114
times line I12 copies times the number of
issues in a year. That should more than
pay for annual dues for any member and
multiple years membership for some.
Details of the deflection test, which
is still being argued by major mailers,
will appear in Max Heath’s Publishers’
Auxiliary Postal Tips column prior to
implementation.
(NNA, March 3, 2010)
FactCheck can help thwart inaccuracies
BY AL CROSS
The Rural Blog, irjci.org
The folks at FactCheck, who do a good
job of separating truth from fiction in
politics, have published “Whoppers of
2009,” their most outrageous examples
of inaccurate and/or misleading
assertions. The list, and future reports
at FactCheck.org, can help local
news media avoid passing along bad
information from interviewees, letter
writers and so on.
“The list of howlers includes the
false claim that the stimulus bill would
dictate to doctors what procedures
they can and can’t perform, and
assertions that health care legislation
would require seniors to get advice
on how to commit suicide,” Lori
Robertson, Brooks Jackson and Jess
Henig write. “Democrats exaggerated
the problems their legislation aims
to fix — at one point Obama falsely
accused an insurance company of being
responsible for the death of an Illinois
cancer patient.”
FactCheck is a project of the
Annenberg Public Policy Center at the
University of Pennsylvania.
APRIL 2010
TPA should promote this national holiday
BY RANDY HINES
A major national holiday that supports
the newspaper industry passed in
early March with no mention in most
publications. In this day of social media
—with invented words and shortcut
communication—National Grammar
Day needs to be promoted vigorously.
Who is better at safeguarding the
standards of the English language than
the word-focused newspaper?
Don’t feel bad if you haven’t heard
of National Grammar Day, celebrated
on March 4. It’s probably not on
your office calendar. The post office
still delivered mail that day. In fact,
it wasn’t established until 2008 by
Martha Brockenbrough, author of
“Things That Make Us [Sic].” She’s
also the founder of the Society for the
Promotion of Good Grammar.
The holiday’s host this year was
Mignon Fogarty, author of “Grammar
Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better
Writing.”
The Web site, nationalgrammarday.
com, provides plenty of material for
features or an entire page devoted to
the topic. Educational material can
be adapted for a children’s section,
but don’t confine your mission to the
little ones. Adult-sized T-shirts are
available to help celebrate the day. Office
parties around the grammar theme are
suggested. Photos with grammatical
mistakes are abundant on the site, as are
other organizations that have joined the
fight for proper language rules.
Among the more than 50 such sites
are several related to journalists. They
include Bill Walsh: Blogslot, Blue Pencil
Editing, Common Sense Journalism,
Copyediting.com, Editor Mark’s
Blog, The Editor’s Desk, Grammar
Monkeys, JProf, National Association
of Independent Writers and Editors,
Ted’s Word, and You Don’t Say.
One of the many fun features on
the site March 4 was titled “Top Ten
Grammar Myths.” Here they are.
10. A run-on sentence is a really long
sentence.
9. You shouldn’t start a sentence with
the word however.
8. Irregardless is not a word.
7. There is only one way to write the
possessive form of a word that ends
in s.
6. Passive voice is always wrong.
5. I.e. and e.g. mean the same thing.
4. You use a before words that start
with consonants and an before words
that start with vowels.
3. It’s incorrect to answer the question
“How are you?” with the statement
“I’m good.”
2. You shouldn’t split infinitives.
1. You shouldn’t end a sentence with
a preposition.
As you probably guessed by this
feature’s title, these statements are all
false. If you want to argue about a couple
of them, head to the Web site. You may
want to bookmark it while you’re there
for an article or more in your paper for
next March 4.
Former journalist and Southerner
RandyHinesisaprofessoratSusquehanna
University in Pennsylvania. His latest
book is Print Matters: How to Write
Great Advertising (www.racombooks.
com) with Bob Lauterborn, former
James L. Knight Chair of Advertising
at UNC-Chapel Hill. One can reach him
at [email protected].
ETSPJ plans major events for spring, summer
The East Tennessee Society of
Professional Journalists has some
big events coming up this spring and
summer.
The first is the second Environmental
Journalism Conference, set Friday,
April 9, at the Holiday Inn Downtown
Conference Center in Knoxville. A
series of sessions by experts in various
environmental aspects will serve as
speakers or panelists.
The mor ning session will be
“Communities and Water Policy:
Awareness and Action.”
The keynote speaker at a luncheon
will be Dr. Joel Kimmons, nutritionist
and epidemiologist with the Division
of Nutrition, Physical Activity and
Obesity at the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
Afternoon sessions are
on examining coverage of the TVA
coal ash spill in Roane County and
“Newsgatherers and Gatekeepers.”
ETSPJ has planned a reception,
including live music, in the evening at
the East Tennessee History Center.
On Saturday, April 10, ETSPJ will
be host to the SPJ Region 12 Spring
Conference.
Sessions in the morning will be
“Covering Race in the Obama Era” and
“Issues in Sports Journalism.”
Mark of Excellence Awards will
be presented at a luncheon at noon.
Reginald Stuart, formerly with The
Tennessean, Nashville, a former
national SPJ president and now with
McClatchy Newspapers, will be the
keynote speaker.
The afternoon sessions will be
“Handling Health Stories” and “Social
Media Ethics.”
Details about both conferences are at
www.etspj.org.
On May 15, ETSPJ will hold its annual
Golden Press Card awards banquet.
It is set for Saturday, May 15, at The
Foundry on World’s Fair Park Drive
in Knoxville.
A reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. and
dinner at 6:15 p.m.
ETSPJ will present awards to print,
broadcast and online winners from the
East Tennessee area. The major awards
are the Golden Press Card Award (best
of show) and the Horace V. Wells Jr.
Public Service Award.
The speaker will be Hagit Limor, an
investigative reporter with WCPO-TV in
Cincinnati, president-elect of SPJ.
Find details about the banquet at www.
goldenpresscard.wordpress.com.
Then, on Monday, May 17, ETSPJ will
sponsor a national SPJ program on
freedom of information. “Access Across
America FOI Training” will be led by
David Cuillier, assistant professor of
journalism at the University of Arizona,
Tucson.
It will be held from 7:30 to 9:45 p.m.
Monday, May 17, at the Communications
Building on Volunteer Drive at the
University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
Details are available at www.etspj.
org.
The final 2009-10 ETSPJ event is Front
Page Follies, which yearly honors an
East Tennessee journalist and which
pokes fun at newsmakers of the past
year.
This year’s honoree will be Gene
Patterson of WATE-TV, a long time
reporter and anchor.
The Follies will take place on Saturday,
July 24, in Knoxville. Watch www.
frontpagefollies.com for further
information.
The ETSPJ year runs from Aug.
1 through July 31. Mia Rhodarmer,
editor and publisher of The Advocate
& Democrat, Sweetwater, is serving her
second term as president.
The late Alberta Brewer, a journalist
from Norris, was honored at the
March 25 meeting of ETSPJ, held in
conjunction with the University of
Tennessee Women’s Coordinating
Council. Her husband was Carson
Brewer, a columnist with the Knoxville
News-Sentinel.
Amanda Womac of Hellbender
Press arranged the program, which
examined gender issues in journalism.
Moderator was Cynthia Moxley of
Moxley Carmichael, a public relations
firm in Knoxville, and a former
newspaper journalist. Panelists were
Jean Ash, a former reporter with
WIVK/WNOX Radio; Georgiana Vines,
political columnist with the News
Sentinel, Knoxville, and lecturer at
the UT-K School of Journalism and
Electronic Media; Jigsha Desai, online
editor at the News Sentinel; and Erin
Donovan, reporter at WBIR-TV.
SPJ recommends census resources
TheSocietyof ProfessionalJournalists
has compiled a list of some resources
that newspaper people can use to
support stories about the 2010 census.
These include the Pew Research
Center’s The All Things Census page,
which also links to many other sites and
organizations that are posting census
information that could be helpful to
journalists.
Check out this and other resources
for statistics and story ideas at www.
spj.org.
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
5
OBITUARIES
James Allen
Former newspaper owner
James Allen, former owner of the
Herald & Tribune, Jonesborough, died
Jan. 25 at his home. He was 81.
A native of Wetumpka, Ala., Allen had
lived in Johnson City since 1954.
He was a businessman in other
areas, having owned and operated
Griffith Motors until 1984, having
formed Southeastern Tile Distributors
and being a founder of Emersons
Restaurants which had one time had
43 restaurants in 16 states.
Former business partner Bill Breeden,
who was once co-owner of the Herald
& Tribune with Allen, described him
as “a fine person.” The two met when
they were members of the same Sunday
school class at Central Baptist Church
in Johnson City. Breeden, who sold
advertising for the Johnson City PressChronicle, also remembers calling on
Allen at his car dealership.
“One day I was there, and somebody
came in and laid a copy of the Herald
& Tribune on his desk. I said, ‘Boy, I’d
really like to own that newspaper.’ He
looked at me and said, ‘OK, why don’t
we buy it?’”
It wasn’t long after that, Breeden said,
the pair approached then-owner Tim
Pridgen, who sold the paper to them. The
two co-owned the Herald & Tribune from
1961 until 1970 when Breeden bought out
Allen and became the sole owner.
Allen was involved in various civic
organizations and was an integral part
of the establishment of ETSU Medical
School and the ETSU Allen Family
Scholarship.
Eunice M. Clark
Retired publisher, editor
Eunice Mitchell Clark, who followed
her father into the newspaper business,
died March 7 at her home in Fulton, Ky.
She was 87.
When she retired, she was publisher
and editor of the Fulton Daily Leader.
She was the sister of the late W. Bryant
Williams, editor emeritus of The ParisPost-Intelligencer at his death. She was
the daughter of William Percy Williams
and Lucy Cowan Williams and was
born in Florence, Ala. before the family
moved to Paris.
She was a 1940 Grove High School
graduate in Henry County and earned
a degree from Whitworth College in
Brookhaven, Miss. After that, she
went into newspaper work. She was
the author of a human interest column
called “Small Talk.” For several years
she also penned a genealogical column
called “Kentucky Kin.”
In 1955, she became editor of the
Fulton Daily Leader. Advancing at the
business, she became publisher in 1977.
She retired in 1985.
She was married March 18, 1942 to
Vyron Mitchell Sr., who preceded her in
death. She was later married on Dec. 30,
1984 to Virgil B. Clark, who died in 2001.
Clark was active in her church, First
United Methodist in Fulton, and in the
Cokebury Sunday school class. She was
a past president of the United Methodist
Women and served on various board
and commissions.
She was a member of the Daughters
of the American Revolution, a charter
member and regent of Jacob Flourney
chapter, and a member and past
president of Fulton Women’s Club. She
was a teacher of several Sunday school
classes for more than 40 years.
She leaves three sons, Vyron Mitchell
Jr. of Newbern, William Mitchell of
Shelbyville and John Mitchell of St.
Marys, Ga.; three daughters, Mary
Elizabeth Prehm and Rebecca Allen,
both of Paris, and Cindy Rodenberger
of Ringgold, Ga.; a stepdaughter,
Amy Grassham of Pleasant View;
one brother, C. Ernest Williams of
Kennewick, Wash.; a sister, Jeane
Hermann of Lisle, Ill.; 22 grandchildren,
44 great-grandchildren and three greatgreat-grandchildren.
Her son William Mitchell is general
manager of the Shelbyville TimesGazette.
She also was preceded in death by four
brothers, Percy, James C., W. Bryant
and H. Lee Williams, and two greatgrandchildren, John Scott Wheeler and
Molly Irene Mitchell.
Gillie Hughes
Worked in printing
Newton Gilmore (Gillie) Hughes,
longtime employee of The DemocratUnion, Lawrenceburg, died Jan. 3. He
was 77.
He worked almost 42 years in printing
and production, beginning in 1964 and
ending when he retired in 2005.
In a feature story about Allen when
he retired, the Ethridge native recalled
his childhood and family activities and
attending the Tennessee School for the
Deaf in Knoxville for 13 years until
graduating in 1952.
In 1975, he received an award from
Gov. Ray Blanton as Outstanding
Handicapped Citizen of Lawrence
County.
He leaves three sisters.
Bonnie Sanders
Former columnist
Bonnie Mary Sanders, for mer
community columnist, died Feb. 17.
She was 93.
She was known for her “Pea Ridge
Rambler” column in The Lake County
Banner, Tiptonville, and the Union City
Daily Messenger.
An Elbridge native, she was the widow
of James Ezra Sanders, who died in 1986.
She was involved in many community
and church activities.
She leaves two daughters, eight
g r a n d ch i l d re n a n d 1 0 g re at grandchildren.
Dennis Sloan
Former printer
Robert Dennis Sloan, who had an
extensive career as a printer, died Feb.
25 at his home in South Carthage. He
was 79.
He was employed with the Carthage
Courier for 17 years and later with The
Lebanon Democrat for 19 years.
He was a member of Pleasant Shade’s
Upper Cumberland Presbyterian
Church, was a veteran and a Mason.
He leaves his wife, the former Gladys
Andrews, whom he married July 7,
1953.
Susan E. Tifft
Journalist and author
Susan Elizabeth Tifft, nationally
known journalist and author and the
wife of former Greeneville Sun Editor
Alex S. Jones, died Thursday morning
(April 1) at her residence in Cambridge,
Mass. She was 59.
Ms. Tifft had been battling serious
cancer since the summer of 2007.
She was a frequent visitor to
Greeneville over the years, and has many
friends in this community in addition
to her in-laws, including Sun Publisher
John M. Jones and Mrs. Jones, and other
members of the Jones family.
Ms. Tifft was for almost 10 years a
national writer and associate editor
with Time magazine, and during her
career had published articles in a wide
variety of leading U.S. newspapers and
magazines.
She and Jones co-authored two
acclaimed biographical works about
family newspaper dynasties: The
Patriarch: The Rise and Fall of the
Bingham Dynasty and The Trust: The
Private and Powerful Family Behind
The New York Times.
The Patriarch focused on the
communications enterprises of the
Barry Bingham Sr. family of Louisville,
Ky., and The Trust profiled Adolph Ochs
and his descendants, who have owned
and operated The New York Times
since 1896.
The Trust was a finalist for the National
Book Circle Award for biography.
In addition, Ms. Tifft was for a decade
the Eugene C. Patterson Professor of
the Practice of Journalism and Public
Policy Studies at Duke University.
In 2009 she was honored by Duke
with the creation of the Susan Tifft
Undergraduate Teaching/Mentoring
Award.
Ms. Tifft was preceded in death by her
parents: Austin and Elizabeth Tifft, of
Fairlee, Vt.
Survivors include, besides her
husband and her mother-in-law and
father-in-law: a sister and brother-inlaw: Sara Tifft and Ray Victurine, of
Bainbridge Island, Wash.; a brother
and sister-in-law: Douglas Tifft and
Bonnie MacAdam, of Fairlee, Vt.; two
sisters-in-law and their spouses: Edith
Jones Floyd and William Stephen
Floyd, of Atlanta, and Sarah Jones
Harbison and Steven K. Harbison, of
Greeneville; two brothers-in-law and
their spouses: John M. Jones Jr. and
his wife, Helena Z. Jones, and Gregg K.
Jones and his wife, Katharine M. Jones,
all of Greeneville.
There will be a memorial service at
11 a.m. on Friday, April 23, at Memorial
Church at Harvard.
Memorials may be made to
CaringBridge.org in her name at
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/
susantifft, or to the Susan E. Tifft
Fund for Teaching and Mentorship at
Duke University’s Sanford School of
Public Policy.
Gifts for the fund at Duke should be
sent to Bruce Kuniholm, Dean, Sanford
School of Public Policy, Duke University,
Durham, NC 27708-0239.
(The Greeneville Sun,
April 2, 2010)
Evelyn Tuttle
Longtime employee
Evelyn Tuttle, a longtime employee
with The Gallatin Examiner and The
Sumner County News, died Dec. 24.
She was 70.
The Gallatin native was an activist
in the restoration and preservation
of Rose Mont, an 1800s Greek revival
house that was the home of Josephus
Conn Guild.
Annie Willingham
Former columnist
A n n i e L e e B a u e r Fe r g u s o n
Willingham, who wrote the news of
the Wooley Springs community, died
Jan. 22. She was 87.
“She brought her news by the office on
Mondays, always ready with a smile,”
said an article in Your Community
Shopper, Ardmore, for which she wrote
more than 40 years.
She was preceded in death by two
husbands, R.L. Ferguson and the
Rev. George Taylor Willingham. She
leaves two sons, Robert Lee and Ray
Ferguson; a daughter, Anita Faulkner;
three grandchildren and six greatgrandchildren.
REWRITES
APRIL 1960
Lee S. Anderson, editor of the
Chattanooga News-Free Press, won
a Freedoms Foundation award, the
George Washington Honor Medal, for
his editorial titled “Do We Pay Lip
Service to Honor?”.
The mayor of Union City ordered
police records opened to the Daily
Messenger after Ed S. Critchlow,
owner and publisher, said at a City
Commission meeting that the police
department was suppressing records.
Across the state, one of the top stories
was about snowfall during March. Some
newspapers experienced delays due
to lost electricity and the difficulty of
delivering newspapers in the snow.
The Carroll County Democrat,
Huntingdon, offered free prizes to
readers who guessed closest to the 1960
census population count.
The Millington Star was being
studied in the community newspaper
management course taught by
Al Westland at Memphis State
University.
MAY 1960
Don Whitehead, a two-time Pulitzer
Prize winner for news reporting, was
to speak at the TPA summer convention
in Gatlinburg. Having returned to
Tennessee, he was a columnist for The
Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Adolph Shelby Ochs retired as
treasurer and a member of the board
of directors of the Times Printing Co.,
parent of The Chattanooga Times. Ochs
was the nephew of Adoph S. Ochs,
former publisher of the Times and The
New York Times.
Planning and zeal are needed to
sell advertising successfully, Tutt S.
Bradford of the Maryville-Alcoa Times
told attendees at a regional ad clinic.
Guy Easterly, president of the
Tennessee Press Service, wrote about
a newspaper tour he, Glenn E. McNeil,
TPA secretary-manager, Joe Williams
and Merritt Creager made to see what
newspapers were doing and what they
could learn from them. In two days they
visited fifteen cities.
Gregg K. Jones became co-publisher
of The Greeneville Sun, which he joined
in 1972.
The TPAF and the Penney-Missouri
Awards program presented a family
lifestyle seminar in Nashville. Tom
Hill, publisher of The Oak Ridger, Oak
Ridge, was chairman of the workshop
committee.
Carson Brewer retired as columnistreporter at The Knoxville News-Sentinel
after a 40-year career. Sam Venable,
outdoor editor of the News-Sentinel,
succeeded Brewer as columnist.
Alex Haley, Pulitzer Prize-winning
author, was appointed an adjunct
professor of journalism and American
studies at UT-K.
TPS’s Statewide Classifieds program
had a successful first year, TPS Assistant
Director Don Campbell said.
MAY 1985
APRIL 1985
The Nashville Banner established
scholarships at UT-K, Publisher Irby
Simpkins Jr. announced.
Nancy Petrey, co-publisher of The
Newport Plain Talk and chairman
of the Journalism Committee, was
named to the search committee for
a new dean of the UT College of
Communications.
Roy McDonald, chairman of the
Chattanooga Printing Co. and publisher
of the Chattanooga News-Free Press, was
honored by the Newspaper Classified
Advertising Managers. He received the
James McGovern Award.
The Southern Standard, McMinnville,
launched a free advertising program
SEE REWRITES, PAGE 6
CMYK
The Tennessee Press
20
CMYK
Newspapers in education, testing
Teachers, all through the year, have incredible
these timed practice tests.
demands on their time. One of their biggest
Newspaper articles also can be used to teach
challenges is state testing and other end-of-the“cause and effect.” Students can read an article
year tests.
and then list the cause and effect for its main
This spring, teachers are teaching lessons,
topic.
reviewing units and preparing for these tests
The comics are an excellent resource
feared by many students and parents.
for teaching sequencing skills and other
Newspapers In Education can be a valuable
communications skills.
resource during the preparation time for testing.
Students learn best when they are motivated
They are not just for “free reading” in the
and the topics they are studying are interesting
NIE
classroom and between tests.
and relevant to their lives. Using newspapers
Newspapers In Education programs offer NIE
CURRENTS in the classrooms provide some of the best and
activities that teachers can use to review the core
timely resources.
subjects. Many newspaper activities can be quick
The benefits of an NIE program go far beyond
Lu Shep Baldwin providing
and student-directed.
a supplemental resource for teachers,
Teachers and parents can access numerous NIE
parents and students. Studies from the University
curriculum materials from the Tennessee Press Association’s of Minnesota and the Newspaper Association of America
NIE curriculum at www.tnpress.com (click “NIE”). Another Foundation have shown that students who consistently use
valuable Web site is www.naafoundation.org (click “NIE”). newspapers in the classroom score significantly higher on
So much of today’s testing deals with students’ ability to standardized tests and develop stronger thinking skills.
think critically about a situation. The newspaper is packed
Newspapers should not be overlooked or eliminated as
with current events that deal with issues in the community, teachers prepare students for testing. Moreover, newspapers
state, nation and world.
should be a part of every student’s life. Newspapers inform,
Teachers can incorporate current events by giving students educate and, on occasion, infuriate us. They offer perspectives
time to choose an article from the newspaper to discuss. and challenge readers to form opinions. They are simply a
Teachers can open the floor to discussions and debate about part of who we are and where we live.
the article. To discuss critically real-life situations is a great
NIE programs should encourage teachers and parents to
way to exercise a student’s mind. Newspaper editorials incorporate their community newspaper, a “living textbook,”
and political or editorial cartoons also can improve critical in the classroom and at home on a daily basis.
thinking skills. Students can write their own editorials or
For more ideas on how to use the newspaper as a teaching
create their own political or editorial cartoons.
tool or for more information on Newspapers In Education
Many children, as well as adults, “freeze” when it comes programs, contact Lu Shep Baldwin at (423) 506-5980 or lushep.
to taking tests. So, as with anything else, practice makes [email protected].
perfect. Again, the newspaper can be used by having the
students take timed tests by reading articles and answering LU SHEP BALDWIN is director of education services for
questions in a set amount of time. Teachers can use the Jones Media.
questions “Who, What, When, Where, Why and How” for
School board limits on cameras must fail
The Crockett County school board
has a policy that amounts to a ban on
cameras at its meetings. The policy
certainly goes against the spirit of
the state’s Sunshine Law and quite
possibly violates the law and the state
constitution.
With one sentence in its policy
manual, the school board shuts down
photography or videography of its
meetings, apparently because it does
not want the public to see how it handles
potentially embarrassing situations.
The policy states: “No one shall
bring a camera, camcorder or other
photographic equipment to board
meetings without the consent of the
board.”
The board enforced the ban last week
when it met to accept the resignation of
Harold “Stan” Black as superintendent.
Black is charged with patronizing a
prostitute in Nashville. At the beginning
of its meeting, the board heard a request
from a representative of WBBJ-TV to
bring video equipment into the meeting
room. The board did not even give the
station the courtesy of a vote on its
request, showing that the idea of board
consent for photography is a sham.
Our photographer arrived soon after
the meeting began and was merely told
by a security guard that photography
was not allowed.
Eddie Whitby, acting superintendent,
told us later that the policy was adopted
based on information from the state
School Boards Association, which
the system relies on to make sure its
policies are legal and up to date.
Frank Gibson, executive director
of the Tennessee Coalition for Open
Government, said the policy is based
on an opinion issued by the state
attorney general in the mid-1990s. That
opinion said a proposal to ban cameras
at meetings of the Bells Board of
Aldermen would be constitutional.
Several newspapers objected to that
ruling, and the attorney general later
rescinded the opinion. Another opinion
was issued that said the Bells proposal
would probably not fall within the
state constitution or the state’s open
meetings law, Gibson said.
The state School Boards Association
sends out model policies to school
boards across the state and bases
its recommendation on cameras at
meetings on the first opinion from
the attorney general, Gibson said. It
ignores the second ruling, he said.
The Jackson-Madison County
School Board considered the policy
recommended by the state School
Boards Association last year but wisely
let the matter drop.
Allowing cameras in public meetings
is a reasonable extension of the state’s
Sunshine Law. People should be able
to see their elected officials in action
through still or video photography.
The presumption should be that
photography is allowed at all times. If
there are concerns about photography
causing disruption, we and other
media outlets have been more than
cooperative in taking steps to address
those concerns.
The Crockett County school board
should rescind its ban on cameras,
as should any other school board
that took the bad advice of the state
School Boards Association. The
association should revise its policy
recommendation.
Failure to do so would be a disservice
to the entire state and the principle of
open government.
(The Jackson Sun, March 14, 2010)
APRIL 2010
School of Journalism plans
big changes in fall 2010
BY ANDREW PURYEAR
tnjn.com
The School of Journalism and
Electronic Media is one of the fastest
growing majors at UT-K and is also
involved in an industry that is ever
changing and always adapting to more
efficient ways of reporting.
Given that, it is no wonder that when
classes become out of date and are in
need of a facelift, the department heads,
including Director Dr. Peter Gross, see
to it. This is the case for the 2010-2011
catalog school year.
To keep up with the industry, the
department has altered the courses
offered and the content in the courses to
better suit the relevant skills needed to
succeed in the media job market.
“The new courses that were introduced
put additional emphasis on convergence,
understanding the business of media
and reemphasizing the need for basic
skills and ethics,” Gross said.
All of the converted courses are now
the ones that will be in place in the
following academic year. If a student is
planning on retaking one of the previous
courses, they cannot retake it under the
same course name and number, but must
take the new equivalent.
Gross states that the new curriculum,
“has added flexibility and, in fact, is
intended to educate a more flexible
graduate who can keep pace with
the changes in the media and in
journalism’s delivery.”
The following are the course
changes:
JEM 222 Online Journalism to
be converted to JEM 230 Media
Reporting
JEM 236 Foundations of Video
Production to be converted to JEM 250
Visual Communication
JEM 275 Introduction to Journalism
& Electronic Media to be converted
to JEM 175 Principles and History of
Journalism and Media
JEM 280 Communication Graphics
to be converted to JEM 380 Media
Graphics
JEM 290 Photojournalism
to be conver ted to JEM 390
Photojournalism
JEM 311 Electronic News Writing
and Reporting as well as JEM 315
Print and Web News Writing are both
to be combined to JEM 230 Media
Reporting
JEM 457 Media and Society as well
as JEM 465 Media and Diversity are
both to be combined to JEM 466 Media,
Diversity and Society
JEM 485 Media Management to
be converted to JEM 499 Media and
Business and Future of Journalism.
(March 1, 2010)
UTJEM offers teachers’ workshop
The University of Tennessee School of
Journalism and Electronic Media will
hold a “Going Online” for high school
and middle school teachers.
It is set for April 26.
The workshop is for high school and
middle school teachers who want to take
their publications online or who want
to start news Web sites at their schools.
In addition to some instruction, it will
offer the schools a version of the content
management system that runs the
Tennessee Journalist (www.tnjn.com)
at no cost, as well as server space and
site maintenance at no cost. The Web
site for the workshop is www.jprof.com/
iconn/events/goingonline10.html.
This will be the beginning of the
Interscholastic Online News Network
(ISONN), son of the Intercollegiate
Online News Network (ICONN).
Registration for the workshop is $15.
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
21
WORTH REPEATING
Public notice publication must be independent, verifiable, accessible
There’s a movement afoot in Nashville
to allow local governments to meet
public notice requirements merely
by posting those notices on their own
Web sites.
If you talk to proponents of such
legislation you’ll most often hear
statements regarding the cost of placing
public notices in newspapers of general
circulation, “creating an unnecessary
drain on public finances.”
Those were the words of Murfreesboro
City Attorney Susan McGannon, who
recently went on to say that “many local
governments have established a Web
site that is accessible day and night and
affords a more effective and economical
means to inform the public …”
We would question whether such
municipal Web sites are as prolific as
McGannon maintains, whether they
are more economical, as well as whether
they are more effective in serving the
public interest than the local newspaper
of record.
Publishing legal notices in a manner
that is accessible to every citizen is not
an expense issue, but a public service
issue. The spirit of legislation within
the Tennessee Code with regard to
mandated public notices is to ensure
that citizens can readily find the
information they need to be active
participants in civic affairs. Many
legal notice statutes outside of public
meeting notices are also in place to
protect consumers.
At least one state attorney general
opinion has noted, publication of such
information must be accessible in
“a paper to which the general public
resorts in order to be informed of the
news of the day, thus making it more
probable that legal notices will be
brought to the attention of the general
public.”
Is a citizen aware of a public offense
that needs the attention of the grand
jury? Then he or she will look to the
publication that reports on the grand
jury to see when it next meets and apply
to be heard.
Is a voter concerned about how
taxpayer money is being spent? Then
that voter will look to the publication
that reports on county and city
governments to determine when those
bodies meet, as well as how taxpayer
money is being spent by way of the
published budget.
Is a citizen looking to vote in the
general election and wants to know who
is running for what public office? That
voter will then look to the publication
that regularly reports on general
elections.
The spirit of the Sunshine Law is to
ensure transparency in government.
The occasional lack of transparency
is the very reason such laws exist,
and allowing those institutions to
police themselves runs counter to the
understanding and need of public
notice statutes. Only publications
that are independent of governmental
intrusion can effectively provide
citizens with the means to monitor
gover nment perfor mance. And
government officials should make no
mistake: It is the same citizenry that
monitors our performance.
Newspapers provide a more effective,
reliable, independent and accessible
means of providing public notices. We
don’t doubt there are certain benefits
to online publication; in fact, most
newspapers today are actively involved
in that arena. However, it is because
we are actively involved that we are
well aware of that arena’s expense and
limitations.
For instance, we have learned that
there are online readers who will never
pick up a print product, and there are
print readers who cannot afford to
maintain regular online access. Some
of the very citizens our public officials
represent cannot afford a computer,
much less online access.
Frank Gibson, executive director
for the Tennessee Coalition for Open
Government, recently summed the
situation up quite well:
“Our position on that is the only way
to protect the public on such things
as public notice is for it to be on an
independent, verifiable and dependable
medium.”
Gibson goes on to ask, “How does
the public verify that something was
posted when it was supposed to be? If
it’s on the government Web site, how
is the government going to prove that
it was there?”
Gibson also noted that a recent survey
showed that more than a third of the city
governments in Tennessee do not even
have Web sites, while those sites that
are available fall short when it comes
to providing updated information
Those are valid concerns, but there
is another, possibly greater, concern
in that having equal access to public
information should not be a class
privilege. Allowing governments to
meet legal notice requirements by
publishing only online potentially
eliminates access to information for
an entire class of citizens: Those who
cannot afford to be part of the digital
culture.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau,
in 2007 an estimated 12 percent of the
Blount County population lived below
the poverty level; in Tennessee, 15.8
percent of the population lived below
the poverty line.
It’s safe to say that those who are living
in poverty are more likely to be able to
share in the cost of a newspaper than
an iMac and online access, but they
are not alone.
Lest government officials who are
concerned with public expenses have
forgotten, it’s not just municipalities
who are struggling economically: Senior
citizens often have to cut nonessential
expenses such as online access and the
one in 10 who are currently jobless in
this state are having to make difficult
decisions as well.
Those are the very citizens who
oftentimes need public information
the most.
(The Daily Times, Maryville,
Feb. 11, 2010)
Don’t change spirit of state Sunshine Law
The late state Rep. John Bragg
sponsored the Tennessee Open Meetings
Act or Sunshine Law in 1974 requiring
that most meetings of state and local
government be open to the public. As
part of that, governments were required
to start giving adequate public notice
about government meetings.
Murfreesboro Mayor Tommy Bragg
should remember the impact his
father had on open meetings and open
records and carry that legacy forward.
Otherwise, Murfreesboro would return
public information to the Dark Ages.
Murfreesboro officials want the state
legislature to alter the Sunshine Law
and allow it to post legal and meeting
notices only on its Web site and stop
putting them in a local newspaper.
The city has paid to post notices in The
Daily News Journal and Murfreesboro
Post, but now it wants to eliminate
that expense.
We appreciate the attempt at frugality.
But a price tag can’t be placed on
transparency and public information,
and that is where the city’s efforts
should lie.
Too many people, primarily senior
citizens and the poor, don’t have access
to computers and would be left in the
dark, never knowing if a key issue
regarding their neighborhood or
taxes was scheduled to come up for a
vote. They’re more likely to be able to
afford a newspaper than a computer
and Internet connection.
Although we don’t doubt the quality
of the city’s Web site and agree that
notices should run there, public
notices also should be published
in a third-party publication that
maintains independence from the local
government. Suppose the information
disappears from the Web site into
cyberspace and nobody updates it. The
people will be left out of the loop.
But once in print, it stays in print, and
people can go back and verify it.
In addition, only about a third of
Tennessee’s municipalities maintain
Web sites that are updated consistently,
and changing state law to serve them
alone would be detrimental to the free
flow of information.
This proposal flies in the face of
what our local government should be
doing. We understand that times are
tough and costs must be reduced. But
instead of looking for ways to skimp
on public information, the city should
be trying to put public notices in front
of more people.
Elected officials certainly have no
problem trying to reach out to people
when they’re running campaigns. The
philosophy should be no different when
it comes to public notices.
CMYK
The Tennessee Press
4
Open records, open meetings and
public notices are the foundation of the
Sunshine Law, yet city officials want to
chip away at something that is vital to
the heart of democratic government.
Mayor Bragg should know this better
than anyone because his father built his
political career on it. (Incidentally, they
were both in the newspaper business.)
The Murfreesboro City Council
should reverse course on this issue
and resolve to do an even better job of
posting legal ads and public notices to
serve the public for which it works.
(The Daily News Journal,
Murfreesboro, Feb. 12, 2010)
Bill would stifle public notice
RICHARD EDWARDS | THE DAILY POST-ATHENIAN, ATHENS
Adults and children alike in Athens celebrated
Newspapers in Education Week the first week in March,
as well as participating in additional activities all month
long. Gathered at The Daily Post-Athenian, Athens,
were some students, from left, front row, Kennedy
Garrett and Tayla Scruggs, fifth graders at North City
Elementary School, Morgan Blevins and Lucas Bayes,
third graders at Ingleside; and some adults, back row,
Athens Mayor Hal Buttram, McMinn County Mayor
John Gentry, NIE teacher Lori Harbison of the McMinn
County Career and Technical Education Center, NIE
teacher Jill McDonald from North City, NIE teacher
Carol Padgett from Ingleside and NIE Coordinator Lu
Shep Balwin.
A series of bills filed in the Tennessee
General Assembly would take publicnotice advertising out of newspapers
and leave them to government Web
sites.
Such bills should never become law.
Newspapers perform a vital watchdog
role in publishing such notices, and the
public shouldn’t have to rely solely on
the government for information about
its activities.
“A lot of people across the state still get
their news from newspapers,’’ says Sen.
Jim Kyle, D-Memphis. He voted no in the
Judiciary Committee Tuesday to a bill by
Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, that
says the publication requirement for a
proposed constitutional amendment
is satisfied if it is posted on the official
Web site of the secretary of state or
of the General Assembly in a timely
fashion.
The committee approved the bill,
amending it to say the secretary of
state must issue a press release about
the proposed amendment to newspapers
statewide. The bill moved to the Senate
Finance Committee.
“When there is a constitutional
amendment proposed or a foreclosure
notice going out, there ought to
be written notice and a full text
provided,” Kyle said. “We’re shirking
our responsibility to the public when
we do otherwise.’’
Proponents of the bill say a 2006 ruling
by the Tennessee Supreme Court allows
for public notices to go out without
having to be advertised.
In that case, the court ruled that a
lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties
Union failed to establish injury due to
the short notice given for a proposed
constitutional amendment to ban
same-sex marriage. Voters rejected the
measure that November.
“A minimum notice shouldn’t be the
standard,’’ Kyle says. “An accurate
notice should be the standard.’’
That should also be the case whether
the public notice is about a proposed
constitutional amendment or whether
a city council would control the Web
site announcing public meetings or
even court clerks issuing notices about
such things as foreclosures only over
the Internet.
“When a public notice is given in print,
it is verifiable,’’ says Frank Gibson,
executive director of the Tennessee
Coalition for Open Government. “You
can always go back and look at ... a
newspaper, but there’s no way to go
back and see for sure that a notice has
been posted on the Web site. It could
have been hacked.’’
Proponents of Kelsey’s bill say the
state could save about $24,000 a year
by posting notices online only, but it
also costs money to operate Web sites.
And while the Internet is fast, who is
to say notices will be posted in time
for the public to have input and attend
government meetings?
This is not just about newspapers and
transparency; it’s also about consumer
protection when it comes to whether
a clerk has posted information about
a foreclosure in time for the owner to
possibly save a home.
As Kyle told fellow Senate Judiciary
members Tuesday, government officials
shouldn’t be trying to make it harder for
the public to get information but doing
all they can to make it easier.
(The Tennessean, Nashville,
Feb. 12, 2010)
APRIL 2010
Prepare your newspaper for the iPad
BY KEVIN SLIMP
TPS technology director
Keeping in mind that I wrote about
the rumored tablet device by Apple
three months ago, it was with some
satisfaction that I listened to Steve Job’s
announcement concerning the iPad on
Jan. 27. As I visited with attendees at
newspaper conferences in Minnesota,
Iowa and Tennessee, the interest in the
new device was evident as one publisher
after another approached me to get my
opinion on its potential effect on the
newspaper industry.
Rumors concerning the iPad were a
favorite topic of technophiles over the
past few months. Little did I know that
the announcement would generate the
excitement that it did. As I peruse the
list of iPad features, I feel a strange sense
of excitement and fear at the same time.
Let me explain.
While researching material for my
previous column, I was struck by the
response of one expert who responded
to my question about a possible Apple
device by saying, “Look, a unicorn!”
He was referring, of course, to the
inability of any device to live up to the
mountain of hype. Rumors hinted at
a gadget that would combine a high
definition TV, along with a computer
and phone. In addition, all magazines,
newspapers, books and other printed
materials could be viewed on the
large screen with the click of a button.
And Internet connection wouldn’t
be a concern. The tablet would have
continual access to the Internet. No
need to log in to an Internet provider.
And the battery would stay charged for
days at a time.
It looks like some of the hype
was prophetic. Streaming video and
television will be available. So will
books, magazines and newspapers.
Plus, users will be able to browse the
Internet. And with a battery life up to
10 hours, my flying friends won’t be
roaming through airports like zombies
in search of some place to charge their
computer batteries.
Critics cite some of the iPad’s
“deficiencies.” Without a USB port,
there’s no apparent way to transfer
files between computers and iPads.
Apple’s continued alliance with AT&T
drew boos from some of the audience
at the unveiling. Possibly the biggest
Apple’s iPad
criticism relates to the iPad’s inability
to play Flash files, a staple for online
ads on newspaper sites.
At an Apple employee gathering after
the iPad launch, Jobs said, “Apple does
not support Flash because it is so buggy.
Whenever a Mac crashes, more often
than not it’s because of Flash. No one
will be using Flash. The world is moving
to HTML5.”
OK. That’s another conversation
for another day. But I will say this.
When Apple added the Firewire port,
I thought they were crazy. Boy, was I
wrong about that.
So, I’ve been getting e-mails from
publishers wanting to know what I
think of the iPad. They want to know
what effect it will have on our industry.
Obviously, I don’t know for sure. But I
can tell you what I think.
This first edition of the iPad probably
won’t be a game changer. I don’t expect
most newspapers will rush to get their
publications on an iPad. However, just
as Apple revolutionized the music
industry, it doesn’t seem too much of
a stretch to see how future versions
of this device could revolutionize the
publishing world. As the screen gets a
little larger, new technology emerges
to enhance the iPad experience and
applications abound, I could see the
iPad, or something like it, changing the
way many of us produce newspapers.
I’m excited about the opportunities
we’ll have to create new revenue
streams and enhance the distribution
of our papers. On the other hand, I
worry about competition coming out
of the woodwork. Most people wouldn’t
have any idea how to get a newspaper
printed and distributed to the masses.
Creating a publication and getting it
on the iPad will be much easier. That
part of it concerns me, as it should
concern you.
That’s one reason I would strongly
suggest that you prepare your
newspaper for the release of the iPad.
When it appears in the near future,
the iPad will be everywhere. Instead
of reading newspapers or working on
computers in airports, I believe we’ll
see people reading on the iPad . . . or
something like it.
Having said that, I fully expect my
e-mail to be filled with readers who
disagree. Heck, I’m not even sure if I
agree with myself.
It is hard to ignore something that
happened on Facebook recently. I posted
a question related to the new iPad. So far,
negative responses outweigh positive
responses five to one.
Mark my words. One way or another,
the iPad is going to change things. You
might want to get in line behind me to
get one when they’re released in the
near future. This is one technological
leap you don’t want to miss.
CMYK
Print, online newspapers must complement each other
BY KEVIN SLIMP
TPS technology director
As I visit with publishers in Tennessee
and other states, the discussion often
turns to the future of our industry. It’s
impossible to ignore all the pessimistic
news over the past two years. Such was
the case when I had a conversation with
a friend in January sharing her concern
for the future of print media with the
growth of online journalism.
Then I remembered a group of
newspapers based in the small town
of Prescott, Ontario. With a decrease
in the number of industry-related
conferences, I’ve found myself visiting
more places like Prescott of late.
You might call Prescott, located about
an hour south of Ottawa, the epicenter
of a group of community newspapers
that serve the towns in that area. That’s
where I spent two days with Beth Morris
and the staffs of the six newspapers that
make up the Morris Group. Three of
the papers are paid circulation; three
are free.
I had dinner with the staff of the
Prescott Journal my first night in
Ontario. There was electricity in
the air as the group talked about the
new equipment waiting in the new
building we would occupy for training.
New computers, new software and
a new press all awaited editors and
designers from the six papers the next
morning.
When the training was done, I asked
Beth Morris if we could discuss
her papers. After all, while word on
the street is that newspapers are
struggling for survival, here’s a group
of newspapers that are not only
surviving, but adding facilities, staff
and soon, two new publications.
Beth shared a very simple vision
statement for the Morris Group of
newspapers: “A place where people
like to work and customers want to
support.”
She added that a key to a newspaper’s
success is its staff. “It’s important to
keep an eye toward staff. They all work
hard. They know they have secure jobs.
There is definitely a team spirit.”
She wasn’t blowing smoke. The
staff I met in Prescott was, in a word,
impressive.
We first discussed the three free
papers: The Barrhaven Independent,
The Packet (serving South Ottawa) and
Business News.
I asked about the difference in free
and paid newspapers. She noted that
both have their place, but she doesn’t
see many new paid newspapers in
the future. Her two new papers will
be free.
Beth emphasized the importance
of customer service, which keeps
advertisers returning. She noted
this was a deciding factor for many
advertisers who had several options
when it comes to print.
Eventually, I turned the topic to the
Manotick Messenger. The Messenger
is a paid weekly with a circulation of
1,100. There are two people on staff, with
the layout and production done in the
Prescott facility.
I asked if it was possible to make a
profit with a circulation of 1,100. “At
best, it’s break even,” said Beth, “but
it’s important to the people.”
When pressed she added, “This paper
is important to the thousand people
who read it. All you have to do is look
in the eyes of a parent when a child is
in the paper. Then you’ll know why we
do this.”
Playing the devil’s advocate, I pressed
even further. I wanted to know why
she even cared if there was no profit
involved.
“I care,” she said, “because I’m part
of a long chain of newspaper people.
It’s like a legacy. I’m not going to be the
one to end it.”
If you’ve followed my work very long,
you know that I was one of the first
voices urging newspapers to resist the
temptation to ignore online journalism.
And you might know that I speak on
topics related to online journalism at
schools of journalism and industryrelated events on a regular basis.
However, it’s people like Beth Morris
that give me optimism concerning the
future of our business.
Following our earlier conversation
this afternoon, my friend sent the
following email: “Don’t take my
statements earlier today as my saying
that newspapers will vanish. I don’t
think that’s the case at all. However,
I do believe that in order to maintain
survival, both the printed paper and
the online presence have to find a way
to complement each other.”
I think we might have found a point
of agreement.
MARKETPLACE
Marion County Newspapers, Inc.
seeks a dynamic publisher with a proven
track record in print and internet
advertising sales. As publisher, you
will be responsible for all aspects of
the operation. The ideal candidate will
have sound news judgment as well as
experience in managing a small staff.
Community involvement, leadership
and sales skills are a must. Our two
weekly newspapers and shopper
serve the beautiful Sequatchie Valley,
approximately one half-hour west of
Chattanooga, TN. We offer a competitive
salary/incentive plan; along with a
benefit package including paid vacation
and sick leave; group health insurance;
and a company match IRA program.
To apply, please E-MAIL a resume,
cover letter and earnings expectations
using PUBLISHER as the subject line
to [email protected]. EOE.
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
3
AD/CIRC: Achieve more with less
FORESIGHT
FROM PAGE ONE
presented at the conference luncheon.
Marsella will kick the day off with
a joint session for advertising and
circulation titled, “Four Disciplines of
Execution.” Marsella’s keynote address
will give the steps necessary to begin
executing at the highest level possible
to achieve outstanding results and goals
that are realized.
Zalabak will present a day-long
session for advertising personnel
titled, “Ad-Ucation.” The seminar
is for veteran salespeople as well
as new ad representatives. Among
the topics to be covered are selling
multiple products on a single sales
call; designing ads that get results;
prospecting, questioning, listening and
closing; product knowledge and much,
much more.
Marsella will also present “Providing
Positively Outrageous Service ‘More
or Less’:it makes all the difference,” a
session in which he will point out the
keys to delivering the highest level of
service to customers.
Circulators will also hear from James
Patterson, an attorney with Ogletree,
Deakins, Nash, Smoak and Stewart,
Nashville, on employee and contract
labor legal issues for newspapers.
Circulation sessions will include an
update on Audit Bureau of Circulations
rules changes as well as roundtable
discussions on single copy promotion
and subscription promotions.
A group dinner is planned for
those arriving early. The cost of the
meal is not covered by conference
registration.
Meeks and Lovelace are the conference
co-chairmen.
Conference registration is only $99
per person. Registration information
is available at www.tnpress.com.
The conference will be held at
the Sheraton Read House Hotel in
downtown Chattanooga, 827 Broad
St., 37402.
About the speakers: Marsella is
president and chief executive officer of
Ranger Data Technologies, a producer
of outbound call center management
systems and lead generation tools, for
newspapers throughout the United
States and Canada. Prior to joining
Ranger Data, Tony was corporate vice
president of classified advertising for
Morris Communications Co. LLC,
headquartered in Augusta, Ga. He
focused the company’s energies on
meeting the significant challenges to
newspapers in the classified segment.
He was also responsible for creating and
implementing products and programs
that increased classified revenues.
Earlier, Marsella was vice president
for marketing services at the Newspaper
Association of America (NAA) in
Vienna, Va. He coordinated and
directed the marketing activities of the
advertising department for members
and customers of NAA. He also
provided consulting to NAA member
newspapers and conducted training
programs for newspaper advertising
personnel and advertisers to help
them design and use advertising more
effectively.
Patterson focuses exclusively on
the representation of management in
labor and employment issues, with an
emphasis on preventive activity. He
also has counseled management in
discriminationlitigation,wageandhour
litigation, Americans With Disabilities
Act litigation, and has prepared and
reviewed employee handbooks. He
has extensive experience in the area
of National Labor Relations Board
representation and decertification
elections, unfair labor practice
proceedings, labor arbitrations and
collective bargaining.
In Zalabak’s 35 years in advertising,
he has held nearly every position in
newspaper advertising from trainee to
vice president. He has won numerous
national awards for promotions,
internal communication, special
sections and sales training material. In
2002, Zalabak was named Ad Director
of the Year by Suburban Newspapers
of America. He has been a presenter
for training events from New York to
California.
“I have heard Tony Marsella speak
on several occasions. He is very
knowledgeable of our industry
and a dynamic speaker,” said Jana
Thomasson, publisher of The Mountain
Press, Sevierville.
TRI-STATE CONVENTION: Time to make plans
FROM PAGE ONE
discussion
PDF workflow and other topics:
Kevin Slimp, Institute of Newspaper
Technology, Knoxville
Postal issues: Max Heath, NNA Postal
Committee chairman, Shelbyville, Ky.
Public notice, Tonda Rush, American
PressWorks, Arlington, Va.
Revenueideas,JasonTaylor,president,
Chattanooga Times Free Press
Entertainment and networking
Party at the Tunica River Park and
riverboat rides
Gala event Friday evening
Golf, tennis, clay shooting, shopping
Schedule of events
(Tentative schedule as of 3-22-10)
Wednesday, June 23
6:00 p.m. Party for early arrivals at
the Hollywood Cafe
Thursday, June 24
8:00 a.m. Multi-State Board of
Directors Breakfast
9:00 a.m. Association Board
Meetings
12 noon Tri-State Golf Tournament/
Clay Shoot/Tennis Tournament
6:00 p.m. Reception at Tunica River
Park. Enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres while
you tour the museum and take a ride on
the Tunica Queen riverboat.
Friday, June 25
7:45 a.m. Trade Show opens with
continental breakfast
8:30 a.m. Charles Overby keynote
9:00 a.m. Paid vs. Free Web Site
Model
10:15 a.m. Break in trade show area
10:45 a.m. Public notice—Tonda
Rush
11:30 a.m. Break in trade show area
12 noon Luncheon with governors
1:00 p.m. Silent auction opens
2:30 p.m. Break in trade show area
APRIL
2: Deadline for discounted registration for TPA Ad/Circ
Conference
9: 2nd Annual ETSPJ Environmental Journalism Conference, Knoxville
10: SPJ Region 12 Conference,
Knoxville
11-14: American Society of
Newspaper Editors, J.W. Marriott, Washington, D.C.
16: TPA Ad/Circ Conference, Chattanooga
MAY
8: TAPME awards luncheon,
Sheraton Hotel Down, Nashville
15: ETSPJ Golden Press Card
Reception and Awards Banquet,
5:30 p.m., The Foundry, Knoxville
17: ETSPJ and national SPJ freedom of information meeting,
7:30 p.m., Communications
Building, UT-K.
19-21: SNPA and SNA Audience
Development Conference, Embassy Suites Atlanta-Buckhead
JUNE
23-26: Tri-State Summer Convention, Harrah’s Veranda Hotel,
Tunica, Miss.
23-27: International Society
of Newspaper Editors Annual
Conference, Eastern Kentucky
University, Richmond
JULY
17: TPA State Press Contests
awards luncheon, Nashville
24: ETSPJ Front Page Follies
SEPTEMBER
15-17: Workshop for Smaller
Newspapers, Crowne Plaza
Ravinia, Atlanta, Ga.
30-Oct. 3: NNA 125th Anniversary
Celebration at the 124th Annual
Convention and Trade Show,
Omaha Hilton and Qwest Center, Omaha, Neb.
OCTOBER
7-9: 13th TPS Institute of Newspaper Technology, Knoxvville
17-19: SNPA News Industry Summit (Annual Convention), Barton
Creek Resort, Austin, Texas
Kudos
PAM LARIMER | ARKANSAS PRESS ASSOCIATION
Members of the Tri-State Convention Committee met Feb. 18 in Tunica, Miss. (From left) seated, Brooks Taylor,
Tunica Times; Robyn Gentile, TPA; Terri Cobb, APA; and Kimberly Haydu, MPA. standing, Reece Terry, MPA
president; Layne Bruce, MPA executive director; Brad Franklin, The Lexington Progress; Victor Parkins, TPA
president; Barney White, APA president; and Tom Larimer, APA executive director.
3:00 p.m. Concurrent sessions:
A. Revenue—Jason Taylor
B. Technology—Kevin Slimp
C. Future of print—Dr. Samir
Husni
4:00 p.m. Break
4:30 p.m. Various state business and
foundation board meetings
6:30 p.m. Gala event, entertainment
and live auction
Saturday, June 26
8:00 a.m. Breakfast with Cal
Thomas
9:00 a.m. Concurrent sessions:
A. Ad revenue—Jason Taylor
B. Writing coach–Jim Stasiowski
C. Postal session—Max Heath
10:00 a.m. Break
10:15 a.m. Concurrent sessions:
A. PDF workflow—Kevin Slimp
B. Writing coach continued–Jim
Stasiowski
C. Postal session—Max Heath
12 noon APA Awards Luncheon
12 noon MPA Awards Luncheon
Location
The Tri-State Convention will be
headquartered at Harrah’s Veranda
Hotel, Tunica, Miss. Hotel rates for this
convention are as follows: June 23-24,
$69 plus tax per night, and June 25-26,
$129 plus tax per night. Please use Group
Code: S06TSC0 (Tri-State Conference)
to receive the discounted rate. The
deadline for making reservations is
Monday, May 24. Reservations can
be made by calling the hotel at (866)
635-7095.
The Veranda Hotel features the
Bellissimo Spa, tennis courts, outdoor
swimming pool and a convention center
and gaming area separate from the
The first newspaper to submit Ideas
Contest entries, on Jan. 11, was The
Lauderdale County Enterprise, Ripley.
The first registration for the Ad/
Circ Conference came March 4 from
Cathy Agee, Metro Creative Graphics,
Cookeville.
Submitting the first State Press
Contests entry, on Jan. 11, was The
Lauderdale County Enterprise.
hotel. A sampling of Southern cooking
is available at Paula Dean’s restaurant
at the Harrah’s complex.
World class entertainers often
appear at the Tunica hotels. Check the
Tunica Convention & Visitors Bureau
Web site for coming attractions: www.
tunicatravel.com/entertainment/
events.
Visit www.2010TriState.com for
additional convention information,
or contact TPA at (865) 584-5761.
Registration materials will be mailed
on April 23.
CMYK
The Tennessee Press
22
APRIL 2010
Newspapers are not non-profit
(USPS 616-460)
Published quarterly 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, Jefferson City.
Greg M. Sherrill.....................................................Editor
Elenora E. Edwards.............................Managing Editor
Robyn Gentile..........................Production Coordinator
Angelique Dunn...............................................Assistant
The Tennessee Press
is printed on recycled paper
and is recyclable.
www.tnpress.com
The Tennessee Press can be read on
CMYK
OFFICIAL WEB SITE OF THE TENNESSEE PRESS ASSOCIATION
TENNESSEE PRESS ASSOCIATION
Victor Parkins, The Milan Mirror-Exchange.........................................President
Art Powers, Johnson City Press...................................................Vice President
Jeff Fishman, The Tullahoma News..............................................Vice President
Kevin Burcham, News-Herald, Lenoir City..........................................Treasurer
Greg M. Sherrill, Knoxville....................................................Executive Director
DIRECTORS
Lynn Richardson, Herald and Tribune, Jonesborough........................District 1
Jack McElroy, News Sentinel, Knoxville..............................................District 2
Chris Vass, Chattanooga Times Free Press...........................................District 3
Mike DeLapp, Herald-Citizen, Cookeville.............................................District 4
Hugh Jones, Shelbyville Times-Gazette...............................................District 5
Andrew Oppmann, The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville.............................District 6
John Finney, Buffalo River Review, Linden.........................................District 7
Brad Franklin, The Lexington Progress.................................................District 8
Joel Washburn, Dresden Enterprise.....................................................District 9
Eric Barnes, The Daily News, Memphis..............................................District 10
Tom Griscom, Chattanooga Times Free Press.......................................At large
TENNESSEE PRESS SERVICE
Pauline D. Sherrer, Crossville Chronicle..............................................President
Michael Williams, The Paris Post-Intelligencer............................Vice President
W. R. (Ron) Fryar, Cannon Courier, Woodbury......................................Director
Jeff Fishman, The Tullahoma News........................................................Director
Victor Parkins, The Milan Mirror-Exchange............................................Director
Art Powers, Johnson City Press............................................................Director
Greg M. Sherrill............................................................Executive Vice President
TENNESSEE PRESS ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION
W.R. (Ron) Fryar, Cannon Courier, Woodbury.....................................President
Gregg K. Jones, The Greeneville Sun..........................................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 Elenora E.
Edwards, (865) 457-5459; send a note to P.O. Box 502, Clinton, TN 37717-0502;
or e-mail [email protected]. The deadline for the August issue
is July 12.
Remind politicians
meetings without prior consent.
that newspapers are not non-profit
The policy has been recommended by the
As the campaign trails heat up this election year,
Tennessee School Board Association (TSBA), which
take a moment to remind every politician that walks
gets a rubber stamp by most local boards.
through the front door of your newspaper that we
Here in Milan, the board passed the absurd policy
also have an advertising department.
on first reading. Board members said other than the
For the first time ever, every employee at the
fact that TSBA recommended the policy, they wanted
Mirror-Exchange has been well schooled to
to keep board actions off of ‘You Tube’.
direct our potential lawmakers to the advertising
That’s the best and only explanation they could
department when they call the office.
come
up with.
YOUR
When they leave our newspaper, they know our
The next week, the Mirror-Exchange blasted the
rates and ad sizes, and more importantly, they PRESIDING local board and their flimsy excuses with editorials
know we expect to be included in their advertising
even considering such a ridiculous policy that
REPORTER for
budgets this spring and/or fall.
violates the spirit of the Sunshine Law and dances
Just last week, an assistant for one of the
all over our First Amendment rights.
candidates for governor called our office to Victor Parkins
“What do you have to hide?” we wrote. “This policy
schedule an appointment to chat, which we will
threatens to influence public perception of the board
always welcome.
and shed suspicion on school board meetings. You
The assistant was appalled when she was asked how much of
can’t help but ask yourself, “What are they doing that they
their advertising budget included community newspapers.
don’t want us to capture in still photographs or on video?”
“We thought you were a public service organization,” the
The school board in Milan never discussed the policy again,
assistant replied.
but we’re still hearing about it all over the state. Surprisingly
Wrong answer!
enough, several newspapers have sat idle while their local
While our salesperson explained that we are indeed a public
school boards slowly take away their freedom of the press.
service organization, she did an outstanding job making her
In March of this year, the school board in Crockett
point that we are not non-profit.
County turned away a television station and a newspaper
I don’t think the assistant had ever gotten that kind of a
for attempting to bring their cameras to cover an open
response from a community newspaper, but she seemed to
meeting. The meeting brought special attention because the
take it well after the initial shock.
superintendent of schools had just been arrested in Nashville
As expected, the gubernatorial candidate arrived an hour
for soliciting prostitution.
late the next day and got his chat, and even managed a photo
The Crockett County board refused to discuss the media’s
opportunity with a local personality.
request to bring their cameras into the meeting.
During the interview, the candidate brought up the topic
TSBA Director of Communications Steve Doremus
of advertising before I had the chance.
sidestepped the simple question when asked to explain their
Before he left, the candidate got his ink, although reduced
stance on protecting board members from having their
significantly from what we’ve given in years past. He seemed
photos taken.
appreciative and understanding to our requests and promised
In a written statement to TPA, Mr. Doremus stated that the
we would be considered in his advertising budget.
policy is legal and constitutional; does not constitute a ban on
A day or so later, a representative for a candidate running
cameras, camcorders or other photographic equipment, but
for Congress gave me this answer in writing when I asked how
is only a precondition; the policy has existed for many years;
newspapers would be included in his advertising campaign:
and is not in conflict with a Tennessee attorney general’s
“Newspapers and print media are certainly a part of our
opinions on this subject.
campaign. To my knowledge, we invited every newspaper to
Doremus wrote, “The only way that this reasonable policy
our bus tour last week. We also e-mail all of our news releases
can be considered a ban is if either the members of the Press
to the same media list, although most of the recipients
Association have unfettered camera access to Board meetings,
never open the e-mail. If there are newspapers that are not
a position which is not supported by the law, or if the Press
receiving our releases, please let me know which ones and
Association assumes that all Boards will unreasonably
we’ll try to get better contact info,” he wrote.
withhold the requested permission, an assumption history
I’m still in disbelief over this one, and I kept it on file to show
does not support. (See Crockett County decision above.)
the Congressional candidate if he ever stops by the office.
I appreciate TSBA’s timely response and cooperation they
Time will tell if we get our fair share of the pie in the 2010
give us with other matters, but I still can’t understand why
elections, but at least the candidates know where we stand.
the governing body of school boards across the state doesn’t
If you need help addressing the challenge of wrestling
want cameras in their meetings.
advertising dollars from your local candidates, our
Tennessee newspapers should write editorials and protest
advertising department at TPS has drafted four different
their local board’s policy to ban cameras from open meetings,
letters for our member newspapers to reference.
with or without prior consent.
The letters are available online at www.tnpress.com.
If school board members are afraid to have their photograph
Challenge your local school board on camera ban
published in the local newspaper, they should step down from
As president of TPA, I urge each of you to challenge a
their public office.
policy many of your local school boards have adopted that
bans bringing cameras and video equipment to open board
VICTOR PARKINS is editor of The Milan Mirror-Exchange.
July 16 awards, installation
In memory of
W. Bryant Williams,
The Paris Post-Intelligencer,
by
Elizabeth Kennedy Blackstone,
Columbia
Awards in the 2010 University of
Tennessee-Tennessee Press Association
State Press Contests will be presented
at a luncheon Friday, July 16, in the
Nashville area.
The installation of TPA’s president
for 2010-11 also will occur at the event.
Winning newspapers will be notified
by letter on May 17 of the categories in
which they will receive awards, and a
list of newspapers to receive awards will
be posted at www.tnpress.com.
Mark A. Stevens, publisher of The
Erwin Record, is chairman of the
Contests Committee and will serve as
emcee of the event.
Art Powers, publisher of the Johnson
City Press and TPA vice president for
daily newspapers, is slated to become
president. The election of officers will
be held at the TPA Business Session
during the Tri-State Press Convention
in Tunica, Miss.
Event details and registration
information will be available online by
May 21. Contact TPA at (865) 584-5761
with any questions about the upcoming
event.
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
23
More Qs from all over for TPS’s expert
BY KEVIN SLIMP
TPS technology director
HOW TO CONTACT US
Tennessee Press Association
Mail: 435 Montbrook Lane,
Knoxville, TN 37919
This month I
am covering some
more of the many
questions I receive
every month. As
usual, they came
n o t o n ly f ro m
Tennessee, but
from various other
Slimp
states.
From Becky in Iowa
Hi Kevin,
I have an SD card that was taken out
of a camera and placed in another
without first downloading the photos.
We tried using PhotoRescue (3 years
old) to retrieve the photos. We were able
to get some but most seem corrupt. Do
you have any ideas how else to retrieve
these photos? It is an 8GB card with
approximately 1,000 photos.
Dear Becky,
It sounds like you did what you could
do to get them. There are services that
normally charge $700+ to retrieve info
from drives, but that’s probably more
than you want to spend to get your photos
back. My favorite program to do this is
Klix, from JoeSoft.com. It might be worth
$30 to give it a try. Good luck! (Becky
wrote back: “Thanks Kevin! I tried Klix
and it retrieved almost all of the photos
undamaged. I downloaded it for $30, but
it’s worth it. Thanks!”)
From Victor in Tennessee
Hi, Kevin,
How can I open an InDesign CS3 file
in CS2?
Not a problem, Victor. Simply export
the file in InDesign CS3 as an InDesign
Interchange (INX) file. You will be able
to open the file in InDesign CS2, CS3 or
CS4. Now for an interesting side note.
During a trip to Minnesota recently,
someone told me they had been successful
in opening an INX file in a text editor and
changing a few numbers, which allowed
them to open the file in earlier versions
Phone: (865) 584-5761
Fax: (865) 558-8687
Web: www.tnpress.com
E-mail: (name)@tnpress.com
Those with boxes, listed
alphabetically:
Laurie Alford (lalford)
Jeanie Bell (jbell)
Pam Corley (pcorley)
Adobe Acrobat Pro includes tools for converting text
on all four plates to the black plate only.
of InDesign than usual. Normally, an
INX file can only be opened in versions
of InDesign one number lower than
the version it was exported from. This
morning, I opened a file in InDesign CS4,
exported it as an INX file, then changed
three numbers in the INX file by opening
it in Apple Text Editor and changing
three settings. Sure enough, I sent the file
to someone using InDesign CS and they
were able to open the file successfully. The
settings I changed were “DOMVersion,”
“readerVersion” and “product.”
From Curt in Illinois
Kevin,
We are getting more and more ads
from outside of our company in which
black is made up of all four CMYK
colors. I remember reading one of your
articles a while back about either a plugin or a program used to fix these PDF
files. Can you suggest a good one?
Yes, Curt. I can think of a couple of
options.
Your most affordable option, other
than to open the file in Photoshop and
go through what can be a grueling
process of converting the plates to black,
is available in Acrobat 9 Pro. There is
Angelique Dunn (adunn)
a color conversion
tool that sometimes
does a very good
job of finding all
the black text on
multiple plates
and converting
them to the black Klix, by JoeSoft, helps users save photos on drives
plate only. While that have become corrupted or erased.
this doesn’t always
work, it works often enough to give it a try. on the new machines? I also thought it
Another option, though a bit expensive may be a problem with our ancient font
for many newspaper budgets these days, package; a lot of them conflict with the
is Enfocus Pitstop Pro. This plug-in for system fonts in the new OS. I’ve disabled
Acrobat does a great job of correcting all of the fonts that do, but am still
color problems, including converting having problems. I am assuming that
text on all four plates.
it’s either the fonts, or CS2 or both, but
From Beckham in Iowa
no one can tell me for sure. This only
I’m having trouble that no one can happens in InDesign.
seem to help with. My company is still Dear Beckham,
using InDesign CS2. I tried calling
If it were the fonts, I would think you’d
Adobe for help, but they’re no longer seesimilarproblemsinotherapplications.
supporting this version of Creative Have you tried throwing away your
Suite. We just got two new 27” iMacs, InDesign preferences? That’s the first
with OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard). On thing I always try. You’ll find them in your
the new computers, InDesign keeps User folder>Library>Preferences>com.
crashing, won’t export PDFs, and adobe.indesign.plist. (Beckham wrote
randomly has items disappear from the back the following: “I just exported a
page. Is this a problem with using CS2 PDF. You made my day! Thanks.”)
WORTH REPEATING
Beth Elliott (belliott)
Robyn Gentile (rgentile)
Earl Goodman (egoodman)
Rhonda Graham (rgraham)
Kathy Hensley (khensley)
Barry Jarrell (bjarrell)
Jessica Price (jprice)
Greg Sherrill (gsherrill)
Kevin Slimp (kslimp)
Advertising e-mail:
Knoxville office:
[email protected]
Tennessee Press Service
Knoxville area—
Mail: 435 Montbrook Lane,
Knoxville, TN 37919
Phone: (865) 584-5761
Chalk two up for open government
By refusing to hear an appeal in a
public records case earlier this month,
the Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed
the legal - and common-sense-principle
that citizens have a fundamental right to
monitor work done on their behalf.
The Court of Appeals ruled last year
that a private company managing
a prison or jail is the “functional
equivalent” of a government agency,
which makes it subject to Tennessee
laws on public records.
T he Supreme Cour t rightly
determined that the Appeals Court hit
the bull’s eye.
The case in question is a lawsuit filed
by former prisoner Alex Friedman,
who now is an editor for the magazine
Prison Legal News, against Corrections
Corporation of America. CCA operates
the state’s South Central Correctional
Center in Clifton, Tenn. and several jails
across the Volunteer State.
In April 2007, Friedman submitted a
records request to CCA under the Public
Records Act seeking information on
litigation and other complaints lodged
against the company as a result of
operations at those facilities.
CCA refused, arguing that as a private
company it was not bound by the
Public Records Act. Friedman sued in
Davidson County Chancery Court and
emerged victorious. CCA appealed and
lost again.
According to the state constitution,
incarcerating prisoners is the exclusive
duty of the government. The Private
Prison Contracting Act of 1986
allows the state to outsource prison
management to the private sector.
In a previous decision, the state
Supreme Court has written that
such a delegation of responsibilities
shouldn’t subvert the public’s right
to scrutinize a contractor: “When
a private entity’s relationship with
the government is so extensive that
the entity serves as the functional
equivalent of a governmental agency,
the accountability created by public
oversight should be preserved.”
CAA maintained it wasn’t the
functional equivalent of a government
agency, but the Appeals Court rejected
that claim and the Supreme Court
refused even to hear it.
“With all due respect to CAA,” Appeals
Court Judge D. Michael Swiney wrote
in his opinion on Friedman’s case, “this
Court is at a loss as to how operating
a state prison could be considered
anything less than a governmental
function.”
We agree. Government can outsource
the work, but along with accepting
public money comes the responsibility
to be accountable to the taxpayers.
Friedman didn’t get all he wanted.
The Public Records Act allows for
exemptions, and some of the records
he requested are off-limits under the
Private Prison Contracting Act. The
trial court must now decide if other
records he is seeking also are exempt.
The courts, though, have upheld the
principle that the people’s work is the
public’s business.
(News Sentinel, Knoxville,
March 14, 2010)
Fax: (865) 558-8687
Nashville area—
Phone: (615) 472-8745
Fax: (615) 472-8739
Web: www.tnadvertising.biz
Tennessee Press
Association Foundation
Mail: 435 Montbrook Lane,
Knoxville, TN 37919
Phone: (865) 584-5761
Fax: (865) 558-8687
Read The Tennessee Press
—then pass it on!
CMYK
The Tennessee Press
2
The Tennessee Press
APRIL 2010
Board sends bylaws proposal
to membership for vote
The TPA Board of Directors voted on
Feb. 10, 2010, to send a proposal by the
Constitution and Bylaws Committee to
a full membership vote by ballot.
Ballots were mailed on Feb. 24 to
the publisher or general manager of
each TPA member newspaper. TPA’s
regional directors are available to
answer questions and will contact every
newspaper for which a ballot has not
been received.
An independent auditing firm
distributed the ballots and will receive
them and tabulate the results.
The Constitution and Bylaws
Committee proposal to amend Article
IX of the TPA Constitution and Bylaws
follows:
The words “full-membership” be
replaced with “participating members,”
meaning future amendments be
approved by a two-thirds majority of
the voting membership, rather than
a two-thirds majority vote of the full
membership. As it currently reads, a
non-vote is the equivalent of a vote
against, thus making it difficult for
any amendment to pass, and which
is counter to the Bylaws Committee’s
original intent with its inception in
2004. This proposal, examined by TPA
attorney Rick Hollow, will remedy that
issue. A ballot will still be mailed to
the publisher of every TPA member
publication thus being given the same
opportunity to vote and/or speak
opinions. A case statement was sent
with the ballot and is also available on
the TPA Web site at www.tnpress.com/
bylawsproposal2010.html.
A report of this ballot initiative,
including individual voting results,
will be presented at the June 24, 2010
meeting of the TPA Board of Directors
and will be made available to the
general membership.
Ad/Circ Conference: Learn to achieve more with less
BY ROBYN GENTILE
TPA member services manager
Advertising and circulation personnel
from TPA member newspapers will
gather in Chattanooga on Friday, April
16, for the 2010 Advertising/Circulation
Conference. The theme is “Achieving
More with Less.”
Zalabak
Marsella
Patterson
“Training and idea exchange allow
businesses not only to survive, but to prosper,”
said Don Lovelace, circulation director of the
Meeks, advertising director of the Manchester
Citizen Tribune, Morristown, and chairman of the Times, said, “This is a great opportunity
Circulation Committee. “While most businesses to network with fellow newspaper colleagues,
cut training and travel, now is the time to push learn ideas for bringing in future revenue and
for sales and marketing initiatives. We need to get motivated about your work in advertising
be reminded that our customers are gold and we by the guest speakers. It is also great to see how
must do the mining.
everyone’s hard work pays off at the awards
“Training is part of the equation. It boosts presentation. Each year that I attend I bring back
the overall morale, and it makes individuals fresh ideas and new friendships.”
feel worthy and effective,” Lovelace continued.
The conference programming promises an
“The Ad/Circ Conference is exactly what you “Ad-Ucation” with Tom Zalabak, advertising
need right now for your business to succeed. director of The News-Gazette, Champaign, Ill.;
There is no better way to exchange ideas, pick “Positively Outrageous Service” and “Disciplines
up a new revenue stream or brush up on what of Execution” with Tony Marsella, president of
other newspapers are doing. Please make plans Ranger Data Technologies; and much more.
to join Kerri Meeks and me in Chattanooga. We
Awards in the 2010 Ideas Contest will be
must change how we are doing business, not stop
doing business.”
SEE AD/CIRC, PAGE 3
Not so fast, NNA’s Heath says of reduced postal delivery proposal
CMYK
BY GREG SHERRILL
TPA executive director
The National
N e w s p a p e r
Association just
wrapped up its 49th
Annual Government
Affairs Conference
i n Wa s h i n g t o n ,
D.C. More than 100
representatives from
Sherrill
newspapers and
press associations across the country
met to discuss issues pertaining to our
industry on a national scope.
The conference focused our attention
in several areas, from postal reform to
homeland security to an opportunity
to advance the first proactive push for
public notice legislation in decades, the
Financial Transparency Restoration
Act.
While many across the country
seem resigned to a reduction in postal
delivery, NNA Postal Committee
Chairman Max Heath said not so fast!
Many in Congress do not support a move
to five-day delivery, and Heath pointed
out several obstacles to killing Saturday
service. Since many newspapers rely
on USPS to get their papers out, a
move to eliminate Saturday service
would likely force those papers to use
carrier delivery and could significantly
reduce postal volume on the remaining
days of the week. Saturday delivery
is especially popular in Southern
communities, where Friday night high
school football results are big news.
Also, since most federal holidays are
observed on a Monday, that would mean
about 10 times a year when there would
be no mail service for three or more
days. Think about the backups we see
now when there is a Monday holiday,
and then imagine adding another day
to the backlog!
Along with postal reform, NNA is
focusing its attention to Congress for
several other initiatives. The repeal
of the estate tax is set to sunset next
year, with the tax rebounding to a
55 percent marginal rate! This could
seriously jeopardize the future of
many family-owned businesses. Many
family-owned papers could be forced to
sell to newspaper group buyers, some of
which are on shaky ground financially
or which have records of closing small
newspapers to stave off bankruptcy.
NNA is seeking an exemption for
community newspapers to allow these
papers to stay in local hands that care
deeply about community journalism.
Work continues toward a federal shield
law that would protect journalists.
Currently, 49 states and the District
of Columbia have such protection for
reporters and their sources, and this
is definitely needed on the federal
level as well.
I mentioned the Financial
Transparency Restoration Act, or
HR2727. This is the first chance
newspapers have to be proactive with
regard to public notice in many, many
years. Until 1994, banks on both state and
federal levels were required to publish
detailed “statements of condition”
in newspapers of the communities
in which they did business. In 1994,
Congress very quietly repealed the
publication requirement for federal
banks, and states quickly followed
suit. Now, it’s very difficult for the
public to know which banks are in
sound financial condition. No one is
implying that this could have averted
the banking crisis we experienced in
2007 and 2008, but if more information
had been available to the public, most
agree that the mortgage securities
debacle would have been easier to spot
and that some taxpayer bailouts of
banks might have been avoided. We
maintain that these notices should be
reinstated to restore transparency of
bank financial condition. The small
cost of the notices would go a long way
toward also restoring public confidence
in their financial institutions and could
reduce insurance costs by minimizing
FDIC insurance payouts in the case of
failed institutions.
Finally, in this ever-changing world
of technology and Internet dependence,
newspapers are holding their own,
according to a new survey by NNA and
the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the
University of Missouri. For the fourth
year in a row, community newspaper use
has been consistently high: 81 percent
of those surveyed read a local paper
each week. Three quarters of readers
went to their local papers for local news,
as opposed to 53 percent who say they
never read news online. And of those
No. 4
APRIL 2010
Vol. 73
going online for local news, 63 percent
used their community newspaper Web
site. These findings (and many more)
are available on NNA’s Web site, www.
nnaweb.org.
Who and what
Meeks
Lovelace
DETAILS
WHO: Advertising, circulation staff, other
TPA members
WHAT: TPA Advertising & Circulation
Conference
WHEN: Friday, April 16
WHERE: Sheraton Read House Hotel,
Chattanooga
RESERVATIONS: The deadline for the
TPA rate has passed. Hotel: (423)
266-4121.
REGISTRATION: The deadline for
registration is April 14.
Summer Convention: TN, AR, MS to meet in Tunica
“An editor is a person who knows
more about writing than writers do
but who has escaped the terrible desire
to write.”
E.B. White, writer, 1954
BY ROBYN GENTILE
TPA member services manager
C
M
Y
K
It’s time to make plans for the
“Reunion on the River,” a tri-state press
convention with the members of the
Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee
press associations Wednesday through
Saturday, June 23-26, in Tunica, Miss.
“We are looking forward to a great
convention,” said MPA President
Reece Terry, publisher of the Daily
Corinthian, Corinth. “The Tri-State
Convention provides us with lots of
opportunities. It is a great time to
network with our counterparts from
Arkansas and Tennessee and learn how
others are meeting today’s marketplace
challenges,” he said.
This is the second tri-state meeting
for these associations. The first was in
2004 in Memphis.
Having three states meet together
provides more opportunities for
attendees than a single group meeting.
Networking opportunities increase
with the chance to gain new perspectives
from newspaper professionals in other
states. More educational sessions will
be offered. A trade show with 25 to
30 industry vendors, a silent auction,
parties and even more fun outings
than are normally available during a
INSIDE
PARKINS
FORESIGHT
DETAILS
WHO: TPA members and their staffs
WHAT: Tri-State Summer Convention
WHEN: Wednesday-Saturday,
June 23-26
WHERE: Harrah’s Veranda Hotel,
Tunica, Miss., (866) 635-7095
RESERVATIONS: Deadline for the TPA
rate, Monday, May 24.
REGISTRATION: Deadline for the early
registration discount, Monday, May 24.
traditional summer convention are all
part of this convention’s grand plan.
Tunica offers golf, clay shooting, tennis,
shopping and more.
“Please take time to join us this
summer for the Tri-State Convention,”
TPA President and Convention
Committee member Victor Parkins,
editor of The Milan Mirror Exchange,
urged. “Along with lunch with Gov.
Phil Bredesen, there will be great
training and educational opportunities
with our associates from Arkansas
and Mississippi. We have tons of
entertainment provided for all ages,”
he added.
“Tunica offers two world class
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3
NIE
ENGRAVINGS
4
6-7
golf courses, a new skeet and trap
shooting center and lots of shopping
nearby. Nine different casinos offer a
variety of shows and some of the best
food in the South. We hope to see you in
Tunica this June,” Parkins said.
The second Convention Committee
member from Tennessee is Brad
Franklin, The Lexington Progress, a
TPA director.
“Members attending the 2010 TriState Convention will benefit from a
vast array of professional networking
opportunities, vendors and trade show
services, as well as participation in a
number of news media hot topics and
panel discussions by top speakers in
the industry,” Franklin said.
“This convention will also offer
attending members and family/
guests superlative social events and an
exciting chance to soak up some very
warm and inviting Southern hospitality
from our gracious hosts, members of
the Mississippi Press Association,”
he said.
Getting down to business
Governors Haley Barbour, Mike
Beebe and Bredesen are invited to speak
in a moderated forum to attendees at a
key luncheon of the convention.
TPA, the TPA Foundation and the
Tennessee Press Service have business
WORTH REPEATING
ADVERTISING
8
9
TUNICA CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU
The opening reception will be held at Tunica River Park, where
conventioneers will be offered riverboat rides.
to conduct during the convention.
TPA members and TPS stockholders
will elect officers during business
meetings.
Educational sessions
Keynote address by Charles Overby,
chief executive officer, The Newseum,
Washington, D.C.
Keynote address by Cal Thomas,
Washington, D.C., syndicated
JUDGING CONTEST
SLIMP
17-19
22-23
columnist
Future of Print: Dr. Samir Husni,
University of Mississippi (Ole Miss),
University, Miss.
Improve Your Writing Skills: Jim
Stasiowski, Sparks, Nev., writing
coach
Paid vs. Free Web Site Model panel
SEE CONVENTION, PAGE 3
IN CONTACT
Phone: (865) 584-5761
Fax: (865) 558-8687
Online: www.tnpress.com
CMYK
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