Sun News reporter wins Taylor-Tomlin prize

South Carolina Press Association
P.O. Box 11429, Columbia, S.C. 29211 • (803) 750-9561
www.scpress.org
[email protected]
MAY 2007
Sun News reporter wins Taylor-Tomlin prize
Reporter David Wren of The Sun News
in Myrtle Beach is this year’s winner of the
$5,000 Taylor-Tomlin Award for Investigative
Reporting.
Wren, who won for his series on the misuse of funds by the Five Rivers Community
Development Corp.,was honored April 19 by
the University of South Carolina’s School of
Journalism and Mass Communications as
part of I-Comm Week.
The award recognizes “enterprising, perceptive and beneficial reporting by journalists
whose work is published in a South Carolina
daily or weekly paper or wire service,” according to a program issued at the ceremony.
The school administers the prize and the
S.C. Press Association coordinates the judging.
Wren – who was a business editor for The
Sun News before becoming an investigative
reporter in February 2004 – was named a
Please See PRIZE page 4
Bill Collins, retiring publisher of the Summerville Journal Scene, was honored at a
reception May 11 at the newspaper office.
Saying he leaves big shoes to fill, employees sent Bill off with a giant pair of lighted
shoes. At left is his wife, Margaret. The
Collinses depart soon for a cruise on the
Queen Mary II and a visit to Ireland.
Calendar
May 24
Web Seminar
USC Campus
Columbia
From left, editor Trisha O’Conner and Taylor-Tomlin Award winner David Wren of The Sun News,
USC College of Journalism Director Shirley Staples Carter and USC’s Dean Charles Bierbauer.
Criminal libel bill carried over
A bill that would have made it a felony to
libel a S.C. political candidate was carried
over by a Senate subcommittee last month.
The bill, S. 118, would have resurrected
criminal libel in South Carolina.
The action came after testimony by SCPA
attorneys Jay Bender and Carmen Maye,
who told the committee of the potential of
abuse in having candidates arrested mid
campaign and then dropping the charges
after the election.
Bender reminded the subcommittee of the
Jim Fitts case in 1988, where a weekly editor was jailed for two days for writing about
incumbent Legislators from Williamsburg
County.
They also testified to the chilling effect this
bill would have on reporting and commentary.
Bill Rogers, SCPA Executive Director, said
the association’s goal was to have the bill
carried over, so he was happy with the re-
May 31
Ad Basics
Workshop
SCPA, Columbia
June 19-22
SNPA Traveling
Campus
SCPA, Columbia
sult. But, he said, there is always a possibility that it will come back up, and Lobbyist
Cathy Dreher will monitor it closely.
The bill is below:
SECTION 1. Article 3, Chapter 7, Title
16 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
Section 16-7-155
Please See LIBEL page 11
Traveling Campus
coming in June
SNPA’s Traveling Campus comes to SCPA
in June. Tentative topics include: Great Media Writing; Essential Skills for District Managers; The Future of Circulation; Successful
Storytelling: Design between the Ears; Ad
Design & Copywriting; Outbound Calling
Skills; Handling Stress in the newspaper
environment; Revenue Generating Ideas for
your website; and a two-part Critical Management Skills workshop with Jules Ciotta.
Registration form coming soon to www.scpress.org
Page 2 • May 2007 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin
Sen. Graham co-sponsors federal shield law
A working alliance of more than 40 media
companies and journalistic organizations
applauds reintroduction of the “Free Flow
of Information Act” that would set a federal
standard for protecting confidential sources
and journalists. The bipartisan legislation
has been put forward by U.S. Representatives Rick Boucher (D-VA), John Conyers
(D-MI), Mike Pence (R-IN), Howard Coble
(R-NC), Greg Walden (R-OR) and John
Yarmuth (D-KY) in the House. Senators
Richard Lugar (R-IN), Christopher Dodd
(D-CT), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Mary
Landrieu (D-LA), and Pete Domenici (RNM) will introduce an identical bill in the
Senate.
Members of the coalition issued the following statements of support:
“We applaud reintroduction of the Free
Flow of Information Act in the House by
four members of the House Judiciary
Committee, including Chairman Conyers.
We believe this early support will bode well
for movement of a federal shield bill in this
Congress. And, we once again commend
Representatives Rick Boucher and Mike
Pence and Senators Lugar and Dodd for
their leadership on this issue.
“The free flow of information to reporters is crucial in order to bring matters of
great public importance to light. Compelling reporters to testify, and, in particular, to reveal the identity of a confidential
source, will restrict the flow of information
to reporters and ultimately to the public on
matters of public interest, such as waste,
fraud and abuse in government and in the
private sector. By passing the Free Flow
of Information Act, Congress will establish
important and balanced ground rules for
compelled disclosure of sources and information from reporters.”
Currently, 32 states and the District of
Columbia have “shield” laws in force in
state courts and 17 other states have recognized a reporter’s privilege as a result
of judicial decisions. However, in federal
courts there is no uniform set of standards
to govern when testimony can be sought
from reporters. The legislation will:
• Provide journalists with a qualified privilege as to sources and information. The
bill would require journalists to testify at
the request of criminal prosecutors, criminal defendants and civil litigants who have
shown by a preponderance of the evidence that they have met the various tests
for compelled disclosure. The compelling
party must also satisfy a public interest balancing test. Under this test, a court must
find “the non-disclosure of the information
would be contrary to the public interest, after taking into account the public interest in
compelling disclosure and the public interest in gathering news and maintaining the
free flow of information.”
• Establish that a confidential source’s
identity can be compelled if disclosure is
necessary to prevent “imminent and actual
harm” to national security, to prevent “imminent death or significant bodily harm,”
or to identify a person who has disclosed
significant trade secrets or certain financial
Please See SHIELD page 11
Finally, the economy of black & white
and the impact of color.
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FOI Briefs
Board closes
public hearing
Nearly 150 people were shut out of what
was supposed to be a public hearing last
month when the Ware Shoals District 51
school board met to hear a suspended
high school principal defend her job.
Although the hearing was classified as
a public meeting, a District 51 board attorney had announced earlier in the week
that neither videotaping nor still photography would be allowed during witness
statements. When a WSPA TV-7 camera
crew refused to shut off their cameras, the
board closed the meeting, initially without
even taking a public vote.
According to the S.C. FOIA, public meetings may be recorded by anyone in attendance, except when a meeting legally enters into an executive session.
Council toughens
meeting criteria
The Anderson City Council last month
unanimously approved on first reading an
ordinance that would require a two-thirds
supermajority vote for the council to enter
into closed session. The ordinance must
pass two more readings before the new
rules can take effect.
Mayor Terrence Roberts’ proposed ordinance would also insert language into
The State cuts sales
in 18 counties
The State newspaper, South Carolina’s
largest newspaper and considered by
many as the state’s paper of record, is discontinuing home delivery and newsstand
sales in 18 counties.
Patrick McFarland, vice president of circulation for The State, said the measure is
being taken to reduce economic losses.
Of the 18 counties, consisting mostly of
those in the Upstate and Grand Strand areas, there are only about 1,800 subscribers, McFarland said.
The State will deliver the paper to local
city code to more clearly reflect the state’s
open meetings law.
He said the measure is an effort to regain the public’s trust after Charter Communications accidentally aired portions of
a closed session during a live broadcast
in March.
•••
The Post and Courier obtained a copy
of the former Berkeley County Water and
Sanitation Authority Director’s termination
letter last month, but only after the newspaper threatened to file a lawsuit against the
county for violating the FOIA. The county
provided the newspaper with a copy of the
letter nearly two months after the paper
filed its initial FOIA request.
“We were entitled to receive it,” said John
Kerr, the attorney representing the newspaper, “and the system is broken when a
citizen, a company or a newspaper has
to get their attorney involved to force the
county to comply with the law.”
•••
A Camden City Councilman protested
last month when, during a work session,
the city manager requested an executive
session to discuss a personnel matter.
The city manager indicated council could
even come to a decision on the matter, but
would have to make that decision public
once they came out of the executive session. The FOIA does not allow any decision-making, voting, or straw poll of any
action that creates a consensus among
members of a governing body during an
executive session.
May 2007 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin • Page 3
Legal Q&A
The Greenville
Q: County
School
Board recently completed
the superintendent’s evaluation, and I asked for a
copy of the written evaluation. The spokesman said
that’s protected under FOIA
personnel exemption.
I was thinking there had
By Jay
been a ruling some years
Bender
ago that specifically made
SCPA Attorney
superintendents’ evaluations public record. Do you know?
A:
First, there is no “personnel” exemption in the FOIA provisions relating to access
to public records. Second, the Gaffney Ledger brought suit against the Cherokee County
School District some years ago seeking access
to the evaluations of the superintendent prepared by each board member. The circuit court
ruled that the evaluations were public record.
Since that case there was a suit by The (Rock
Hill) Herald against the York County Sheriff
seeking access to records of disciplinary actions taken against deputies. The circuit court
ruled in favor of the newspaper and the decision
was upheld by the Court of Appeals. The significance of that decision is that there is nothing
personal or private about records relating to the
performance of a public duty or employment.
Make your request in writing for the opportunity
to inspect and copy each board member’s evaluation of the superintendent. When the board
responds in writing, the board’s position will be
fixed and can be the basis for legal challenge.
Industry Briefs
subscribers who want to receive it through
the mail, but the subscription rates will increase substantially.
Coastal Fun Info
acquires Coastal Sport
Coastal Fun Info LLC, publishers of
The Bluffton City Sun and Best Savannah
Restaurants, acquired Coastal Sport &
Wellness magazine from Bear Foot Enterprises in March. Coastal Sport & Wellness
cofounder Barbara Weisner will stay on
as vice president of publishing. The magazine is published eight times per year with
a distribution of about 20,000 copies to
900 locations in Beaufort, Bluffton, Hilton
Head Island and Savannah.
McClatchy partners
with Yahoo
In a deal announced in March, McClatchy
Co., America’s third largest newspaper
publisher, will begin providing international
news coverage and commentary to online
powerhouse Yahoo in a partnership that
further underscores the media industry’s
shifting balance of power. The new package will be branded as “Trusted Voices” in
tribute to McClatchy’s long history in journalism.
Page 4 • May 2007 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin
Press Association announces scholarships, internships
The S.C. Press Association Foundation
has awarded its scholarships for the 20072008 academic year. Two summer internships have also been awarded.
Lindsay Reilly, the daughter of Michael
and Lora Reilly, is the winner of this year’s
$2,750 Mundy Scholarship for her senior
years at Francis Marion University.
A Florence native, Reilly has served on the
FMU student newspaper, The Patriot, since
her freshman year. She will serve as the
newspaper’s editor in the upcoming 20072008 school year.
Reilly has maintained a 4.0 GPA while
working for The Patriot. She also works in
the offices of The Morning News, and serves
as anchor of “Patriot Talk,” FMU’s student
broadcast.
She received the Francis Marion University Mass Communication Student of the Year
Award for 2006-2007 and was inducted into
Phi Kappa Phi in 2007.
The Mundy Scholarship is given in memory
of R. Frank Mundy, the late publisher of The
Index-Journal in Greenwood and the first
president of the SCPA Foundation.
Owen Reid has been awarded a $1,000
scholarship. Reid is a sophomore broadcast major at Winthrop University and has
a diverse background in the media industry.
Reid has been previously published in his
hometown newspaper, the Moberly MonitorIndex, in Moberly, Mo.
In his senior year of high school, Reid was
the managing editor of the school’s weekly
newspaper. He has also spent time as a radio broadcaster and sportscaster.
Reid, the son of Bill and Regina Reid, is a
pitcher for the Winthrop baseball team and
also serves as a representative on two university based organizations – the StudentAthlete Advisory Council and the Mass Communication Student Advisory Board. He is a
transfer student from Baylor University.
Tyeisha Davis, an English major and journalism minor at Coastal Carolina University,
has also been awarded a $1,000 scholarship.
Davis is the daughter of Tyrone and Emmie Davis of Gaston. She is a 2004 graduate
of Airport High School and a rising senior at
Coastal. She has contributed to her student
newspaper, The Chanticleer, and has produced a newsletter for her sorority chapter
as well as for the communications students
at the university. She is interested in the
Lindsay Reilly
Owen Reid
editorial and photographic aspects of print
journalism.
The Foundation’s scholarships are provided through contributions from S.C. newspapers and interested individuals.
Ryan Stone and Chelsea Hadaway will
spend their summer interning for S.C. newspapers, earning $3,000 each over a 10-week
period.
Stone, a Cheraw native and student at
North Greenville College, will intern with The
Ryan Stone
Chelsea Hadaway
Press & Standard in Walterboro. A photographer, Stone is the visual arts editor for his
campus newspaper, The Skyliner. This fall,
Stone will attend Western Kentucky University to pursue a degree in photojournalism.
Hadaway, a University of South Carolina
student from Columbia, will intern with The
Post and Courier. She is also the assistant
news editor for The Daily Gamecock, USC’s
campus paper. Last summer, Hadaway interned with The Tennessean in Nashville.
Chronicle, lawmakers honored
A statewide advocacy group for people with
disabilities has honored two state lawmakers
and the Lexington County Chronicle for a
four-year investigation of abuse and neglect.
The Star of Justice Awards were presented
for the first time for leadership in exposing
abuse and neglect and changing state law to
establish the Vulnerable Adults Investigation
Unit at SLED.
Protection and Advocacy for People with
Disabilities honored state Rep. James Harrison and state Sen. Joel Lourie, who persuaded their colleagues to support creation
of the State Law Enforcement Division’s
Vulnerable Abuse Investigation Unit and
adequate funding for the SLED unit and the
Long Term Care Ombudsman.
P&A Board Chairman David Almeida called
Chronicle Editor Jerry Bellune “a tenacious
and fearless advocate for people who have
disabilities and their families.
“After the publication in the Chronicle of the
series of articles about abuse, neglect and
exploitation at Babcock Center, Jerry was
honored by the S.C. Press Association with
its highest honor, the Public Service Award,
and the Freedom of Information Award.
“Jerry has repeatedly demonstrated his
commitment to exposing the perpetrators of
abuse and neglect.
“Last July, Jerry won a directed verdict in
the lawsuit brought by the director of the Babcock Center, who alleged that the Babcock
Center had been defamed by the Chronicle’s
exposé.
“In dismissing the director’s lawsuit, the
Judge complimented Jerry and the Chronicle
for courage and service to the community by
publishing these stories.”
Prize
Continued from page 1
finalist earlier this year in the national Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc. annual
contest for this series.
He also received one of 15 McClatchy
President’s Awards for journalism excellence
in the second half of 2006.
Wren examined the corporation’s records
and found that the nonprofit’s directors mismanaged more than $5 million in state and
federal grants earmarked to build a low-income community center.
Members of the Five Rivers board of directors resigned following Wren’s report, and
HUD began an investigation.
This year’s judges were Mark Ethridge III,
Henry Schulte and Terry Plumb.
May 2007 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin • Page 5
People & Papers
Times returns
to 3-day schedule
The Times of Georgetown will return to a
three-day-a-week publication schedule beginning May 9, according to an announcement made April 24 by Publisher John
Carr.
The newspaper will resume publishing
on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays after eight months of a schedule that printed
Wednesdays through Sundays.
“We have listened to our readers,” said
Carr. “A recent in-paper survey showed
three days was the overwhelming preference. We are dedicated to continuing to
provide the most Georgetown County coverage and growing readership. At this time
it’s clear that three days per week will best
allow us to accomplish both.”
Secrest enters
Hall of Fame
Andrew “Mac” Secrest, former editor
and publisher of The Cheraw Chronicle,
was among three distinguished communications professionals inducted into the
N.C. Journalism Hall of Fame April 1.
Secrest bought The Chronicle in 1953.
He edited and published the newspaper in
the 1950s and 1960s, at the apex of civil
rights battles in the South. Secrest crusaded against segregation despite harassment that included threats against him and
his family, buckshot through the windows
of his home and menacing signs placed in
his yard late at night.
He received a Nieman Fellowship to Harvard
in 1960 for his courageous journalistic work.
•••
Beaufort Gazette photographer Megan Lovett was honored in March in a
competition sponsored by the national
Press Photographers Association.
Lovett’s work in “Sisters of The
Corps,” a four-part series on female
recruits at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, placed third nationally in the category of best published
picture story for papers in smaller
markets (115,000 circulation and under).
Lovett is a graduate of the Universi-
ty of Georgia who has been with The
Gazette since January 2004.
•••
The Garden & Gun magazine, a new publication of Evening Post Publishing Co., the
parent company of The Post and Courier,
announced seven new staff members last
month.
John Wilson, former editor-in-chief and
publisher of Charleston magazine, was
named editor-in-chief. Allston McCrady,
who studied literature and languages at
Princeton University, was named managing
editor. Carter Worrell, a former design assistant at Ralph Lauren, was named assistant to the publisher. Tom Brown, founding
design director of Travel and Leisure Golf,
was named art director. Sharon Bruner,
with more than 25 years of marketing and
advertising experience, was named marketing director. Sybil Fix, a graduate of
Yale University and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, was
named associate editor. And Caroline McCoy, who previously worked in the fashion
department of Cosmopolitan magazine,
was named editorial assistant.
•••
Jim Tatum was named associate editor
of the Chronicle-Independent in Camden
in March. Tatum joined the newspaper in
1998. He will continue to serve as editor of
the Lake Wateree News and produce the
newspaper’s annual Carolina Downhome
Blues Festival section, as well as report on
Kershaw County and related beats.
•••
Michael W. Gibbons was named managing editor of the Aiken Standard in March.
For the last two years, he has been serving
as the news editor. Gibbons was born and
raised in Aiken and is a graduate of Aiken
High School. After graduating from the University of Alabama, he worked in Orlando for
a year before returning to Aiken in 1996.
•••
Rodney Overton joined the Evening
Post Digital division of Evening Post Publishing Co. last month as vice president for
content. He has 10 years experience in online publication, most recently as director of
digital media for KHOU.com in Houston and
WRAL.com in Raleigh.
•••
The Cheraw Chronicle & The Chesterfield Advertiser announced its revamped
staff in March. Bob Sloan, who began at
the newspaper in January, was named editor and general manager. Jeff Watson and
Charlotte K. Berger joined the newspaper
as staff writers. Watson, a recent graduate
of Anderson University, has been with the
newspaper since February. Berger, an author of children’s books, has been with the
newspaper since March. Sandra Deese
and Melissa Lloyd joined the staff as advertising representatives, while Jennifer
Gordon and Cathy Smith joined the newspaper as administrative assistants.
•••
Kelly Snow joined the staff of the Newberry
Observer last month as sports editor. A 2003
graduate of UNC-Greensboro, Snow previously served as sports editor of the Roxboro
Courier-Times in Roxboro, N.C.
•••
Former general manager John Carr
moved into the publisher’s office at The
Times in Georgetown in March. Jason
Lesley, meanwhile, was named editor. Carr
was formerly with Prairie Mountain Publishing as vice president of advertising in Boulder, Colo. Lesley has been with The Times
for seven years after spending 29 years
with his hometown newspaper The Salisbury Post.
•••
Dan Foster, former sports editor of The
Greenville News, was inducted at Augusta National Golf Club last month. He was
among the inaugural group of writers and
broadcasters afforded the Masters Major
Achievement Award for those who have
covered at least 40 Masters Tournaments.
•••
Amanda Capps, a former reporter at The
Advertiser in Laurens, took over as interim
editor of the newspaper last month. A graduate of Thornwell School and Furman University, Capps has spent the last six years
as a self-employed marketing consultant
and freelance writer. Capps is the newspaper’s first female editor.
•••
Ali Akhyari joined the staff of the Moultrie
News in March as a reporter. He replaced
Jenny Peterson, who left to take over as
editor of The Journal in James Island.
•••
Michael Nosal of Mullins joined the staff
of the News Journal in Florence as circulation director in March.
Page 6 • May 2007 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin
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trends and projections in healthcare, then come to the source. We’ve been providing
health coverage in South Carolina for over 50 years. We can help you provide coverage
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Public Relations Specialist, Corporate Communications
(o) 788-0222, ext. 43972 (h) 771-9203
[email protected]
Donna Thorne
George L. Johnson
Director, Corporate Communications
(o) 788-0222, ext. 42437 (h) 799-4461
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[email protected]
www.SouthCarolinaBlues.com
May 2007 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin • Page 7
Style shambles – usage and confusion
Forgive your copy
editors if any of them
went to the American
Copy Editors Society
meeting in Miami last
month and came away
a little confused about
language. There was
a lot of confusing advice floating around
By Doug Fisher
those hotel halls.
USC School
of Mass
The
three
days
Communication
opened with a major editor at a major
newspaper leading a
session about what can safely be called
“the rules.” The headline come-on is a
promise to untangle that pesky placement of “only.” (Only the problem is that
some “experts,” don’t see a lot of difference, for instance, between phrases
such as “he only had one” and “he had
only one.”)
In the middle was a session on “Rules
that Aren’t” – way too many to go into
here, but safely assume that insisting on
“more than” for “over” is one of them.
And on the final day came a presenter
whose standard is whether something is
“useful to the reader.” Under that, he’d
throw out “awhile” as an adverb and let “a
while” stand for both. (“While,” of course,
is a noun, which is why it takes an article
and is used with prepositions such as
“for” and “in.”) He’s not very fond of the
compared to/compared with distinction
either (let “compared to” handle it all) or
the each other/one another split.
Interestingly, he’d push to keep “enormous” (dealing with size) distinct from
“enormity” (great evil), even though with
the amount of misuse all around, this
would hardly seem to be very useful to
Common Sense
Journalism
many of our readers.
Leaving that session, one apparently
puzzled woman remarked how she’d
just been to another where the speaker
was pushing “shambles” as correct only
where the result was a bloody mess (yes,
that’s its derivation, but hardly its widespread use anymore). Or maybe she just
misheard a rule that wasn’t.
And somewhere in the middle of all
this, at a session for college students,
one woman exclaimed how she’d drop
so much teaching of AP style. After all,
she said, “At the paper I went to, they
spelled ‘underway’ as one word.”
It’s just more of a reminder that those
shibboleths many newsrooms hold dear
are in, well, a shambles. Instant digital
communication is quickly scrambling
many of the usage and style conventions
that are there “just because” or that have
been in place so long we’ve forgotten
why they were put in the stylebook.
Make it a point every year – heck, tie it
to the ACES conference – to review the
style and usage opinions out there and
give your newsroom’s stylebook a tuneup. If nothing else, it will give you an excuse to drink.
As for the woman’s plaintive cry about
AP style, one is tempted to ask, “So what
should we teach?” Most U.S. newsrooms
still use AP as their primary style, even if
it’s just as the basis for their own stylebooks. And, like it or not, we need some
standards to build around in j-school
(one does not live by teaching common
sense alone, trust me).
But her point is well-taken if seen as a
T M
Award winning humor column by a veteran news writer turned deputy
sheriff. Call The Cops! is written with authority but has a light touch.
Contact: (803) 609.1158 or [email protected]
plea to teach style not as some inviolable
absolute. Understand it is arbitrary but
not capricious, that many styles exist and
that, God forbid, some might use “none”
with the plural verb or cast “underway”
and “workforce” as single words. In other
words, teach our future editors how to
deal with it, not how to hate it.
AP could help by vastly simplifying some of its style points, such as its
maze-like guidance on numbers. This is
the time of year the new stylebooks are
about to hit the streets, and judging from
the list of changes and new entries so
far, major changes on some of the more
contested entries are not in the works.
The wire service, having officially entered the hyphen minimalist movement
last year, has dropped the hyphen from
daylight saving time. It’s also declared
day care to be without a hyphen, a welcome clarification given its previous similar guidance on child care.
Many entries reflect the hot spots of
the world and in cyberspace. AP ratifies
MySpace and YouTube as one word with
the middle letters capped, while ring tone
shall be two. GPS is now OK for all references to “global positioning system.”
A new Mexico entry explains that country’s political structure, acknowledgment,
perhaps, that as immigration issues
spread, the average reporter is likely to
need some quick reference.
AP now includes a list of hard-to-spell
towns in northern Israel, as well as an
entry for Hezbollah, reminding us how to
spell one of Israel’s top foes. It also has
adopted India’s spelling of Mumbai (for
Bombay) and Chennai (for Madras).
Now that such mortgages are all over
the news, AP directs subprime as one
word, and it has included an excellent
section on how to determine when the
combination of businesses really is a
merger.
These days you’ve got to keep up, so get
your 2007 stylebook ASAP (all caps, no
periods – the new stylebook says so).
More Information
Doug Fisher, a former AP news editor, teaches
journalism at the University of South Carolina
and can be reached at [email protected] or
803-777-3315. Past issues of Common Sense
Journalism can be found at
http://www.jour.sc.edu/news/csj/index.html.
Page 8 • May 2007 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin
Don’t criticize the competition
Criticism
can
kill a sale. Just
ask Daryl, who
handles the media planning for
a large regional
advertiser.
“I
remember
one sales person
who started on
By John Foust
the wrong foot,
Advertising
and went downTrainer
hill from there,”
he said. “When he found out that
I was considering advertising with
one of his competitors, he told me
in great detail what was wrong with
them. He actually thought he was
helping me make a decision. Obviously, he had never heard that old
saying, ‘When you sling mud, you
only lose ground.’
“His rant didn’t reveal much
about the people he was criticizing, but it said a lot about him,”
Daryl explained. “I decided then
and there that I didn’t want to do
business with him.”
In a sales environment, mudslinging usually hurts the critic
more than the object of the criticism. Here’s a three-step formula
to avoid the criticism trap.
1.
Ask
non-confrontational
questions. “Sharp sales people
keep the dialogue moving in a positive direction,” Daryl said. “When
they learn that I’m considering
their competition, they see it as an
opportunity to learn more about
my business – and how I want to
promote it.”
Ask questions like, “What do you
like best about Brand-X Media?”
You might learn something that
can help you tailor your presentation to better fit your prospect’s
needs.
2. Compliment the competition.
Think of something you sincerely like about the product you’re
selling against. For example, “I
know several of Brand-X’s people
through our local advertising club.
They have a good reputation.”
This kind of comment demon-
strates your intention to tell your
sales story respectfully. Plus, it
shows that you have confidence in
the product you’re selling. (If you
weren’t confident, you wouldn’t
want your competition to appear
strong in any way.)
There’s no reason to be caught
off guard. You know your competitors. There are plenty of nice
things you can say about them.
3. Stick to the facts. After you’ve
said something positive about the
competition, you can use pointby-point comparisons to shift the
attention to your product’s attributes. The transition is simple.
Prospect: “Yesterday, I met with
someone from Brand-X. I’m trying
to decide between advertising in
your paper or theirs.”
Sales Person (asking non-threatening question): “I’m curious. What
do you like best about them?”
Prospect: “Well, it looks like they
reach a lot of people.”
Sales Person (watch for the compliment-to-comparison shift): “Yes,
they have high numbers. That’s
one of their biggest strengths.
Now, let’s look at the facts about
their readership and ours. To make
a fair comparison, here’s a chart
that shows the numbers for both
papers in our geographic area. Although their overall numbers are
high, you can see that we actually
reach more of your potential customers.”
Ancient Greek painter Zeuxis
proclaimed, “Criticism comes easier than craftsmanship.”
Daryl – and your advertisers
– would agree with the old artist.
It’s easy to take pot shots at the
competition, but it takes creative
thinking to craft a compelling presentation.
More Information
John Foust conducts on-site and video training
for newspaper advertising departments. His
three new video programs are designed to help
ad managers conduct in-house training for their
sales teams. For information, contact: John
Foust, PO Box 97606, Raleigh, NC 27624 USA,
E-mail: [email protected],
Phone 919-848-2401.
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or visit www.creatorsoftware.com.
May 2007 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin • Page 9
PDF problems top readers’ lists
I had great expectations for today. After
spending three hours
on the phone with a
software representative,
I realized the product I
planned to review isn’t
quite ready for prime
time.
By Kevin
Next, I turned to Plan
Slimp
B. There was an appliInstitute of
Newspaper
cation sitting on my desk
Technology
that I’ve meant to try out
for the past month. So I
took it for a ride around the block. No luck.
After several tries, it kept crashing.
So I sit here with a deadline staring me in
the face and nothing to write about. Sure,
I could write a review of Photoshop CS3,
but I just covered InDesign CS3 in my last
column. When all else fails, I know I can
always turn to my trusty email. There’s
plenty of material there. And the pilot just
announced we’ll be sitting here, on the
runway, for at least two more hours. That
should give me plenty of time.
Here are a few of the questions I’ve received in the past month:
From Wade in Minnesota
This is a common problem for us. PDF
files from ad agencies or “do it yourself”
customers are filled with text that’s on all
four plates. Is there any software or plugins to convert text to black? Can this be
done in Acrobat?
A: Sorry, Wade. There’s no easy way
to do this in Acrobat. This can be fixed in
Photoshop, but it’s a complicated procedure. Fortunately, there are several plugins for Acrobat that can assist you with this
problem. Two longtime favorites are Quite
a Box of Tricks, by Quite Software (quite.
com) and Pitstop Professional by Enfocus
(enfocus.com).
From Eileen in Chicago
Is Adobe committed to keeping Dreamweaver in its arsenal? We’re looking to buy
a few more seats, but I don’t want to go to
the expense if we have to switch to a different program in 6 months.
A: No problem, Eileen. Dreamweaver
isn’t going anywhere. Currently, Adobe is
standing behind both Dreamweaver and
GoLive. Maybe they’ll stick with both.
Who knows. Either way, my money is on
Dreamweaver. It’s not going anywhere. Go
Tina¹s problems were caused by those pesky fonts on the right side of her Distiller list.
Removing them takes care of her problems.
ahead. Make Adobe’s day and buy a few
copies.
From Tina in Mississippi
We are using Quark 5.0 & 6.5, Acrobat
5.0 & 7.0 Professional. When we try to
make a PDF using Acrobat Distiller 7.0 it
won’t embed Times New Roman and Arial
fonts. We don’t seem to have a problem
when we use Acrobat 5.0 to make a PDF.
Have you had other people with this problem? We have tried changing settings and
nothing we’ve done seems to work. Do you
have a solution or suggestion?
A: Sounds like a common problem, Tina.
When you created your Distiller settings,
you most likely began with the Standard
option built into Acrobat. One of the settings in this option is to never embed certain fonts.
You guessed it: Both Arial and Times
New Roman are in this list. Go to the Fonts
settings in Acrobat Distiller (found under
Settings>Edit Adobe PDF Settings) and
remove all the fonts listed in the “Never
Embed” list. That should do it.
From Bob in Tennessee
I have a question for you, when you have
time. I’m attaching a PDF file that we were
sent to use in the paper this week. It would
print fine when we opened the PDF and
it would drop onto the InDesign page fine.
But, when you went to print the InDesign
page, a message appeared saying there
was a problem with a font. If you could tell
me how to fix this, I’d appreciate it.
A: I’ve seen this problem many times,
Bob. This is one of those times when Photoshop can be used to fix a problem PDF
file. First open the PDF file in Photoshop,
at a resolution of 1000 or higher. Save the
file as an EPS file.
Next, create a new setting in Distiller that
is exactly the same as the settings you
usually use, but change the downsampling
from 200 (or whatever it’s set for) to 600.
This should be done for both color and
grayscale images. Click the Save As button and give this setting a new name like
“PHOTOSHOP-HIRES” or something you
will remember. Finally, distill the file. You’ll
have a PDF file that looks and prints like
the original, but without any pesky CID
fonts to cause printing problems.
Keep sending those questions. Who
knows? They might come in handy at deadline. And while you’re online, check out the
latest plans at the Institute of Newspaper
Technology at newspaperinstitute.com.
Page 10 • May 2007 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin
Ad Sales Basics Workshop
Register today...space is
limited to the first 18
people.
The cost of the
workshop is being kept
low…just $40 per person,
including a box lunch.
New sales people on staff? Help them get started
with the essentials of ad sales. Register today for SCPA’s
popular quarterly sales training for new sales reps.
The workshop is designed for newspaper ad sales
employees with less than a years experience.
The May 31st workshop will cover the basics in
advertising sales and get your revenue-producing staff
off to a great start.
This session will be held at the SCPA
offices in Columbia. The workshop
will start at 10 a.m. and end
around 3:30 p.m.
On-line registration forms and
directions to SCPA’s offices may
be found at www.scpress.org. For
additional information, contact
Alanna Ritchie at SCPA at 803-7509561 or [email protected].
Alanna Ritchie, ad director for the South
Carolina Newspaper Network, will conduct this
full-day workshop.
A veteran of weekly and daily newspaper
sales, Ritchie will help attendees understand
the basics of sales, including selling against
competition, dealing with objections, closing
skills basic design, and consultive selling.
Registration Form
Newspaper Name
Phone number
Address
Fax number
City, State and zip code
E-Mail address
Please print your name for your name badge
‰Check Enclosed $______________
Early Bird Fee $40
Regular Fee (after
May 25) - $ 45
Return this
form to:
SCPA
PO Box 11429
Columbia, SC 29211
(803) 750-9561
FAX: (803) 551-0903
Bill my: ‰Visa ‰Mastercard
Exp. Date ____________ 3 Digit V-Code __________
Name on the card
Card billing address including zip code
Cardholder signature
Card number
Total Amount __________________Date __________________
May 2007 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin • Page 11
Libel
Continued from page 1
(A) For the purposes of this section:
(1) ‘Actual malice’ means with knowledge
that the statement is false or with reckless
disregard of whether it is false or not.
(2) ‘Candidate for public office’ means a
person who seeks election to a state or local
office from the time of filing through the date
of the election. ‘Candidate for public office’
does not include a person who seeks appointment to a state or local office.
(B) A person who, with actual malice, intentionally originates, utters, circulates, or
publishes a false statement or matter concerning a candidate for public office, which
Shield
Continued from page 2
or medical information in violation of current law.
• Protect information that may reveal
journalists’ confidential sources when that
information is held by telephone companies, Internet service providers and other
communications providers.
• Define the scope of persons covered by
these standards.
This coalition of media companies and
organizations urges Congress to act swiftly in passing the Free Flow of Information
Act.
tends to injure the character or reputation of
the candidate for public office, is guilty of a
felony and, upon conviction, must be fined
not more than five thousand dollars or imprisoned not less than one year nor more
than five years, or both.
The criminal penalty provided in this section does not preclude another civil penalty
that may be provided by law.”
SECTION 2. The repeal or amendment
by this act of any law, whether temporary or
permanent or civil or criminal, does not affect
pending actions, rights, duties, or liabilities
founded thereon, or alter, discharge, release
or extinguish any penalty, forfeiture, or liability incurred under the repealed or amended
law, unless the repealed or amended provision shall so expressly provide. After the
effective date of this act, all laws repealed
or amended by this act must be taken and
treated as remaining in full force and effect
for the purpose of sustaining any pending or
vested right, civil action, special proceeding,
criminal prosecution, or appeal existing as
of the effective date of this act, and for the
enforcement of rights, duties, penalties, forfeitures, and liabilities as they stood under
the repealed or amended laws.
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon
approval by the Governor.
For sale. Printing & publishing company.
$2.0 to $2.3 mill. annual revenues. Both cold web
and sheet fed printing. Four proprietary magazine
titles account for ten to twelve percent of sales.
(706) 216-5533.
Pressman, Times & Democrat
CAMERON
Michael David “Fuzzy” Bryant, who for 25
years was an operator of The Times and
Democrat’s printing press, died May 2 at the
Regional Medical Center in Orangeburg. He
had been a member of the crew that printed
the May 2 edition of the paper, just hours earlier. He was 56 years old.
Barbara Cart
Former writer, Journal Scene
MT. PLEASANT
Barbara Kerr Cart, a former Women’s Editor
and columnist for the Journal Scene in Summerville, died at her Mt. Pleasant home April
16 following a brief illness.
Cart was a member of the small staff of people who established the Journal Scene in the
1970s. She wrote the popular column, “Out
On A Limb,” and later co-authored the book
“If It Comes In A Black Velvet Box, I’ll Love It,”
with her daughter Susan Waring Koch.
Hortense Roach
Former assistant editor, Evening Post
CHARLESTON
Advertising
Continued from page 14
Classifieds
Obituaries
‘Fuzzy’ Bryant
leaving legal notices in newspapers only.
Several publishers have recently suggested
we should look at this. Let me know how you
feel about it.
Bill Rogers can be reached at: brogers@
scpress.org or (803) 750-9561.
Flexible Software for Publishers
Circulation
Classifieds
Display
Reports
(877) 502-3283
© 2007 DataMate Corporation
Hortense Fitzgerald Roach, a former assistant state editor and retired reporter with The
Evening Post, died April 17 at the age of 80.
She was a board member of the National Federation of Press Women and the Women’s Division of the S.C. Press Association in 1961
and 1962. She and her husband, the late
John Francis Roach, became editors of The
Diocese, the official magazine of the Protestant Episcopal Diocese of S.C. in 1962.
Mel Woody
Baseball writer
TOWNVILLE
Mel Woody, a longtime resident of Townville and a 42-year newspaper veteran, died
March 15. He was 84. A life-long member of
the Baseball Writer’s Association of America,
he wrote for the Newark News in New Jersey,
the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Miami News.
Page 12 • May 2007 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin
InDesign CS3: Not just ‘wow!’
It’s ‘yee-haaahhh!’
There are so many good things to say
about the new InDesign—a major component of Adobe Creative Suite 3—that it’s
tough to cram all the good stuff into just
one column.
Adobe provided a full copy of Creative
Suite Design Premium for review and I’m
happy to say that all the “wow” I heard and
read is no hype. In fact, some of the new
features included in InDesign CS3 are
near amazing.
Here are just a few:
PANELS. These are “palettes” updated.
They’re easier to use, more capable and
they collapse as icons to the side of the
screen in a more convenient fashion. As
always with Creative Suite applications,
placement and configuration of these is
highly user-definable.
WORKSPACE. Want your control panel
at the bottom of the screen? OK. Want the
tools horizontally at the top? Yep. Want to
have your panels in a specific order—and
grouped with other panels? Gotcha covered. I’m a perfectionist about my workspace but it only took me about a half-hour
from installation to ready-to-work configuration, even with all the new features in InDesign CS3.
CONTROL PANEL. If Adobe keeps at it,
by about CS5 or CS6 there’ll no longer be a
need for other interface tools or panels. In
this panel alone (depending upon the tool
you’ve selected) you can do the usual such
as selecting type face or rule weight. You
can also choose a bulleted or numbered
list, create a paragraph or character style,
create an object style, align items, clear
attributes, adjust line spacing, add a drop
shadow or other effect (more later), adjust
opacity, flip or rotate, set runaround, clear
overrides to styles and…and…and…
EFFECTS. Many of the popular effects
from
Photoshop
have now been incorporated into InDesign. Some of
these are bevel and
emboss, outer and
inner glow, inner
shadow—and a new
directional feather
capability.
By Ed Henninger
Henninger is
an independent
newspaper
consultant
and director
of Henninger
Consulting in Rock
Hill
SHORTCUTS.
Want to decrease
the scale of a headline face? There’s
no shortcut for that.
But you can create
one for yourself. Not
sure whether there’s
a shortcut to create a new character style?
Just check the “Keyboard Shortcuts…”
item near the bottom of the Edit menu.
PLACE. Here’s one improvement that will
go over big with those of us who use more
than just a couple of photos or graphic on a
page. Use the “place” command and then
select more than one photo or graphic.
The cursor loads with the visual, along with
a tiny number letting you know how many
visuals have been loaded. I’ve tested this
with more than three dozen visuals—all
placed effortlessly, no delay, no crash. This
is more than a “wow.” It’s a definite “yeehaaahhhh!”
SPEED. I can’t remember one time
when I’ve experienced the spinning beach
ball. Everything about CS3 is quicker—and
slicker—than ever.
Some doubters may have been wondering what new additions Adobe could
possibly have brought to InDesign in the
relatively short time since the release of
CS2. After all, Creative Suite 2 is a powerful piece of software.
For me, it’s like climbing out of a NASCAR racer—and strapping on an F/A-22
Raptor fighter jet.
IF THIS COLUMN has been helpful,
you’ll find more help in Ed’s new book,
Henninger on Design. With the help of
Henninger on Design, you’ll become a
better designer because you’ll become
a thinking designer. Find out more about
Henninger on Design by visiting Ed’s web
site: www.henningerconsulting.com
More Information
ED HENNINGER is an independent
newspaper consultant and the Director of
Henninger Consulting, offering comprehensive
newspaper design services, including redesigns,
staff training, workshops and evaluations.
You can reach him at: 803-327-3322.
E-mail: [email protected].
On the web: www.henningerconsulting.com
Foundation for the future...
Your donations to the SCPA Foundation help aspiring journalists by
funding internships and scholarships.
But these things can’t happen without your support. So at the end of
the tax year, remember the SCPA Foundation with your gifts.
And a donation to the Foundation in the name of a departed colleague
is an excellent remembrance that lasts far longer than flowers.
May 2007 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin • Page 13
Ad Awards Banquet set June 7 at Summit Club
25th anniversary
gala to recongnize
‘Palmy’ winners
adverising profession June 7.
That’s the night of the annual SCPA Ad
Awards Banquet, nicknamed the “Palmy
Awards.”
The event will start with a reception at
6 p.m. at The Summit Club in downtown
Columbia.
It will be a special night for the best and Dinner will follow at 6:30 p.m. with a
brightest in South Carolina’s newspaper menu of chicken stuffed with crab meat
and topped with a lobster sauce. The
club’s signature salad and chocolate obsession cake will complete the meal.
The awards presentation ceremony will
follow dinner.
The registration form is printed below.
Cost of the banquet and reception is $60
per person. The deadline to register is
June 1.
South Carolina Press Association
cordially invites you and your guests to the
2007 Palmy Awards
June 7, 2007 • The Summit Club • 1301 Gervais St. • Columbia, S.C.
The 25TH
Annual
“A Sterling Event”
I have enclosed a check to reserve a place of honor for my award-winners,
employees and guests.
Attending the banquet will be:
Name(s): _________________________________________________
Newspaper: _______________________________________________
Mailing Address: ___________________________________________
Telephone: _______________________ FAX: ___________________
6:00 p.m.
Reception
6:30 p.m.
Dinner
7:30 p.m.
Awards
Contact Name: ____________________________
E-Mail: __________________________________
$60 per person.
Please make checks payable to SC Press Association and return with this form to:
SCPA • P.O. Box 11429 • Columbia, S.C. 29211 • FAX (803) 551-0903 • E-MAIL
[email protected] will gladly accept credit card payments. Complete the form
below and return to SCPA.
Reservation deadline is June 1.
TBill my credit card as follows:T Visa
T Mastercard
Total Payment Enclosed: $ ______
Total Amount: $ ___
Print Name As It Appears On Card: ___________________________________________________
Credit Card Billing Address with City, State & Zip: _____________________________________________________
Card #:____________________________________________________ Expiration Date: ________
Three Digit Security Code From Back of Card:_________________
Cardholder’s Signature: __________________________________________________ Date: _____
Page 14 • May 2007 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin
A comprehensive guide to legal advertising
One of my goals for
the past dozen years
has been to put together
a comprehensive guide
to legal advertising in
South Carolina. I can
finally mark it off – we
have such a guide.
This guide, which includes an index to all
By Bill
the laws, plain language
Rogers
wording and the exact SCPA Executive
law, has been published Director
on our new legal ad Web
site: www.sclegalnotice.com. I suspect that if
you would read this publication, you would
find that there are legal notices you are not
getting. You can also use it as a guide in
working with advertisers.
Producing this new legal advertising guide
was a team effort. Jamie Allen of our staff
spent a great deal of time over the last few
months pulling the plain language part out
and formatting the pages. Our graphics/new
media person, Michelle Kerscher, built the
web page. Grad student Kelly Mitchell, with
From The
Executive Director
some help from Jay Bender’s old law firm,
did the massive research required.
So please visit the site, send a link to the
person you have handling your legal ads.
Speaking of legals, we had a Legislative
scare this month over public notice advertising. GlobalNotices, a California company
used S.C. lobbyist Brandon Dermody to convince four House members to sponsor a bill
that would allow legals to be posted on the
company’s Web site rather than in newspapers.
With some effective member lobbying, we
were able to get debate adjourned on this
bill. We believe it is dead for the year. But it
will likely come back next year.
One of the things that came out at the subcommittee hearing on the bill is that many S.C.
newspapers already post legals on their own
Web sites. These papers are listed on our
www.sclegalnotice.com site. If you aren’t already posting legals to your newspaper Web
site , I suggest you do so.
Let me also suggest that you don’t upcharge for them. By making legals available
online at no extra charge, we have a very
strong argument to fight the GlobalNotices of
the world. When you charge for them, you
put yourself in the same class as GlobalNotices and that isn’t good. It is hard to argue
that it is okay for newspapers to charge for
web ads but it is not okay for GlobalNotice.
We have strong arguments and research
data to support keeping public notices in
newspapers. We encourage you to go to our
web page: www.scpress.org and download
and run the house ads supporting legals in
newspapers.
SCPA has for a number of years opted not
to put up an aggregated statewide Web site
for legal ads. Most Southern states have
such sites, but participation isn’t good. (It
has gotten better with the efforts of GlobelNotices in other states.) We have chosen not
to put these on such a Web site because
it weakens many of our lobbying points for
Please See ADVERTISING page 11
Details!
Ad Banquet Registration
Please LooK Inside for
Serving South Carolina’s
Newspaper Industry for 134 Years
S.C. Press Association
P.O. Box 11429
Columbia, S.C.29211
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