The Oklahoma Publisher Official Publication of the Oklahoma Press Association
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The Oklahoma Publisher Official Publication of the Oklahoma Press Association www.OkPress.com Vol. 86, No. 6 www.Facebook.com/okpress 28 Pages • June 2015 INSIDE America needs newspapers CONTEST WINNERS: Through a series of questions beginning Results of the 2014 OPA Better with the origins of newspapers in America, Newspaper Contest were Ken Paulson showed the strength of news- announced at the June 4-6 OPA papers and their importance to our country. Convention in Oklahoma City. Paulson is president of the First Amend- PAGE 10 ment Center and dean of the College of AWARD WINNERS: Mass Communication at Middle Tennessee Congratulations to the Milt State University. Phillips Award winner, Beachy As keynote speaker at the Oklahoma Musselman Award winner and Press Association’s Annual Conference, he inductees into the OPA Quarter asked the audience to name the five free- and Half Century Clubs. doms of the First Amendment – religion, speech, press, petition and assembly. PAGES 16-19 “The majority of Americans can only NEWS FLASH: Read name one freedom,” Paulson said. “We fail about the seven ideas that to teach the importance of the First Amend- were presented at the News ment and we fail to teach the importance of Flash session during the OPA the press to a free society.” Convention. Newspapers have been successful for PAGE 26 more than three centuries because of the extraordinary service they provide to com- DONATE TO ONF to receive munities nationwide, said Paulson. this Will Rogers print. Details at “This is a press that is so critical to OkPress.com/will-rogers. democracy that the first generation insisted on protecting it,” he said. The press has made presidents uncom- fortable, kept an eye on people in power and uncovered corruption. Those strengths Ken Paulson, dean of the College of Mass Communication at Middle Tennessee State are no less valid and valuable in the digital University and president of the Newseum Institute’s First Amendment Center, talks about the age, Paulson said. importance of newspapers at the OPA Convention in Oklahoma City. “While digital traffic dominates our dis- cussion, it turns out Americans still spend help and prodding. These questions will Time and again America’s newspapers much more time on newspaper content show a newspaper’s real value to its com- led the way in demanding justice and quali- than any purely digital source,” Paulson munity. ty, but were not always financially rewarded said. “Your relationship with your community for their efforts. And, he added, the work of professional is unlike any other,” said Paulson. “In large “But because of those efforts, our streets journalists is seen as being superior to part you’re the organization that day in and and streams are cleaner, our governments user-generated content. day out has cared more about the fate and more honest, our citizens more equal and While the general perception is that future of your community than anybody our courts more just,” he said. younger generations no longer rely on else.” Undoubtedly the media world is chang- news, Paulson said the youngest genera- Paulson said the real return for the com- ing but as it moves ahead it’s critically tion is the one most likely to access a munities newspapers serve can’t be con- important not to lose sight of its oldest newspaper’s content on their smartphones tained on a balance sheet. The economic values. and they’re the ones who trust newspapers challenges facing the newspaper industry “The first generation of Americans the most. are what frightens him the most. entrusted us with a critical assignment. The traditional strength of newspapers “I love newspapers and print and online. They understood that if we did our jobs – professionalism, readability, depth, accu- I have a great sentimental attachment to the right way, this nation would grow and racy and watchdog journalism – are the this business. I want newspapers to do evolve and democracy would thrive,” Paul- medium’s same strength today and it is well,” he said. son said. invaluable, Paulson said. “But America needs newspapers to do “We can and should focus on profits but “The truth is that the greatest value of well. The best work you do will be done by we must never lose sight of our purpose. your newspaper is the relationship you no one else and it has been that way since Over the long history of American journal- have with your own community,” he said. the birth of this nation. With freedom of ism there have been many great newspa- Paulson urged every publisher to ques- the press, newspapers have unprecedented pers that didn’t make that much but they tion their staff about their newspaper’s freedom to report on people and power and made enough to make a difference. legacy. Ask what it has done for the com- are free to scrutinize government.” “Readers, communities and our nation munity, where it made a difference, what From colonial times, newspapers found are counting on you to do the same.” crisis it helped diffuse, what changes would they could make a few dollars but that’s not not have occurred without the newspaper’s what it’s all about, Paulson said. 2 The Oklahoma Publisher // June 2015 sas instead? No, he would have gone to cept to our communities and our news- Kansas. Then, as a result, his wife would papers. What might people in power not be in our town teaching music les- have done if we, our newspapers, had sons. And then, our neighbor’s daughter NOT been watching? NEWS would not have received the extra music Or, because we have been depend- training that led her to that scholarship ably reporting on local news, how often offer. sometime/somewhere did a bad choice analysis The example could go on and on and vanish when someone said: on with things that did NOT happen in “Oh, we can’t do that. The press our community if voters did NOT pass would have a field day with that. We’d that bond issue. But, that make-believe never hear the end of it.” by OPA President JEFF FUNK, Publisher of the Enid News & Eagle scenario didn’t happen because of that People choose NOT to commit crimes bond issue story in a community news- because they fear the consequences. I paper – a good newspaper doing good wouldn’t consider committing a crime journalism in Osage County because Louise Red Local newspapers If – as happened in “Wonderful Life” Corn and The Bigheart Times would – angels gave us a chance to see the make me a laughingstock. If you want differences our newspapers have made, examples of great, and funny, crime I’ll bet the examples would be stunning. coverage, just flip through pages of The You see, a good newspaper is not just Bigheart Times. make a difference RECORDING a town’s history, it’s really So, let’s look at YOUR community. helping a town MAKE its history. How has your newspaper been a con- When newspaper people gathered depressed businessman, George Bailey, Commentators talk about the “power science for local government or civic for the Oklahoma Press Association’s a chance to see what life in his commu- of the press.” I’d suggest it’s not power, or business leaders? What dishonest or annual convention, it was great fun just nity would have been like if he had NOT but influence. Influence, in this case, self-serving choices never happened – eavesdropping on conversations in the been there to make a difference – what comes from having a widely read, and never were seriously considered – just lobby and hallways. the world would be if he never existed. widely respected, news product or prod- because people knew your newspaper Many of those conversations were So, what happens if we apply that plot ucts. existed and you might find out? about change. In the news business, line to community newspapers? (After The leadership of Oklahoma’s news- Or, on the positive side, how has we are facing change at a crazy pace all, we as newspaper people, like George papers includes a lot of respected Okla- your newspaper championed good and – change in how we do our jobs, and Bailey, sometimes get discouraged.) homa influencers. celebrated accomplishment. In newspa- especially change in how people access What would our community be with- So, how have we been able to influ- pering as in life, we reward what we find “the news.” out its newspaper? What differences ence good – good people, good growth, desirable. Therefore, we print news of There are moments – especially times have WE made? That question has thou- good decisions? How have we been a graduations, and scholarship winners, when Facebook gossip seems to carry sands of answers, but here’s one sce- positive, constructive influence for our and Eagle Scouts, and 50-year anniver- more weight than our carefully con- nario a lot of us could relate to: readers? saries, and the list could go on and on. firmed stories – that we get more than Would voters have approved that Also, taking a different perspective, So let me conclude by reassuring you a little frustrated, depressed or even school bond issue if our newspaper had how have we been a conscience for our that your newspaper does make a dif- outright angry. not told readers, in words and photos, readers and our community? ference, a BIG difference, every week So, for a little perspective, I’d like just how bad conditions had become When I was growing up, as a child – even when you don’t immediately see to draw a comparison from a film that, and described what other, similar school and especially as a teenager, I thought it.