Strong, Vigorous, Still Growing

DOCUMENT RESUME

ED ono 042 CS 200 903

TITLE Your Future in Daily Newspapers. Revised Edition. I71STITUTION American Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation, Washington, D.C. PUB DATE Sep 73 NOTE 27p. AVAILABLE FROM American Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation, P.O. Box 17407, Dulles International Airport, Washington, D.C. 20041 (Single copies free, multiple copies $0.40)

EDRS PRICE MF-$0.75 HC-$1.85 DESCRIPTORS Administrative Policy; *Career Opportunities; *Career Planning; Degree Requirements; Editing; Editorials; Employment Opportunities; Higher Education; *Journalism; *Newspapers; *News Reporting; Production Techniques; Publicize; Secondary Education; Technological Advancement

ABSTRACT The purpose of this booklet is to examine the nature and growing responsibilities of the daily newspaper in an era ci ferment and change. It is intended primarily as an instructive guide to upperclassmen in high school, where career decisions begin to take shape, but it is also of value to college students and researchers. Career opportunities on the daily newspaper, educational requirements for reporters, salaries for beginners and professionals, and chances for advancement are discussed. Chapters include: "Health Report: Strong, Vigorous, Still Growing," "The nitorial Side: Getting the News for the Newspaper," "The Business Side: You Can't Publish with Red Ink," "From Typewritter to Reader: An Era of Technological Change," and "The Big Question: A Newspaper Career for You?" (RB) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION & WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF C.) EDUCATION THIS DO-UMENT HAS BEEN REPRO DUCED E-1CTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGIN W AT iNG IT. POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRE SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION PO5111054 OR POLICY wCD

Your Future Daily Newspapers

n,Rd g\\, FOUNDATION

Prepared by the American Newspaper Publishers Associat ion Foundation P.O. Box 17407 Dulles International Airport Washington. D.C. 20041

Single copies free. Revised, September 1973 multiple copies 40t each Foreword

While this booklet is intended primarily as an instructie guide to upperclassmen in high school, where career decisions take form and shape. we hope that its factual content will also be of value to college. students and researchers seeking a general understanding of the structure, nature and growing responsibilities of the daily newspaper in an era of ferment and change. We are grateful !o the Associated Press, Harris- I ntertype Corporation. the Richmond (Va.) Newspapers, the South Bend ( hid.) Tribune. the St. Petersburg ( Ha.) Times and independent, the Washington (D.C.) Post and the office of the Hon. Edward M. Kennedy for their cooperation in providing this booklet's illustrations. We are also grateful to The Newspaper Fund for their help- incopyrevision and updating. dl !

INTRODUCTION: YOUR DECISION OF A LIFETIME 7

I. HEALTH REPORT: STRONG, VIGOROUS, STILL GROWING 9 How and why the daily newspaper field has experienced consistent growth since World War 11

II. THE EDITORIAL SIDE: GETTING THE NEWS FOR THE NEWSPAPER 11 Requirements for modern reporting; how the reporter operates; a reporter's satisfactions; copy editing is an art; increased opportunities for women; the matter of pay and advancement; a "who's who" tour of the newsroom; photojournalism; the indispensable library; educationaland,incidental preparation; summer internships; postgraduate education on-the-job

Ill. THE BUSINESS SIDE: YOU CAN'T PUBLISH WITH RED INK 24 The publisher's dual editorial-business role; a tour of the business side and the realms of advertising, circulation, management, promotion and research; educational preparation for a business-oriented newspaper career

IV. FROM TYPEWRITER TO READER,: AN ERA OF TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE 30 Breakthrough in the swifter production of bigger, better newspapers; what computers can and can't do; an assortment of additional job opportunities

V. THE BIG QU'r.SVION: A NEWSPAPER CAREER FOR YOU? 33 Steps to take now if the answer is yes. 7

Your decision of a lifetime It's a fair assumption that, having opened this booklet, you are at least tentatively interested in a newspaper career. It's an equally fair assumption that you would like candid, objective answers to some important questions. Such as: What exactly is a newspaper reporter's job like? What are the educational requirements for a reporter? What are the other newsroom jobs like? How is the pay for a beginner? For an experienced pro? How strongarethe chancesfor advancement? What are the limits? What are the career opportunities in other departments of the daily newspaper? How healthy is the daily newspaper field? Is it expanding? Is television out- dating the newspaper? Long chapters indeed, volumes could be and have been written on some of those questions. But we will try within ; these pages to supply the main facts you need and deserve in weighing your personal decision of a lifetime. I. Health report: strong,vigorous, still growing

Daily newspapers today are in the midst The newspaper business is larger than of their most dynamic 'expansion in his-most manufacturingindustriesinthe tory. They rate high among the growthUnited States. Newspaper employment industries of the United States. of 380,500 in 1972 compares with 248,500 The significant barometer is not thein 1947. That's a gain of 53 per cent consolidation that has taken place inwell above the 41 per cent rise in U.S. some central city areas, but rather theemployment generally. phenomenal growth of newspapers in More to the point, all the respectable gateral and of suburban and small andpredictions indicate a continuing upward medium-sized urban dailies in particular.trend. Since World War II, and with only Forecasters at the Bureau of Census minor fluctuations, the number of dailye::pect the number of American house- newspapers inthe United States has ! holds to increase by perhaps as many as remainedstable atapproximately17 million by 1985. 1,750. That would mean 17million more But within that framework of stabilitypotential customers for daily newspapers. there has been tremendous, continuous The optimistic view, and not unduly growth: so, is that those 17 million potential cus- From 1946 to 1972 total circulationtomers may buy more than 17 million rose from 50.9 million to 62.5 million, acopies of dailynewspapers.Multiple gain of more than 22 per cent. readership that is, the habit of reading Newspapers stillattract the largestmore than one newspaper is expected portion of the advertising dollar. In 1972to increase because of at least three that portion was 30.0 per cent. This istrends: an increasingly better educated much larger than the sum of the sharespopulation;apopulationwithmore of television and radio, 17.2 and 6.7 perleisure time; and the renaissance of mass cent. transportation, where one can read while Between 1946 and 1972 the averageriding. number of pages indaily newspapers By any measurement, the health of the doubled. U.S. daily newspaper field is excellent. Capital outlay by daily newspapers Tomorrow's prospects look even better. that is, investment in expansion, modern-Especiallyisthistrue of newspaper ization, new equipment and machinery,employment, both in opportunities and and entire new plants now exceedsrewards. Itis conservatively estimated $250 million a year. that 3,500 openings occur each year in The new technology and equipmentdaily newspaper editorial departments. now being put into use by the newspaperMany analysts peg the figure closer to business promise better newspapers in5,000 and expect it to increase in the next the future. decade. to Why newspapers are growing Underlying this impressive pattern of vi- tality and growth is the central strength of the daily newspaper: its uniqueness. More than two decades of competition from television have served to reaffirm and reinforce that uniqueness. As a matter of fact, both radio and TV havemadeaudiencesmorenews- conscious, stimulating their curiosity and causing them to look to newspapers for detailsaswellasbackgroundand interpretation. What substitute, after all, could there be for the newspaper's capacity to convey world, national, state, regional and especially local news in depth, breadth and variety for perusal at the reader'scasts,fora15-minutenewscastis convenience in time and place? scarcely equivalent to three columns of The same, of course, applies to thenews in any newspaper. convenience in presentation and absorp- It is this capacity of the printed word tion of the advertiser's message. to provide breadth of information that has Nowhere is the daily newspaper moremade reading newspapers such a. daily indispensablethaninreportinglocalnecessity for the person who wants to be news. If it weren't for newspapers, thetruly informed. lives of most communities would be At the same time the complexity, pro- chronicled only sketchily, rarely or, morefusion and confusion of news from all probably, not atall. No other newsover from the civic battleground of a medium, including broadcasting, can ful-zoning controversy to the jungle terrain fill this function. of a distant war has imposed greater The reason is simply one of words.demands and responsibilities on the daily The average newscaster on radio or TVnewspaper. speaks at a rate of 150 words a minute. But the daily newspaper has responded A 15-minute newscast might have asto these demands through improvements much as 11 minutes of news, after thein both personnel and technology, with time necessary for station identification,higher levels of performance in terms of program identification and commercials.quantity and quality alike. But the daily newspaper's columns Such are the exacting journalistic stan- offer dozens of 15- or 30-minute news-dards of today... and tomorrow. IL The editorial side:getting the.news for the newspaper

Among average laymen indulginginaEnglish for demanding readers seeking not II game of word association, the reflexivemerely facts but comprehension in era of response to the word- "newspaper" wouldunparalleled complexity,perplexity,fer- probably be "reporter." It's a logical as- ment, change. sociation. To the general public, the re- A tallorder? Yesbut thisis what porter personifies the newspaper. readers increasingly demand of their news- For the young person contemplating apapers. So newspapers must demand no career in journalism the association is evenless of their writers and editors. more logical. The reporter's job captures Education, science, medicine, health care, the imagination, and understandably so. urban renewal, civil rights, racial conflict, Of all newspaper jobs, the reporter's is finance,taxation,zoning, water supply, closest to the news. He (or she)is thewater and air pollution, automation, labor public's eyes and ears. relations, the arts, the big business of gov- Most editorsand columnists, special-ernmentall these are among the daily ists and editorial writers--were once re-concerns of today's newspapers and their porters. And many of the most seasoned,readers. most dedicated members of newspaper The reporter's job is, to put it mildly, staffsstill are reporters and will remainmore complex. Yesterday's reporter could reportersby choice. cover the local education beat and report it largely in terms of routine departmental Help wanted: skill essential announcementsplustheappointments, The reportorial staff is the largest single schedules,appropriationsandmiscella- component of the newsroom. Obviouslyneous news emanating from school board its importance can't be overstated. Normeetings. Today's reporter on the educa- can the talent and training which today'stion beat is expected to be conversant daily newspaper expects and requires of itsand to make his readers conversantwith repotters. such matters as curriculum quality, budgets, In the parlance of classified advertising, bonding, salary scales, federal and state aid, the specifications for a reporter might beintegration, anti-poverty activities and the stated as follows: relative merits of construction proposals WANTEDIndividual with innate curi-and sites. osity, intelligence, college education (not Even the police beat isn't what it was. merely degree), writing ability, typing pro-The crimes are pretty much the same, but ficiency. Must have capacity to dig fortoday's police reporter has to be thor- news and to write it accurately, fully andoughly versed in the effects and nuances intelligibly even under deadline pressure.of court rulings which govern arrests, con- Must possess interest, versatility and skillfessions, evidence, arraignments and trial to reduce complex issues to lucid, simple procedures. 12 How the reporter operates training ground on which his attitudes as Deployment of the reportorial staff iswellashiscraftsmanshiparebeing determined by the city desk under thetested. The bored reporter who .makes

. direction of the city editor. Assignmentscareless errors in an "obit" is scarcely of individual reporters tend to follow ademonstratinghistalentforgreater regular pattern, but they are always sub-things. ject to change in matching any given The reporter really capable of greater day's available manpower to the demandsthings is not likely to be assigned long or of news coverage. All schedules go outoftentojournalisticKP.Underutili- the window when a major news breakzation of talent is a luxury no employer requires saturation coverage. can afford. Inthe normal course,however, a reporterwilleitherbeonabeatCopy editing is an art (education, police, cityhall, courts orOnce the reporter has filed his or her other standard sources of news) or onstory, a second important member of the general assignment. newsroom team takes over the copy In the latter case, the reporter may beeditor. Under sometimes severe dead- assigned to interview a visiting celebrity, line pressure, the copy editor "dots the cover a convention, attend a special pressi's and crosses the t's" in preparing the conference or round up a story of thecopy to be set in type. day's weather. Although numbers vary from staff to Either way on a beat or on generalstaff, newspapers depend on copy editors assignment the reporter may, depend-to put news copy in acceptable form for ing on instructions and deadlines, serveprinting by: correcting spelling, grammar as a "leg" man, phoning in the facts toand punctuation: checking names, dates, a rewrite man, or may return to the officeplaces and other facts: and writing clear, to write his own copy. concise and informative headlinesfor The good reporter must be prepared tostories.In addition, many copy editors do either on short notice, just as he mustare responsible for page layouts, photo be prepared to adapt himself from a beatediting and other news judgments. to general assignment, or vice versa, as Newspapers rely on copy editors or the occasion requires. copyreaders to provide consistently high To be sure, all is not dash and sparklequality copy, not just in terms of content, in the novice reporter's life -- or, for thatbut in technical terms as well. Because matter, in anyone's life. Into each report-they are the last to see the copy before er's career must call some obituaries andit is set in type, the copy editor's respon- rewriting of press release handouts. Thesibility to provide "clean" copy is of wise novice will accept his share withoutparamount importance. complaint, realizing that this is part of the Frequently those who operate copy desks have gained a knowledge of theadded,or fromthemsubtracted,a 13 newspaper and the community as a re-number of built-in hurdles, among them: porter. But now newspapers are hiring Relentless pressure of deadlines. recent journalism school graduates as The exacting nature of the work. copy editors. A need for physical stamina. A newsman's satisfactions Subordination, when necessary, of The individual suited by temperamentpersonal plans and social life to emer- and talent to be a competent newsmangency demands of the job. will find the work immensely satisfying. The certainty that honest, objective High among the satisfactions will be: performance will create enemies as well A sense of direct, personal usefulnessasfriends among news sources and in a vital profession. readers. An atmosphere of camaraderiein If newspaper reportingisreally for working with others sharing commonyou, and vice versa, the satisfactions will interests. far outweigh the drawbacks and irrita- The excitement of being "on thetions. All jobs have drawbacks and irrita- inside" of news and in the confidence oftions but few have as many satisfac- newsmakers. tions. _ sThe opportunity to exercise initiative, independence and judgment. More room for women The gratification of seeing the resultsWith male enrollmentsin journalism ofone's work in print almostschools and colleges about twice as high immediately. as female enrollments, it's not surprising The constant, no-two-days-alike vari-that women are similarly outnumbered in ety. <, the newsrooms of daily papers. On the other hand . . But even that proportion is a substan- To these job satisfactions must betial change in a province that not many MIN111.

Fwniliority with the Inca s rssentiutto hnt h the reporter and ce;py editor 14 years ago was almost exclusively male.generous sick-pay policies and enjoys an The happy fact of the matter is that morearray of fringe benefits that may include women are choosing newspaper careershealth care insurance, life insurance and these days and are being hired anda retirement plan. welcomedintonewsrooms onequal But let's be more specific about pay. terms with their male .o,.-3,!!27.gues. An informal survey prepared for the Once relegated to the fashions, recipesAssociated Press Managing Editors As- and household hints of the women'ssociation found that the average starting pages, they qualify today for a variety ofsalary in the newsrooms of daily news- reportorial and editing jobs ondaily papers was $136 in1972; in1970 the newspapers. comparable figure was $119. The survey For qualified women, as for qualifiedincluded newspapers of various sizes and men, the prospects for satisfying news-locations. The range of starting salaries in paper careers are more abundant than1970 was $97 to $169, in 1972 the range ever. was $97 to $183. No doubt more recent figures will show even further increases. Into this average, naturally, went a OK, let's talk about pay range of figures, some lower but many By no means the least of the reasons whyhigher. Salary statistics reflect all sorts newspaper jobs are more satisfying todayof variables,includingthesizeand can be summarized in two words: bettereconomic health of individualpapers, pay. regional living costs and, by no means Once low,newspapersalariesare least,therespectivequalificationsof increasingly competitive with those inapplicants. relatedmedia asweir asinother Bearing in mind that averages aren't businesses. And they're still going up. absolutes, let's proceed up the financial Only theimprobablereporters oneladder. meets on the Late Show the besotted For competent reportersand copy wretches faking stories and stopping theeditors, salaries in the vicinity of $12,000 presses are still working 25 hours aafter three or four years of experience are day, eight days a week for "peanuts."not uncommon. The figure may be some- (Which, come to think about it, was awhat lower on small dailies, but may run fairly appropriate reward for their tal-as high as $20,000 for reportial talent on ents). big city papers. Copy editors on larger Besidesbeingbetterpaid,today'snewspapers generally will receive higher reporter like most salaried employeessalaries and advance more rapidlyto in and out of the newspaper field higher editorial positions. works a five-day week of 35 to 40 hours, Beyond the normal progression of sal- gets regular vacations, is protected byary increments, demonstrated merit is the surest element in the formula for higher 15 pay. That holdstri e whether a reporter chooses to remain a reporter or earns and accepts a promotion. For the seasoned reporter who prefers not to climb the executive ladder, there is a wide range of opportunities. He may branch out as a specialist, feature writer or columnist. On a big daily he may qualify as a special correspondent in the state capital, Washington, even abroad. For newsmen whose temperaments and abilities qualify them for administrative responsibility, advancement in executive positions will be financially as well as professionally rewarding. Executive positions on daily newspapers compare favorably in salary with executive positions in most businesses. The opportunitiesforfinancialad- vancement to quite lofty levels are certainly present. Today's staff, after all, is thesource of tomorrow's executives. And the tomorrows of advancement arrive earlier and more often than they used to in the old, relatively static days of journalism. Naturally, the larger a newspaper's staff and the more numerous its departments and special editors, the greater and swifter will be the opportunities for advancement to "middle management" ranks. To recapthe economicprospects, newspaper work today provides a com- fortable living and considerably more for those who excel.

11111:. All the same, the main motivation still has to be a special sort of dedication Re'pOrler

(01:ccritrt:t:,,n. dcrdrdt - and fdlynt. 16 play of the top stories. On some papers an executive editor serves as a buffer between editor and managing editor, relieving the pressures on both. (There are similar structural variations from one paper to the next in the titles and duties of the entire executive line-up. Forpresentpurposes,inorderto examine the widest spectrum of titles and individual responsibilities, the newsroom of the large-city daily newspaper is our general frame of reference.) The city editor and his assistants direct local and area news coverage. They rooted in a desire for both personal fulfill-schedule the shifts and assignments of the ment and community service. reportorial and rewrite staffs. Phone calls from "leg" reporters funnel thi one, the Who's who in the newsroom city desk to rewrite battery, composed of By way of pointing up the diversity of tal-well-paid pros usually former reporters entsas well as the opportunities for who can write swiftly, accurately and advancement in daily newspapers, let'scolorfully under the most intense of dead- take a brief tour of the newsroom, start-line pressures. ing at the office of the head man. The wire editor or telegraph editor, The editor sets the paper's policy, tone',as he isstill often called sifts and and atmosphere. The editor may reportevaluates foreign and national news from to the publisher or he may be the pub-the Associated Press and/or United Press lisher. How much the editor involvesInternational wire services, plus any sup- himself in writing, editing and direction ofplementary news and feature services to the daily operation is largely up to him.which individual papers may subscribe. Buy not wholly. His services as arbiter he job calls for a high degree of judg- are frequently invoked. Such is the vol-ment, selectivity and composure. ume of correspondence, memos and tele- Coordinating the selection and place- phone calls descending on him that hement of the major stories meshing the may sometimes feelhe'slivingin Ct best of the local and wire news and fea- stereophonic and paper blizzard. turesintoa cohesive,well-balanced, The managing editor directs and super-attractive product isthesensitive vises day-to-day newsroom operations,responsibility of the news editor or, his responsibilities varying from person-where the job doesn't exist, of the man- nel probt.sms to calling the choice andaging editor. ity for judgment and persuasive writing 17 talent. Since editorials express the opinions of the newspaper as an entity, it follows that major policies are set by the publisher and implemented with day-to-day variations by the editor in conferences with his editorial writers. The editor looks to them for carefully reasoned ideas and suggestions. From the interchange of thoughts at these conferences come the selection and assignment of tomorrow's editorials. Editorial writers may also choose and process the letters, columns, articles and cartoons that appear on the editorial Depending on the size of the paper, thepage. In some cases these chores are newsroomcomplementmayincludehandled by a special assistant. several sub-departments specializing in Not necessarily visible during a tour of sports, business and finance,society,thenewsroom becausegenerally women's news, travel and resorts, hob-they're busy in the composing room bies and the amusement and culturalare the makeup editor and his assistants. spectrum of television, radio, movies,Theirsisthe exacting job of "dum- theater, art and music. mying" the pages, then following through The sub-departments may process theirin the composing room as printers make own copy unless, as is often the case,up the pages in accordance with the there is a "universal" copy desk through"dummies." On multiple-edition papers, which nearly all copy is channeled. some pages may be remade several times One exception is editorial page copy to keep up with news developments. and this brings us to a sensitive, impor- The "dummies" are small-scale page tant domain. For if there are two ele-diagrams showing which stories and pic- ments of a newspaper that especiallytures belong where, on the front page and establish its individual character, they areon inside pages, including the "jumps" of the quality of its local news and the effec-stories continuing from Page One. tiveness of its editorials. The makeup editor has to be a wizard On many newspapers the staff includesin making last-minute changes, trimming two or three occasionally more stories in type to fit their assigned space editorial writers, usually men with con-and seeing thatthe completed pages siderable journalistic experience, capac-move along swiftly by deadline. 18 Such is the diverse range of jobs totragedy or humor in such graphic terms which the reporter may gravitate andthat even the caption lines seem almost advance right up to the editor's chair.unnecessary except as identification. Promotions tend to be made from the Photojournalism is a profession unto ranks perhaps not always within aitself, with no single path to admission given newspaper but almost invariablyand success.Itispossiblethatthe within the field. innatelytalentedphotographer taught It does not follow, of course, that someonly by experience may excel the profes- ostensiblelinesof advancementaresionally trained photographer who lacks always practical. The good reporter is notthe indefinable touch of artistic magic. necessarily a good editor, or vice versa.But such is the scarcity of magic that this In such a case, as we noted earlier, thedoesn't happen often.Increasingly the reporter with a flair and a love for diggingemphasis is on professional education out facts and writing them skillfully willand training. Photojournalism has be- find other ways to advance developingcome an important specialty in the cur- as a specialized reporter, feature writer,ricula of many journalism schools. columnist, political analyst or editorial Most daily newspapers have at least writer. If his efforts as a columnist aretwo full-time photographers. In addition outstanding, if he produces a column thatsome papers encourage or even require consistently has wide appeal and original-their reporters to learn the use of a ity, syndication could make him a fairlycamera. It's a way of insuring that good wealthy celebrity. news pictures do not "get away" for want of a preassigned photographer. A picture is worth... Photographers work through the city It is only because we have been dwellingdesk and departmental editors in lining up on the written word that we have takenshooting schedules. On many papers, this long to get to the subject of pictures.both assignments and suLject selections Good photographs are more valuableare coordinated through a picture editor, than ever in producing modern news-who also selects the best of the day's papers with strong visual appeal and,local and wire-service pictures for publi- more than that, enhanced value to thecation. In consultation with other editors, reader. To some extent, the stock por-he decides their column width and routes traits and posed shots of committeesthe prints through the art department for "planning" things are still inevitable, butany necessary retouching by staff artists they no longer get the "play." What doesto improve contrast values and crop away get the play is the picture, usually candid,extraneous detail. that not merely illustrates but enhances Newspaper artists also draw maps and a news story or independently tells itsdiagrams, design montages and layouts of ownself-sufficientstoryofdrama,pictures and. now and then, draw humor- 20

ous sketches to illustrate news featurereference volumes, pamphlets,official stories and editorial columns. reports and carefully indexed newspaper; The deans of newspaper artistry, ofclippings compiled for ready access in the course, are editorial and sports cartoon-library. in recent years the library has ists but relatively few newspapersbecome also the repository for microfilms have either, let alone both. Most buyof back issues a space-saving sub- their cartoons, as they do their comicstitute that will last long after ancient strips and most of their non-local col-newsprint pages crack and crumble. umns, from national syndicates. Already indispensable to newspapers, the skills of trained professional librarians The library more than books will be even more in demand inthis Finally,let s not leave the newsroomdevelopingeraof"informationre- without a brief look-in at its invaluabletrieval." This revolutionary technique will adjunct the library, or "morgue." Noprovide instant access not only to the beginning reporter or veteran, for thatnewspaper's own files but to a wide ar- matter can do a complete, knowledge-ray of outside informational resources able job without frequent resort to thethrough an efficient electronic hook-up. The vista for newspaper librarians iseditor of a local daily. Write to him 21 more fascinating than ever. explaining your interest and asking for an appointment. (Usually his name can be found in the "masthead" on the editorial The road to the newsroom page.) If his schedule permits, he will be

"From Copyboy to Editor" might havedelighted to welcome you for a chat. If. been a plausible success story in Horatiohis appointment pad is overcrowded, he I Alger's t;tne, but it's most improbablewill arrange for an associate to meet with today unless the copyboy happens toyou. be a college graduate. There are fewer Either way, you will have an opportun- and fewer exceptions to the requisite ofitytoask questionsandgetfrank a solid college education for a creativeanswers. And the odds are also very job in the newsroom of any U.S. dailygood that you'll be given a personal tour paper. of the newsroom and the rest of the plant. Ideally, the preparation should begin If the spirit moves you, arrange also to even before college. visit other editorsin nearby cities to High school journalismcourses,ifretest your impressions and make mean- available, are a logical start. So is spare-ingful comparisons with other papers. time work for the ;.igh school newspaper Perhaps in your rounds you will find it or other school publications. So, if possi-possible to borrow, from a library or ble,is a "stringer" job as high schoolnewspaper office, copies of newspaper campus correspondent for a local news-trade publications such asEditor & paper. Publisher,a weekly magazine that con- The prospective journalist should learncentrates on news about newspapers and touch-typing as early as possible andcarries help-wanted ads that will give you by practice work up a speed of 50 or 60a fairly representative view of job oppor- wordsaminute.A knowledgeoftunities and pay for beginners as well as shorthand is extremely helpful. experienced newspapermen. Surely itis axiomatic that the young Your school and public libraries can man or woman interested in a profes-provide you with additional material on sional newspaper career will be a news-newspaper careers. Your guidance coun- paper reader a regular reader of localselor will of course assist you inthe papers and at least an occasional readerchoice of likely colleges. of available out-of-town papers for com- That brings us back to the inescapable parison of styles, formats and techniques.subject of college. For, no question about For a first-hand sample of newspaperit, college more and more has come to be atmosphere and a candid glimpse of thea prerequisite for achievement and finan- realitiesof newspaper work,there'scial advancement in the newsrooms of nothing like arranging a visit with thedaily newspapers. 22 There is an unresolved debate amongthere is a campus newspaper, the student someeducators,andamongsomewill be smart to join up as a staff member editors, on whether prospective news-or contributor and to write all he (or she) paper reporters and editors should con-can news, features, interviews, editori- centrate on journalism or liberal arts. Aals, reviews. The campus paper also pro- few editors actually prefer applicants whovides valuable training and practice in have spent full time in liberal arts andediting copy, writing headlines, dummy- have had no journalism courses at all. ing pages, supervising makeup, seeing the The prevalent compromise, however,paper through "to bed." This is a jour- is heavy emphasis on liberal arts, sup-nalismcurriculumallbyitself.It plementedbythebasicjournalismdevelops and disciplines young talents courses in reporting, editing, libel lawand the experience impresses prospective and typography essentially the kind ofemployers. journalism curriculumoffered, by the good journalism schools. With this back-Making the summer count ground, the journalism graduate has aEven more valuable arethe growing grounding not in journalistic techniquesopportunitiesforcollegestudentsto alone, but in a basic understanding of thespend their summers in newsroom jobs. press and itsessential rolein a freeScores of daily newspapers have "in -'. nation.Besides,thegraduate'sfirstternship" programs in which journalism employer doesn't havetostart fromstudents fill in for vacationing staff mem- scratch in job training. bers covering regular beats and major Infact,trying to draw a contraststories, writing special features, working between liberalarts and a journalismon the copy desk and inout-of-city educationisafutileexercise.Thebureaus. accredited schools of journalism require On some papers this on-the-job training their students to take 75 per cent of theiris supplemented by discussion periods total course work in non-journalism disci-or "bull sessions" with editors and plines. department heads, and in some cases by Which liberal arts courses will be ofworkshops conducted by professors from value to young men and women planninglocal or nearby universities. newspaper careers? A good many but The city editor of one paper which certainly history, American and Englishbegan its program in 1954 and now takes literature, urban affairs, sociology, phil-more than two dozeninternsevery , osophy, psychology,politicalscience,summer was quoted in Editor & Pub- economics, finance (especially municipallisher as follows: finance) and government. "They become more important to us : The more direct writing experience theevery summer. I can't think of an assign- college student can log, the better.Ifment too difficult or too complicated for them to handle. There are times in July 23 and August when I have as many intern reporters as regulars, because of vacations, and, believe me, I don't know what we'd do without them." Many interns return to the same papers during all their college summers earn- ing close to the prevailing starting salaries and are hired by those papers after graduation. It doesn't always evolve so tidily but, whatever the individual variations, it's a mutually beneficial arrange- ment for students and for newsrooms. Colleges and universities, as well as t local newspapers will provide the information that the student needs to apply for summer internships. The opportunities are well worth exploring. In fact, they're professionally priceless. Education doesn't stop Whether a student'sformalcollege education ends with a bachelor's or an advanced degree, education doesn't stop when the graduate leaves the campus and enters the newsroom of a daily paper. Beyond thetraditionalday-to-day education that a newspaper career provides, thereis increasing emphasis on industry-sponsoredinstitutes,management development programs and tuition- paid advanced courses in specialized sub- jects for staffers and executives alike. It's one more proof that modern jour- nalismis anything but static. Creative skills must keep pace with technological progress in order to meet the exacting requirements of producing today's modern American daily newspaper. M. The business side: you can't publish with red ink

24 By no means the least exacting require-equal responsibility to generate adequate ment for any successful newspaper is robust revenue so that the paper may publish at financial health. all.Accordingly, the enterprise requires This brings us to the role of the pub-competent and creative executives to man- lisher and to an additional array of dailyage the many components of the "business newspaper career opportunities. side," all under the direction of the pub- Sometimes, as we pointed out duringlisher. our figurative tour of the newsroom, a This is why it makes excellent sense newspaper's publisher may also be its edi-for young people with the appropriate tor. But, even if he isn't, he nonetheless talents and interests to consider the career must fill a dual role. opportunities and rewards in business man- The conscientious publisher's main con-agement, advertising, circulation, industrial cern has to be excellence of the journalisticrelations and other business-oriented areas productthe production of the best news-of the daily newspaper. paper possible for the community he serves. Intertwined with that objective is theA tour of the 'business side' necessity to marshal the resources thatLike the modern newsroom, business man- enable the newspaper to operate at a profitagement requires diverse talents. The edi- and thus keep improving its product. tor's counterpart in this realm is the busi- To state it simply, the newspaper is es-ness (or general) manager, assisted by sentially an enterprise in public service.managerial executives in the various sub- But the newspaper that cannot meet its departments. expenses and build for the future cannot Strictly speaking, a newspaper's busi- long continue serving its community. ness management isresponsible forall Perhaps it should be axiomatic, but itdepartments except the newsroom. But is not always necessarily so, that a news-the major components, for obvious rea- paper of high journalistic quality will assons, are the advertising and circulation a matter of course attract sufficient ad-departments. vertising and circulation to insure auto- First, let us look briefly at newspaper matic prosperity. advertising--what it is, how it's sold and Just as a newspaper's editorial excel-the many purposes it serves. lence does not evolve accidentally, neither does its financial health. Ads are more than 'commercials' For both there are special talents thatThere's something unique about newspa- must be intelligently applied, special re-per advertisingbecause, as we shall see, sources that must be skillfully tapped. it is a wanted and a desired part of the It is the responsibility of the publishernewspaper, not a mere vehicle for financ- to seek editorial excellence, but he has an ing the news content. Mostnewspaperreaders,especiallymen, especially on smaller newspapers, 25 women, don't regard "ads" as being sim-may also require considerable skill as copy- ply ' ,.-ommercials." Many read the adver-writers and art-layout technicians. tisk:,with as much interest as they do As for the third category of advertising, the newsand for a similar reason. Theyno one needs to be told what classified find it helpful and informative. And so itads are. Jobs, apartments, houses, pianos, is, in planning everything from marketingcats, driveway gravel, used carsyou name lists to wardrobes, from vacations to theit and the odds are good that it's repre- family's next car. Not the least of thesented in the "want ad" columns. Small advantages of newspaper advertisementswonder these are among the most closely is that they can be readand re-read andand eagerly read columns in any daily comparedat the reader's convenience. newspaper. There are three principal categories of Two classes of salesmen sell want ads: newspaper advertising: general, retail andFirst the "outside" staff who call on auto- classified. mobile dealers, real estate brokers and General, also known as national, ad-other classified "regulars" and, second, the vertisingistheadvertising of productsphone staff,thoseskilled and efficient and services marketed either nationallysalespeople who sell want ads by phone. or regionally through a network of local Whatever hisspecialty,initiative and retail outlets. These ads, most frequentlydemonstrated results are the salesman's placed in newspapers by advertising agen-route to higher earnings and career ad- cies, convey the message of the manufac-vancement. turer or distributorsometimes supple- On the ladder of advancement, under mented by insertion of the names of localthe advertising director, are usually the retailers. General advertising is sold mostthree executive positions of general ad- often by a newspaper's national sales rep-vertising manager, retail advertising man- resentative, usually an independent com-ager and classified advertising manager. pany located in key cities, that representsAlso on many newspapers there is a dis- a number of newspapers before nationalpatch department manager, who is respon- advertisers and their advertising agencies.sible for handling the flow of corrected Retail advertisingislocal advertising.proofs to and from advertisers and sched- Department stores,specialty stores anduling ads for the proper issues of the supermarkets are typical retail advertisers.paper. Retail advertisingissold by the news- (Furtherinformationonadvertising paper's sales staffand most effectivelycareers is available from the Schools and sold by salesmen who have an intimateColleges Committee, International News- understanding of the newspaper's market-paper Advertising Executives, Inc., P.O. ing area and of the retailer's needs. Sales- Box 147, Danville, Illinois 61832.) 26 A triumph in logistics Distributing the newspaper is a daily triumph n logisticsover the obstacles of geography, traffic, weather and train, bus, air and post office schedules. This task belongstothecirculationdepartment. Building circulationwithin and beyond central areas of coveragerequires keen organizational ability, a sure knowledge of the market and the application of a great deal of determination. The circulation director (or manager) must function somewhat like the general of a small but highly 'efficient army of spe- cialists. Under his command are drivers, carrier boys,districtfield managers, a skilledclericalforce,solicitors,trouble- shooters and supervisors. As the "general," the circulation director has to mastermind and coordinate day- to-day operations while also fashioning the broader strategy for circulation growth. Who manages the business? As becomes increasingly clear in our tour, the complexity of a dailynewspaper's structure and operations entails a tremendous job of competent business adminis- tration. This includes processing the payrolls, making or approving all purchases (from pencils to presses), billing advertisers and paying creditors, screening credit risks,ployees and seeing to maintenance and maintaining records ofalltransactions,repair throughout the entire plant. complying with government regulations in It takes no clairvoyant to perceive in filing tax forms and a multitude of otherall this a continuous stream of work for documents, providing the necessary "hous-auditors, accountants, cashiers, controllers, ing" space and work facilities for em-purchasing agents, credit managers, book- keepers and trained personnel executivesof telling the public about the role and 27 who can help administer the "human" sidefunction of the newspaper and the free of the business. press. No newspaper can function effec- tively unless it has the respect and under- Telling the newspaper's story standing of its own community. We have saved until last in this "business One especially effective program to inside" tour a look at two departments:form young people about daily newspa- promotion and research. Even if the news-pers and the role newspapers play in help- paper has no promotion or research de-ing people understand the world is the partment, some department will have re-Newspaper inthe Classroom program, sponsibility for these important functions.now used by hundreds of newspapers. Organization of the promotion depart-Purpose of this program is to foster con- ment varies from one paper to another,cern for public affairs' among young peo- but the purposes are always the sametople and to develop the habit of daily news- foster public understanding of the news-paper reading. Newspapers and schools are paper, to tell readers the benefits of news-cooperating under this program to de- paper reading and sellthe benefits ofvelop the use of the newspaper as a basic newspaper advertising and circulation toeducational resource, not solely for dis- advertisers and readers. cussing current events, but as a valuable The promotion department is,so tosupplement to courses in socialstudies, speak, an advertising and public relations English and other subject areas. agency which has the newspaper itself as Students able to understand the news- the sole client., paper and read it more intelligently are the In performing its job, promotion useslong-term goals. many of the accepted tools of public relations and advertising. The typical depart-The vital tool of research ment will help the circulation departmentSystematic research has increasingly be- prepare sales literature for a carrier con-come an important toolof newspaper test.It will prepare sales presentationsmanagement decision-making. Many news- and folders for advertising. It will detailpapers now have full-fledged research de- the advantages of the newspaper's marketpartments whose task is to minimize the to national advertisers.It will developguesswork and risk-takinginvolvedin contests and incentive programs for cir-newspaper management. In making deci- culation and for advertising. It will pre-sions newspaper executives have found pare promotional advertising for use inthey can no longer depend on "a sixth the newspaper, on radio and TV, and insense." They need facts; they need in- other media. formation. It is the task of the research Increasingly important is the necessitydepartment to provide it. 28 Newspapers are using researchinalitical life. Work on the business side is number of ways. For the editorial depart-financially rewarding as well as personally ment research, for example, is being usedand professionally rewarding. in measuring readability of type; in gaug- Once again this brings us back to the ing reader opinion about editorial policy;campus. For it is as true of the business and in determining how different sectionsside as of the newsroom that virtually all and pages of the paper are read. of the modern daily newspaper's creative For the circulation department researchand executive positions require general as studies are conducted to help improve car-well as specialized higher education. rier services; for revealing the most effec- College preparation for a fruitful career tive kinds of sales promotion programs;as a newspaper business executive should and for determining reader attitudes to-include courses in management, economics, ward the newspaper. finance,taxation,statistics,accounting, The advertising department is concernedadvertising,marketing,laborrelations, with using research to study the news-psychology,sociologyand,increasingly paper's market, determining educationalrecommended, public speaking. and economic levels, purchasing power, Although college is not mandatory for shopping habits and other characteristicsall positions on the business side, in gen- of the local population. Local audienceeral, completing as much formal educa- research is valuable to the paper for de-tion as possible will be the key to the best scribing to advertisers the kind of audiencejobs. the newspaper serves. Work on the school newspaper, maga- Basicallyallnewspaperresearchis zine or yearbook can be most helpful in aimed at one impertznt goal: making aproviding the feel of work on a publica- better product each day for an ever in-tion. Experience in business, particularly creasing number of readers. selling either in a store or door-to-door, is always helpful to those coming into a Where do you start? marketing or business career with a news- With their diverse outlets for creativitypaper. and enterprise, the fields of business man- As with careers on the editorial side of agement, advertising, circulation, promo-the newspaper, talking to a professional tion and research rate high as career op-a newspaper business manager, advertis- portunities. ing director or circulation manageris The newspaper is one of the focal pointsmost desirable. If you are interested in this of business activity in any community. Itarea, you should also talk to your high is the community's marketplace, the driv-school or college guidance counse. )1' who ing force behind a community's economiccan provide additional information on ad- activityplus being the servant of its po-vertising and business management. IV. From typewriter to reader: an era of technological change

30 There is one more specialist who must beonce carried local and wire news copy mentioned, because his career oppor-from the newsroom to the composing tunities are greater than ever and willroom. become more so. In the composing room computers His oldtitle,not yet extinct, wasand phototypsetters are replacing clank- mechanical superintendent. His new titleing linotype machines. evolvingindirectrelationto the Printing plates are being made by new accelerated pace of technological changemethods and with new materials, plastics is production or operationsAanager. and light-weight alloys. The change in title is not merely se- High speed presses now print as mantic. He no longer superintends oper-many as 80,000 newspapers per hour on ations bogged down in changeless routinelarge metropolitan dailies. dating to the last century. The application of advanced tech- The arrival of a newspaper technologi-nologyinthe mailroom has acceler- cal revolution in the1950's,its rapidated the counting, bundling, tying and development inthe1960's and earlyaddressing of papers and routed them 1970's and its seemingly limitless pos-along conveyor belts to waiting delivery sibilities for the future have created atrucks. need for a manager with an extraordinary Technological change has been labeled combination of knowledge and skills inautomation and cursed as a devil by those planning and operating a modern news-fearing it would eliminate jobs in, the craft paper plant. departments. But the statistics of the last This new breed of production or opera-20yearsrevealthattechnological tions manager requires a solid back-advances in fact resulted in more jobs by groundinmechanicalorelectricalgearing newspaper plantsforbigger, engineering if possible, both. Somemore prosperous issues with more basic knowledge of computer program-news and more advertising. ming would be useful, too. The big probleni today, from the stand- By theearly1970'stechnological point of newspaper management, is the breakthroughs have come in many areas. soaring cost of ever more sophisticated Opticalscannersread news copyelectronic wonders. But this is a problem typed by reporters and make correctionsthat ever more efficient management as instructed by editors. techniques, improved utilization of equip- In many newspapers, video displayment and cost-saving new technology will terminals, where reporters and editorssolve, thus signaling a new era of better type on atelevision-likescreen,arenewspapers. Many ofthese new already in use. techniques and technologies are now Electronicimpulsesarereplacingbeingdevelopedbyresearch-minded much of the manpower and paper thatnewspapers,equipmentmanufacturers and the American Newspaper Publishersmental rather than manual. By its very 31 Association's Research Institute. Againnatt:re. the daily newspaper has and will in the field of technology, as in otheralways have an abundance of such jobs. areas of the newspaper, research has become avitalmanagement toolfor improvement of the product. There are other jobs, too While in this rather extended essay we But computers can't think have dealt principally with career jobs The French have an expression to therequiring considerable preparation, we effect that the more things change, thewould be remiss if we did not also point more they stay the same. out that there is a wide assortment of In the most important sense, this isnewspaper jobs secretarial, clerical true of the American daily newspaper.and administrative available to appli- No amount of technological change willcants with the requisite aptitudes and diminish the need for creativity and man-training. These jobs correspond closely in agerial skills. The computer is capable ofduties, and in pay, with comparable jobs marvelous accomplishments, but it can-in other businesses. The difference is in not think, reason or feel. the extra "lift" of working for a news- No, the computer isnot about topaper, being part of the team that is "in replacethereporter,theeditor,theon" what's happening in the newspaper's editorial writer, the legislative correspon-community and world. dent,thecolumnist,thecomic-strip Nor should any young man SO inclined artist. by his vocational aptitudes overlook the Nor is it about to cough out decisionspossibilities of a career in the mechanical and solutions that business managementand technical crafts from composing need only ratify. The computer can sup-room to pressroom in the daily news- ply valuable data, but itwill come uppaper field. with no original ideas on advertising, cir- However, the opportunities, training culationorpromotion.Thedifficultand apprenticeship requirements vary so thinking, evaluating and decision-makinggreatly from one area of the country to willcontinue tobe theprovince ofanother that itis difficult to offer ever humans. general,letalonespecific,advice. In fact, humans are going to remainAnyone interestedinthesetechnical very much in style throughout the prem-areas should seek information and guid- ises of daily newspapers in every jobance from his high school counselor or where judgment, discretion and personalfrom admissions personnel in vocational contact are indispensable requirements.or trade schools, in addition to speaking These are jobs for "knowledge work-directly with the proper personnel at the ers," men and women whose skills arenewspaper. V. Thebigquestion: a newspaper career for you

All in all, the word "skill" best describes 33 the central requirement of the men and women who will write, edit, direct, produce and market tomorrow's newspaper. The greater their creative talents and funds of knowledge, and the more intel- ligent)/ these are applied, the better will be the newspapers that tomorrow's jour- nalists help produce. And the greater will be the financial rewards and no less important that special sense of personal fulfillment in a uniquely satisfying career. If. having sized up the situation, you sen a happy equation between what you;pea of a professional newspaper career and what the daily newspaper will expect of you, we're delighted. It's time now for you to consider tak- ing the next steps. Arrange an appointment for a chat with the editor or publisher of your local newspaper. Write for college catalogues. Ask your school or public librarian for reading matter on a journalism career. Write to The Newspaper Fund, P.O. Box 300, Princeton, N.J. 08540, for the latest issue of its Journalism Scholarship Guide, which lists awards, loans and other forms of financial assistance for which you may be eligible. If you haven't been reading newspapers thoroughly, start now. And read as many of them as you can with as much regularity and thoroughness as possible. 35

FOUNDATION American Newspaper Publishers Asso- ciation (AN PA) Foundation is a charit- able and educational organization devoted to strengthening the press in America. It is a public foundation sup- portedbythenewspaperbusiness, privatefoundationsandindividuals through an endowment fund. ANPA Foundation conducts an organized prog- ramwiththreeprincipalobjectives: advancing professionalism in the press; fostering public understanding of a free press; and cultivating future newspaper readers. AN PA Foundation publishes educational materials, conducts seminars and conferences on journalism education and on the use of newspapers in Schools, administers a research program relating to freedom of the press and speech, and conducts programs for the improvement of newspapers, including the training of present and future newsmen and women. For further information on AN PA Foundation, write: Stewart R. Macdonald, Executive Director AN PA Foundation P.O. Box 17407, Dulles Airport Washington, D.C. 20041 Ainerican NewspaperPublishers Association'on P.O. Box 17407, Dulles InternationalAirport, Washington, D.C. 20041