Volume 32, No. 7 November 2007 QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“I am not the editor of a newspaper and shall always try to do right and be good so that God will not make me one.”

— Mark Twain Visit the ISWNE’s Web site: www.iswne.org

Published by the Institute of International Studies, Missouri Southern State University, Joplin, MO The New York Times — Community be Damned By Bill Reader The New York Times enjoys a place of high that without its Community Journalism Interest Group privilege in the United States and, indeed, readers, the Times the rest of the free world. So the small parcel was nothing. There has been very little coverage of the of space it has committed to letters from the There have been New York Times’ decision to cut the space it public is perhaps the most coveted virtual other changes to allots for printed letters in its paper edition. meeting space in all of literate society. the Times’ letters That’s a shame. The move further exempli- Here are some important milestones in the page since then — fies the disdain the “mainstream” media history of the small parcel of intellectual real the decline and has for their audiences, and, by extension, estate: end of publishing the communities they serve. • Just five days after it began publishing in letters with pseu- I have long believed — and now, even more the late summer of 1851, the New York donyms in the so — that the NYT and other so-called Times published its first letter to the editor, 1940s, the intro- “elite” news organizations, simply don’t get an innocuous tribute to the fine city by duction of a print- Bill Reader what it means to HAVE a community to somebody who signed the letter, simply, ed “letters policy” serve, let alone what it means to SERVE “Visitor.” in 1973 — but perhaps none will be as infa- those communities. We shouldn’t be sur- mous as the notice it published on August 6, • The Times’ own Kalman Seigel, who in 2007, when the editors announced that the prised, then, that the media elites pay little 1972 published a collection of notable Times attention to the massive growth of commu- Times would provide less space for letters in letters, reported that in 1896, when Adolph the print edition, shoveling them off instead nity media in the online age, nor do the Ochs bought the newspaper, he wrote that print media understand the power they to the cheap ghetto of the company’s Web he was committed to provide “a forum for servers. could tap in the communities that support, the consideration of all questions of public and pay for, their products, print or other- importance, and to that end to invite intelli- Traditionalists of journalism are bemoaning wise. gent discussion from all shades of opinion.” the change as an affront to tradition and of Below is an op-ed I submitted to the NYT It was an affirmation from the new owner times gone by. I would argue that the Times’ upon its announcement that it would be that letters were not only to be continued, reduction of letters space in the printed cutting space for printed letters. Of course, but cherished as the very soul of the newspa- newspaper is an ill-conceived dismissal of and hardly surprising, I never heard a peep per. the current and future needs of its readers and the broader public. back from the Times other than an auto- • In the 1930s, the Times published letters in mated response. Following my submission is the usual place on the editorial page, but Over 10 years of studying the social roles of the Times’ response. also published a full page of letters every letters to the editor, I have become con- Sunday in the space now occupied by its vinced that the wild popularity of online dis- The Times does a disservice to “Visitor” high-profile columnists and op-eds from the cussion groups, blogs, and do-it-yourself citi and all of its readers cultural and intellectual elite. It was a sign continued on page 3 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors President’sresident’s

By Jeremy Waltner Freeman Courier Reporteport Freeman, S.D. Slow response to newswire disappointing, a concern In the August newsletter, ISWNE member and either people’s lack of understanding, their in New Mexico this coming summer, we will West Valley View (Litchfield Park, Ariz.) man- forgetfulness, or perhaps they are still not instead be in Detroit. aging editor Jim Painter wrote a piece about aware that the newswire is out there, for For a much more detailed synopsis of how the ISWNE newswire, a service of the organi- them and ultimately for their readers. this came to be, check out the full report on zation, for the organization, OK’d by the Painter, with support from the West Valley page 4. board at the summer conference in the Black View, has done a fantastic job of getting the Hills of South Dakota. What I want to say about it, however, doesn’t newswire up and running. It’s an easy-to- have as much to do with how it happened as The newswire was a brainchild of Painter, read, easy-to-use site that requires very little it does why it happened. and the idea was to allow members of the time and energy. In short, it happened because the ISWNE is ISWNE to post stories and opinion pieces that But it needs content to function at its best. might be of interest to the general member- stacked deep with people who care about the ship — and therefore its readers. The contents Please, if you’ve written something or have a organization, its well-being, and will do what of the newswire could be viewed and down- staff member who has written something, or it takes to make sure the ride goes as smooth- loaded for nothing, and used for the same have taken a great photo or ripped a movie ly as possible. price. It was a proposition the ISWNE Board to bits and pieces, send it to Painter at That certainly happened in this case. [email protected]. of Directors jumped on, and ultimately gave Dick’s news about the College of Santa Fe was Painter its blessing to run with it. If you haven’t checked out the newswire, do disappointing, and his recommendation to Painter did, and in his August introduction to so. It’s at www.iswne.org; you’ll find the link find an alternate venue for the 2008 confer- the newswire, wrote: “This is an exciting to the left of the page. ence was taken seriously. If Dick says it would experiment...it can succeed if people con- Response to the newswire will surely be dis- be difficult to make it work, it would be diffi- tribute as well as use stories submitted by cussed when the ISWNE Board of Directors cult to make it work. other members.” meets in January. It would be a shame if lack I would stop short of calling the development Well, ISWNE, get to it. of interest and participation put the kibosh a crisis, but it was close. Had others not on this terrific idea before it really got going. In its first three months in operation, re- stepped in and been willing to do their part, sponse to the newswire has been slow at best. * * * * it would have become that. In August there were four editorials submitted The email message from Chad was not iden- And there wasn’t just one other, either. There — all by Shelton-Mason County Journal pub- tified as “urgent,” but it very well could have were several. And had there been a greater lisher and editor Charles Gay. been. need, there would have been even more. September was better and included editorials Perhaps it should have been, because the That’s my point. and comments from the Freeman Courier news was not good. It didn’t take long for this young ISWNE and a number of movie reviews (great idea) Dick McCord, longtime ISWNE member, past member to learn that his colleagues who are from members of the West Valley View staff. president and two-time conference host, had part of the organization look out for each The October showing was sad, and included notified Chad that his plans to host the 2008 other and are waiting in the wings when a just two postings — one from the Journal and summer conference in Santa Fe had suffered need arises. the other from the Courier. a serious setback. Word was the residence When Dick learned of the hiccup at the halls on the campus of the College of Santa So what’s the deal, ISWNE? College of Santa Fe, he took it upon himself Fe were to undergo a renovation and we to call ISWNE board member Paul MacNeill, Considering the ISWNE membership numbers would be unable to use the rooms as slated to host the conference in Prince Edward nearly 250, it’s disappointing only a handful planned. Island in 2009. have taken part. Anybody who pays attention to the happen- Paul said he would see about moving his I suspect the sluggish start is primarily due to ings of the organization has likely heard this plans ahead a year so he could host in 2008. story, and knows that instead of conferencing continued on page 20

2 November 2007 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors

The New York Times — Community be Damned from page 1 zen journalism is a direct response to profes- up more and more barriers to their readers, and onto the Web site (where many of us sional journalists providing less of their they have gone elsewhere to have their say. will happily read them whenever we want). space and time to the people they serve. To its credit, the Times has offered to provide Give their space in the paper to thoughtful Personal opinion is the water of democracy; even more space for letters online. But it’s a letters from Brooklyn, from Scranton, from put a barrier in the stream of ideas, and the hollow gesture, like trading beads for an Iowa City, from Dar es Salaam, letters that water will only back up so long before it island that would become one of the world’s otherwise would be lost in the Tower of finds a way under, around, and over the most valuable slivers of land. The move by Babel of the blogosphere. dam. As newspapers over the years have put the Times to reduce space for ink-on-paper The opinions of an unknown citizen, from letters is an admission that its paper is pre- Miami or from Mysore, can be as interesting cious space, and a statement that the space and as thought-provoking as a column from is far too valuable to give over to the com- a Pulitzer winner. It is certainly just as valu- mon citizen. able, and as deserving as a few dollars’ I would urge the editors of the Times to con- worth of ink. And if the Times doesn’t think sider these opinions from a humble college printing more letters is worth the expense, it professor who has spent many years reading shouldn’t be surprised that the people who letters, talking with letter writers, and dis- might write those letters don’t think buying cussing these issues with letters editors: the newspaper is worth the expense, either. • Providing space for letters from the public And here’s the Times’ response, such as it is: builds and maintains trust. It is a constant Thank you for submitting an article to the reminder that a newspaper values its read- Op-Ed page. We have received your manu- ers, and respects its role as a public forum. script and are reviewing it. If you do not Officers of the International Society • The letters section of a newspaper is its hear from us within one week, we do not of Weekly Newspaper Editors: heart and soul. It is a regular reminder that plan to use it and you should feel free to the role of a newspaper is not just to inform offer it elsewhere. Please do not call to President: Jeremy Waltner and to entertain, but to encourage discus- inquire about its status or respond to this The Freeman Courier sion and debate, and to allow a community automated message. Freeman, SD — or a nation, or an entire world — to talk I acknowledged their request to not inquire Vice President: Don Brod to itself through a common space. about its status or to respond to the auto- St. Charles, Ill. • The public is not foolish. It knows that the mated message. If the Times doesn’t care Internet provides cheap and plentiful space enough about a loyal reader to issue a more Executive Director: for the publication of ideas, but the best of personal response, I suppose it’s no wonder Dr. Chad Stebbins, Director, Institute of ideas are put into print. Having one’s letter that this loyal reader has little care for the International Studies, Missouri Southern shoveled onto a Web site is not nearly as fate of the Times. State University, 3950 E. Newman Road, Joplin, MO 64801-1595 affirming as seeing it on the printed page. Bill Reader, an assistant professor in the Phone: (417) 625-9736 I suggest an experiment: For one month, E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio Fax: (417) 659-4445 instead of providing less space for letters, University, can be contacted at reader@ E-mail: [email protected] provide more. Move the fine columns of ohio.edu. He is chair of the Community Maureen Dowd and David Brooks and poli- Journalism Interest Group of AEJMC and a Board of Directors: cy wonks off of the precious printed page steering committee member of the Institute Jeremy Condliffe for Rural Journalism and Community Issues. Congleton Chronicle Congleton, Cheshire, England. Charles Gay Shelton-Mason County Journal Shelton, Wash.Paul MacNeill 2007 Sustaining Members Sandra George Jonesville, Mich. In addition to paying their $50 ISWNE membership dues, these indi- Paul MacNeill viduals have donated $50 more to the Society in 2007. We appreci- The Eastern Graphic ate their generosity! Montague, Prince Edward Island Jim Painter Donald Smith Albert Scardino West Valley View, Litchfield Park, Ariz. Frank Garred Tamura Norio Chris Wood Bob and MaryLou Estabrook David Burke Wisconsin Web Offset, Brookfield, Wis. Larry Atkinson Chris Wood Immediate Past President: Paul MacNeill Jeremy Condliffe Harry L. Hix Sandy and Bob Horowitz Bob Trapp Sr. School of Journalism & Broadcasting R. Braiden Trapp Phoebe Baker Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Okla. Elizabeth Laden Timothy M. Williams Goodloe Sutton David Bordewyk

November 2007 3 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors 20082008 conferenceconference movingmoving fromfrom SantaSanta FeFe toto DetroitDetroit The 2008 ISWNE summer conference has out, but McCord left a voice-mail message shuttle buses would never work as a conven- dodged a bullet, and dodged it quite success- that emphasized the need to talk about ient way to get ISWNE-ers to meetings, din- fully. But it was a major bullet, and also a summer 2008. The next morning MacNeill ing halls, and to breaks between sessions. close call. Things got pretty iffy there for a called from the airport, just before flying to And when it came to evening hospitality, while. Still, in the end, ISWNE came up Toronto for a Canadian Press Association that would be something that just didn’t smelling like a rose. board meeting. Quickly the situation was happen. While seeing the need to hold onto On Wednesday, Oct. 24, conference host spelled out, and MacNeill said that if he the Santa Fe blueprint, McCord saw a terri- Dick McCord was telephoned by the College could secure lodging at the University of ble certainty that a conference under these of Santa Fe summer conference office. Ever Prince Edward Island, he would be glad to circumstances would simply not be fun. It since a few days after the 2006 conference in come to the rescue. Later that day, from was a doleful thing to contemplate after the Oklahoma, CSF was reserved for five days in Toronto, he called back to say that if the wonderful South Dakota conference. McCord the last week of June 2008 for our annual dates could be changed slightly, UPEI was encouraged Waltner to explore every other gathering. But suddenly, without warning, available and he could host the conference. possibility. Waltner said he would call back. CSF had decided to shut down all its resi- McCord said he felt that a slight reschedul- Days passed. Then Stebbins sent a group dence halls for renovation in the summer of ing should not be a problem. But McCord message to the ISWNE board that the 2008 2008. The halls had deteriorated to a sub- was mistaken. conference had been rebooked — not into standard state, McCord was told, and the Next McCord called Chad Stebbins, ISWNE PEI, but into Detroit! MacNeill had not been repairs were imperative. He asked about executive director, to report the situation. able to secure June 25-29 at his local univer- keeping just enough halls open for the con- McCord purposely had not called Stebbins sity, and Stebbins and Waltner had more or ference, but was told that was not possible. before talking to MacNeill, because calling less decided that going to PEI on June 18-22 The college was scrambling to find alterna- with a solution seemed better than calling was the best resort, although Waltner would tive accommodations for several groups with a crisis. Stebbins was away from his have to miss the last half of the conference. booked for next summer, but was still cob- office, so McCord left both voice-mail and e- But then ISWNE fate intervened. bling things together. Some Santa Fe hotels mail stressing the need to be in touch. In Unconnected with any of this, Vickie had agreed to offer reduced rates to help short order Stebbins called back, from Canfield Peters and Jan Haupt were in CSF, but even so the cost would be signifi- Washington, D.C., where he was attending Joplin, Mo. — ISWNE’s headquarters under cantly higher than the college’s prices. a national collegiate journalism conference, Stebbins — researching the group’s history. Moreover, the cooperating hotels were scat- in a steady rain, he noted glumly. McCord When they heard of the dilemma, they felt it tered around town, some near the campus, said a potential crisis had both arisen and was unacceptable that Waltner should miss some four or five miles away. CSF was work- been fixed — and Stebbins said, “Well, half of the conference in his year as presi- ing to set up a makeshift shuttle service maybe not.” Even a slight change in confer- dent. So they jumped on the phone, and between the hotels and the campus, but ence dates could conflict with Stebbins’ shortly afterward, Detroit had become the such arrangements had not yet been worked plans to be in London next summer. The 2008 conference home. Board member out. All in all, it was a dismal picture. telephone talk ended with McCord suggest- Sandra George and former president Donna ing that Stebbins call MacNeill to work Remer, both residents of Michigan, leapt to Santa Fe is a pricey tourist destination, espe- things out. cially in the summer. While CSF has an the aid of ISWNE, and along with Jan Haupt active, excellent and affordable summer pro- McCord’s next contact was a telephone call quickly secured Wayne State University in gram for Elderhostel and other groups, there from ISWNE’s current president, Jeremy Detroit as a conference base, at very reason- is no comparable alternative. For the last Waltner, from Freeman, S.D. Waltner rather able prices. Then they went to work on the several years ISWNE had been pointed at urgently wanted to know if some kind of a program and speakers. Santa Fe in 2008. Suddenly the “City Santa Fe conference could still be stitched There was a certain fulfillment in all this, for Different” did not seem a feasible choice. together on the scheduled June 25-29 dates. just a few years ago Remer was planning an MacNeill could not secure those dates at ISWNE conference in Detroit. Then compli- McCord knew he had to try to find a quick UPEI, and because of prior commitments, solution. Fortunately, he remembered an cations in her job situation made her cancel either Stebbins or Waltner would have to those plans. Now out of the blue, her turn at unexpected conversation with Paul MacNeill miss all or some of the days that were avail- at the South Dakota conference last sum- the plate came around again. This time she able on Prince Edward Island. It was a terri- could hit a home run. McCord, who had mer. MacNeill was scheduled to host ISWNE ble choice: to hold the summer conference on Prince Edward Island in Atlantic Canada regretted the earlier cancellation in Detroit with either the president or the executive — because he had spoken there frequently in 2009, and he told Dick that if complica- director absent. tions arose with Santa Fe, he was willing on and thought it was a marvelous town short notice to move up his conference to Well, McCord said, it was not entirely impos- despite its questionable reputation — was 2008. At the time, the offer seemed an sible to resurrect Santa Fe. He had not yet delighted. Most of all, he was glad to be unlikely last resort. Suddenly it had become canceled the few other dates and venues he relieved of the burden of a 2008 conference the best hope. had booked — banquet halls, bus tours — that seemed sure to be a flop. but he felt it would be a mess. The planned McCord at once called PEI. MacNeill was

4 November 2007 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors ISWNEWSNEWS Drysdale publishes book on music hall daily newspapers with circulations greater than 10,000, and the Scottsdale Times took third place. Dick Drysdale, editor and publisher of The Herald of Randolph (Vt.) has published his first book, Not a Bad Seat in the House, on the occa- The View also took second-place awards in Departmental News & sion of the centennial of Chandler Music Hall in Randolph. Copywriting Excellence, Best Use of Photography and Special Section (the Spring/Summer 2007 Vista); and third-place awards in Reporting The 106-page large-format book is a history of one of the finest small & Newswriting Excellence and Community Service/Journalistic opera houses or music halls in New England. The text and more than Achievement (the 2007 West Valley View Food Drive). 100 illustrations show how the history of the hall and the history of the town intertwine and makes for an inspiring tale of community involve- ment and volunteerism. Jeremy Waltner buys new house in Freeman The book traces the remarkable career of the hall’s founder, who left ISWNE President Jeremy Waltner and his wife, Stacey, recently closed Randolph after graduating high school to learn the newfangled tele- on a much larger home in Freeman, S.D. graph technology, becoming at age 22 one of three cryptographer/ “Built in 1929, it’s a grand 3,900-square-foot, five-bedroom beauty with telegraphers in the War Department under Abraham Lincoln and a ridiculously large dining room and full finished basement,” Waltner Secretary of War Stanton. Lincoln himself visited Chandler’s desk daily said. “We’re painting almost every room, redoing all the oak floors on to read telegrams and tell stories. Chandler later became one of the the main level and putting carpet in on the second level. It has visionary pioneers of the American telegraph industry before building a required a lot of work and will continue to, but that’s what makes it new home in Randolph and donating the Music Hall. fun.” So far, we’re having a blast.” Said Chris Graff, longtime AP bureau chief in Vermont: “With Not a Bad Seat in the House, M. Dickey Drysdale has provided a gift to O’Donnell reads poem at Robert Frost Farm Randolph, to lovers of Chandler Music Hall, and to generations to Leslie O’Donnell, of Londonderry, N.H., was invited to read Robert come by capturing all the history that has happened in this hall for Frost’s poem, “The Sound of Trees,” at the Robert Frost Farm in Derry, 100 years.” N.H. The occasion was the felling of the maple outside the farmhouse ‘See Dick run over’ continues to win awards kitchen window. The tree was found to be suffering from rot and had “See Dick run over,” Charlie Gay’s editorial chosen for ISWNE’s 2007 dropped limbs in last spring’s storms, so the decision was made to take Golden Dozen, is getting better mileage than a Toyota Prius. it down before it damaged the farmhouse. Frost often wrote while sit- In October it won first place for editorials in the Shelton-Mason County ting at the kitchen table, at the window that looked out at the tree. Journal’s division of the Washington Newspaper Publishers O’Donnell had written several stories about the farm and the plans for Association’s 2007 Better Newspaper Contest. That followed its first- the tree for the Nutfield News. The salvageable wood from the tree was place award for editorials in the nondaily division of the Western given to woodturners and carvers, who will create art objects from it, Washington Society of Professional Journalists’ 2007 Excellence in with some to be sold by the Frost Farm. Journalism Competition last spring. Though he had won Golden Dozen awards six of the seven years he’d McTighe wins editorial award second straight year been entering the ISWNE contest, he had never won an editorial-writ- For the second year in a row, The Macleod Gazette has written the best ing competition in his own state before this year’s WNPA contest. editorial in the Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association. Editor Frank A second Gay editorial entry in the WNPA contest, “Basic education” McTighe received the 2007 Telus Editorial Award of Excellence on Sept. (March 2007 ISWNE newsletter), took third place. His other editorial 15. entry in the SPJ competition, “Newspaper Weak” (October/November “Solid editorial all around,” wrote judge Ryan Dahlman of the Prairie 2006 ISWNE newsletter), won honorable mention, and his takeoff on Post. McTighe won the award for the editorial “Driver’s sentence was Washington State’s awful tourism slogan, “SayWA,” won first place in too lenient” published in December 2006. SPJ’s nondaily division for humorous writing. The editorial was critical of the sentence given a woman who pleaded View wins second in state contest guilty to driving a school bus while drunk. “McTighe explains the details of the case, takes a concise stand on the The West Valley View in Litchfield Park, Ariz., was awarded second drinking and driving issue, the accused punishment, and isn’t afraid to place in General Excellence in the Arizona Newspapers Association’s state an opinion,” Dahlman wrote. 2007 Better Newspapers Contest. The awards were presented at the ANA’s annual convention in Scottsdale Sept. 22. McTighe won the 2006 Telus Award for an editorial titled, “Museum must ask us for help.” The Phoenix Business Journal won first place in the category for non-

November 2007 5 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors ThelmaThelma andand LouiseLouise GoGo StraightStraight

Picture a vintage car, two hot babes and a wild ride. You’re seeing a red convertible, Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis wreaking havoc, right? OK, now substitute a gray mini-van, Jan Haupt and Vickie Canfield Peters and that’s closer to the picture on this big screen. These two ISWNE members completed a road trip in late October that took them from Lodi, Wis., to Carbondale, Ill., to Joplin, Mo., and back. The two were on a fact-finding trip they hoped would yield priceless information to aid in the writing of the society’s 53-year history. The ISWNE Board of Directors, after seconds of serious deliberation, took Peters up on her offer to pen the chronicle and threw all the resources of the society open to her. Unbeknownst to her at the time, it was a project possibly accursed. Several years ago, the board asked Rick Vickie Canfield Peters and Jan Haupt Friedman to write the history. He completed 13 chapters before succumbing to an illness. Carolyn Wills of Metropolis, Ill.: priceless. Halifax (or Atlanta or Reading)? Next, the task was assigned to graduate stu- Like Horace Greeley’s young man, go west Don dent J.R. Ledford. Following nearly two years they did. Upon arrival in Joplin, it was off to Culling the four boxes down to one, the without any visible progress, Ledford disap- the Missouri Southern State University office intrepid explorers read hundreds of letters, peared into the Midwestern night, never to of ISWNE executive director Chad Stebbins flipped through scores of newsletters and be heard from again. Undaunted, Peters and his four boxes of important society stuff. made dozens of photocopies. In between enlisted the aid of Haupt, her trusty silent Mostly correspondence from the two previ- they enjoyed the hospitality at the busy auction partner, and the hunt was on. ous secretaries, the girls sorted and filed the Stebbins home, made several important First stop was Southern Illinois University precious documents. Armed with reading decisions and solved the 2008 conference (SIU), birthplace of the International Society glasses, highlighters and two large wastebas- dilemma. The three days in Joplin provided of Weekly Newspaper Editors and academic kets, they “filed” nearly 200 copies of letters plenty of conversational fodder for the trip home of founder H.R. Long. The 21 boxes of that read: back to Wisconsin. correspondence, scrapbooks and financial Dear Bob (or Dick or Garrett or Burt), Unlike the movie, this saga has a happy information stored in the Special Collection The winter issue of Grassroots Editor just ending. The ladies didn’t kill anybody, section of the school’s library resulted in the arrived from the printer and I’m enclosing although there were several candidates, and pair taking away 58 photocopies and five copies for you. I think you’ll find the they didn’t drive off a cliff. As for the ISWNE requests for five photographs. Photocopies: article on page 2 (or 3 or 5 or 15) of particu- history curse...(cue scary music and fade $18. Photographs: $30. Opportunity to have lar interest. Thanks for the piece. See you in out). dinner with ISWNE friends Clyde and Future Conferences Save the dates...upcoming ISWNE conferences 2008: June 25-29 Detroit, Michigan 2009: June 24-28 Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

6 November 2007 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors NewNew ownersowners forfor TheThe VandaliaVandalia LeaderLeader onon Nov.Nov. 11 The Vandalia (Mo.) Leader will be sold to a papers, including the Bowling Green Times, proposed by the U.S. Postal Service. prominent newspaper family that includes a The Louisiana Press-Journal, the Troy Free As The Leader’s editors and publishers, the former president of the National Newspaper Press, The Elsberry Democrat, Hermann Sosnieckis modernized the newspaper’s equip- Association (NNA) who currently serves on Advertiser-Courier, the New Haven Leader, ment and office; began special sections and the national board of The Associated Press The Lincoln County Journal and the Centralia projects, including the “We are... Van-Far” and a present regional director of the Fireside Guard. They also publish several basketball banner published each March, the National Newspaper Association. newspapers in eastern and middle Tennessee, Christmas greeting ads drawn by Van-Far sec- The pending sale to Lakeway Publishers of along with several specialty magazines, and ond-graders and an annual salute to the Missouri Inc., owned by the Jack Fishman operate other businesses. employees of the Women’s Eastern Reception, family of Morristown, Tenn., was announced The Sosnieckis, who previously owned weekly Diagnostic and Correctional Center; began today (Oct. 17) by Gary and Helen Sosniecki, newspapers in Humansville and Seymour, publishing Page 1 in full color and increased partners in Leader Media LLC, which has came to Vandalia after serving as editors and the availability of full color for advertisers; owned Vandalia’s 133-year-old newspaper publishers of The Lebanon Daily Record and launched a nationally recognized Web site since Sept. 1, 2003, and by Lakeway. vice presidents of its parent company, and began an e-Edition by which subscribers The sale is expected to close Nov. 1. The last Lebanon Publishing Co. They also have may read the entire newspaper online before issue of The Leader published by the worked for newspapers in Tennessee, Illinois it is delivered in the mail. Sosnieckis will be Oct. 31. and Kansas over the past 34 years. Gary Sosniecki served as president of the “We have taken The Leader as far as it can go During the Sosnieckis’ ownership, The Leader Missouri Press Association in 2004 and contin- under traditional mom-and-pop ownership,” won 40 international, national and state ues on the board of the Missouri Press Service. the Sosnieckis said. awards for journalism excellence, including Helen Sosniecki is completing her second year Gary Sosniecki receiving the International as the Missouri Press Association’s representa- “In order for The Leader to continue to grow Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors’ Golden tive to the National Newspaper Association. in today’s changing market conditions, it Quill Award for editorial writing in 2006. In “Gary and Helen Sosniecki are known across needs the resources that a larger organization, addition, the Sosnieckis each received a such as Lakeway Publishers, can provide. this country for their dedication to the news- National Newspaper Association President’s paper industry,” Jack Fishman said. “Their “Under the leadership of the Fishman family, Award in March “for public policy leadership tireless energy and devotion has not only ben- we are confident that The Leader will continue to the NNA and community newspapers.” efited newspapers, but also the many, many to serve the Vandalia and Farber communities Gary Sosniecki testified on behalf of the NNA customers and subscribers they serve. We are for many years to come.” before the U.S. Postal Rate Commission last privileged to acquire such a fine newspaper as Lakeway also owns eight other local Missouri year as the commission reviewed new rates The Leader from this newspaper couple.” ISWNE Foundation Contributors since Dec. 1, 2006 Stringer ($10 to $99) Douglas P. Starr Editorial page editor ($300 to $399) Tom Phillips Allan Seiler Garrett Ray Tom Wills Edith Boys Enos Ellen Albanese Managing editor ($400 to $499) Gary and Helen Sosniecki* Dave and Sue Gordon* Editor in chief ($500 to $999) Cub reporter ($100 to $199) Jim and Gail Painter Bill and Jan Haupt Publisher ($1,000) Donald and Nancy Smith Jane Steinmetz Robert Mihalek Named scholarship ($10,000) Carol O'Leary Brian Mazza family* Nancy and Richard Slepicka* Vickie Canfield Peters* Total raised: $12,750 Copy editor ($200 to $299) *contributions earmarked for a Don and Deborah Brod Brian Mazza Memorial Scholarship Anonymous Paul MacNeill*

November 2007 7 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors Sometimes,Sometimes, lovingloving youryour job,job, towntown aren’taren’t enoughenough By Gary Sosniecki heard many times, the only business that high-school stu- Co-publisher can’t be bought for the right price has a fool dent — even those The Vandalia (Mo.) Leader for its owner. who have gone on Oct. 17, 2007 We never heard back from that publisher, to college to study but we thought about his call a lot in the journalism-related Let’s make this clear from the beginning: months that followed. fields — asked for a job here.) And I love my job. It has not been the best of years for small- though The Leader I love The Vandalia Leader. town weekly-newspaper editors. In March, has grown each Brian Mazza, editor of the Rocky Mountain I love the people of Vandalia and Farber. year we’ve been House Mountaineer in Alberta, Canada, a here, we haven’t And, being childless, I especially love the friend of ours from the International Society kids of Van-Far. grown enough to of Weekly Newspaper Editors, died unex- hire a full-time Gary Sosniecki But, sometimes, love isn’t enough. pectedly of coronary artery disease at age reporter, which Sometimes, your body tells you that you 45. He was found dead in his house after he would ease our workload more than any- aren’t as young as you used to be, that, as didn’t show up to take a photo on a thing else. Sunday. you approach your 57th birthday, you’re We decided to take a trip to Branson to see pushing your body too hard, that 90 hours Then in April, Steve Oldfield, publisher of a show and to have coffee with Ed a week on the job, week after week after The Adrian Journal and last year’s Missouri Anderson, a friend for about 15 years. Some week, is too much for it to handle no matter Press Association president, suffered a mas- of you who visit Branson a lot may remem- how much you love what you’re doing or sive stroke the day after his daughter’s wed- ber Ed as the former publisher of Branson’s the community you’re doing it for. ding. Steve nearly died and faces a long Country Review magazine. We met him So Helen and I are going to take a break. A recovery. when we owned the Seymour newspaper; he good, hard-working and honest family, In May, Rusty Hartwell, 47-year-old pub- was dating a teacher from Seymour, and nationally respected in the community- lisher of The Holden Image died of an they took us to dinner and a show, where newspaper industry, is going to buy The apparent heart attack. Ed introduced us to the very funny Jim Leader on Nov. 1, and it is going to build Three months, three tragedies involving Stafford. on what J. Linn Ladd, Frank and Lily Frost, younger people who do the same work you Ed is a newspaper broker now. He advised Fred DeTienne, Pete and Lora Steiner and do, two of them friends. us when we sold our Seymour newspaper Gary and Helen Sosniecki have built before Then came June, the month when Helen almost nine years ago, and we sought his it. and I normally recharge our batteries after advice before we bought The Leader in Under the ownership of the Jack Fishman a long school year and our biggest annual 2003. Once again, we asked Ed for his opin- family, The Vandalia Leader will continue printing job, the Vandalia Area Fair book. ion. to grow and prosper and, most importantly, Both of our elderly mothers wound up in Ed thought the time was right for us to put will continue to serve the people of the hospital in June, mine from a fall that The Leader on the market and look for a Vandalia and Farber for generations to led to several weeks in rehab followed by newspaper a little bigger, with more staff, so come. three weeks of 24-hour home-health care, we didn’t have to do so much of the work Helen’s mom also from a fall, then a con- ourselves. Maybe near that beach Helen Five-year plan became four tinuing series of ailments that have sent her keeps talking about. We hadn’t expected to sell The Leader this to the emergency room several times in So we did, and that led us to the announce- soon. recent months and culminated in gallblad- ment on Page 1 today. We came to Vandalia in the summer of der surgery last Friday. 2003 with a five-year plan, which meant we Being tied down to a seven-day-a-week job, New owners not strangers to us intended to publish The Leader at least five we have dealt with our moms’ health issues What about the new owners? years before even talking about moving on mostly long distance. Helen was able to get to, as Helen likes to say, one last newspaper away twice to check on her mom, including We know that they have been interested in “on a beach.” Friday for her surgery, but I still haven’t The Leader a long time, that they were talk- ing to the Steiners at the same time we were But in April we received a phone call from a been able to check on my mom in Florida other than through daily phone calls. when the Steiners accepted our offer four nearby publisher who had heard a rumor years ago. that The Leader was for sale and, if it was, On July 4, which has been our only full day he was interested in buying it. We told him off this year, we talked about our options. We first met Jack Fishman seven years ago it wasn’t — that was the truth — but we We had tried twice this year to hire more at a National Newspaper Association con- also told him that if he wanted to talk part-time help but didn’t have much luck. vention — he is a past NNA president — about it, we would be glad to listen. As I’ve (And I can’t even remember the last time a and we’ve met him several times since,

8 November 2007 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors including when he dropped by The Leader have Lakeway’s resources at their disposal. of course, but I think I’ll miss working on office a couple of months ago while visiting Now, if Leader advertisers also want to www.vandalialeader.com even more. some of his Missouri newspapers and also reach the Bowling Green, Louisiana, Troy or last month at the NNA convention in Centralia markets, they’ll be able to place We burn no bridges Norfolk, Va. their ad with the Leader staff and be done with it. Has life been perfect here? No. Besides work- Jack is a native of Jackson, Tenn., and we ing too much, we’ve had our share of ugly have joked that the three of us — Jack, experiences, as you have in any job in any Helen and myself — all began our newspa- Please be patient town. Nothing would be accomplished by per careers at The Jackson Sun. We ask you to be patient and understand- mentioning them. We burn no bridges in Jack is an impressive man. It would take a ing as Ron and the staff make the adjust- leaving Vandalia. full column to list all his professional ments that always come with new owner- (But I don’t mind burning bridges with the accomplishments — he received NNA’s ship. Lakeway will do things differently U.S. Postal Service and the incompetence highest honor in 2002, the James O. Amos than we do, just as we did things differently that permeates it above the level of our cus- Award — and his community-service work from the Steiners. tomer-friendly local post offices. If you want at the local, state — he served many years If you don’t like what they do, don’t tell us; to point a finger at any single thing that on the Tennessee Board of Regents — and we won’t want to hear it. We support what- has caused us to grow tired of publishing national levels, and it probably would ever they do to keep The Leader successful. The Vandalia Leader, you can point to the embarrass him to do so. Please don’t complain to them, either. Every four years of lousy service we have received Jack can tell stories with the best of anyone new business owner deserves a honeymoon in trying to mail newspapers to subscribers who hangs around a Vandalia coffee shop. while new ideas are tested. in towns near and far. We are tired of When he dropped by The Leader office, he phone calls from angry subscribers asking, told us about how a young local singer But if you like what they do, please tell “Didn’t you publish a newspaper this named Elvis Presley had trouble drawing a them. Your compliments have done much week?” Of course we published a newspa- crowd when Jack was a student at what to keep us going even when the hours got per. The post office just lost it again. long. now is the University of Memphis. Vandalia will continue to be our home When Jack was nominated for the NNA’s Helen and I are proud of what we’ve done while we figure out what we’re going to do Amos Award, Morristown Mayor John R. here the past 50 months. Thanks to new next. First, we plan to take a few months off Johnson wrote: “Jack is one of those rare technology, you have been reading the best to sleep and travel. Weather permitting, we individuals who has a deep commitment to newspaper that Helen and I are capable of hope to play some golf. Ironically, we came items of public interest and is willing to producing without any other full-time help. to Vandalia planning to play golf and throw himself into the fray without regard We’re awfully proud of the newspapers enjoy Mark Twain Lake. But the only time to his own personal or financial reward.” we’ve produced here, though it’s humbling, I’ve been to Vandalia Country Club is to as Bill Steiner once told us, that the best- Jack’s management team in Missouri take pictures of the Van-Far golf team. And selling newspaper of the year always is the we’ve been to Mark Twain Lake twice, once includes Walt Gilbert of Louisiana, a long- one with the all-town garage-sale ads, not time weekly-newspaper publisher in north- for a Sunday hike our first year here and the one with some “great” news story that once as guests of Bob and Sue Giltner, who, east Missouri and a former newspaper you’ve worked on for days. owner himself. And how lucky Jack and thankfully, once a year dragged us out of Walt are to have hired someone with We’re proud that some of our editorials the office for some fun activity. Vandalia ties, Ron Schott, to run The seemed to have impact in the community, As we travel, we’ll start looking for our next Leader. such as our endorsement of the Van-Far challenge. Maybe we’ll own one last weekly school-bond issue, which passed by five Jack’s company, Lakeway Publishers, has so newspaper before retirement with a little votes in 2006 after failing badly the year bigger staff than we’ve had here, maybe many resources to help The Leader to con- before. We were successful in getting the tinue to be successful in the years ahead. we’ll manage a newspaper for someone school to stop spending $25,000 with Wal- else, which we’ve also done before, or When one of The Leader’s Macintosh com- Mart every year for gift cards to reward puters acts up, Lakeway will have someone maybe we’ll do something different, like summer-school attendance; that money teach journalism or help small newspapers who can fix it rather than Gary or Helen now stays at home. And we convinced 253 having to drive to Quincy, Ill., to find a develop Web sites. Chances are, as Helen people to show up at a community meeting reminds me, it won’t be far from a beach. repairman. The newspaper business always in an effort to save local 911 dispatching. has been challenging, but it especially has Unfortunately, that battle appears lost, a And chances are that it will be for fewer become challenging in the digital age. real tragedy for Vandalia. than 90 hours a week. Right now, a 60-hour Mom-and-pop newspaper owners like Helen work week would sound like a vacation. and me are forced to become experts in so We’re also terribly proud of our Web site, which has gained a national reputation “You’ll find that we work hard and we’re many things, from computer software to the honest,” I wrote in my first column in the Internet to rapidly changing postal regula- among small newspapers for its profitability as well as its content. Just last week, I faxed Sept. 3, 2003, Leader, an issue that was only tions, that it’s tough to keep up. It will be 10 pages. great for The Leader to have a support net- information on how to set up a Web site work that it doesn’t have now. like ours to three different newspapers that We hope we’ve lived up to that billing. asked for it, one in New York and two in It also will be great for our advertisers to Gary Sosniecki can be contacted at Missouri. I will miss publishing The Leader, [email protected].

November 2007 9 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors NMPANMPA inductsinducts Guy,Guy, MarciaMarcia WoodWood intointo HallHall ofof FameFame By Amy Alderman News editor The Sangre de Cristo Chronicle Angel Fire, N.M. Nov. 1, 2007

Former owners of the Sangre de Cristo Chronicle, Guy and Marcia Wood, were honored by the New Mexico Press Association as this year’s Hall of Fame inductees. The couple, who met while studying their passion for journalism at the University of Colorado in the 1960s, were in the spotlight at the association’s annual awards banquet in Albuquerque, Saturday, Oct. 27. “To be honored like this by our peers — it means everything to us,” Guy said. “It’s the pinnacle of everything we’ve done,” Marcia added. “Every week, they spoke truth to power,” Billie Blair, a 2005 Hall of Fame Inductee, noted during her introduction of the Woods at the ceremony. Blair has known the Woods throughout her career as the former publisher of the Santa Fe New Mexican and The Taos News, and her Guy and Marcia Wood work with the press association. “They took risks even though it cost them They operated the Fremont County Sun The Woods ran the Chronicle for 23 years. advertising support.” and Fremont Trader in Canon City, Colo., Their son, Chris, and daughter, Heather, from 1973 to 1983. However, they longed took over the paper for periods of time and The newspaper business wasn’t new to to get back to the mountains and started the crew at the Chronicle evolved into a Guy, who was born into newspapering in looking for ventures elsewhere. group of close friendships. The staff cov- Sterling, Colo., where his father was a sales ered, and under the new ownership, con- manager at the Journal-Advocate. Marcia volunteered as a student advisor in Canon City’s St. Scholastica Academy, tinues to cover Angel Fire, Red River, Eagle Guy and Marcia’s careers as a couple where one of her students, Lori Gallagher, Nest, Cimarron and surrounding commu- began at the Ann Arbor (Mich.) News. Guy spoke of her brother’s paper, the Sangre de nities. worked as a manager and Marcia was a Cristo Chronicle, in Angel Fire. While driv- The paper received countless awards over columnist. After Guy and Marcia worked ing home from a vacation in Eagle Nest, it the years from the New Mexico Press in Michigan for two years, they wanted to dawned on the couple that they were Association, an organization with which return to the mountains and took positions going to buy the Chronicle. both Marcia and Guy were involved. Guy with Aspen Today. It was meant to be, Guy said. Papers were also worked with colleagues to found the They made a memorable move while signed in 1984. New Mexico Foundation for Open working with the Aspen paper, rallying for Government. an entire staff resignation when Guy real- They sold the publications they owned in Colorado to the Canon City Daily Record. The Woods were given the Eugene Cervi ized the news was being governed by Award, the International Society of Weekly investor interests. They weren’t in it just for The Woods sold their house, their children finished a year of school and the Woods Newspaper Editors’ highest honor, this the big stories. They stayed in the business summer. for the long haul, making sure the spec- family moved to Angel Fire in the summer trum of community news was covered. of 1984. The family left a legacy of integrity, which raised the bar in community news.

10 November 2007 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors NewspaperNewspaper associationassociation honourshonours GazetteGazette publisherpublisher

association on the provincial and national bought The Macleod Gazette. level with steadfast dedication, without Then in 2004 McTighe was elected to a thought of personal reward and with con- three-year term as one of three Alberta rep- siderable sacrifice of personal time away resentatives on the Canadian Community from his family and business,” said Mary Newspapers Association (CCNA) board of Jane Harper, former publisher of the Olds directors. Gazette and a previous Bill Draayer Award recipient. Since returning to the AWNA board, McTighe has chaired the industry educa- The award is named for long-time newspa- tion, nominating and AWSOM Archive perman Bill Draayer, who was publisher of committees, while serving as member of the the Wetaskiwin Times for 25 years and history book and symposium committees. manager of the AWNA. “When Frank takes on a task I can rely The award has been presented each year upon him to get the work done,” Fitzpatrick since 1983 to a weekly newspaper person said. “Frank has been our rock this past for outstanding contribution to the progress year.” and development of the AWNA. McTighe is in his third year as chair of the “This award describes exactly what Frank Verified Circulation committee for CCNA, Frank McTighe accepts the Bill Draayer has done for our association,” said AWNA Award from Mary Jane Harper, former and is a member of the Better Newspapers president Scott Fitzpatrick, who was on the competition committee. McTighe was re- publisher of the Olds Gazette and a pre- selection committee. “This award has vious recipient of the award. elected Sept. 15 to a second three-year term Frank’s name on it.” on the CCNA board. The publisher of The Macleod Gazette has McTighe’s work for the association began in “I cannot think of anyone more humble been honoured for outstanding contribu- 1992 when he was elected to the board of about his work for this association, or more tions to the Alberta Weekly Newspapers directors. McTighe was corporate secretary deserving of this award,” Harper said. Association. for five years and served as vice-president before becoming president in 1997. McTighe thanked his friends in the newspa- Frank McTighe received the 2007 Bill per business and his family for their support Draayer Award on Sept. 15 at the AWNA’s McTighe took a break from the AWNA and encouragement. fall convention. board while he taught journalism at SAIT Polytechnic and with his wife, Emily, “This is a tremendous honour,” McTighe “Frank has gone about his work for the said. “I will treasure it forever.” It’sIt’s AllAll AboutAbout IdeologyIdeology By Brenda Schimke owners of the resource and royalty rates day. East Central Alberta Regional should flow from that starting point. The power of ide- Oct. 12, 2007 Royalties are not taxes it’s what the owners ology throughout (us) get for our property (oil and gas). It is history has Lyle Oberg threatened to expose skeletons in the Minister of Energy who is ultimately allowed many the Ralph Klein government a few years responsible to justify every dollar that does elected govern- back. Today with Premier Stelmach’s deci- not go to us (the owners). Two independent ments to continue sion to be more open and accountable, the reviews say the owners (us) are being heinous and out- skeletons have started to tumble out of the screwed and have been screwed to the tune rageous acts hallowed halls of legislative closets. The lat- of $1 to $2 billion dollars a year since 2000. against the very est two skeletons came in the form a 100- The Liberal and New Democratic opposition people they are page report by a business-friendly panel parties have been vindicated. They’ve been supposed to pro- stating royalties are dismally low and have trying to get the message out to us (the own- tect. But alas, who been for years, and a 400-page bomb shell ers) for years. Yet polls continue to suggest is truly at fault, Brenda Schimke delivered by Auditor General Fred Dunn. that Albertans, particularly rural voters, will the politicians that It’s all about ideology. The royalty review continue to vote Progressive Conservative or can get away with it or the electorate that report states clearly that Albertans are the sit at home on their hands next election let them?

November 2007 11 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors Sheriff’s Office appeals View case to Supreme Court By Robin N. Clayton news media. The opinion ren- Staff writer In a subsequent petition to the Court of dered by the Court West Valley View Appeals, the Sheriff’s Office asked that the of Appeals stated: Litchfield Park, Ariz. court overturn Downie’s decision, but the “We further agree Oct. 16, 2007 Court of Appeals upheld Downie’s ruling on with the common- the Sheriff’s Office’s duty to provide the View sense observation The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has with press releases at the same time as it of the Superior filed a petition for review to the Arizona does to other media outlets. Court that ‘a Supreme Court, asking the court to overturn The Appellate Court also upheld a ruling prospective request a lower court’s decision that the Sheriff’s that the Sheriff’s Office pay reasonable attor- is the only feasible Office must provide news releases to the West ney’s fees and costs to the View. way for a media outlet with time- Valley View. In the current petition filed in the Supreme The View filed a lawsuit against the Sheriff’s sensitive deadlines Court, Sheriff’s Office attorney Dennis to otherwise obtain Joe Arpaio Office March 2006 after Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s Wilenchik argued that the View was asking failure to respond to several public records press releases in a Sheriff’s Office to comply with a “prospec- timely manner.’” requests by the View, including requests for tive” public records request (request for press releases routinely sent to other media records not yet in existence) by submitting to The Court of Appeals said there was nothing agencies across the county but denied to the Sheriff’s Office an ongoing request for all in the statute that precludes an ongoing View. press releases. request, but Wilenchik argued to the Supreme Court that the real inquiry was At a June 2006 hearing, Superior Court Wilenchik argued that because the request Judge Margaret H. Downie ruled against the whether or not the statute “permitted or con- was asking for press releases that had yet to doned” such a request. Sheriff’s Office and Arpaio, ordering the be created, the Sheriff’s Office did not have agency to provide press releases to the View records in their custody to fill the request. Robin Clayton can be contacted at at the same time it provides them to other [email protected]. BreathtakingBreathtaking AbuseAbuse ofof thethe ConstitutionConstitution Joe Arpaio, Andy Thomas and Dennis Wilenchik hit New Times with grand jury subpoenas

By Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin Phoenix New Times newspaper in print and backdrop of illegal immigration disputes, Phoenix New Times on the Phoenix New Times website, regard- Mexican drug cartels, the Minutemen, politi- Oct. 18, 2007 ing Sheriff Joe Arpaio from January 1, 2004 cal ambition, and turf disputes between pros- to the present.” ecutors and the judiciary. This newspaper and its editorial staff — both Every note, tape, and record from every story And given the diva-like drama that Arpaio current and former — are the targets of written about Sheriff Arpaio by every report- attaches to even the mundane, you can add unprecedented grand jury subpoenas dated er over a period of years. to the grand jury tension the paranoia of a August 24. In addition to the omnibus subpoena, which Keystone Kops assassination “plot” against The authorities are also using the grand jury referred to our writer Stephen Lemons direct- “America’s toughest sheriff.” subpoenas in an attempt to research the ly, reporters John Dougherty and Paul Rubin Behind these operatic and public develop- identity, purchasing habits, and browsing were targeted with individual subpoenas. ments, an ethical stain has spread over the proclivities of our online readership. More alarming still, Arpaio, Thomas, and secret proceedings of the grand jury. It is, we fear, the authorities’ belief that what Wilenchik subpoenaed detailed information Special prosecutor Wilenchik has sabotaged you are about to read here is against the law on anyone who has looked at the New Times the integrity of the investigation. to publish. But there are moments when civil Web site since 2004. Not content with using the hidden power of disobedience is merely the last option. We Every individual who looked at any story, sweeping grand jury subpoenas, the govern- pray that our judgment is free of arrogance. review, listing, classified, or retail ad over a ment’s lawyer attempted to get the ear of the These are the issues as we understand them. period of years. sitting judge — out of earshot of New Times’ In a breathtaking abuse of the United States The seemingly picayune matter of Sheriff attorneys. Constitution, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Maricopa Arpaio’s home address getting printed at the Special prosecutor Wilenchik used a political- County Attorney Andrew Thomas, and their bottom of an opinion column on our ly potent emissary in a behind-the-curtain increasingly unhinged cat’s paw, special Internet site — and the very real issue of attempt to set up a meeting between the prosecutor Dennis Wilenchik, used the grand commercial property investments the sheriff judge overseeing the grand jury and jury to subpoena “all documents related to hid from public view — have now erupted Wilenchik. articles and other content published by into a courtroom donnybrook against a In a hastily called hearing October 11, the continued on page 15

12 November 2007 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors Sheriff’s Office cites reporter By Michael Famiglietti substantial amount of information about its County Attorney’s Office, said his office Staff writer Web site, including the IP address of anyone wouldn’t comment on Stern’s citation West Valley View who had visited the site from Jan. 1, 2004, to because the Sheriff’s Office issued it. Litchfield Park, Ariz. the present. Stern said his inspection of the e-mails Oct. 23, 2007 New Times owners Michael Lacey and Jim revealed that the Sheriff’s Office had sent Larkin last week published an article outlin- information to other news media that it had On the same night Maricopa County sheriff’s ing the details of the grand jury subpoena, not sent to the New Times or the West Valley deputies arrested the two owners of the which is a misdemeanor. In their article, they View. Phoenix New Times weekly newspaper, they admitted they were breaking the law, but E-mails the Sheriff’s Office’s sent out Oct. 12 also issued a criminal citation to one of the said they were publishing the information as regarding the arrests of four men at Chase newspaper’s reporters. an act of civil disobedience to alert the public Field during the National League Ray Stern, a reporter for the Phoenix alterna- to what they called the special prosecutor’s Championship series constituted a press tive newspaper, said he was cited for disorder- violation of the U.S. Constitution. release, Stern argued. ly conduct last Thursday for making “unrea- Lacey and Larkin were arrested Oct. 18 for Because it hadn’t sent that e-mail to the New sonable noise,” while inspecting public writing the article. Times or the View, the Sheriff’s Office had records from the Sheriff’s Office at a law firm After a public outcry over the arrests, County violated the courts’ decisions, he said. in Phoenix. Attorney Andrew Thomas removed Wilenchik But in e-mails sent to Stern from a Sheriff’s An attorney for a law firm that represents the from the case Oct. 19, citing “serious mis- Office spokesman, which were forwarded to Sheriff’s Office kicked him out of its office for steps” by the special prosecutor. the View, Capt. Paul Chagolla said the e-mail taking pictures of e-mails the Sheriff’s Office Thomas also dismissed the charges against was a “beat check” and not a press release. sent to other news organizations, he told the the New Times owners. View. “The court ordered them to turn over all press “The investigation has gone in a direction I releases,” Stern said. “And they’re hiding it Stern said he requested all the e-mails would not have authorized,” Thomas said in under these ‘beat checks.’ They’re trying to between the Sheriff’s Office and the media a hastily called Oct. 19 press conference. punish their critics.” from August because he was trying to deter- But the county attorney stressed that the New mine if the Sheriff’s Office had disobeyed a Response from Sheriff’s Office court decision requiring it to make press Times’ decision to publish Arpaio’s home releases available to all news agencies at the address was “a reckless and dangerous thing Chagolla told the View he would not com- same time. to do to a man who is routinely threatened ment on Stern’s citation and that the police by criminals all across the world.” record “would speak for itself.” That record That decision stems from a lawsuit the West has yet to be provided to the View. Valley View filed over the Sheriff’s Office’s Clint Bolick, the litigation director for the refusal to include the newspaper on its e-mail Goldwater Institute, a conservative, nonprofit Before Stern began to inspect the public press release list. public policy organization based in Phoenix, records, he exchanged a number of e-mails said he’d never heard of a news organiza- with Chagolla, in which the Sheriff’s Office In August, the Arizona Court of Appeals tion’s receiving such a far-ranging subpoena. spokesman made his opinions clear (punctu- upheld a Superior Court decision from 2006 “War seems to have been declared on the ation and grammar are retained from the that required the Sheriff’s Office to provide original): press releases to the View at the same time it Arizona press by Sheriff Joe Arpaio,” Bolick does for other news agencies. said. “[The subpoena] would bring us into the “I only say this when absolutely necessary,” world that Orwell forecast.” Chagolla wrote. “You are fabricating infor- The Sheriff’s Office, which has yet to send any mation. No news release or news brief was press releases to the View, has petitioned the Kicked out of the building ever made! Therefore NO news release or Arizona Supreme Court to overturn the deci- news brief would be posted!” sion. An abuse of police powers was involved in his criminal citation as well, Stern said. Later in the e-mail, he accused Stern of going The subpoena Michele M. Iafrate of the law firm Iafrate and after the Sheriff’s Office. The New Times has had its own battles with Associates told him he could only inspect the “You and the new times will not blackmail Sheriff Joe Arpaio for many years, and the records, but not take pictures, Stern said. this Office Mr. Stern. You have access to all fight came to a head the evening of Oct. 18, Then Iafrate, whom Stern said works for the News Releases and News Briefs issued by the the same night deputies showed up at Stern’s Sheriff’s Office, asked him to leave when he Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office in a timely home to issue him the citation. questioned the legality of her statements, manner. Each has been posted to website, WWW.MCSO.ORG, in a timely manner, and Dennis Wilenchik, a special prosecutor for the since the Arizona Public Records Law permits the copying of public documents, he said. certainly faster than the US Postal Service and Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, was easy to access on the World Wide Web.” investigating the paper because it had pub- “It would not have been called disorderly lished the sheriff’s home address on its Web conduct on Sesame Street,” Stern said. He later defended his judgment concerning site in 2004. when information must be supplied to the Iafrate did not return calls for comment. press, specifically the New Times. Wilenchik had issued a grand jury subpoena Mike Scerbo, a spokesman for the Maricopa demanding the New Times to hand over a “Before you lie, twist, spin or malign this continued on page 14 November 2007 13 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors County’sCounty’s toptop lawmenlawmen trampletrample ConstitutionConstitution By Jim Painter ing, the public outcry was so overwhelming provide this news- Managing editor that Thomas hastily called a press conference paper with the West Valley View to announce that the charges against the press releases it Litchfield Park, Ariz. journalists had been dropped and that he sends to other news Oct. 23, 2007 had fired his special prosecutor, Dennis media. It seems as Wilenchik. if, since Thomas Last Thursday night, Maricopa County sher- Thomas is no dummy. He wanted to disasso- was elected, the iff’s deputies arrested the two owners of the ciate himself from Wilenchik and Arpaio as County Attorney’s Phoenix New Times weekly newspaper, and quickly as he could. He’s an ambitious man, Office has no it’s a good thing they did. It’s a good thing and he knew the negative national press gen- lawyers of its own not because the New Times owners had bro- erated by this monumental blunder could on staff. ken the law (they had), but because if they ruin his political career forever. After all, the Meanwhile, his for- hadn’t broken the law, the public might story made the front page of the New York mer employer is Jim Painter never have known about an egregious flout- Times and it cast him, Wilenchik and Arpaio enriched at the ing of the U.S. Constitution on the part of the in about the same light as your average expense of the county taxpayer. Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and the Third World, journalist-arresting dictator. By The Three Amigos — Thomas, Arpaio and Maricopa county attorney’s special prosecutor Friday morning, even many of his fellow Wilenchik — have proven themselves to be — a flouting of the Constitution that could Republicans were condemning the actions of loose cannons who threaten not only the civil have negatively affected tens of thousands of Wilenchik and Arpaio. rights, but also the pocketbooks, of all Maricopa County residents. In addition to the constitutional questions, Maricopa County residents. Although the Sheriff Joe Arpaio arrested New Times owners the case raised some serious questions about New Times was their primary target, their Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin for publishing conflict of interest. real victims were innocent, average people. the contents of a grand jury subpoena. Grand Many of those people probably logged on to Any reasonable person might wonder if it the newspaper’s Web site to do nothing more jury subpoenas are supposed to be secret and was appropriate for the Sheriff’s Office rather it’s against the law to publish them. The New sinister than to check out its extensive Valley than some other police agency to arrest Lacey arts and entertainment listings. Times owners knew that, but published them and Larkin considering the grand jury infor- anyway in what they described as an act of mation was related to the court cases involv- Thomas took an appropriate step when he civil disobedience. ing the newspaper and Arpaio. But Arpaio, fired Wilenchik as special prosecutor. Now it’s The grand jury subpoena demanded all testifying in the lawsuit brought against him time for the taxpaying, voting residents of reporters’ notes, audio cassettes and other by Buckeye Police Chief Dan Saban, said he Maricopa County to demand that Thomas documents related to any story the newspa- doesn’t even recognize the concept of “conflict and Arpaio either resign their positions or per had published about Arpaio since 2004, of interest.” He told the court that if his own face recall. when the newspaper printed the sheriff’s wife were being investigated for a crime, he Jim Painter can be contacted at editor@ home address. The sheriff and the newspaper wouldn’t see any conflict of interest if he were westvalleyview.com. have been in litigation ever since. to head that investigation. But that’s not all that was demanded of the Saban had sued Arpaio for launching a newspaper. phony criminal investigation against him Reporter cited from page 13 County Attorney Andrew Thomas’s special and smearing his reputation while he was prosecutor also ordered the newspaper to running against Arpaio for the Republican organization again Ray, know that I am pre- hand over the identities and Internet IP nomination for sheriff in the last election. The pared for the new times slanderous com- addresses of every person who had visited the fact that Arpaio decided to publicize the alle- ments,” he wrote. “Mr. Stern you are entitled newspaper’s Web site since 2004, as well as gations even before an investigation was to public records only. In compliance with, the Internet “cookies” that would reveal the started was a textbook example of conflict of and as permitted by Arizona public records Web sites each person had visited before and interest. law you will receive printed copies of public after going to the New Times Web site. Wilenchik’s appointment as the special prose- records for inspection or purchase that are Lacey and Larkin said they felt compelled to cutor Thomas hired to handle the New Times not otherwise posted to our website. I am break the law in order to alert the public, case is another example of conflict of interest. sure that you will continue to send excessive especially those who had visited the paper’s Wilenchik was Thomas’s boss when Thomas amounts of public records requests, all with Web site, to the county’s blatant trampling of worked as an attorney for the law firm of the goal of harassing this Office. And so, I the Constitution. Many legal experts inter- Wilenchik & Bartness. Since he was elected as have prepared for that too.” viewed by local news media said a subpoena county attorney, Thomas’s former law firm Stern said he would fight the citation because demanding such a broad range of personal has billed the county some $1.9 million for it is a “bogus charge.” information of private citizens would be legal services. Wilenchik was the lead attor- ney in Arpaio’s defense in the lawsuit filed by “Reporters are trying to get basic informa- unheard of even in cases involving national tion,” he said. “This is just plain wrong.” security. Saban, as well as the lead attorney in Arpaio’s defense in the lawsuit filed by the Michael Famiglietti can be contacted at When news of the arrest got out Friday morn- West Valley View for the sheriff’s refusal to [email protected].

14 November 2007 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors ViewView publisherpublisher confrontsconfronts sheriffsheriff atat publicpublic meetingmeeting By Michael Famiglietti Sheriff’s Office goes back two years, when who approached Staff writer the office’s public information department him, spent the West Valley View stopped sending the newspaper the same end of the night Litchfield Park, Ariz. press releases it sent to other media and talking to Freireich Oct. 26, 2007 denied the newspaper access to crime reports about the situa- at the District II substation. tion. The publisher of the West Valley View con- The View sued the Sheriff’s Office to gain In his speech, fronted Sheriff Joe Arpaio Wednesday night access to those releases in 2006. A Superior Arpaio promised over the Sheriff’s Office’s refusal to add the Court judge ruled in favor of the paper last to keep “going newspaper to its press release list. year, and the Sheriff’s Office unsuccessfully above and beyond Elliott Freireich, the publisher and owner of appealed that decision to the Court of what the contract the newspaper, asked the sheriff why his Appeals. says” in providing office wouldn’t add the newspaper to its e- The office has since petitioned the Arizona law enforcement Elliott Freireich mail list and improve the strained commu- Supreme Court to overturn the first two deci- services for the nications that have existed between the two sions. city of about 4,500 people. since 2005. Helen Holmquist, a 10-year resident of He promised to keep its streets clear of dan- Arpaio, who was speaking before about 50 Litchfield Park, went to the meeting because gers affecting much of Maricopa County. people at Litchfield Park’s Public Safety she wanted to ask the sheriff to add more “If there are any drugs here, we will Awareness Night at the Wigwam Golf Resort patrols to the streets. invade,” he said. “There is not going to be & Spa, said he couldn’t go into details She said she supported the sheriff but want- any drugs in Litchfield Park, not going to be because of the lawsuit between the paper ed him to mend the relationship between his any illegals in Litchfield Park.” and his office. office and the View. Arpaio said his office has yet to arrest any But the sheriff did say he would work on “It’s ridiculous,” she said. “It’s such a simple illegal immigrants in the city since his office making information more readily available thing. We want to know what’s happening began its aggressive enforcement of state to the paper, a move that surprised in our community.” and federal immigration laws. Freireich. Cindy Eppard, another resident, thanked the “We come across any illegals, we arrest “That’s the first time you’ve talked to me in sheriff for all the work he did in the county them,” Arpaio said. “We’re enforcing the two years,” Freireich said. and told him he was one of the reasons she federal law.” Sgt. P.M. Fortner, who works at the Sheriff’s moved to Arizona. He said his illegal immigration hot line has Office’s District II substation in Avondale, But Eppard also told Arpaio that she would received 2,200 calls since it was introduced said he would also look into granting the like to see the feud with the newspaper end this summer and has helped close 300 drop paper access to information on a regular so she could get more information on crime houses. basis. in the area. Michael Famiglietti can be contacted at The dispute between the View and the Arpaio, who shook hands with everyone [email protected].

Breathtaking Abuse of the Constitution from page 12 judge labeled Wilenchik’s attempt to set up Case Against New Times Dropped The shocking move came a day after an ex parte discussion “absolutely inappro- County Attorney Fires Special Prosecutor Phoenix New Times published a story high- priate.” lighting a grand jury subpoena demanding In our humble opinion, Wilenchik’s clumsy By Bill Jensen New Times hand over an unprecedented intervention behind the scenes with the Phoenix New Times amount of reporter notes, personal informa- judge was well beyond “inappropriate.” Oct. 19, 2007 tion about Web site visitors and other intru- Wilenchik’s behavior raised the issue of an sive materials. attempt to rig a grand jury already veiled in “We tried to make a modest stand for our official secrecy. At a press conference on Friday afternoon, Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas readers, our reporters and our Constitution,” In our deliberations, we faced the obvious: A announced that all charges against New said Michael Lacey, co-owner and executive grand jury investigation is a fearsome thing; Times, its owners, editors and writers have editor of New Times/Village Voice Media. a tainted grand jury is a tipping point. been dropped — and that special prosecutor “Sometimes law enforcement prevails in We intend now to break the silence and Dennis Wilenchik has been dismissed. their view of the Constitution; sometimes the resist. Irish prevail in theirs.”

November 2007 15 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors SmallSmall ruralrural communitycommunity newspapersnewspapers faceface uniqueunique challengeschallenges By Tim L. Waltner community newspapers are doing. And, I zations enjoy the Publisher expect, that spread will only increase. resources of those Freeman (S.D.) Courier There are more newspapers in South Dakota companies allow- Oct. 10, 2007 that don’t have Web sites than do. ing them to expand what they Maintaining Web sites requires time and it do and how they This is National Newspaper Week, an annual requires money. And the dynamics of that observance designed to remind readers of the do it. But as is the reality — time and money — are particularly case in other roles newspapers play in the life of their com- challenging for small rural community news- munities. industries — papers. whether it’s retail While the focus this year is on the impor- The cost of producing news continues to rise stores or profes- tance of public notices — something certainly and adding a full-blown online component sional service — worth noting — I’m using the commemora- increases both the cost and the challenge of this trend raises tion to visit with you, our readers, about the keeping the online content current. The questions about Tim Waltner bigger picture and the challenges facing smaller the paper, the tougher it is. what is lost when newspapers, particularly community newspa- ownership leaves the community. There are pers like the Courier. Let me put it bluntly: Many small rural com- munity newspapers are struggling to provide questions about control, commitment, conti- Emerging technology has always had an a quality print edition for their communities, nuity. impact on newspapers — the telegraph, tele- let alone even thinking about putting their The sobering reality is that newspapers in phone, radio, television and cable. But the news online. large, growing communities have the grow- impact from the explosion of online media in ing potential to expand their efforts to pro- the past decade is unprecedented. It comes down to resources and size. The investment to maintain an office and vide news thanks to an expanding popula- Information has become, literally, just a click tion base and revenue potential. The exact away. staff, to produce and distribute the news to our readers is significant. Newspapers have opposite is true in small, rural communities, If you want to know the latest about Iraq, two sources of revenue — advertising and where dwindling population and shrinking Britney Spears, Survivor, Sen. Tim Johnson, subscriptions; it’s that simple. revenue potential limits the ability of the the Minnesota Vikings, the weather or Into newspaper to expand how it provides and the Wild, you can find the latest news at a The difference in economy of scale for news- delivers the news. computer near you. papers with circulations of 1,000 compared with newspapers with circulations of 10,000 Sadly, in some cases the very survival of That’s changing the way many newspapers or 50,000 is huge. That determines what they small independent newspapers is in jeopardy. are doing business. Increasingly you’ll find do and how. The irony is that it is in these small rural that, in addition to printing news on And the vitality of newspapers serving rural communities where the role of the newspaper newsprint, newspapers have Web sites that is most critical. The larger the community, include hourly updates, blogs and video. communities that are losing population and experience losses in their local retail sectors the more options the people in that commu- There’s no better example of the shifting nity have for information. approach than the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, are in real jeopardy. A community newspaper can’t exist without Where else can people of the Freeman com- the state’s largest newspaper, which now calls munity find detailed coverage of the regular itself Argus Leader Media. the advertising support of its community. As local businesses either disappear or are swal- meetings of the Freeman City Council and It’s the approach many newspapers are tak- the Freeman Public School Board, reports on ing to remain vital in the overwhelming mix lowed by outside interests, the lifeblood of that newspaper dries up. the Bobcats’ and Flyers’ athletic teams, stories of media in today’s culture. The broadening about St. Paul Lutheran Church’s 125th approach to delivering news has brought The phenomenon of consolidation and merg- anniversary celebration or the annual Fishing about shifting focus and resources within the er seen in other elements of the economy is Derby at the Prairie Arboretum? newspaper industry. increasingly evident in the newspaper indus- try. The Madison Daily Leader is the only You can find thousands of places to find Exactly what this means for the future of information about the U.S. Senate and the newspapers remains unclear. South Dakota daily newspaper that is an independent, family-owned paper. The num- war in Iraq. But you don’t have many And that holds true for small community ber of weekly newspapers under group owner- options for finding out what the Freeman newspapers like the Courier as well. ship continues to grow. The Sioux Falls Argus City Council is planning for sewer rates or The Courier has had an online presence for a Leader now owns four weeklies surrounding what the Freeman School Board is thinking of decade; we recently completed a redesign of Sioux Falls, and the Rapid City Journal owns doing with the elementary school. our Web site at freemansd.com. In addition a number of weeklies in the Black Hills. Quite frankly, we think people are getting a to a new look, we’ve added a few features. It’s a trend likely to increase. The Vermillion pretty good deal to have a custom-made But we’re clearly falling behind compared Plain Talk is owned by the company that product delivered to their mailbox once every with larger newspapers. owns the Yankton Press and Dakotan. The week for the price of a can of soda. And the spread is widening between what New Era in Parker is owned by an Iowa com- And as production costs continue to rise — larger newspapers — the “media” groups — pany. our postal rates went up about 25 percent in are doing and what the small independent Newspapers that are owned by large organi- July — what do we do? continued on page 17

16 November 2007 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors Dad-blamedDad-blamed presspress

By Charles Gay Baghdad in a conflict already longer than Shelton School Shelton-Mason County Journal World War II. District from mak- Shelton, Wash. With the Fourth Estate in seventh heaven ing “adequate year- Oct. 11, 2007 using its sixth sense to second-guess the war, ly progress” under we’d be the first to admit it should get the the No Child Left Leave it to a U.S. senator with restless leg syn- third degree about being the fifth column. Behind Act, natu- drome sitting on the pot in a Minneapolis air- rally it was The Or take the case of elected officials violating Journal’s fault for port restroom to spoil our October 7-13 cele- the Open Meetings Act or refusing to provide bration of National Newspaper Week. tarnishing the public documents to the press. When the press school’s reputation. Right when we were preparing to tell everyone sues, of course it’s not the officials’ fault that It had nothing to how important newspapers are in American taxpayer money is wasted. The press bears the do with an act con- society, along comes The Honorable Larry responsibility. Starting with the premise that taining four dozen Craig to remind us that actually we bear the their constituents know newspapers employ ways for a district to Charles Gay blame for America’s problems. only bad people hyping bad news that’s bad be labeled a failure. As Craig explains it, he was thrown for a loop for the community, the officials doing the Our story mentioned the district had met 46 of and his brain temporarily went into a stall public’s business in secret know they can 47 standards. place the blame where it really lies. because of the press. It wasn’t his fault he did- The time a city commissioner went to prison n’t fight, just on principle, the charge stem- The sinister people at The Journal can’t escape on sex charges, his lost stature was The ming from the incident, nor was it the police’s their share of the blame. When a 15-year-old Journal’s fault. He protested that he’d fault for entrapping him in a fling sting. He girl was killed by a convicted sex offender, the searched back issues and, dagnab it, others pled guilty to the charge, he explained, publisher was called an accessory to murder similarly charged weren’t put on the front because of a witch hunt by The Idaho because the paper did not print a story saying page. Statesman, whose probe left him so panicked the ex-con was living here. It was beside the that he made a bad decision. point that the girl’s father told a legislative When Journal reporter Steve Patch tired of see- committee it was unlikely he would have seen ing the children at the high school verbally No one in the press can escape this indict- and physically abusing each other, the kind ment. Craig only echoes what others have a notice in the paper or that The Journal had published four stories about the offender at of thing that has led to school shootings, he been saying for years. It’s not the Bush wrote a story about the phenomenon of Administration’s fault that the Iraq war has the time of his conviction or that the killer’s own children didn’t know he was a Level III cliques. The community reacted appropriately. boosted al-Qaida’s morale; the press is to Instead of vowing to teach children about civil- blame for terrorist recruitment gains and the offender and the victim was a friend of the murderer’s daughter. ity, it made a multi-pronged assault on the quagmire. If not for the press, al-Qaida reporter and institution that had dared to wouldn’t know the U.S. was losing the war, One day eight North Mason activists visited expose a social problem. because the ragtag terrorists hauling their our office to tell us that their area’s infighting missiles on donkey carts don’t realize they’ve on issue after issue was caused by the biased Sometimes we are to blame for things that already killed and maimed thousands of sol- reporting of Belfair Herald editor Kevan don’t happen, too, when elected officials look diers from a nation that spends half a trillion Moore. You see, the community had never dis- into their opaque crystal balls. In the hate- dollars a year on offense. Without press agreed on anything until he got there. filled Rahn Redman recall campaign in Fire District 4, we were told before the election that reports, al-Qaida has no way of knowing the When we reported graduation rates at Americans have yet to gain control of Redman would defeat the recall because of CHOICE Alternative School had prevented the our biased reporting. He lost by a 2-1 margin. We were told a year and a half before a from page 16 Shelton school levy election that our biased Community newspapers face challenges coverage of the Shelton Gymnasium issue would bring down the levy. The levy passed. None of the options are very attractive: ogy and economic pressure? No, we won’t be bragging about our great reduce the news we provide, reduce our I’m as convinced as ever that communities worth this National Newspaper Week, not staff, increase our advertising rates, increase like Freeman deserve a weekly newspaper, when anyone can see we are guilty of treason, our subscription rates regardless of the form it takes. murder and unprofessional conduct. We In reality it’s likely a bit of all of the above. And, with the continued support of the busi- might like to think our role is to inform fairly, Exactly what that means for exactly how we ness community and our readers, I’m as but in a society content with its prejudices, present the news in the years to come committed as ever to seeing that the Courier fears, hatred and irrational thought we know remains to be seen. Will the push for online continues to provide news, features, opinion what our role is: We are to blame for all of presence and features expand? Will readers and advertising services to this community your problems. of small weekly papers expect it? Is that in the years to come. Just ask the senator sitting in the airport rest- expectation realistic? How will small com- Tim L. Waltner can be contacted at room with bluegrass playing on his iPod. munity papers serve their communities in [email protected]. Charles Gay can be contacted at the face of the constantly changing technol- [email protected].

November 2007 17 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors OfferOffer mightmight bebe lesserlesser ofof twotwo evilsevils By Joyce Webster park. interest to consid- Publisher Councillor John Rush pointed out that er a land swap if, Coronation (Alberta) Review most of the mobile homes located in the in fact, they are Oct. 8, 2007 golf course trailer park cannot even be planning a new moved to any other location in Coronation development. As How does the foreseeable problem of 10 because there is a bylaw stating that innocent as the families in Coronation being uprooted mobile homes of a certain age are not per- buyers may be, it from their homes in what many consider mitted to be moved into Coronation. (The could come back was achieved by being totally underhand- ones there now were grandfathered in to bite them as ed, get solved? After all, we are a small when the bylaw was passed.) well. community and we don’t need hard feel- Consideration also needs to be given to the If the buyers of ings between friends. possibility of further decline in the town’s the property are Town Council is in between a rock and a population which means more of our rev- looking at a new Joyce Webster hard place — a place they put themselves enue in taxes and grants gone! development of sorts, maybe the Town should consider in to. Sure it’s easy for the new councillors When asked at the Town Council meeting to voice their outrage at what’s been done. offering the buyers an opportunity to trade on October 2, Connauton said subdividing the two blocks of trailer park property for But let’s face it, some of those “new” mem- would have cost approximately $1,000 per bers were on Council four, five, six years the prime property next to the golf course unit and the Town of Coronation had on the north side of Alexandra Avenue. ago when those same people were trying to given the option to subdivide to the trailer buy their property. In fact, according to owners on a couple of occasions in the Some residents won’t be happy with that David Connauton, the official list of town past, but only if a majority of them wanted offer but it’s the lesser of two evils and the property for sale was made up in 2003. to buy their property. only cost effective move that Councillors However, there is no room for placing can hope for now. We can only hope that According to what Connauton was told, the buyers would see more value in that blame. The Town should not be property the number of trailer owners wanting to owners or running businesses. Town staff location than the location of their present buy was never enough to warrant the purchase. were only doing what they were directed to Town spending the money to subdivide the do — “sell town owned property and don’t properties. Or, maybe we need to take a hard and fast bring it to Council if the offer matches the look at the development of the “rail line asking price,” So the bottom line is: property.” A public meeting over a year The asking price was paid — the Deal is • If the trailers have to be moved it could ago saw public approval of Royal Street Done! cost the taxpayers probably $25,000 to extending out to Highway 12. That too, if move the trailers; developed, would become prime property. Now Council must look for the most cost effective way of solving the problem to the • If they could get agreement to back out Palliser Planning Commission has pushed satisfaction of as many as conceivably pos- of the land sale, it could cost the taxpayer the date back for a Town Planner to come sible, including the mobile home owners, around $11,000 to subdivide it and keep in and develop a plan for Coronation for the buyer of the property and the taxpay- the trailer park there forever; over a year now. There’s far too many ers. • Or, it could cost the taxpayers a lawsuit decisions pending on that Town Plan. David Connauton, town manager, report- and who knows what the $ $ $ would be And with the Town Planner the public has ed at the October 2 Town Council meeting then. an opportunity to get involved. that the cost to the taxpayers for moving Council needs to be talking to the buyers Council needs to go farther afield to get in the trailers would be anywhere from of the property. Maybe the buyers have a Town Planner RIGHT NOW! $2,000 to $2,500 per unit. That doesn’t pay invested in a business — a Trailer Park? Joyce Webster can be contacted at for the pavement, water and sewer that Maybe not? The buyers, of course, don’t [email protected]. was paid for by those living in the trailer have to tell but it might be in their best

18 November 2007 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors AA centurycentury ofof servingserving BoulderBoulder

By Jan Anderson Neither rain that brought a flood to wash missioner reviewed Editor and publisher out Boulder’s Main Street bridge over the by a new book. “I Boulder (Mont.) Monitor river, nor snow in drifts between Boulder believe in my Sept. 12, 2007 and the printing press in Livingston, nor bones that few pri- dark of night during those midnight press orities our country One hundred years. A century. Wow. runs, nor anything else stopped the Boulder confronts have Monitor from reaching readers in Boulder. such long-term Week in and week out for a full century, There are far fewer weekly newspaper editors effect on our someone has toiled to publish the news in democracy as how the Boulder Monitor. and publishers of that dedication these days, and in Montana — as across the nation — America commu- Knowing how hard it still is to accomplish there are fewer and fewer independently nicates and con- that feat, we are in awe of our predecessors owned community newspapers all the time. verses with itself who had to do it with much less reliable The people who continue to serve their com- and how this Jan Anderson tools. We simply cannot imagine doing this munities in that way are fine folks facing process has deteri- job in a time when a piece of lead for each some very difficult problems. Costs are going orated.” and every letter had to be loaded into trays up. Competition for advertising is fierce. We second that, and we do our best every that eventually became the pages. Produc- Competition for the loyalty of community week to be sure that the Monitor provides a tion required what now seems to be businesses and residents can be even fiercer. means for Boulder to communicate with Herculean effort. Until the 1960s, newspapers could be mailed itself over issues that matter, from the birth Despite the challenges, the editors and pub- without charge, due to a federal philosophy of the neighbor’s baby, to the death of that lishers of the Boulder Monitor got the paper that an informed public was critical to our always-smiling gentleman down the street, out every week. democracy. That philosophy has long since to the latest actions of the city council, coun- In the history of the Monitor, there have disappeared, and we now pay bigger and ty commission and school districts. really been relatively few editors and pub- bigger sums to get the papers to readers. We know we won’t make Sutherlin’s mark lishers. Part of that is credited to two very For many reasons, independently owned of 25 years, much less Eiselein’s 50, but we longtime newspapermen — Adolph Eiselein community newspapers are fading from the intend to work as hard as we can to make and Vern Sutherlin. landscape. Scholars and professional jour- sure the Monitor is here to serve this com- For more than half of the paper’s existence, nalists are constantly asking what that will munity for many years to come. We are part roughly 55 years, Eiselein oversaw the mean for our nation. Is the quality and of this community, and after 34 years living Boulder Monitor. The respect that he gained independence of news reporting declining here, we care deeply about the other folks is legendary in this town. His issues over- due to corporate ownership or are there that call it home. We want to serve this flowed with news of people living in Boulder other factors? community, our home. and with national news that mattered for We recently read an article in Columbia To accomplish that, we need the help of Boulder residents. National figures such as Journalism Review that said, “...professional everyone in the community. We need sub- Mike Mansfield appeared frequently in the norms, values, and courage matter. Al- scribers. We need advertisers. We need peo- Monitor during Eiselein’s leadership. though Wall Street provides the money to ple to let us know when something is hap- We still get visitors at the newspaper office operate major media, stock traders and pening. We need readers to let us know who knew Eiselein and speak of him with investment bankers do not themselves risk when they have questions. reverence. Many talk about the articles and their lives covering Iraq or check the spelling We need the community, and it needs us. photos from Eiselein’s editions that hold an of the name of the murder victim or sit Or, to paraphrase the slogan of a couple of honored spot in their hearts and scrapbooks. through the city council meeting or track community newspapers, we are “the best lit- Vern Sutherlin captained the Monitor from down the expert who might explain cancer tle newspaper in Boulder” and “the only 1977 to 2002, drawing in readers by attract- clusters or global warming. Journalists who newspaper that gives a darn about Boulder.” aren’t easily pushed around do.” ing talented and amusing columnists to Help us stretch into our second century, and complement the issues. His issues also creat- We know the Monitor had its share of “jour- enjoy this special centennial issue. ed clippings that fill area scrapbooks. nalists who aren’t easily pushed around” over the years. Jan Anderson can be contacted at Even though he suffered some debilitating [email protected]. health challenges in his final years at the That same article also quoted an FCC com- Monitor, Sutherlin always got the paper out.

November 2007 19 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors Sustainability movement deserves our attention By David Giffey before internal combustion and carbon Valley, the objec- Home News monoxide is erased. tives are clearly Spring Green, Wis. But the memory is returning as proven by the stated. Develop Oct. 17, 2007 crowd at the sustainability meeting. Yet to renewable energy unfold are predictable debates and disagree- systems and broad- There is growing evidence that people, collec- ments, some probably revolving around the en organic agricul- tively, are paying more attention to today’s definition of “sustainability.” Fortunately, tural practices. actions in order preserve the possibility of a clear-headed citizens, visionaries, scientists Build things that healthy tomorrow. and other smart and generous people have provide alternatives to the use of chemi- A meeting early this month in Spring Green formulated ways to return to sustainability which empower individuals to make wise cal pesticides and attracted several dozen people willing to con- herbicides. Recycle sider sustainability in governments, business- decisions while treating people and things in David Giffey the world around us fairly. everything, or as es, neighborhoods, and their own backyards. much as possible. And finally, “Meet human Sustainability is logical and attainable. Its A problem with sustainability is that it has needs fairly and efficiently.” six syllables, compared to, let’s say, “war,” a absence defies reason, yet for decades as a Sustainability doesn’t require us to burn our society we plunged into realms of wasteful- three-letter word. “Money” has only two sylla- bles. “Cash flow,” while two words, has a cash or wear fig leaves to work. It does ness and environmental vandalism — gener- encourage us to relearn the value of small ally sloganized as “growth” or “progress” — third as many syllables as sustainability. “Democracy” is closer to “sustainability” in things we’ve taken for granted or ignored at that would have our ancestors of not too long our own peril. It encourages a return to the ago scratching their heads in disbelief. length, sound, and meaning than it is to “war,” “money,” or “cash flow.” roots of democracy which “meet human Many of us recall life in rural Wisconsin, or needs fairly and efficiently.” cities for that matter, when sustainability was A skeptic might take issue with any inference that sustainability could positively affect Fairness and efficiency can be initiated in just the normal way of doing things. Our small ways, as a letter writer last week volun- church halls used real dishes, washed, dried, human nature, which is cynically described as greedy, acquisitive, and war-like. But con- teered through a ride-sharing idea. That’s sus- and neatly stacked in cupboards between tainability from the ground up, the only way events. Our school lunches were wrapped in sidering sustainability and war as antonyms isn’t too far-fetched. While wars were waged it’ll work. In reality, sustainability is less a waxed paper. Our shoes were resoled as need- dramatic change than it is a ed. Those were days before the advent of well before the birth of Henry Ford, the capac- ity not only to wage war but also to annihi- homecoming...to a thoughtful and gratifying manmade mountains built of toxic wastes way of living much more in harmony than having shelf lives too long to count. late the planet and engender pervasive fear among us has multiplied many times over in in discord. Pinpointing a moment in history, the birth of the recent century. Isn’t it reasonable to pro- The sustainability study circles beginning Henry Ford for example, when sustainability pose that such scary presences, in and of now in the River Valley deserve our support, became endangered is nothing more than a themselves, result in violent reactions? attention, and participation. They are anoth- convenient way to deny personal responsibili- er story. ty for what’s happened. Most of us have In the very useful book The Natural Step, jumped onto Henry Ford’s running board which was chosen as a guide for this phase of David Giffey can be contacted at with both feet, so that the memory of life the movement for sustainability in the River [email protected].

President’s Report from page 2 And for a while (meaning a day or two), it carried with it alternate dates, it was not the You’ve got Vickie and Jan who found a better appeared as though this summer’s gathering best option and took it from there. solution thanks to Sandra and Donna, who would be in PEI — in a different place and at They contacted ISWNE board member will no doubt help put on a killer conference a different time. Sandra George, who quickly contacted past- in the Motor City. But then ISWNE members Vickie Canfield president and ISWNE member Donna Remer, And then you’ve got Chad, our executive Peters and Jan Haupt entered the picture. Or, who was unable to host the conference in director who helped keep all of us on the as you will read on page 4, “fate intervened.” Detroit in 2006 as planned. Together the same page thanks to cell phone and email The two women who just happened to be in ladies made some calls and — somehow — technology. Joplin, Mo., researching ISWNE’s history for a presented a workable proposal for Detroit in What did we do without it? 2008 while keeping the same dates. forthcoming history book — and who hap- All helped come up with the best possible pened to be at Chad’s home for dinner just as So to recap... solution to a difficult situation. this all was going down — were the next to You’ve got Dick, who took it upon himself to It’s another star for a star-filled organization. demonstrate problem-solving skills. contact Paul, who was willing and ready — They decided that because the PEI solution and in fact had already taken some steps — Jeremy Waltner can be contacted at to make PIE work one year early. [email protected].

20 November 2007 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors NoiseNoise lawsuitlawsuit isis forfor thethe birdsbirds By Mike Moore Jessamine County does not need to become Farmers have a Editor the butt of late night television jokes. right to earn a liv- The Jessamine Journal If you purchase land near a farm, certain ing, and often Nicholasville, Ky. noises and smells are to be expected. If those times birds and Oct. 18, 2007 noises or smells came as a surprise to the other members of persons who purchased the land, then they the animal king- For the past many weeks letters to the editor failed to do a little homework prior to mak- dom make it diffi- have been submitted to The Jessamine ing the purchase. cult to do so. Journal either in support or adamantly It also goes the other direction. The Jessamine against the use of propane air cannons by County Fiscal Jessamine County farmers. If you purchase a house in the city, you Court should not should expect the sound of sirens at all make any changes Suing farmers over noise from equipment hours of the day. used on their farm land makes very little to the noise ordi- Mike Moore sense in the Journal’s mind. You should expect the sound of garbage nance. trucks banging trash cans at 6 a.m. If the ruling goes against the farmers, those By doing so, the fiscal court would send the who live near farms or near cities will line Simply put, “Caveat emptor,” Latin for, “Let wrong message and open up a flood gate of up to file lawsuits because the ambulance the buyer beware.” many pointless lawsuits that will tie up the that drives up and down U.S. 27 has its Before making the purchase and commit- court system needlessly. sirens too loud, or the fire truck made too ting yourself to life in the country, you Mike Moore can be contacted at much of a racket, or farmer Brown’s cow should have done a bit more homework on [email protected]. mooed too loud. what it is like to live on or near a farm. ISWNE conference results in changes for paper By Cheryl Wormley which is where newspaper readers expect to because it helps Publisher see it. And, I like the placement of round out the opin- The Woodstock (Ill.) Independent Declarations. It’s smack dab in the middle of ions pages. What’s everything, which is where I love to be. inside the staff box Reading The Independent may seem a bit dif- We’re introducing a new feature on Page 4 changed, too. We ferent this week. The Inde staff was busy last called “Some people just don’t get it.” Credit identified the staff week discussing the suggestions I brought for the idea goes to office manager Kathie members who back from the International Society of Comella. It’s what I call a soft opinion piece. make up the editori- Weekly Newspaper Editors conference. The We will bust a myth that is often expressed in al board and sim- discussions were fueled by our desire to deep- our community by providing our readers plified the instruc- en the relationship and increase the commu- with the truth. You can help by providing us tions for sending a letter to the editor. nication between us and each of you — our with myths that need busting. Cheryl Wormley readers. The primary change in Page 5 is greater Moving around the We decided that Page 3 should be dedicated emphasis on letters to the editor. We’ve furniture in a room to news stories. That meant moving the infor- increased the width of the columns and usually takes some getting used to, and we’re mation that was on Page 3 to Page 6. increased the size of the headlines for your anticipating these changes will, too. Moving Around the Town, Best Bets and Last Minute letters. Your opinions are equally as impor- furniture and making changes in the local Notices are popular, quick-read items that fit tant as ours. Weighing in on issues, express- newspaper also create energy. We’re expect- well on Page 6. ing appreciation or frustration and giving ing some reactions from you. Let us know what you think. Our goal for moving the editorial to the left pats on the back or kicks in the pants are all column of Page 4 is to communicate its legitimate subjects for letters to the editor. Cheryl Wormley can be contacted at importance. That change led to our moving We also moved the staff box to Page 5 in part [email protected]. the editorial cartoon to the top of the page, to free up more space for news and also

November 2007 21 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors BabyBaby closeclose toto heartheart Young mother still struggling to cope with tragic death

By Daniel Macisaac At 17 months old, Keagan Jacobson died “And when our Edmonton Sun under tragic circumstances in Wainwright, story came out Oct. 17, 2007 200 km southeast of Edmonton, in later with the sen- November 2004 while under the care of tence, there was a Editor’s note: ISWNE member Kelly Jacobson’s roommate. fresh sense of out- Clemmer originally broke this story. Some The young woman was about the same rage, too.” months later, the Edmonton Sun picked up age as Jacobson, in her late 20s, had two Despite the unhap- the story and ran a piece that referenced children of her own — and they sometimes py ending to that Clemmer’s original article in the took turns watching the kids. story, Jacobson Wainwright Star Chronicle. But on Nov. 9 the RCMP received a call says she was grate- from the local hospital reporting that ful Clemmer wrote Yes, I broke the story. It was a sad one. A Keagan had died of blunt-force trauma — about Keagan. Kelly Clemmer local woman lost her child, her roommate sustained in what the friend described as a “Before the paper I went up on manslaughter charges. fall down the stairs. think he was just a name to most people,” After the suspect was only sentenced to 30 The woman was charged in his death and she said. “But the story made him more of days for assault to be served on weekends tried earlier this year in the Court of a person.” (the ME couldn’t prove that her abuse Queen’s Bench in St. Paul where she was Jacobson says she wants Keagan to be killed the 17-month old child), the mother found guilty of assault and received a 30- remembered as a friendly and loving boy. of the child was destroyed. I worked on the day sentence to be served on weekends. “He always had a smile on his face and he story for a few weeks finally getting the Keagan’s family, expecting a conviction loved everybody,” she said. mother and grandfather in the office to on the more serious charges of Now 31, Jacobson credits the support of talk about the sentence. The story was manslaughter or criminal negligence, was emotional, for all of us, but I think I han- her mother and stepfather, Louise and shocked by what they saw as a lenient Eldon Martin, with helping her cope. dled it with the care and sensitivity it punishment. deserved. Some months later, one of the But she doesn’t neglect Keagan either — larger dailies in Alberta, the Edmonton “I’m still mad that she only got charged regularly visiting his grave-site and bring- Sun picked up on the story and ran a piece with what she did,” Jacobson said. “All I ing him toys and flowers. know is that she admitted what she did on that referenced my original story in the “I just took him a stuffed pumpkin for Wainwright Star Chronicle. The mother tape to the police, so I still don’t under- stand how she could only be convicted of Halloween — and he loved bright flowers,” felt that the story I wrote helped remind she said. people in town that Keegan was a person, assault.” Kelly Clemmer, associate editor of the Jacobson says she can’t really see a mes- not just that baby that was killed... Almost sage or lesson in Keagan’s death other three years since she lost her baby boy, Wainwright Star Chronicle, said both the circumstances of Keagan’s death and the than the need for parents to never let Melinda Jacobson still can’t get over his down their guard. death. news of the roommate’s sentencing shocked the entire town. “I guess I was one of those overbearing “It’s really hard — I don’t even know how mothers, and always wanted to be with to start or where to begin,” she told Sun “It was brutal,” he said. “Basically there was outrage once it came out what she my son,” she said. “So, to turn around and Media. “I had my whole life planned have that happen, I just don’t know.” around Keagan.” was charged with.

22 November 2007 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors LawsuitLawsuit cancan movemove forward:forward: Judge rejects SF Weekly’s legal arguments

By Tim Redmond cost isn’t always illegal; start-up businesses, Those projections Executive editor for example, often lose money at first trying showed that the San Francisco Bay Guardian to attract customers. But he said the Weekly Weekly could Oct. 29, 2007 has been losing money every year since New become profitable Times/VVM bought it in 1995, and those — if it raised ad The Bay Guardian has presented enough losses have only increased over time, to as prices. The paper evidence of predatory pricing by the SF much as $2 million a year. It’s hard to would lose some Weekly that our lawsuit against the paper imagine any good reason why a business ad volume to the and its chain owners can go forward to trial, would set its prices so low that it operated at Guardian, but a judge ruled Oct. 25. a loss every year for more than a decade, would be able to Alldredge argued, unless the goal was to use retain the same Judge Richard A. Kramer denied three sepa- chain resources to starve out a locally owned percentage of edi- rate motions by Village Voice Media, the competitor. torial space to ad Tim Redmond Phoenix-based 16-paper chain, that sought space and would to dismiss the case. Alldredge cited a deal between Clear Channel, which owns the concert promoter be a profitable In a suit filed in 2004, the Guardian charged Bill Graham Presents, and the Weekly under operation, Brunst’s report to the investors that the Weekly and the East Bay Express which the Weekly paid to have its name on said. had engaged in a pattern of selling ads the Warfield theater, a BGP venue — and in In other words, the top people at the chain below cost in an attempt to put the locally exchange, the Weekly would get almost all knew they could make money by ending owned alternative paper out of business. of the advertising money that once went to their below-cost sales — but they continued VVM sold the East Bay Express this year to the Guardian. He cited a memo showing with the predatory practice. That, Alldredge local owners. that the deal would give the Weekly 85 per- said, created a pretty reasonable presump- The case was filed under the state’s unfair cent of the ads, and the Guardian would get tion that the chain was out to harm a com- business practices law, which bars the sale of “15 percent to zero.” petitor. any good or service for less than the price of James Wagstaffe, arguing for the Weekly, Kramer rejected all of the SF Weekly’s producing it if that cut-rate selling is aimed said that forcing the chain paper to sell ads claims. He said that the First Amendment at hurting a competitor. at a higher rate would be the equivalent of didn’t allow newspapers to engage in VVM’s motions for summary judgment the government deciding how much of the “impermissible anticompetitive” behavior. argued that the Guardian couldn’t prove finite space in the publication could be And the question of intent, he said, was a any intent by the Weekly or VVM to injure devoted to news. He said an economic fact for a jury to determine — and “a denial the local competitor. In briefs and oral argu- expert hired by the Weekly, Harvard profes- of improper activity by itself is not enough” ments, VVM lawyers claimed that the sor Joseph Kalt, had determined that the ad to dismiss this case. chain’s CEO, Jim Larkin, had denied any market in San Francisco was so soft that the New Times Executive Editor Mike Lacey and predatory plans or intent. And VVM insisted only way to increase revenues enough to Executive Associate Editor Andy Van De that the evidence collected by the Guardian cover the Weekly’s operating costs was to Voorde came from Phoenix to attend the so far was inadequate to take the case to cram more ads onto every page. hearing, and Van De Voorde wrote a trial. Alldredge countered that courts have always lengthy piece that appeared on the Weekly’s The chain lawyers also argued that the agreed that basic economic regulations can website calling the Guardian’s three-year-old Guardian’s suit was a threat to the First apply to newspapers without a First lawsuit “looney.” The piece put the chain’s Amendment rights of the Weekly, because if Amendment threat. spin on the hearing and laid out the the paper was forced to quit selling discount- “One hundred years of cases say that the Phoenix operators’ opinions on the ed ads it might have to cut editorial space mere economic regulation of newspapers is Guardian claim. and staff. not unconstitutional,” he said. “There is But in the end, only one opinion mattered, Ralph Alldredge, a Guardian attorney, noted nothing in the First Amendment that says and that was the opinion of Judge Kramer that the Weekly had admitted selling ads you can engage in predatory behavior. — who didn’t buy one bit of the Weekly’s below cost. And he said the evidence collect- He also noted that Jed Brunst, the top argument. ed so far in the case shows strong indica- finance officer for VVM, had testified in a Trial is set to begin early in January, 2008. tions of predatory intent. deposition that the chain had prepared pro- Tim Redmond can be contacted at Alldredge acknowledged that selling below jections in 2005 to present to investors. [email protected].

November 2007 23 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors AdvertisingAdvertising surveysurvey revealsreveals thethe obviousobvious By Jon A. Brake 12% saying it was “Very Influential.” Some $22,500 was Publisher And how did the consultant, the expert, fin- spent on television Manhattan Free Press ish the report? Here is the number one rec- commercial pro- Manhattan, Kan. ommendation made by the consultant: “Use duction, radio pro- television and radio advertising to promote duction and three It’s another consultant. Manhattan as a destination.” ads for the news- papers. It’s another expert. For the advertising campaign, the Chamber The Free Press was It’s another survey. spent $140,000. The City gave $40,000, the Chamber added $45,000 of their money, and told that this was a And again the only thing the City of then local business used the logos and music scientific study. If it Manhattan and the Chamber received for for their own spots on radio and television. was, they did not their money was a receipt. Of the City and Chamber money, $40,000 go by the results. The Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce was spent on television. Radio received pay- Newspapers were Jon A. Brake went before the Manhattan City Commission ments of $15,000. Between City, Chamber given very little Tuesday night asking for another $40,000 to and local businesses, television and radio money, but they outperformed television and promote the third year of an advertising purchases added up to $109,524. radio. campaign called 24/7. Only $7,976 was spent on newspaper adver- What would the results of Question 11 have The Chamber produced a survey by the tising. For nine months weekly newspapers been if newspapers had received the same Advantage Research Company out of Salina. were given two ads per month and daily amount of money as television? The company had sent out 4,700 question- newspapers were given four. Jon Brake can be contacted at naires asking people about shopping in [email protected]. Manhattan and the 24/7 Advertising Campaign. Seven hundred and three were returned. For nine months last year, the Chamber Shakespeare speaks to Pike County advertised on television, radio and newspa- pers trying to get people living 40 to 60 miles By Al Seiler out of Manhattan to shop here. The results The Pike Press are in, but the experts did not use them Pittsfield, Ill. because newspapers out performed television Oct. 10, 2007 and radio. On the recommendation of the consultant, I’m a longtime fan of William Shakespeare and read him the 2008 campaign will not include newspa- regularly. I often marvel at how the words scratched out by per advertising. Why? We don’t know. his quill pen more than 400 years ago still echo in today’s Neither do they. world. In the executive summary, the consultant A fitting example was played out in Pike County within said: “Newspaper advertising was considered the past couple of weeks. to be the most influential advertising medi- A fast spreading harmful and serious rumor targeted three um, however this does not trump the reach county officials, to their understandable deep resentment, as they vehemently denied of television advertising.” the slightest truth to the report. As with all rumors, the source was unknown and elu- Under conclusions, the consultant reported: sive. This newspaper and others made a determined effort to trace the rumor’s source “The findings from the cross-tabulation or validity, and dutifully reported the dead end they all reached. analysis indicate minor performance differ- So how does Shakespeare get involved in what Sherlock Holmes might call The Case ences between the selected advertising medi- of the Maligned County Officials? Here’s how: Look at the words of Iago in Othello ums. In other words, all of the advertising 3:3: mediums are about the same in terms of “Who steals my purse steals trash. ‘Twas mine, ‘tis his, and has been slave to thou- their effect on shopper motivation. This find- sands. But he that filches from me my good name robs me of that which not enriches ing is somewhat contradictory compared to him, and makes me poor indeed.” results from question 11.” The three county officials could have survived the theft of money from their wallets, Question 11 ask the participants: “Assuming but to have their “good name” besmirched was a far greater loss, while the unknown you’re in the mood to go shopping, how thief was not a penny richer. influential to you is each type of advertis- ing?” Newspaper advertising was highest Shakespeare often “lives” where you least expect to find him! with 31% responding “Very Influential.” Al Seiler can be contacted at [email protected]. Television was next with 22%, and radio had

24 November 2007 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors TheThe lastlast crossingcrossing

By Van A. Tyson nity. age. Editor and publisher His death reminded me of what I wrote Running through The Atkins Chronicle in 2000 after this 90th birthday celebra- a list of neigh- Oct. 17, 2007 tion. Here is some of it: bors, most of We had a gathering Saturday that whom he had Editor’s note: Ellis Reynolds, 97, of Atkins emphasized several aspects of community outlived, Ellis died Oct. 13. A printer and newspaper- life at its best. We celebrated Ellis pointed to anoth- man, he was honored in 2001 by the Reynolds’ 90th birthday at the Hopewell er aspect of com- Arkansas Press Association for 50 years of Baptist Church. munity life. service. He began his career at the Atkins Many of his Chronicle in 1934 as editor and printer The most important aspect was Ellis him- neighbors are the self. The most valuable part of communi- and worked there until 1942, when he third or fourth Ellis Reynolds began work with the Morrilton Democrat ty life is people like Ellis, who spend their generation of as linotype operator. He left there to join whole lives helping other members of the their family to live in the area. That Poindexter Printing in Morrilton in 1960, community and setting a good example. shows the depth of the relationships in a where he worked 15 years. Following We all knew he was a good husband, community. It gives people stronger ties, retirement, in 1976, he returned to the who took care of his wife through several especially when they can walk or drive a Atkins Chronicle where he worked as a years of illness and did it out of love as short distance to see the graves of their printer, advisor and proofreader. well as duty. We heard what a good ancestors. father he was from his daughter, Nancy, Ellis’ ties with the community are more Ellis Reynolds was telling me Friday that in a moving talk. Johnny Tyson told complete than most. He got almost all of he thought he might have been the last about his work as a good Sunday School his schooling at the Oakland school, person to drive across Primm Bridge. teacher. Others shared the feelings we which served the community until it was had about him as a friend and neighbor. He didn’t remember the date, but when consolidated with Atkins. Ellis said that I can also testify about his skill and dedi- he started to school at Atkins in the 10th he drove across it to the Grinnel Pond, cation as a printer and newspaperman — crossways boards fell off of it. He remem- grade. But then he came home one day two of the most useful occupations in the and saw his father picking cotton all by bered turning the boards lengthwise and world. carefully driving on them to get back himself. He decided to stay home and across, and thought it would have been He was also an excellent singer, along help on the farm. He has lived all is life too dangerous for anyone else to attempt with other members of his family. He was in the same place, although the original a car crossing. involved most of his life with singing house burned and was replaced with the conventions, where people gathered regu- present house. This last crossing became more signifi- larly to sing hymns. cant, when I learned Sunday morning He later got a chance to learn the that Ellis had died of a heart attack Several dozen people turned out for the Linotype and printing at The Chronicle. Saturday evening, making that other last event, enjoying the refreshments and sit- That provided him with his life’s work, crossing with his daughter, Nancy, at his ting around and talking. Included were although he continued to grow some of side. He was 97 and still enjoying telling people from Hopewell and Economy, his own food. At The Chronicle, he stories Friday, although he was having Atkins and other communities around learned not only printing, including difficulty breathing. the town. There were also people from making up pages and feeding presses farther away, including Lonoke, Wye and and folders, as well as setting type on the I am so grateful to have had that last Little Rock, including Nancy and her Linotype. He also learned to write and visit. I had just stopped by on my way family and Bill Wilson and his son and edit the paper in the early 30s, when my back from Dover for no particular reason. daughter. The gathering itself was an father and Uncle LeRoy went off to the I found Nancy there getting him an oxy- example of one of the keys to community University and my grandfather was work- gen tank and a hospital bed, after life — opportunities to get together to ing as revenue collector in Russellville. arranging for Hospice care. They knew he share experiences and just enjoy fellow- He said he and Ethel Martin put out the didn’t have much time left, but thought ship for a few hours. it would be more than one day. paper by themselves for a while. It was Ellis impressed us all with a talk summa- an 8-page paper in those days, but three Ellis was related to me in at least three rizing his feelings about the community. or four pages were pre-print, provided by ways. We were blood cousins, but we Some people at my table commented on a service, probably the Western were also related through the newspaper it being a remarkable feat of communi- Newspaper Union. Ellis also printed Pope and printing business, and through com- cation and memory — for a person of County ballots for many years, until they munity, the Hopewell-Economy commu- any age, but especially from someone his became computerized. The Chronicle had

continued on page 26

November 2007 25 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors Don’tDon’t panic,panic, it’sit’s justjust aa guyguy snappingsnapping hishis fingersfingers By Jim Painter are so offended by certain gestures. some European Managing editor I did some research about hand gestures and South West Valley View that are considered obscene in other cul- American coun- Litchfield Park, Ariz. tures and uncovered some surprising facts. tries. Sept. 28, 2007 • While Americans find no offense with the • The middle-fin- “thumbs-up” gesture (as a matter of fact, ger gesture so pop- Language, especially English, has always it’s considered a positive gesture in our cul- ular on Valley fascinated me, which is probably one of the ture — just ask film critics Ebert and freeways has a reasons I’m a newspaper editor. Roeper), in many parts of the world such as long history. The It’s not only written or spoken language the Middle East and Russia, it’s considered ancient Romans that I find interesting, but also non-verbal as offensive as showing a middle finger in called it digitus communication. My interest in non-verbal America. impudicus, or Jim Painter communication was sparked once again impudent finger. • We all remember the “peace sign” of the Although it’s con- Tuesday morning after the Tuesday paper sixties and seventies — the index and mid- had hit the streets. We got a couple of sidered highly offensive in Western cultures, dle finger forming a V shape. Well, you it’s unknown in many parts of the world. phone calls and e-mails from concerned probably don’t want to show that to any- readers who thought we had erred in pub- one in England if the back of your hand All of this research indicates that offensive- lishing a photo of a young man “flipping faces outward, or you might end up in a ness is in the eye of the beholder. Certain the bird” on the front page of the paper. fistfight. When Winston Churchill made the gestures offend us because our culture tells I hope I put everyone’s mind at ease when I victory sign for photographers during World us they should offend us, whereas other cul- say that the young man was not making War II, he was careful that the palm of his tures find nothing offensive in them at all. an obscene hand gesture, but was merely hand faced outward lest he offend his work- That means we’re offended only if we snapping his fingers to the beat as he ing-class constituents. choose to be offended. danced. The camera’s shutter just happened • The A-OK gesture (the ends of the thumb It’s all pretty silly when you think about it. to capture that tiny moment in time when and index finger touching to create a circle) Jim Painter can be contacted at one finger was extended beyond the others. is considered a good sign in America and [email protected]. That got me to thinking about why people the United Kingdom, but it’s an insult in

The last crossing from page 25

that job for several decades. wagons. He told me that my great-grand- Saturdays a big deal in town, when peo- In many ways, Ellis is the heart of father, John Marshall Tyson, had the first ple visited and shopped, sometimes sell- Hopewell community. He is its oldest res- car in the community, one of the first ing their extra vegetables and eggs at the ident and has lived there all his life. five or six in the Atkins area. He remem- store. bered that one time he gave a ride from Everything has speeded up, making it He now has electricity, indoor plumbing, town to Will Shackleford. He told him to touch-tone phone, air conditioning, tele- harder to get together as a community. get on the running board and just jump But it’s good that we can still manage it vision and even a computer. He was off when they passed his place, because around when they all came in, replacing from time to time. Ellis’ birthday provid- the inexperienced driver had some trou- ed one. the coal oil lamps, wood stoves and party ble getting the car stopped and started. line. The computer is easier to operate And now, his funeral will provide anoth- than the Linotype, by far. He uses it to In those days and some decades later, er. We can hope it won’t be the final write historical and philosophical articles the church remained the center of com- crossing into community involvement. munity involvement. It was a big deal to and to keep in touch with his grand- Van Tyson can be contacted at daughters, Jana and Krin, by e-mail. go to town, even Atkins three miles away, so it was usually limited to once a [email protected]. Ellis remembers when there were no cars week, on Saturdays. That made and people traveled with horses and

26 November 2007 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors BusinessBusiness newsnews muchmuch moremore thanthan grandgrand openingsopenings

By Jim Pumarlo Following are some principles for strengthen- advertising. ing business coverage: Businesses must A discussion of business news inevitably Think beyond the chamber of commerce. understand the sep- prompts editors to focus on routine Main Chambers of commerce can be a valuable aration between Street occurrences. A clothing store celebrates source in tracking obvious stories such as new news and advertis- its grand opening. A restaurant opens, offer- businesses, ownership changes, expansions ing, and the ing a distinctive cuisine. A flower shop cele- and relocations. But the opportunities to biggest issues often brates its 25th anniversary. incorporate business news into everyday news arise with retailers. The day a store These stories, though worthy of recognition, are much broader. For example: Tailor state unemployment figures to your community or opens is news; the underscore an underlying point. Business grand opening news is much broader than those items which region. Report what companies are doing to combat rising health care costs. What is the weeks later is an typically qualify for chamber of commerce ad. And, sorry, newsletters. Coverage should be incorporated impact of an airline strike? Take the pulse of Jim Pumarlo local agribusinesses during the fall harvest. chamber of com- in the everyday news menu. merce visits might Editors often raise red flags — or at least hesi- Proclamations alone are not news. be excellent items for newsletters, but not for tate — at requests for business news, and usu- Events such as Manufacturers Week or Small the news pages. Business Week present opportunities, but sto- ally for good reason. A store’s grand opening Report good and bad news. Businesses rou- occurs three months after the doors open. A ries must be substantive. Find a local angle. For example, are companies challenged to tinely announce a major expansion. In con- restaurant review would be a “first” for the trast, how many CEOs make it a point to call newspaper. The request for the anniversary find quality workers? What’s the local eco- nomic impact of in-home businesses? If a about a strike, a plant closing or the dismissal story is accompanied by a reminder that the of key management? Credible business cover- florist is one of the newspaper’s largest adver- community does not have a recognition event, why not organize it yourself? age demands keeping readers abreast of bad tisers. news as well as good news. The most com- Advertising departments are quick to promote Know your subject. Many writers get the cold pelling reason is that bad news always travels business coverage for the promised dividends shoulder because a business can vividly recall faster; businesses can quell the rumors by in increased lineage. Haphazard coverage, when it’s been “burned” by uninformed being the first with the facts. however, can be worse than no coverage. reporters. Prep yourself on a company history and the significance of the story in the same Develop relationships. When’s the last time Newspapers instead should take a tip from the manner you’d approach a story arising from you’ve had a cup of coffee with the local bank sports playbook: A deliberate and steady a city council meeting. At the same time, busi- president just to talk with no agenda? offense will minimize the times that publish- nesses must know it is the newspaper’s Broadening business coverage is all about ers and editors will have to defend coverage. responsibility to present a balanced story by developing relationships. Newspapers devote Newsrooms should craft guidelines in consul- seeking other “voices.” a great deal of resources to coverage of the tation with the advertising department and city council, school board and county board. management. Explain the difference between news and It’s arguable that news about employers — large and small — is of even greater interest. Remember, improving business coverage is a SUN receives Press Association’s top award shared responsibility. Businesses must be com- fortable that reporters can get the story right, The Rio Grande SUN received the New Mexico affairs work that makes it No. 1.” and reporters deserve to have all the facts Press Association’s highest honor for a news- The SUN won the Public Service award for its including those that may not be so flattering. paper and four other awards at the SUNWATCH feature. This project ran for one It boils down to trust. Reaching a common Association’s annual banquet, Oct. 27 in year and spotlighted small problems in the understanding of business coverage is at the Albuquerque. community and the public officials responsi- foundation of drawing the fine line between The SUN completes in the Class I weekly divi- ble for fixing them. editorial and advertising departments. sion, against the largest weeklies in the state. “This was a great enterprise effort that took a The first step is to start a conversation within This year, New Mexico’s newspapers were significant amount of staff time and showed a your newspaper and with your business com- judged by the South Dakota Newspaper real concern for the community,” said the munity. Building business news into your Association. judge. “The immediate impact on readers everyday coverage will spell dividends for The SUN received the General Excellence from problems solved won you this category. news and advertising departments. award as the top weekly newspaper in the Very innovative. Great job!” Jim Pumarlo regularly writes and speaks on state with a circulation of 5,000 or more. The SUN received first place and honorable Community Newsroom Success Strategies. He “This newspaper has an edge to it,” said mention in the investigative reporting catego- is author of Bad News and Good Judgment: A judge Dave Bordewyk, general manager of ry. Guide to Reporting on Sensitive Issues in a Small-Town News-paper and Votes and the South Dakota Newspaper Association. Longtime ISWNE members Robert E. Trapp “Good writing. Great reporting. Top notch edi- Quotes: A Guide to Outstanding Election (editor and publisher) and R. Braiden Trapp Coverage. He can be contacted at torial page. Overall, tops in a very competi- (managing editor) operate the SUN. tive category. It’s the reporting and public www.pumarlo.com.

November 2007 27 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors Panel discusses religion and media at K-State forum in September

Religious themes are prominent in the tively. Among his tips were the following: almost certainly will get the help you need. news today, encompassing politics, stew- • Acquire a sensitivity to the history and They want their story told right, and it ardship of the environment, education, development of many religions. takes very little to get the tone and details lifestyles, responsible investing, aid to wrong. • Know what you personally believe and other countries, culture and other issues. • Read some good world religion books. With the increased presence and diversity know when to weave that into a column and when not to. Huston Smith’s work might be the place to of religious influence in our lives, it is start. important to discuss how well the media • Have a long list of sources from many are doing in reporting and explaining reli- traditions, including academics who study • If possible, travel to countries where the gious matters. religion but who may not be adherents. population is made up predominantly of adherents of religions other than the “Religion and the media,” a panel discus- • Be familiar with useful Web resources — majority religion in America, Christianity. sion sponsored by the Huck Boyd National from such spiritual sites as Beliefnet.com to Center for Community Media in the A.Q. the official sites of various religions and • Read good blogs about religion — mine, Miller School of Journalism and Mass denominations to adherents.com and for instance: Communications at Kansas State thearda.com, generally reliable sources of http://billtammeus.typepad.com University, explored how well media information about numbers. Also know • Never imagine it’s your job to establish organizations cover religion and offered the public information people who repre- or approve the theology or governance tips on how media might improve their sent various faith communities. structure or practices of any religious religion coverage. • Be familiar enough with local religious group. But understand how all of that The panel discussion was attended by 120 leaders that they will always take your call affects the larger public. students, faculty and community members and trust you to be fair even when they • Know what religious issues are hot in the on Sept. 20 on the K-State campus. disagree with you. courts and in other areas of local, state Moderating the panel was Bill Tammeus, • Have the experience of attending wor- and national government. the faith columnist for the Kansas City ship services outside your own tradition. • Understand what it takes in terms of edu- Star. • Know what religious publishers are put- cation and other qualifications to become Bill Buzenberg, executive director of the ting out these days. a religious leader, such as a member of the Center for Public Integrity in Washington, clergy. And get a sense of what disagree- • Read at least one scholarly theological ments about those qualifications are cur- D.C., was another panelist. He helped journal. launch “Speaking of Faith” when he rently under way in various groups. worked for National Public Radio. • Have ready access to a good interfaith • Get a grasp of how each faith communi- Buzenberg was also the speaker for the calendar and understand which holidays ty is governed internally. That will help eighth annual Huck Boyd Lecture in are really important and which are only you avoid giving readers the impression Community Media earlier in the day. minor observances. that Pat Robertson, say, speaks for all of Other speakers on the religion and the • Be readily available to readers by e-mail Christianity or that Judaism and Islam are media panel came from a variety of faith and telephone and encourage faith com- monolithic. groups on the K-State campus and in the munities to put you on their mailing list • Ask people in other departments of your Manhattan community. The panel was for newsletters and other alerts. But be newspaper — from sports to the arts to the part of Community Cultural Harmony clear with readers and sources about how cop shop — to pass along information and Week, a series of lectures, movies, work- much you can really cover and what is column ideas for you from their arenas. outside your range. shops and other activities that celebrate • Accept as many public speaking oppor- diversity. The theme for this year was • Be honest with people you interview tunities as you can handle — and use “Building a Diverse, Inclusive Manhattan.” about what you know and what you don’t those occasions to encourage readers to Tammeus provided attendees with guide- know. If you tell a bishop or a lama or a contact editors and insist that journalists lines to help journalists cover religion and monk or a nun that you need help under- cover religion more thoroughly than they write columns about religion more effec- standing the nuances of a story, you do now.

28 November 2007 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors AA HotHot SummerSummer Night,Night, 4040 YearsYears AgoAgo The Newark race riot helped shape a raw journalist

By Richard McCord The first barricade was at the Newark city Looters rampaged El Dorado Sun limits, and several more came after that through every Santa Fe, N.M. one. I almost hoped I would be turned street and store, August 2007 back — no, not really — but the red press mocking the pass worked every time. “It’s your funer- efforts of the vast- The date was Thursday, July 13, 1967. al,” said one cop, moving the bar to let ly outnumbered The place was the newsroom of a big me by. As I drew closer to my destination police to halt daily newspaper called Newsday, in — the center of the riot, the Fourth them. Some loot- Garden City, Long Island, New York, a Precinct police station in the almost-all- ers lugged televi- few miles east of Manhattan. The time black Central Ward — the way grew ever sion sets, others was maybe 9 p.m., and very little in the darker, with all the streetlights shot out armloads of way of news seemed to be happening and the roads strewn with shattered glass clothes, others that night. and other debris. Just a tiny number of pieces of furni- vehicles even tried to proceed, very slowly ture. A few loot- Richard McCord I was the rawest of cub reporters back — and suddenly a heaved brick shattered ers pushed grocery then, just a few weeks into my first news- the windshield of the car just in front of carts laden with whatever fit, and four paper job. By a fluke I had been hired by me. It coasted to a halt, and instead of enterprising youths maneuvered a bed on Newsday based on one freelance story, stopping to assist, I eased past it and on wheels, piled high with booty. If a police rather than the usual course of paying into the storm. van appeared, the looters vanished at my dues at a series of smaller papers. I I located the Fourth Precinct, then found once, to rematerialize when the van was still very wet behind the ears, and passed by. neither I nor the city desk knew exactly a curbside parking place not far away. what I was doing. Several nearby cars had been torched or My press pass got me into the precinct smashed beyond repair, and I expected house to talk to the cops, and I wore it on The AP wire-service machine started mine to be ruined when I returned to it. a strap around my neck as I walked the clacking, with a report that racial But I saw nothing else to do. For the rest streets. The night was beastly hot, and demonstrations were breaking out for the of the night, I worked the streets of many non-rioting blacks sat outside on second straight night in Newark, N.J. Newark. their stoops or milled about on the side- Some 200 rock-tossing African-Americans There was plenty of light right around walks. “Aren’t you afraid, out here on a had protested the arrest and beating of a night like this?” asked an elderly black black cab driver by white policemen the the precinct house, because huge spot- lights running on generators were in man, not unkindly. I was, but again saw night before, and now trouble was brew- nothing else to do. “I’m a reporter,” I ing again. place. The glow of distant and nearby fires added a flickering, reddish illumina- replied, “and I’m just trying to tell it like With a shrug the city editor told me to tion, and the smell of smoke filled the it is.” Then I got him to start talking. drive over and see what was happening. air. Popping constantly in the back- A wildly excited 12-year-old boy told me Newark was only about 35 miles away, ground was the sound of gunshots, some that for hours he had run with a mob of by freeways and the Holland Tunnel, and single, some rapid-fire. Most of the few young men who had started fires, it was part of the New York metropolitan vehicles that moved were police cars and smashed windshields, and beaten and area, which Newsday tried to cover first- vans. even killed a few whites. I didn’t really hand. The editor handed me a six-inch- believe him, but his frenzy was a reflec- square, hot-red emergency press pass. Large groups of young black people throbbed through the streets, yelling tion of the city’s mood. “There ain’t “Put it on your dashboard,” he said. “It’ll enough cops in Newark to handle us get you past police barricades.” taunts at the police, who did not try to break them up. The precinct area was a when we get mad,” said a 20-year-old Listening to the radio as I drove to commercial and residential mix, with woman, who added: “The word is out to Newark, I learned that the stone-throw- stores at street level and high-rise hous- ‘get the devils’ — the devils is what we ing melee I had been sent to cover on a ing above. Side streets had low-rise apart- call you white folks, you know.” slow night had swiftly exploded into an ments. The plate-glass windows were Every hour or so I phoned in my notes to out-of-control riot of flames, gunfire and smashed out in almost every store, with the city desk, which informed me that looting. Never had I been in such a situa- an occasional intact shop showing the Newark was now closed off to outside tion, and I was more than a little nerv- words “SOUL BROTHER” in large letters, journalists, emergency press pass or not. ous. But the last thing I could do was go indicating black ownership. Until the ban was loosened, I must back and say I chickened out. continued on page 30

November 2007 29 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors

A Hot Summer Night from page 29 remain in place as Newsday’s only man fully, the only black journalist on the American history — but just six days on the ground. All night I kept working, staff. We connected at the precinct house, later, a similar riot in Detroit brought 43 and when dawn came it brought a mili- and he relieved me of my post. My car deaths, 1,200 injuries and $22 million in tary invasion of khaki-clad National was untouched, and driving home I no damages. Guardsmen, complete with tanks, jeeps longer felt like a cub. The causes of both riots were the same: and armored personnel carriers. Newark police brutality, persistent poverty, lack indeed seemed a war zone, and the surre- * * * * * of African-American political representa- al scene was one I never expected to see All of that was 40 years ago. The tion, the civil-rights movement and the in America. I made my way back to the rise of black militancy. Extensive studies police station, where the lobby television anniversary of the Newark riot has been noted by most major media in recent were launched, and significant social was reporting the riot as the top news progress followed. For America, the 1967 story in the nation. days. The riot continued four more days, with a toll of 26 lives, mostly black, more Newark riot was a wake-up call. For a Sometime after noon on Friday, July 14, than 700 injuries, some 1,500 arrests and young reporter, it was a baptism of fire. Newsday managed to get another $10 million in property damage. It was Richard McCord can be contacted at reporter into Newark. He was, disgrace- at the time the biggest race riot in [email protected] WoodstockWoodstock IndependentIndependent unveilsunveils newnew webweb sitesite Interactive features such as reader-provided and sidebars by our new TWI online logo.” “The instant reader feedback that this new photos and comments, surveys and late- Additional features that will be launched in site offers is extremely important to us and breaking news are all components of The the future include an archive of Independent helps us connect to more of our audience,” Woodstock (Ill.) Independent’s new web site, articles and obituaries that have appeared Kubiak said. “It also will allow us to enhance thewoodstockindependent.com. online since the late-1990s, an online classi- community journalism in a dynamic and “The site’s design reflects the quality that fied network, and shopping services that exciting new way.” readers have come to expect from The highlight local advertisers. Woodstock Independent,” said General Manager Kim Kubiak. “It downloads quickly, is attractive, inviting and well-organized. It NorthNorth DakotaDakota journalismjournalism studentsstudents comecome toto aidaid ofof allows us to keep current and connect with readers on a more timely basis with news and ruralrural newspapernewspaper andand towntown devastateddevastated byby tornadotornado sports that’s important to them.” Features of the site include the following: By Dr. Jacquelyn Lowman nado issue. • A quick glance of top news, community University of North Dakota Northwood is about 40 miles from the and sports topics; The Rural Blog University of North Dakota (and about 10 Oct. 15, 2007 • Built-in search engine; miles from where I live), and my students have adopted The Gleaner. That first week, • Reader-submitted photos and comments; On the night of August 26, 2007, a killer I went with three of them to get people’s Community-driven blogs that provide a new tornado ripped through the little town of stories of survival and triumph. Since then, format for providing information on topics of Northwood, N.D. There was great damage my students, by ones and twos, are going to interest to readers; and the town was reeling. Northwood, getting stories, contributing • Weekly survey, with results being reported Help poured in, but amid the confusion, articles of hope to The Gleaner, making a in the next print edition of The Independent; folks there needed something to cling to, an record for posterity. The students will be • Links to important information about the affirmation of existence, a promise that continuing this at least through the semes- Woodstock area; they would prevail. In short, they needed ter. • Advertising from local businesses, including The Gleaner, the weekly paper. But all the This is tough on them. They are seeing and Mercy Health System. newspaper staff members were personally experiencing emotional pain and suffering. affected by the tornado and the paper’s There are times when they need some “While the print newspaper will remain advertising base was severely diminished. hand-holding and the stories have to be Woodstock’s leading source of community The Gleaner, circulation 700, was in trou- pulled out of them. But they are growing news and information sharing, the online ble. Newspapers stepped up, taking out ads enormously and giving a priceless gift. I am edition will complement the print newspaper to keep the income flowing. The publisher so proud of them and of the wonderful pro- and vice versa,” Kubiak said. “Readers of the of a neighboring weekly and his staff fession of community journalism. newspaper will be alerted to online stories pitched in to help get out the first post-tor-

30 November 2007 The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors

November 2007 31 Goodloe, Jean Sutton inducted in USM Hall of Fame University of Southern Mississippi School of Mass Communications and Journalism inducted the late Jean Sutton and Goodloe Sutton into its Journalism Hall of Fame on Nov. 9. After a day of symposiums, the Suttons and other distinguished USM journalism graduates were inducted in the palatial surround- ings of the Southern Oaks House and Gardens in Hattiesburg, Miss. The Suttons were cited for their reporting of the corrupt Sheriff Roger Davis and the 68 drug dealers he and two of his deputies were pro- tecting. Also inducted were top performers in journalism who grad- uated from Southern Miss. Carol Bagley McPhail is editorial writer for the Mobile Register. Natalie Allen is an assignment reporter for the Weather Channel. Cathy Straight is managing editor of USA Today. Lisa Hitt is an assignment editor at USA Today. Charles Kershner was the student reporter who wrote the story for the Student Printz at USM when the The University of Southern Mississippi School of Mass Communications and first African-American was admitted, and the administration confis- Journalism inducted its newest Hall of Fame members Nov. 9. The in- cated all the copies of that press run and burned them. That was in ductees, from left, are Charles Kershner, Cathy Straight, Carol Bagley 1964. McPhail, Lisa Hitt, Natalie Allen, and Goodle Sutton, whose wife, the late In the journalism symposium earlier in the day, Kershner told of the Jean Sutton also was inducted. newspaper burning. Sutton explained how Jean and he investigated and reported on Roger Davis, despite his threats to burn their home Dr. Chris Campbell, director of the School of Mass Communications and kill them. and Journalism, closed out the evening of accolades in the elegance of the southern hospitality. Dr. Martha Dunagin Saunders, president of the University of Southern Mississippi, delivered the keynote address and praised the During his acceptance of the award, Sutton gave honor and credit to courage and accomplishments of the Hall of Fame inductees. his late wife, concluding, ‘’This is for you, Jean,’’ holding up the etched glass and cherry commemorative honor. It is on display on Dr. Gene Wiggins, journalism professor, presented the awards; and the front counter at The Democrat-Reporter.

ABOUT THE ISWNE Dr. Chad Stebbins Editor & ISWNE Executive Director Director, Institute of International Studies The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors (ISWNE) was founded in 1955 at Southern Illinois University (SIU) by Howard R. Long, then chair of SIU’s Department of Journalism at Carbondale, and Houstoun Produced by the Institute of Waring, then editor of the Littleton (Colo.) Independent. ISWNE headquarters were at Northern Illinois University International Studies at Dekalb from 1976 to 1992, at South Dakota State University in Brookings from 1992 to 1999. Missouri Missouri Southern State University Southern State University in Joplin became the headquarters in 1999. 3950 E. Newman Road ISWNE’s purpose is to help those involved in the weekly press to improve standards of editorial writing and news Joplin, MO 64801-1595 reporting and to encourage strong, independent editorial voices. The society seeks to fulfill its purpose by holding (417) 625-9736 annual conferences, presenting awards, issuing publications, and encouraging international exchanges. There are (417) 659-4445 FAX ISWNE members in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. There are subscribers to Grassroots Editor, the society’s quarterly journal, in still more countries. [email protected] This publication will be made available in alternative formats upon request to Chad Stebbins 417-625-9736.

International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors Institute of International Studies Missouri Southern State University Joplin, MO 64801-1595 FIRST CLASS