NEWSPAPER COPY DESKS IN 2000: THE IMPACT OF PAGINATION, DESIGN AND JOURNALISM EDUCATION By AMY MOULDEN A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN MASS COMMUNICATION UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2001 Copyright 2000 by Amy Moulden ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank Mindy McAdams, the Knight Chair professor of journalism at the University of Florida, for her guidance in creating the online survey for this study. I also would like to thank my committee--Dr. Leonard Tipton, committee chair, Dr. John Griffith and Dr. Kurt Kent--for their guidance. In addition, I am grateful to the news desk supervisors, copy editors and designers who took the time to talk with me about their jobs. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...................................................................................................iii ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................vi CHAPTERS 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................1 2 LITERATURE REVIEW..................................................................................................4 Evolution of Copy Editors .............................................................................................. 4 Technology Grows Up ................................................................................................... 4 Pagination Takes Over.................................................................................................... 6 Reorganizing Newsrooms .............................................................................................. 9 Copy Editors, Pagination and Morale .......................................................................... 12 The Copy Desk Problem .............................................................................................. 16 Wordsmiths or 'Computer Jockeys'?............................................................................. 18 Looking Around the Corner--Again ............................................................................. 24 Notes ............................................................................................................................ 25 3 METHODS......................................................................................................................29 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 29 Exploratory Focus Group ............................................................................................. 29 Exploratory Content Analysis ...................................................................................... 32 The Survey .................................................................................................................. 34 The Interviews .............................................................................................................. 35 Notes ............................................................................................................................ 37 4 RESULTS........................................................................................................................38 Overview....................................................................................................................... 38 Newspaper Survey......................................................................................................... 39 The Selected Newspapers ............................................................................................. 44 Interview Findings......................................................................................................... 47 iv Notes ............................................................................................................................ 63 5 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................64 Summary....................................................................................................................... 64 Discussion .................................................................................................................... 65 Further Research........................................................................................................... 67 Notes ............................................................................................................................ 69 APPENDICES....................................................................................................................70 A LETTER TO PARTICIPANTS ................................................................................ 70 B FOLLOW-UP LETTER TO PARTICIPANTS......................................................... 71 C CONSENT FORM/SURVEY ................................................................................... 72 D RESULTS/FOLLOW-UP SURVEY........................................................................ 79 E INTERVIEW CONSENT FORM ............................................................................. 86 F INTERVIEW GUIDE................................................................................................ 88 G DEMOGRAPHIC DATA FORM............................................................................. 89 REFERENCES...................................................................................................................90 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH..............................................................................................96 v Abstract of Thesis Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Mass Communication NEWSPAPER COPY DESKS IN 2000: THE IMPACT OF PAGINATION, DESIGN AND JOURNALISM EDUCATION By Amy Moulden May 2001 Chairman: Dr. Leonard Tipton Major Department: Mass Communication It was an offer few newspaper bean counters could resist: update existing, outdated technology with a pagination system and eliminate the composing room while improving quality. Since pagination became a viable option for newspapers in the early to mid-1980s, however, the realities of pagination have forced changes to the sales pitch. Newspapers no longer move toward pagination giddy with thoughts of money savings. Today, newspaper management realizes it might end up spending more for overtime, training, extra personnel and technical support than it saved by eliminating the cutting and pasting in the composing room. However, pagination’s reach goes beyond the newspaper’s bottom line. It is forcing changes in how newspapers operate, what readers see on their doorsteps each day and in what editors seek in new employees. Research has shown that pagination adds to copy editors’ workload and puts more production tasks into the newsroom. The current study sought to establish the level of pagination in the state of Florida and explore issues facing copy editors in today’s vi newsroom. The study also sought to determine how copy editors and designers viewed journalism education. A survey, which was sent either by U.S. mail or e-mail, was used to gauge the level of pagination and to gain insight into the copy desks at Florida newspapers. The survey results also were used to select six newspapers to take part in the in-depth interview portion of the study, which sought greater insight into copy editors’ satisfaction and views on journalism education. To prepare for the survey and interviews, two exploratory research projects were conducted. One project included a focus group of copy editors, and the other was a content analysis of an online discussion board for professional copy editors. The participants have accepted pagination as a fact of newsroom life. They noted the control over the production of the newspaper that pagination put into the newsroom, but they also noted the complexity of some of the computer systems. The participants desired extra computer training, as well as more design and editing training. Overall, they were satisfied with their jobs, but many noted how the hours and pay were drawbacks. Many also mentioned problems keeping the copy desk staffed properly. How copy editing and design duties were performed in the newsroom showed an interesting side of newsroom communication and the problems newsrooms face as design grows in importance. As that design focus grows, so do the technical skills required. However, most of the respondents felt that those who do only design work at newspapers should have a news background. With the demands now placed on the copy desk, educators face a difficult time in training new journalists. vii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION It was an offer few newspaper bean counters could resist: update existing, outdated technology with a pagination system and eliminate the composing room while improving quality. Pagination is the pulling together of all page elements for the final output of a complete page. Since pagination became a viable option for newspapers in the early to mid-1980s, however, the realities of pagination have forced changes to the sales pitch. Newspapers no longer move toward pagination giddy with thoughts of money savings. Today, newspaper management realizes it might end up spending more for overtime, training,