Maybe newspapers aren't dying

Got a nice note this week from one of my May 2009 grads, and thought it was worth sharing (with his permission). He got a reporting job at the Charles City Press, a daily paper in northern Iowa. This was not the most attractive move for a guy who'd lived his whole life in suburban Chicago. But, he writes ...

"I'm happy with my decision. I'm not getting paid a whole lot of money-though that's to be expected-but I get benefits and it's stable. I don't really think the newspaper business is as bad as people think. While the big metros are struggling, thus hurting the business, there are still hundreds of towns that rely on newspapers for, well, news. Towns like Charles City don't have TV stations or bloggers who steal from the newspapers or Huffington Posts that care about what's going on here. (The Press doesn't even put all of its content online to keep people subscribing to the print product.)

"If students want to work for a newspapers, I still think they can find ones to work at. They might not be the New York Times, but anything is a start. Besides, I'm also getting experience designing pages, taking photos and putting content at the Web site, things I might not be able to do at a bigger paper. Over the summer, I applied for magazines and Web sites (there weren't many opportunities at either) but didn't get so much as an interview. I've also written a blog and contributed to a sports Web site, but I didn't make a dime doing either.

"Working for a newspaper is still an attainable job for those students with a passion for it. And having that passion is a necessity because you aren't going to get paid a ton of money, at least not right away. But you'll be able to do what you enjoy for a living, and I think that's why most people get into journalism in the first place."

This is the message we need to keep telling people: that what they're hearing and reading about the newspaper biz doesn't apply everywhere. Newspapers remain the lifeblood of many, many communities. I think we sometimes forget that.

"The Rush to be Wrong"

A really good opinion piece today, The Rush to be Wrong, about CNN and the Coast Guard exercise. It's by former CNN reporter Jamie McIntyre. Key line:

Some senior editor should have stood up and shouted, “Wait! We’re not reporting this until we nail it down.” But if any such protestation was made, it fell on deaf ears of the anxious show producers who, unfortunately, sometimes lack the wisdom and experience to make sophisticated judgments. When it comes to “TV news,” they often know more about “TV” than “news.”

Why accurate trumps first

CNN scared the nation Friday morning by mistaking a Coast Guard training exercise for a potential terrorist attack. The problem: CNN didn’t verify anything before putting it on the air. This from Al’s Morning Meeting on the Poynter Institute site:

Reputable news organizations reporting bad information appears to be a growing problem in the American news media. Some newsrooms are cutting corners by not
verifying information. Others are recycling incorrect information by simply reposting the work of others on their Web sites. Although cable news programs face a certain pressure to be first and fill a lot of time with breaking news, all newsrooms can stumble in the race to be first. The skill of verifying facts is more important than ever. And it may be the only thing that elevates journalism above the rest of the noise on the Internet.

Ethics Challenge

Here’s the first in an occasional series of what-would-you-do questions regarding journalistic ethics.

The local police want the paper to participate in a sting operation. Crooks have been reading the obits in the paper, noting funeral times, then robbing the bereaved families’ houses during the funerals. The police want to run a fake obit in the paper, and then wait inside the house at the address listed. When the crooks enter, the cops will arrest them. They promise that a reporter and photographer can wait inside the house with officers.

You’re the editor. Do you agree to this? Why or why not? If yes, do you place any conditions on this deal?

Save the Date

New format for the Northern Illinois Newspaper Association's Fall Conference this year: It's an evening program, with dinner, keynoter and awards ceremony. Wednesday, Oct. 21, 6 to 9 p.m. in NIU's Holmes Student Center. More info soon.

Jobs posting

Since it's been so rare to see newsroom job listings in the past year, I thought it might be good to post these here:

1. The Rockford (Ill.) Register Star and http://www.facebook.com/l/;rrstar.com seek an editor to drive coverage for our daily Local and State report. The Local and State editor must be comfortable leading a reporting staff and supporting editors in a fast-paced multimedia newsroom. This requires editing for print and online and driving issue-oriented news enterprise that will reflect and shape our community, from concept to execution. You may be right for the job if you have strong language skills/news judgment, can edit copy from youngsters and senior staff, work well with all newsroom departments and can stay cool on deadline. You’ll need a minimum of five years editing at a daily newspaper to be considered for the job on our Metro Desk. Connections to the Midwest a plus. Salary up to $62,000, depending on experience.

The Register Star is a 60,000-circulation newspaper in northern Illinois. Our Web site, http://www.facebook.com/l/;rrstar.com, has more than 3.5 million page views per month. Rockford, the third-largest city in Illinois, is a growing market of more than 300,000 within easy driving distance of Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison.
Apply to Managing Editor Doug Gass, 99 E. State St., Rockford, IL 61104 or dgass@http://www.facebook.com/l/;rrstar.com.


2. The Rockford (Ill.) Register Star and http://www.facebook.com/l/;rrstar.com seek a general assignment reporter to join our multimedia newsroom. We're looking for a reporter who has three to five years daily newspaper experience and a Web-first mindset. You may be right for our Metro Desk if you have strong language skills, a thirst for perfection and the ability to stay cool on deadline. We also prize team players who are curious and proactive. Connections to the Midwest a plus. Salary range is $32,000 to $40,000, depending on experience.

Send a resume and clips to Managing Editor Doug Gass, 99 E. State St., Rockford, IL 61104 or dgass@http://www.facebook.com/l/;rrstar.com.

Sorting out health care

Weeding through the increasingly heated rhetoric about health care and trying to find a down-the-middle source of information, I find that FactCheck.org does a credible job of checking out the claims being made in ads, e-mails, etc. The site is pretty even-handed toward both sides of the political aisle.