Heading to the museum

The Grand Rapids Press, now known as mLive as its online edition, ran a story (online) today that the paper is donating its archives to the Grand Rapids Public Museum.

This is a wonderful thing - really. It means all the print archives of the paper, dating to 1891, will be stored in a way to preserve the amazing history that a daily newspaper records for its community. The collection reportedly includes 4,000 bound volumes, more than 30 file cabinets of clippings, more than 30 file cabinets of photo archives, as well as other things like directories, microfilm and even a large mural that used to hang in the GR Press building lobby. Of course, that lobby is part of the building that has been sold to Michigan State University for its medical school.

I remember riding the escalator up to the second floor editorial offices when I landed a gig as a correspondent for the GR Press. That was back in early 2005. Over the next few years I wrote enough stories to keep me hopping - and gainfully employed as a part-time reporter getting paid by the story while also being a stay-at-home Dad to my two kids. I enjoyed the giant murals portraying the history of the GR Press, wondering about the city's history as a newcomer.

I can't help but ponder again: What does this mean to the print newspaper industry that a city the size of Grand Rapids no longer has a daily newspaper? But not only that, the newspaper has now donated its archives to the local museum. There clearly is a great deal we can read into this situation, considering the metaphorical connections between the archiving of this once great print institution to the current status of the print newspaper business.

Even more than I prize newspapers, I prize the role of journalism in our society. I hope the newspapers live on in the museum as a way to record our city's history, but also as a way to show future generations the importance of journalism to our community - in print, broadcast and online.

ECU adviser firing reduces learning

The adviser to the East Carolina student newspaper, The East Carolinian, is getting a lot of attention. You can read about it here at the Student Press Law Center or watch a news video about it. I have no connection to the adviser, Paul Isom.

However, I am bothered that Mr. Isom was fired for this. In all my training as a student newspaper advise, as well as time advising for both the Grand Rapids Community College Collegiate and the Ferris State University Torch, this goes against all I have learned: The First Amendment and legal precedence supports the fact that student newspaper staff make their own content decisions.

In November 2011, the East Carolinian opted to run a full frontal nudity photo of a male streaking at a football game. While this may be offensive to some, and many college newspaper advisers would prefer their students would choose not to run a photo like this, it is not the advisers decision in the end.

Firing the adviser is an unfortunate, knee-jerk reaction by administrators who do not understand the role of journalism in society, let alone the role of student journalism on a university campus. The students involved here will learn little from the situation in terms of journalism.

I would call this a disappointing end to the situation. However, instead I hope it is not the end. I have sent letters to the two supervisors identified by Mr. Isom, including Director of Marketing and Communications Chris Stansbury.

I hope more people voice their opinions - and while doing so can see beyond their immediate like or dislike of the photo that ran in the paper. This is a much bigger long-term issue that includes a move toward prior review and a chilling effect regarding the content of student newspapers.

I am lucky enough to have been supported by my direct supervisors in a couple of cases that did attract some negative response at The Torch: Once for an advertisement that used a questionable depiction of a woman, once for a photo of the T-shirt students were selling that said Fuck Shit Up (FSU), and most recently for an editorial cartoon that depicted a sorority member in poor light.

All three times there was reason for some people to be offended by the material. All three times I supported the student newspaper staff decisions. All three times we had serious conversations about the decisions they made. And all three times those who did not agree with the newspaper had an opportunity to voice their opinions - in print, online and in person.

All three times, learning happened.

Paywall Discussion

Here is a newspaper I used to work for, the News-Register in McMinnville, OR, going through the move to a paywall for online content. I was often concerned with the anxiousness to move content online at no cost when I worked there. Now, they are having to make this move.

The comments to the announcement are worth reading, with a good number of supportive readers.

They key here to me is this: The N-R serves a population of the Willamette Valley, primarily Yamhill County, that gets little news coverage elsewhere. If you want news in that area, you need the N-R. So, in the end, you have to pay for it.

Ferris J-Day Event

Some of my students produced a video about our High School Journalism Day event held Nov. 2, 2011. It was the first time for the event, partnering with the Big Rapids Pioneer, University Advancement & Marketing, Admissions, The Torch and the Journalism & Technical Professional Communication program. The event went well, with about 100 students and teachers attending from 11 schools.

The video is also posted on one of the student's blog: kronmultimedia.

Spread the word about this free event and plan to attend in fall of 2012 if you're a high school teacher or student in West Michigan!

My online newspaper

There are a few things I've been thinking about as I prepare to make a monumental shift from being a primarily print newspaper reader to an online news reader (I dropped the word newspaper because it just doesn't make sense in this application). I am also a Facebook user and frequent Amazon, among other sites. As I make this change, with the Kindle Fire my chosen new tool, I wonder:

- Will my online news providers allow me to personalize what I see?
- Will my online news providers learn what I like to read and move that to my "front page?"
- Will my online news providers be as responsive as Amazon and Facebook?
- Will my online news providers care what I think?

I'm worried that the same format I have struggled with while dabbling into online news with sites like MLive will continue to frustrate me. For example, when I clicked on Mlive today I found top articles about the Detroit Lions and letters to Santa. I don't want to read either of those stories. And I have no choice about what is right there screaming at me to read them.

I don't care about Detroit sports - or really any sports in Michigan. And I rarely care about any sports in the world ahead of real news. The only letters to Santa I care about come from my own children and I want to read them in private.

Will I be able to remove the "dumbed down" online content for news I really want? When the Grand Rapids Press changes to three-day-a-week delivery in February 2012, I expect more online for my subscription. If not, I'm going to be very tempted to move my loyalty elsewhere. It would be a monumental shift for me - I have been a loyal "local newspaper" reader since I was a teen-ager. Those papers have included the Vista Press, North County Times, Huron Daily Tribune, News-Register and Grand Rapids Press. I have loved them all.

Will I love what online news providers provide me? It really depends on whether or not they can prove to be as smart and relevant as those print papers have been all those years....

Are you under 25 and NOT interested in news?

When I ask my students if they are interested in news, many reply that they are not - even some that are pursuing careers like public relations and communications and (I'm sad to admit) even a few who see journalism in their futures.

As I continue the discussion throughout the semester, we often come to the conclusion that they are highly interested in news. When a tragedy occurred on campus this semester, many went straight to the Torch web site to find out what happened.

They are interested in news. They do want to know what's happening in the world. They really do care.

What has changed? Basically, there is not a single place for them to go for their news information. There are so many options in this internet-age that what I find is my students do not have a way to go about seeking their news.

They respond when they need to - and they know how to do that well. What many of them don't know how to do is keep up with important news on a daily basis.

I am highly skeptical when my students tell me they are not interested in news. Most often, I am successful at proving them wrong.

E-reader time?

My local newspaper - I cringe to even call it that at this point but lack for a better word - is dropping to three days a week on Feb. 2, 2012. This is a large media market and the Grand Rapids Press has a rich tradition. However, for financial reasons, it is eliminating home delivery and moving toward its electronic editions through the oft-maligned website that serves the Press known as Mlive.

As a subscriber to the print paper, sometimes user of Mlive, and former freelance writer for both, I'm surely going to be at a loss when the change is made. I feel emotionally connected to newspapers in the physical form. I appreciate my newspaper at home - in my hands.

Instead of rebel against progress, I'm ready to pursue my options for an electronic reader. At this point, the leading candidate for me is the Amazon Kindle Fire. The Press will continue to produce a "print simulated" electronic edition that I can receive daily - I just need a place to read it. At $199 it's far cheaper than the iPad. It also gives me an electronic book reader, without the high price of a tablet with all gadgets.

Of course, it is yet to be seen if I will value news - and newspapers - as much once I lose my physical connection to the paper.

HS Journalism Event at Ferris, Nov. 2, 2011

Ferris FREE Journalism Day
“The J-Factor: Lessons in Storytelling”
Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011
Ferris State University, Big Rapids

Registration is filling up fast for the FREE one-day journalism workshop for high school students (and teachers) offered by the Ferris State University Journalism and Technical Professional Communications program. Registration is free, but limited to a first-come, first-served basis.

All for FREE: The day will include lunch, workshop sessions, tour of TV and newspaper facilities on campus, contest, bag of free stuff and more! All this is free to the first 125 students who sign up (space is filling up fast)!

Workshop sessions include: Interviewing Techniques; Photography; Video Broadcasting; Tips from Pros at the Big Rapids Pioneer; Sports Reporting; Careers in Writing; and more.

Remember: A chaperone is required from each school attending.

CONTACT: E-mail journalism professor Steven Fox (stevenfox@ferris.edu) to reserve your spot now (or call 231-591-2529). This is a free event, but registration is required.

Context matters

In doing journalism, sometimes it is easy to assume that readers will get the message on their own. Other times, they need more explanation.

I didn't know about the latest Torch cartoon until it was already published, as is common in my role as the faculty adviser to the student paper. I can't claim to have known or thought about this beforehand. Sometimes, things just happen in this industry.

The cartoon, depicting a sorority member over a toilet, has stirred more than 600 comments on the Torch web site in a couple days and much more discussion on campus. It has definitely been the buzz. The web site has struggled to keep up, getting nearly 20,000 hits in a day. At times I have receive error messages trying to see the latest discussion. The previous best MONTH in terms of site visits was 11,000.

What many who are seeing the cartoon without any context don't realize, is that it was not done randomly. From talking with national award-winning Torch cartoonist John Vestevich, I learned he was responding to T-shirts being worn by many members of Ferris State sororities as they head toward recruiting week.

The T-shirts, as shown in the comic, say: "Fall Sorority Recruitment. We didn't invent CLASS, we perfected it."

The shirts seem harmless enough, but clearly they also provided an easy target for a witty cartoonist like Vestevich. He has also seen the irony in other things on campus, like the universities slogan to "Imagine More..." and poking fun at students in general.

Is it out of line to do satirical commentary on a university campus? Apparently, many who are involved in the Greek community feel it is if you read their comments. I believe it is only a problem when it gets personal. Editorial cartoons are meant to touch a nerve and get personal.

However, understanding the full context of why Vestevich chose the topic I don't agree with those who believe the cartoon is out of line. In fact, the Torch has repeatedly published articles about the positive work Greek organizations do at Ferris, including this very one in the same Sept. 14 edition.

I encourage everyone to take a look at the bigger picture and take it all in perspective.

I feel your pain

I have done a few YouTube videos over the years, mostly using our family Flip video camera. It is easy to use and works relatively well.

However, I figure if I'm going to be critiquing student multimedia work I had better step it up a bit. I am getting my first experience using iMovie. Here is a short video of my son, Hayden, wrestling.

It isn't much, but this newer video includes raw sound, edited video to keep it short, some audio voice over, a flip transition, some text at the start and end, and I published it to YouTube. I'm not claiming to win any awards here, but you can learn a lot by just messing around. And I can tell you that from experience.

I also posted a much longer video to YouTube of my son wrestling last fall. It's much longer and includes no editing work.

Please, compare the two and let me know what you think.

Time, patience and incredible creativity

Doing the best multimedia storytelling takes a lot of work. Not just hours, days, weeks or even months.

I heard today as Jim Sheeler, a former reporter for the now defunct Rocky Mountain News, described the work he did reporting about the death of soldiers in Iraq. The thing is, Sheeler didn't just do reporting. He did true storytelling. He invested a huge amount of time and energy and then had nearly a year to produce his writing - that also was accompanied by incredible photographs, audio and video.

Check it all out to get a glimpse of the power of creative energy displayed in words, visuals and sounds, in the package called Final Salute. It's truly emotional journalism. It makes you slow down, pay attention, and soak it all in.

I don't want to find out....

I read this blog post today on the site 10,000 Words: What happens when a city loses its newspaper?

Truth is, I don't want to ever live in a place where I have to find out the answer to that question. Because I'm concerned about a lot of things that could happen without my knowledge:
- City commission raises water rates without public knowledge.
- The high school kid down the street is a soccer star and I don't even know it.
- My county commissioners approve a policy weakening its stance of acceptance of gay citizens.
- A local official is caught soliciting teenagers for sex online.
- My favorite band is going to play in town and tickets go on sale at 8 a.m.

I could go on and on. My newspaper gives me so much information that it is painful just imagining what it would be like without it.

Multimedia journalism requires far more planning

Multimedia journalism brings thoughts of video, graphics, and other exciting online imagery. It also includes audio, still photos, and good storytelling.

A critical component to effective multimedia journalism is the planning stage. Questions need to be asked:
What format will best tell this story?
Is video useful for this story?
What audio can enhance the storytelling?
How should images be displayed?
What is the pace of the story to be told?
Why am I using the components I have selected?

Without asking questions, and properly planning, multimedia journalism is often no better than a sloppy homemade YouTube video. That's not what professional journalists should be doing.

Here is an example I found from a student at Columbia University about the rundown conditions of Camden, N.J. It caught my attention partly because of the use of still photography, the slow dramatic music, and the pace of the audio narration. It adds to the dramatic story. This is well planned.

First comment says it all....

More and more newspapers are going to what is called a "paywall" to try to make a profit online. The idea is that there is a wall set up beyond which you must pay to see what is behind it - sort of like a virtual zoo. Want to get in to see the animals? You must pay. Same with news content. You can get to the site - and maybe see some headlines - but without paying you can't read the real content.

Check out this story for some more about recent moves to paywalls. It is a growing trend.

However, the first comment under the story says it all about the consumer attitude toward online new content: "Meh. I can find my news elsewhere for free. I'm good, thanks."

I'm incredibly disappointed every time I hear that attitude. It's the No. 1 reason for the downfall of good journalism. How can the industry be sustained with that attitude?

Going all in!

Newspapers have been trying to figure out the online model for well over 15 years. I have worked at three newspapers that have basically failed in their attempts to move news online and make a sustainable profit: The Huron Daily Tribune, The News-Register and The Grand Rapids Press. I don't mean to pick on them; they are in the majority here. And I can personally attest to the growing pains at all three places as they tried to position the company to take advantage of the incredible profit potential..... which has yet to come to fruition.

Newspapers took their traditional model and tried to utilize the new tool - the internet. One major problem: People pay for internet access, but they are rarely willing to pay for content. So, how to make a profit?

How about advertising? Sounds like a nice plan, but it just hasn't proven to work out. Advertisers still pump most of their dollars into traditional media: TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, etc,.. The internet has grown, sure, but it hasn't settled into a model where a newspaper can afford to give away content free and remain profitable through the amount of available advertising.

Why all the struggles? One reason is surely that newspapers are trying to do it all. They want to be the traditional print news provider they have been for hundreds of years, while also serving the online population well. This has proven incredibly difficult to be all things to all people.

One major college newspaper, the Red and Black from University of Georgia, recently went all in with the online endeavor. The print edition is no more for this historically strong newspaper. Will it ever come back in print? We don't know. However, it's unlikely once this move has been made.

Check out the Red and Black and compare it to other college newspapers that are still trying to do both. Here are a few to check out: The State News from Michigan State, CM Life from Central Michigan University and The Torch from Ferris State University.

Is the Red and Black better? Is it noticeably different? Can you tell it has gone online only from the way the site is presented, material is provide and stories are told?

Still the best!

I'm still very confident that the reporting done for newspapers is the best source of information available to me.

That may seem like a surprising statement to many of you, but I believe it wholeheartedly. Where else can I get news today that tells me about:
— the impact of the drilling of natural gas on our drinking water (The New York Times)
— the "ugly truth" of U.S. medical experiments conducted 50 years ago or more (Associated Press)
— background on state's that do now have collective bargaining for public employee unions (The Washington Post)
— a story about the military being accused of using intelligence tactics on Senators (The Washington Post)
— an in-depth story about the Supreme Court facing conflict between constitutional rights and protecting children (The Washington Post)

And, to be honest, that's just a small glimpse into the amazing work reporters do every day at newspapers all across the world - and the country. It's not a particularly exceptional day — just another day.

I would welcome anyone to show me a medium that provides this level of in-depth information and reporting on a regular basis. The Internet may be the avenue for it - but it is newspaper reporters who do the work. Television is nowhere close, radio doesn't even really try and magazines just can't keep up. However, I will give magazines credit for doing some of the best in-depth reporting.

Good journalism - good reporting of important information - is alive and well.

Stooping to serfdom?

Journalists have never been known to be well paid. The purveyors of print journalism have never been compensated in any way commensurate with our significant role in our countries democracy - as defined in the First Amendment and as praised by the likes of Thomas Jefferson, Alexis de Tocqueville, and Benjamin Franklin.

Jokes of eating ramen noodles in college didn't end there for would-be newspaper reporters. In fact, I likely ate better as a struggling university student than I did as a fledgling reporter for the Huron Daily Tribune in Bad Axe, Mich. Where, upon arrival, I discovered I qualified for low-income housing thanks to my full-time salary that amounted to less than $15,000 a year. Try balancing a few bar nights (a necessity in the Thumb), eating, and paying back student loans with that income?

Well, we may be headed to a new low as an industry. A recent New York Times article (I read it on Ongo), had this headline: At Media Companies, a Nation of Serfs. Ouch!

The best example of this is the Huffington Post, which has employed a legion of unpaid bloggers - that's free content for the edgy, independent online newspaper that recently "sold out" for $315 million to AOL. Now, those unpaid bloggers are essentially working for the $2 billion media giant. Hmmmmm..... is working for free so sexy now?

It never was and it never will be. The biggest change to me is this: I was willing to work for much less than I should have made in an industry that I took pride in being a part of. Can we still sell that line of thinking to young journalists?

Which group is more responsible: Journalists or Politicians?

In a debate about which side acts more responsibly in their roles serving the public, my vote sides strongly with journalists here.

Of course, I'm biased. But I'm also certain that I am correct.

My belief is only strengthened today by a report in the USA Today about an Iraqi WMD information who apparently lied. OK, we can probably agree that's not a shock. We're talking about a country that was strife with corruption back in the 1990s and early 2000s. Lies were bound to happen.

Apparently, this person code-named "Curveball" is behind some of the stories that convinced the Bush Administration that there were definitely WMDs in Iraq - enough so to start a war over. One person.

Here are a few areas where I would expect journalists - especially those at the highest level on par with the level of our federal government that botched this - would have likely made different decisions:
1. It takes more than one source to report something so serious.
2. The source was clearly anti-Saddam Hussein, which would bring his credibility immediately into doubt.
3. German officials actually received this information - so it came to the U.S. (Colin Powell used the information directly in a 2003 speech according to the article) second hand. Reporters would demand more credible sources.
4. The source, "Curveball," was also reportedly given promises by the Germans that his cooperation would make it easier for his wife and child to join him in Germany - so he clearly had something to gain. This is one of the biggest red flags of all for journalists.

So, while I believe a half-competent journalist would have handled this very differently our country went to war based largely on the fact there were WMDs in Iraq - something we now know to be untrue.

If a newspaper botched this up as badly as the Bush Administration apparently did, it would take decades to recover the trust of readers - if ever. That's what happens in the industry - it's the strongest form of media accountability.

What do we do now to hold the Bush Administration accountable?

Monitoring comments

The common practice on many online news sites has been to allow anonymous comments at the end of articles. This encourages involvement, promotes lively discussion and, to be honest, without the anonymous option we all know the number participants in these comment forums would drop steeply.

I'm still concerned about the random commenter who opts for the personal attacks. Anonymous comments opens the door for inflammatory language that few would use if held accountable. I don't like some of the things I've seen, for sure.

Here's a recent comment I was made aware of on a college newspaper site: “What a shame. This story breaks my heart. (NAME OMITTED) is a meth cook and dealer. I think (NAME OMITTED) stumbled on (NAME OMITTED) meth lab at the school, and he had her killed. Her boyfriend the surveyor was in my class last summer, he was in on it, but he tried to pick a fight with me to get me kicked out of school. For everyone out there who wants to go to (SCHOOL OMITTED), don't. Most of the teachers there are not real teachers, they are meth dealers. (NAME OMITTED) is nothing but a low life meth cook who has put peoples sons and daughters at lives at risk, and I believe he is responable for (NAME OMITTED) death.”

That's some serious stuff there. It was actually posted. Does it have any truth to it? I really don't know.

The paper was asked to remove this comment. After some checking around about common practices and legalities, I'm told they did remove it.

Here is one example of a portion of a student newspaper policy:

We will delete comments, without notice, that:

* Are fraudulent, unlawful, threatening, abusive, harassing, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, offensive, pornographic, profane, sexually explicit or indecent
* Threaten, invite, or encourage violence
* Are derogatory of others on the basis of political affiliation, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual preference or disability
* Constitute or encourage conduct that would violate any local, state, national or international laws
* Violate, plagiarize or infringe the rights of third parties including, copyright, trademark, trade secret, confidentiality, contract, patent, or rights of privacy
* Contain advertising
* Are by commenters who misidentify or misrepresent themselves
* Contain personal information (addresses, phone numbers, etc) about the comment's author or others

The best policies I have been made aware of do allow comments - from anyone. They also have staff members who regularly check the comments - they do not preview them - for problems. If a problem is detected, they may be removed.

Reasons for allowing live, anonymous commenting are actually numerous: Promoting lively discussion is the obvious one.

Another reason is that newspapers are actually less liable legally if they do not get into the business of previewing, or editing, the comment contents. Section 230 of the Communications Decency ACt of 1996 protects providers of interactive Internet forums from liability. That protection could be lost if you preview the posts before publishing them.

So, while the temptation may be difficult to resist, allowing open commenting is better for all in the long run. Let the comments fly!

Paying for news

Often, I read things and am captured by a paragraph, sentence or phrase. The theme of an article is clearly important, but I tend to look for those gems.

In his Ask the Recruiter column today on the Poynter web site, Joe Grimm writes about a new website called Ongo that he describes as a "personal news experience."

I am interested in places online where I can go to find more of the news that is important to me. It is the ongoing search we all undergo for: What I want, when I want it. Ongo sounds like an interesting venture of many solid news producers.

However, it was a paragraph late in Grimm's column about Ongo that caught my attention: "Kazim said that the Internet has disaggregated news to the point where it is overwhelming for readers who want to manage multiple news sources. Ongo is trying to be a one-stop shop for managing the news."

The internet, and many pseudo-news sites, have been negatively described as "aggregators" of news rather than producers. The problem there for journalism is that the producers of the news are losing out on revenue for their work when a "aggregator" takes it and publishes it and attracts an audience.

It is an interesting way to look at things that not only are sites aggregating news, but they are disaggregating it by making it spread over so many locations and thus making it difficult to navigate to good information.

In this case, Ongo is charging $6.99 a month and is working closely with those producers - sharing revenue from subscribers. And if it does this week, giving me what I want and what I should read, it sounds like an interesting concept.

Anything that is looking to serve readers and solve some of the financial puzzle to keep good journalism relevant and profitable is a worthy venture to me.

In fact, I don't think I would count Ongo in a simple fail/succeed scenario. Just for attempting it is a success in my eyes. If it works, great. If it is not financially successfully, my hope is it will create a foundation for another venture to improve upon the concept to one day be successful.

We must be willing to pay for our news.