Dangerously blurs the lines between real reporting and propaganda
The News Media Alliance today sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg strongly opposing its plan to label quality news as political advocacy beginning Tuesday, May 22. View the letter …
Bill Would Suspend Newsprint Tariffs While Government Studies Effects on U.S. Industries
May 14, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Arlington, VA – Today, in an effort to protect printers and publishers from unwarranted tariffs, Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King…
Ad-libs
by John Foust – Newspaper Advertising Trainer
Raleigh, NC
Carla has been selling advertising for many years. She has researched and tried a variety of techniques to answer objections. “Just about everybody knows the Feel-Felt-Found formula,” she said. “When …
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 26, 2018
News Media Alliance Calls on Duopoly to Stop Filtering Quality News, Take Responsibility for News Content on Its Platforms
CEO Testifies before Congress, Says Platforms Are Not Neutral and Should Be Held Accountable
Arlington, …
by Kevin Slimp,
The News Guru
kevin@kevinslimp.com
Industry trends spur publishers to give serious thought about the future of newspapers
So much to write about, so little space. It’s been a whirlwind of a week for me, beginning in Knoxville, …
SPJ’s Code of Ethics states that ethical journalism is truthful, compassionate, independent and transparent. We need ethical journalism — and journalists who work each day with the profession’s highest standards in mind — now more than ever.
The goal of …
by Ed Henninger
Independent Newspaper Consultant
“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done…”
The words are spoken by Sydney Carton in the climactic scene of Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities.”
This…is …
Ad-libs
by John Foust – Newspaper Advertising Trainer
Raleigh, NC
Carl is a marketing manager who has been on the receiving end of hundreds of media presentations. He knows a thing or two about effective sales techniques. “Most of the …
Publishers and other newspaper executives know more than anyone about the impact of newsprint tariffs on your newspaper’s ability to provide news and information to your local community. You are in the best position to explain the impact on your …
The Arizona Newspapers Association led the host committee of journalists that brought APME’s NewsTrain workshop to Phoenix on April 6-7.
USC Professor Laura E. Davis shows a feature of Instagram Stories to NewsTrain attendees Richard Haddad (left) of Western News&Info
…by John Foust – Newspaper Advertising Trainer
Raleigh, NC
Sometimes it’s a good idea to feature a boss in an ad. Sometimes it’s not.
Two ads come to mind. One shows a plumbing company’s president seated at the head of …
by Ed Henninger
Independent Newspaper Consultant
I first heard it years ago…and I’ve remembered ever since: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
Some say it originated with Benjamin Franklin. Others aren’t so sure. Regardless, the quote is …
APME’s NewsTrain is bringing affordable training in digital-journalism skills to downtown Phoenix on April 6-7.
For just $85, get a day and a half of training in social, mobile, data, graphics, writing, open records, digital reporting tools and more.…
INNOVATION IN FOCUS – MARCH
Each month the Reynolds Journalism Institute’s Futures Lab launches a series of video segments as part of “Innovation in Focus” showing journalists how to tell stories using emerging tech. Below are March’s three segments on …
by Kevin Slimp,
The News Guru
kevin@kevinslimp.com
A closer look indicates significant changes in health over past three years
I’ve noticed a definite trend lately. It might be related to the increased number of industry activities I’m involved in these …
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 19, 2018
Arlington, Va. – Today, members of the printing, publishing and paper-producing industries, which employ more than 600,000 workers, are announcing the formation of Stop Tariffs on Printers & Publishers (STOPP), a coalition to fight …
by John Foust – Newspaper Advertising Trainer
Raleigh, NC
A friend told me about the time his mom took him to the shopping mall to help her pick out a birthday present for his father. He was about six years …
Announced this week by the U S Department of Commerce in the form of heavy tariffs on the North American paper supply.
A preliminary decision in an anti-dumping case brought last summer by northwestern US producer NORPAC came from the …
Sunshine Week / March 11-17, 2018
Launched in 2005, Sunshine Week has grown into an enduring annual initiative to promote open government and push back against excessive official secrecy. Join ASNE and the Reporters Committee in the annual nationwide celebration …
by Ed Henninger
Independent Newspaper Consultant
A man, they say, is king of his castle. That may be so, but there’s a word for the man who thinks he’s really in charge at home. “Bachelor.”
The queen rules…and it’s been …
There are three ways for you to participate in the celebration of the inaugural University of Arizona School of
…FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2018
Bill Would Allow Newspapers to Collectively Negotiate with Facebook, Google on Content Monetization
Arlington, Va. – Today, the News Media Alliance – representing almost 2,000 news organizations – again called on Congress to allow …
The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors (ISWNE) board has extended the entry deadline to March 1. This year’s conference is in Portland, Ore.
The ISWNE is trying to include as many local weekly newspapers as possible this year because …
Applications for the 2018 Journalism Diversity Workshop for Arizona High School Students are now open and available! The workshop, hosted at the University of Arizona, will run this year for the week of June 3-9, 2018. It has run continuously …
Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA-15), a member of the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees, on Monday introduced the Journalist Protection Act to make a federal crime of certain attacks on those reporting the …
APME’s NewsTrain is bringing affordable training in digital-journalism skills to Phoenix on April 6-7.
Early-bird registration is $75 for a day and a half of training at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Sessions include:…
By Dodie Manuel
O’odham Action News
dodie.manuel@srpmic-nsn.gov
The Au-Authm Action News newspaper has been around for a long time, close to half a century, in fact. During that time, the process for writing, printing and distributing the newspaper has undergone …
Celebrated Mexico-based photographers, including one badly beaten by police who took his cameras early in January, will talk about challenges in covering Mexican violence at a panel sponsored by the University of Arizona’s Center for Border & Global Journalism next …
by Jim Pumarlo
Newsroom Writing Trainer
Most reporters can likely relate to this scenario. Someone speaks up at a public meeting to unleash criticism about an individual or organization. Reporters have little difficulty presenting a balanced report – recording all …
by Ed Henninger
Independent Newspaper Consultant
A client recently asked me to put together a presentation for his newspapers on nitty-gritty details that can make or break a design.
I came up with just a bit more than a couple …
The Department of Commerce (Commerce) on January 9 released a preliminary determination assessing countervailing duties on Canadian imports of uncoated groundwood paper, which includes newsprint, book and directory papers. The duties correspond with Commerce’s preliminary findings of subsidies provided by …
by Jim Pumarlo
Newsroom Writing Trainer
The year is winding down, and it’s time to start planning your editorial calendars for 2018 – including plotting coverage for 2018 elections. I can hear the reactions in newsrooms, “Another election, already? The …
Meet your state and district leaders at the ANA 2018 Legislative Reception
The date is set for Tuesday, January 23, from 4 – 6:30 p.m.
ANA along with Arizona Capitol Times are co-hosting the event at the ACT office headquarters:1835 …
by Kevin Slimp,
The News Guru
kevin@kevinslimp.com
I suppose any time is the right time to look over your newspaper operation and search for ways to make improvements, but the beginning of the year seems especially appropriate for such a …
by John Foust – Newspaper Advertising Trainer
Raleigh, NC
Testimonials can be convincing elements in advertising campaigns. Will Rogers once said, “Get someone else to blow your horn and the sound will carry twice as far.” It’s true that happy …
by Ed Henninger
Independent Newspaper Consultant
Let’s face it: If you have a “new kid” doing design on your staff…well, you’ll have some design mistakes in your paper from time to time.
It takes a while—perhaps months—for the design rookie …
Arlington, VA – Today, more than 1,100 newspapers in small and medium-sized communities across the United States signed a letter calling on Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to heavily scrutinize the anti-dumping and countervailing duty petitions filed in September by Longview, …
by Kevin Slimp,
The News Guru
kevin@kevinslimp.com
Tennessee publisher learns to create his own websites using Adobe Muse
I remember the first time I spoke in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was 1994 and I had just developed a new way to …
by John Foust – Newspaper Advertising Trainer
Raleigh, NC
What sets advertising amateurs apart from professionals? Let’s examine some key skill areas.
by Ed Henninger
Independent Newspaper Consultant
During a recent phone conversation with a publisher, she told me: “We have a designer who does that.”
I had seen her paper. She doesn’t have a designer.
What she has is a person …
The House Ways & Means Committee just released tax reform legislation that sets the stage for a tax package to move through Congress. We have heard that there is still a risk of Congress limiting the business deduction of advertising …
CEO Says Profits Drive Misinformation on the Internet
October 24, 2017
Arlington, VA – News Media Alliance President and CEO David Chavern today called upon online content distribution platforms – specifically Google and Facebook – “to make the same commitments …
by John Foust – Newspaper Advertising Trainer
Raleigh, NC
Headlines are the entrance ramps to effective advertising. The better the headline, the higher the readership. The key word is “engagement.” How can you engage readers – with just a few …
by Kevin Slimp,
The News Guru
kevin@kevinslimp.com
Speeding up your workflow while improving your design in Adobe InDesign
At the 21st session of the Newspaper Institute last week, Ed Henninger and I did something we’ve never done before. We taught …
The U.S. Postal Service has issued a warning that the 2018 postage increase will likely be its last modest increase confined by a 2006 law.
National Newspaper Association President Susan Rowell, publisher of the Lancaster (SC) News, announced to community …
by Ed Henninger
Independent Newspaper Consultant
“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” — Steve Jobs.
That’s it. In one brief sentence.
Of course, readers want a newspaper that looks right…and …
by Kirsten Ballard
Social Media and Blog Editor at the News Media Alliance
This National Newspaper Week, I’d like to call attention to publishers in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The utter devastation these islands faced from Hurricane Irma …
by David Chavern
News Media Alliance, CEO
Is your news making you unhealthy?
Think about what you consume: Is it click-bait and garbage shared by a crazy cousin on Facebook? Do you go out of your way to consume nutritious …
by Kevin Slimp,
The News Guru
kevin@kevinslimp.com
Focus groups can change the way you create your newspaper
I guess it comes with experience (that sounds better than “age”). In the “old days” when I visited a newspaper, it was almost …
by Ed Henninger
Independent Newspaper Consultant
During the past few years, I’ve used quotes about newspapers to lead off my weekly blog updates. Those of you who follow the blog will recognize some of these. Those of you who don’t…well, …
by John Foust – Newspaper Advertising Trainer
Raleigh, NC
I love golf, but I’m a terrible golfer. I’m the only golfer I know who has lost someone else’s golf ball. On a best-ball round, I mistakenly hit the wrong ball …
1. To meet people
A big reason for going to conferences is to meet and meet up with people. Conferences bring together people from all different geographical areas who share a common profession or field, and are a great way …
by Kevin Slimp, The News Guru
kevin@kevinslimp.com
“If someone has a selling personality, we can teach them the rest.”
“We need to find ways to give our staff the tools they need to get the job done. Training is necessary …
by Ed Henninger
Independent Newspaper Consultant
Last month’s column focused on design critiques: working at improving your design by taking a look at what you’ve recently done.
I suggested then that those critiques be done every quarter…at least every six …
by Jim Pumarlo
Newsroom Writing Trainer
Public records are the foundation for reporting a range of stories important to your readers.
Police reports reveal a string of continuing break-ins in a neighborhood. Minutes from a school board committee reveal discussions …
by John Foust – Newspaper Advertising Trainer
Raleigh, NC
Don, who manages a newspaper sales department, is always looking for ways to strengthen customer relations. “We understand the importance of first impressions,” he told me. “Know something about the prospect’s …
APME’s NewsTrain will bring its high-quality, affordable training to Indiana, Arizona, South Carolina, Texas and Ontario in 2018-19.
Here are the locations for the workshops, which have an early-bird rate of $75 each to attend:
by Kevin Slimp, The News Guru
kevin@kevinslimp.com
Kevin considers the options when asked by a Tennessee publisher
While meeting with publishers one-on-one at conventions, the conversations run the gamut of running a newspaper or newspaper group. Over the weekend, while …
Into the Issues
July 2017
By Al Cross, Director of the Institute for
Rural Journalism and Community Issues
In a challenging environment with fewer resources, greater vulnerabilities and increasing attacks from politicians and the politically motivated, how should news organizations …
by Ed Henninger
Independent Newspaper Consultant
When was the last time you gathered your staff and took a close look at your newspaper’s design?
Is it working for your readers? Is it easy to produce on deadline?
Is it contemporary? …
Jeanie Williams, publisher, Wickenburg Sun
Jeanie Hankins Williams is the new publisher at the Wickenburg Sun, following the June 30 retirement of 27-year publisher Kevin Cloe.
A Wickenburg native, Williams graduated from Grand Canyon University before working in the newspaper …
by John Foust – Newspaper Advertising Trainer
Raleigh, NC
Jared told me about a technique his sales team uses. “I learned it in a seminar years ago, and I’ve seen it used in different industries. It’s based on presenting both …
A message from Trish Barwick-Hoagland, Advertising Manager, Apache Junction-Gold Canyon News
On July 3,2017 The Apache Junction Gold Canyon News will celebrate its 20th Anniversary. We’ve seen so many changes over the last 20 years, the most momentous, the loss …
To help reporters understand this important topic, Journalist’s Resource has gathered several key research studies and reports, including those that examine the conditions inside a vehicle that contribute to heat stroke.
Read the complete resource file here.…
by Kevin Slimp, The News Guru
kevin@kevinslimp.com
Answering questions about backups and text on four plates
Convention season has been a lot of fun for me this year. I just returned from visits with associations across the Midwest U.S. and …