Al Cross Presentation on the Health of Community Newspapers

Al Cross, director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues (and member of COMJIG), gave a presentation on the health of community newspapers at the Denver AEJMC meeting. The Texas Center for Community Journalism has posted his PowerPoint slides on the web. Take a look.

Community Journalism Synchronicity

This morning I was preparing for class discussion in my reporting capstone class, in which we're going to be working on community-level coverage of school finance issues. I was working on definitions of community and community journalism, and looking at how community newspapers are doing compared to the newspaper business as a whole.

As I was doing this, an e-mail came in from my friend Howard, who works as a city planner in a suburb north of Atlanta. He writes:

We have several 'neighborhood news' type newspapers that publish around the county and region. Recently, we've had inquiries from some of them wanting to bid out the opportunity to be our legal ad provider. Actual competition to be our "newspaper of general circulation!"

I find it interesting that these little mom & pop deals are cropping up all over, and seemingly expanding in the case of the Sandy Springs Neighbor, when it would seem print news in general is dying on the vine, or has been dying lately, anyway.

I don't know that I would agree with his "dying on the vine" comment, but I certainly understand Howard's point of view.

But Howard's note reminds of a couple of key issues we all need to think about:

• First, it is not particularly useful to talk about the "newspaper industry" as a whole, as though the New York Times, the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Phoenix New Times, and New Prague Times were all the same kind of thing. They are all very different in terms of what their goals are, how they operate, and how much money is involved.
• Second, I find it fascinating that my friend and I, each in different positions with different concerns, were both thinking about the role of community newspapers in the 21st century.

SNPA Conference on Community Journalism

The Southern Newspaper Publishers Association is holding a conference on the future of smaller newspapers Sept. 15-17 in Atlanta.

For those interested, here is the rundown

• The Role and the Future of Community Newspapers (read more about this session)
  
  • David Dunn-Rankin, president and publisher, The Sun, Port Charlotte, Fla.
• Save Yourself
  Bold, Original Thinking for the Future of the Newspaper Industry
  
  • Kay B. Lee, community initiative entrepreneur, The Center for Community Preservation and Planning, Covington, Ga.
• Masters of the Web: Paid Content Models that Work
  
  • Randy Morton, publisher, Statesboro Herald, Statesboro, Ga.
  • Ted Jatczak, director of sales and marketing, Kentucky New Era, Hopkinsville, Ky.
  • Doug Toney, editor and publisher, New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, New Braunfels, Texas.
• Mobile Technology and the Future of Media
  
  • Renu Kulkarni, executive director, FutureMedia, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Ga.
• Local Search
  
  • Christopher P. Reen, executive vice president, The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, Okla.
• Interactive Database Marketing: You've Got E-Mail Addresses – Now What? (read more about this session)
  
  • Michelle Novak, sales and marketing specialist, Presslaff Interactive Revenue, Norwalk, Conn.
• Ideas that Drive Gains in Circulation (read more about this session)
  
  • Steve Learn, circulation consultant, LEARNing More Circulation Idea Service, Killeen, Ala.
• The Ben Franklin Project (read more about this session)
  Local content that really matters.
  Building local content without increasing costs.
  Developing social networks and user-generated content.
  
  
  • Jon Cooper, vice president/content, Journal-Register Company, Yardley, Pa.
• You can Make Things Happen, Watch Things Happen or ...
  How to Deliver Nearly Flawless Execution
  
  • Tony Marsella, president and COO, Ranger Data Technologies, Augusta, Ga.
• What I Would Do on Monday if I Were Your Sales Manager
  
  • Mike Blinder, president, The Blinder Group, New Port Richney, Fla.

Rural broadband

One of the things that came up in discussions at the recent AEJMC meeting was rural broadband and mobile, and how news organizations that have largely bypassed the Web may not be able to afford to do the same with mobile.

This column by Al Tompkins of Poynter has some statistics on rural broadband and mobile and a link to a White House document (PDF) listing the various broadband projects being funded under the federal initiative.

Community Journalism steps forward to defend FOI in S.C.

It was not a big paper, but a community weekly that stepped forward in South Carolina to press the first prosecution of officials for willfully violating the state's Freedom of Information Act.

The story from the Hometown News (and my blog post with a link to another AP story).

And then there is the reporter's clarion call to why community newsrooms are important:

Don’t underestimate community journalists

Hometown News
By Jay King

I’ve been a journalist for the better part of the past 20 years, and throughout most of that time I’ve worked for community newspapers, that is, weeklies.

It’s something we weekly reporters are used to, but invariably we’re viewed by fellow journalists and many of the people and officials we cover as a collection of amateurs incapable of playing in the “big leagues.” For myself, I have adopted something of a tolerant view of my fellow professionals and tend to think of myself as being held to a higher standard since we community newspapermen are much more involved in our communities and are more accountable to our readers week in and week out.

Community media and mobile

At AEJMC, there was a bit of a debate about local media and their ability to withstand the mobile onslaught. I am of the opinion that even the smallest community newspaper will eventually have to confront this. Here are two articles to consider. The first is about Facebook about to launch its geolocative service (imagine the potential for advertising there).

http://www.lostremote.com/2010/08/10/facebooks-places-feature-about-to-launch/

And this is the Dave Morgan article linked to in the above post
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=133350

The comment attributed to the ValPak person in the comments area is worth considering.

Which then raises the questions for many j-schools - if, when and how do we get into the "mobile" game, which is a different world from the Web world we know.

Doug

COMJIG Minutes, 2010 Denver

Community Journalism Interest Group minutes, Aug. 5, 2010, Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel
(Updated and corrected Aug. 26)

The meeting began with a joint meeting with the Civic and Citizen Journalism Interest Group. COMJIG Head Doug Fisher, South Carolina, called the meeting to order in Governor’s Square Room 16 at 8:36 p.m. Pending arrival of CCJIG Head Mary Beth Cahill Callie, Fisher asked if anyone had announcements.

Chip Stewart, Texas Christian, announced that he is co-editor of a new online Community Journalism journal that is assembling an editorial board, will start seeking submissions this fall and will try to get its first issue out next summer. The journal will define community broadly, not just geographically; civic-and-citizen submissions are welcome if they have a community connection.

Fisher told the joint meeting that the two groups were asked last year to consider merger, but study has shown that they have less overlap than believed, only 24 out of the approximately 100 members in each group. He said he and Cahill Callie see no benefit from merger; a combined group would get no more programming chips, and the two groups work together well already. (In a later communication, Callie said the conclusion on CCJIG's part came out of a conference call among their officers.)

Fisher proposed that both groups do a joint paper call to explore interstices of the two interests.

Glenn Scott, former research chair of CCJIG, said the groups need to make commitment to spend chips on a session and agree to have a team of reviewers for just those papers. Fisher said each group would commit a half chip each, and might even be able to bring in the Newspaper Division or another group and have a mini-plenary.
The joint meeting was dissolved and the COMJIG meeting was called back to order in Governor’s Square 9 at 8:45 p.m.

Minutes from the meeting at Boston, which were posted on the COMJIG blog, were approved.

Fisher thanked the officers for their help in the past year. He said research being presented at the conference showed a broadening of the group beyond traditional labels of rural and geographic, a message that he said members need to get out. He reported a balance of $1,025.92 in the group’s account.

Vice-Head Andris Straumanis, Wisconsin River Falls, said the group’s sessions so far had been good, with good attendance. Research Chair Joe Marren, Buffalo State, said the group attracted more papers than normal, 12 (one couldn’t be accepted because she identified herself), little more than half from grad students. Six were accepted, three for the research session and three for scholar-to-scholar.

Teaching Chair Eileen Gilligan, SUNY Oswego, announced that her university’s Center for Community Journalism had officially closed.

The group unanimously elected the following slate of officers: Joe Marren, vice-head and program chair; Eileen Gilligan, teaching standards chair; Ralph Hanson, Nebraska-Kearney, professional freedom and responsibility chair; Al Cross, Kentucky, secretary and membership chair; John Hatcher, Minnesota-Duluth, research chair.

With election of new officers, Straumanis succeeded Fisher as head. He asked for an got a round of applause for Fisher for work as head, including a 53-pp. renewal report. He said renewal of the interest group is expected. He said the report is good overview of what the group is, what it stands for, where it has been and where it is going.

Straumanis said his goals for this year are : (1) raise research submissions to 18 from 12, partly by soliciting more from individuals; (2) revive the discussion on having COMJIG develop a closer, ongoing relationship among professionals in community journalism, beyond our individual relationships, starting with survey of professionals to see what they need and how we might help; (3) create the long-discussed syllabus and assignment exchange, particularly assignments, to get good examples that might help teaching.

Under old business, the group discussed dues, still at $5. Straumanis said raising the dues to $7.50 or $10 could fund more speakers, and he noted that travel of the head and vice-head to the winter meeting can consume up to $500. This winter’s meeting is in Albuquerque.

Fisher said it would be appropriate to raise dues, especially since the new Sports Division is starting at $10, and in light of programming costs. Hansen moved that dues be set at $10 for faculty and $5 for graduate students. The motion was seconded by Andrea Bonner Frantz of Robert Morris and was approved without dissent.

Fisher said the bylaws call for a nominating committee of two, one to be named by the head and one named by the membership, and asked for a volunteer. Hansen volunteered. Fisher moved to appoint her, and after several seconds the appointment was approved without dissent.

Under new business, Fisher reported on candidate cities for the 2014 conference: Atlanta (with a guaranteed room rate of $149-179), Jacksonville ($109 plus a $32,500 donation), Miami ($242 with an escalator clause), Tampa ($163 w/escalator), Montreal ($169-189 Canadian, plus C$30,600 in incentives). Fisher moved that the group recommend Montreal, and Jock Lauterer, North Carolina, seconded. The motion was approved without dissent. The conference will be held St, Louis next year, then in Chicago and Washington, D.C.

Fisher reported on the idea of a joint paper call and research session with CCJIG, noting that the groups have areas with ties and areas with friction. He said Cahill and he agreed to spend a half-chip apiece for a dedicated session, and asked for motion to give the Executive Committee authority to move ahead. Lauterer so moved, and after two seconds the motion was approved without dissent.

On proper motion and second, the group adjourned at 9:21 p.m.

SIGNUP SHEET
    Joe Marren        marrenjj@buffalostate.edu
    Jock Lauterer        jock@email.unc.edu
    Andris Straumanis    andris.straumanis@uwrf.edu
    Andrea Frantz        frantz@rmu.edu
    Tommy Thomason    t.thomason@tcu.edu
    Brian Steffens        steffensb@missouri.edu
    Eileen Gilligan        eileengilligan@oswego.edu
    Pam Fine        pamfine@ku.edu
    Liz Hansen        liz.hansen@eku.edu
    Gary Hansen        ghansen@uky.edu
    Chip Stewart        d.stewart@tcu.edu
    Al Cross            al.cross@uky.edu
    Doug Fisher        fisherdj@mailbox.sc.edu

Submitted by Al Cross, Secretary/Membership

COMJIG panel gets lengthy story in AEJMC news

Our panel on "Community Newspapers: Healthy for Now, but for How Long?" got a nice story in the AEJMC News, the student-run newspaper from last week's convention in Denver.

A shorter earlier story also covered our "Media Ethics in My Little Town" panel.

For a full rundown of convention stories, especially those who could not be there, see AEJMCnews.net.

Is TBD.com community journalism for Washington, D.C.?

All the D.C. journalists and bloggers are hot today about the launch of TBD.com, a TV station and website that puts out local news and community information about the D.C. Metro area. Is this urban community news?

Mashable has an interesting article about TBD that looks how the site is bringing in content from a network of 127 local bloggers.

This fits in well with a blog post by Mark Briggs that I read this morning that suggests that the job situation for journalism grads isn't as dismal as some folks think - it's just that the jobs are in managing online communities, not working at newspapers.

AEJMC - Top paper winners, new officers and other developments

Well, two days of the AEJMC convention are under our belts (three days if you count Tuesday's preliminary sessions), and it's been a good round of COMJIG sessions so far.

Reports are that the "Media Ethics in My Little Town" panel was a big success Wednesday (I had a conflict and could not go). Today's (Thursday's) research session was excellent, showing the range of "community" goes far beyond small-town or rural. That's a message we continue to try to get across; COMJIG is a good home for many scholars' research, but too often gets tagged as that "small-town paper group."

Our top paper winners are Tracy Loope of Florida for "Heart Disease in the Rural South: A Content Analysis of the Community Newspaper Coverage" and Steve Smethers of Kansas State for "After the Storm: Greensburg Residents Discuss an Open Source Project as a Source of Community News."

Not only did our research session draw a good crowd (I counted 20 at one point), so did our three scholar-to-scholar papers by Arthur Santana of Oregon, Mark Poepsel of Missouri and George Daniels of Alabama. The cluster drew some of the most people I saw at any of the presentations.

Between Loope and Smethers in that photo is Joe Marren of Buffalo State, our research chair, who at Thursday night's business meeting advanced to become vice head/programming. Andris Straumanis moves up to be COMJIG head, and John Hatcher of Minnesota-Duluth, becomes research chair. Ralph Hanson of Nebraska-Kearney remains as PF&R (professional freedom and responsibility) chair, Eileen Gilligan of SUNY-Oswego is staying on as teaching chair, and Al Cross of Kentucky remains secretary/membership.

In some other news from Denver:

• We have decided to raise membership dues to $10 for regular members, but keep them at $5 for students. We have just over $1,000 now, and once programming costs are deducted, we will have less than $1,000. With the need to cover some costs for Andris' and Joe's attendance at the winter meeting in Albuquerque in December and possible costs for panelists at next year's convention in St. Louis, along with funding our $100 awards for best faculty and student papers, things will be a little slim.
• We voted to support Montreal as the site of the 2014 convention. The room rates are guaranteed to be less than $160 CAN, with as much as $30,000 in economic incentives to AEJMC if we fill the rooms. The other candidates: Atlanta, Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville.
• We met briefly with Civic and Citizen Journalism. CCJIG's head, Mary Beth Callie, has found that out of about 100 members in each group, 24 are common members. This is a lot less overlap than we thought. We also don't really gain programming slots by combining into a division.
• However, based on two recent books that I am reviewing, one about civic and citizen journalism in a digital age and the other about community journalism research, it becomes clear there are many commonalities but also some clear areas where there is friction and it is hard to define the relationship. So I recommended, and the membership approved, that we consider a special research call next year for papers exploring the continued unclear - and sometimes uneasy - relationship between community and civic/citizen journalism in a digital age. We are not on a chip reduction next year, so if CCJIG goes along, we each are committing to spend a half-chip to create a second research session dealing specifically with this.

Al will post a more complete - and official - set of minutes later.

The COMJIG renewal petition went into AEJMC officials on Wedesday. I hand-delivered it into officialdom's hands. The AEJMC board of directors meets at 1 p.m. Saturday, so we can hope we will know soon after.

It is likely that next year we will undergo a "review," where Andris would have to sit with one representative of AEJMC's PF&R committee,  one of its research committee and two from the council of divisions to assess where the IG is at, etc. It's a bit different than the renewal.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone involved with COMJIG this past year. We expanded and refined out paper call, and as a result, we got a bumper crop of papers that showed well how broad the idea of community journalism is.

On to St. Louis.

- Doug

"Community journalism is permanent"

Reporter Marques Hunter of the Gig Harbor, Washington, paper The Peninsula Gateway talks about moving from a newspaper to online news site. But he says he is sticking with community journalism. He writes:

"Community journalism is important. It serves a purpose, and it needs to be taken seriously. It’s part of the public record, whether it be a political announcement, an important meeting or game coverage from the Fish Bowl. I’ve tried to do my part in giving you, the reader, a sense of what’s happening in your backyard.

Unlike national news agencies that attract a wide audience, community journalism serves a narrow population. And it’s those people who depend on it."

Agenda for annual meeting

COMJIG annual meeting 2010
Denver, Colo., Thursday, Aug. 5, 8:30 p.m.

The first part of the meeting will convene jointly with Community and Citizen Journalism IG to discuss mutual concerns and joint projects.

We then will adjourn to a separate COMJIG members' meeting

1.    Welcome and introduction by those present for the record (if the number is large, a record of who attended will instead by kept by passing around a sheet of paper for people to sign in).

2.    Approval of minutes from Boston meeting, 2009 (previously posted on blog)

3.    Report from the IG head – Doug Fisher
a.    Accomplishments and challenges from the past year
b.    Financial status

4.    Any remarks from other members of the executive committee.

5.    Election of officers for 2010-11
a.    Nominations of officers
b.    Any statements from nominees
c.    Vote on nominations
i.    As a slate for those with no opposition, voice vote
ii.    For any office contested, vote by office, show of hands

6.    Remarks from incoming IG head and other incoming members of the IG executive committee (after this point, the incoming head will preside, although the current secretary shall be responsible for continuing to take and file minutes of the meeting on the COMJIG blog).

7.    Old business
a.    Standing Item – setting of dues for 2011
b.    Standing item - Election of member of nominating committee for 2011-2012. (Our bylaws say the membership is to elect one member of this committee and the head (incoming) will appoint the other. The committee, not the head, is charged with coming up with a slate of officers.)
c.    CCJIG merger (because this is an ongoing item, I would recommend it be deferred until after any new business and any advisory items).

8.    New business
a.    If all executive committee positions have not been filled, this is the appropriate place to perhaps offer a motion that the head be given authority by the membership to appoint people to fill those positions without further vote.

9.    Any advisory items/comments from the membership not included in above items

10.    Adjournment

Respectfully submitted,
Doug Fisher, Head 2009-2010