Humiliation or proof positive that a newspaper went crazy?

Michigan
newsrooms

What a first week back for the Grand Rapids Press sports columnist suspended in February after drug charges followed police getting 71 marijuana plants and 32 ounces of pot in canning jars from his home.

David Mayo, who started at the Press in 1985, now knows what it feels like to be the subject of the press as his story has been told on radio, TV, in print and online. I wonder how that will influence his future reporting. With luck, he'll be more sensitive. Says one Grand Rapids reader:

"It's so hard to not be judgmental and not make nasty comments about someone who repeatedly was judgmental and made nasty comments about people and teams."

Mayo covered collegiate and professional sports, including the World Series, Super Bowl, and boxing, including the career of Floyd Mayweather.

His July 5 page one column in the Press ' I've come out the other side' after marijuana conviction drew reactions near and far.

Mayo also went on several radio shows, John Gonzalez tells us.

The Grand Rapids Press gave the community a chance to react in print with letters to the editor that included both praise and criticism:

Taken from the Mayos

• Front-page column crosses the line
• Others should get the same deal as Mayo
• Thanks for giving Mayo a second chance
• Count your blessings, David Mayo
• Forgiving Mayo straight out of the gospel
• Mayo should be thankful for light punishment
• Reinstating Mayo unacceptable
• Mayo just beginning his long journey
• Mayo sentence just, reasonable
• A slap on the wrist for Mayo

It was pro and con in the world of bloggers and online commenters:

Eric B. on Michigan Liberal criticizes the required public humiliation.

"... after five decades of doing this kind of thing I think it's probably pretty clear that these things never serve any purpose beyond permanently labeling the author as an addict. I mean, you'd have to be an idiot to think that any self-respecting teenager is going to read about the legal travails of a middle-aged sports writer and turn down pot."

No need to write

An unnecessary column was the viewpoint of Improved Clinch's Self Flagellation at the Point of a Gun:

"Mayo’s self flagellating mea culpa is the culmination of the injustice inflicted by the State, and it all started with the State’s questionable procuring of purchase invoices for hydroponic growing equipment, which sets a precedence for the State to obtain records of your individual purchases, whether those purchases are benign or not."

Others suggest that Mayo needs to watch what he writes, including the blog Chicken Scratch in "Bong Smoke Clouds Judgement of Grand Rapids Press:"

"I sure as hell don’t want to see any more stories in the press talking ill of those who smoke marijuana because your lead sports guy is a pot head."

There were some who don't want Mayo near student athletes.

Precious newsroom jobs

That the sports journalist is coming back to a newspaper job when so many have lost newsroom jobs has Chicken Scratch and others raising questions. Some familiar with the once-strong Advance Publications' job pledge and no-tolerance drug policy question what the hiring means..

The Daily Derelict calls the return "proof even heavy drug users (dealers) can work for Booth Newspapers for life." He repeats a few stories he's been told before concluding (incorrectly, in my opinion):

"You basically have to be CONVICTED of murdering or raping someone to get fired in Booth Newspapers."

I never understood you had a job for life no matter what. Some folks were let go over the years, or, as said over on Free From Editors, "I've known other employees who have lost jobs at Booth for far less transgressions than this.")

Lingering questions

There are questions - could this be a case of using the marijuana to ease the pain of a medical condition, hinted at when a TV station's report on his rejection of a plea agreement included this quote:

"My wife's debilitating illness, that's been the hardest part to watch her. That's been the hardest part of this whole deal."

The illnesses came up again when a TV station reported that a defense fund had been set up. The station quoted Mayo saying the loss of his salary from The Press, and the fact his wife has a number of medical conditions, has made their life extremely difficult.

The defense fund is administered by Jeff Calhoun, general manager of the Lansing Lugnuts minor league baseball team (2003-07), an executive with the former Grand Rapids Hoops (1989-2003) and now an insurance agent (He also was named a potential character witness). Contributions can be sent to Jeff Calhoun, Attn: Defense fund, 6719 Rubina Way, Lansing, Mich. 48917

Those other jobs

It's been widely reported that the Kirby, Ark., native also worked as a regular correspondent for The Ring magazine and its sister publications. But no articles are up there for 2009.

He also resigned less the a month after being elected as vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.

I looked, but couldn't find any bylines on mlive.com. I did see that Mayweather is facing some IRS troubles and been in the news for some other things. That must be hard for Mayo not to cover after all these years.

Going, going, gone in Detroit

Michigan
newsrooms

The Detroit News noted the leaving of Mike Lloyd as he "signs off after 42 years as a journalist."

Don't call it retirement, a Detroit reporter learned and shared:

"Don't relegate me to the trash bin that quickly," he said, snapping at a reporter for possibly the last time. "There's still some life in me."

Still, I never did find any farewells to folks who recently left The Detroit News in the News. Fortunately, others did tell us about the 10 journalists fired in May - financial reasons, not employee problems.

Bill Shea talked to Charlie Cain, who ended a 34-year journalism career - the last 18 as the Detroit News' Lansing Bureau chief. It's a bathroom remodeling job and freelancing that unexpectedly will fill Charlie Cain's summer.

On Blogging for Michigan, Cain's firing was called "another nail in the Detroit News coffin."

A Lansing news magazine wrote about his firing as the lead-in to "Capitol news coverage dying."
(That article also looks at how coverage of the legislature has dwindled to two pay-only services.)

The 22 trimmed at the Detroit Free Press are highlighted in a Richard Prince Journal-ism column. He noted 15 of the journalists out at the Detroit Free Press are women, six African American, two Hispanic and two are Asian American.

That number includes columnist Desiree Cooper, who said goodbye in "With faith, miracles can still happen." and posted it in her new Detroit Diary.

Prince also said those leaving included editorial writer Nichole Christian, and Fred Fluker, and Martin Westman, both graphic designers; "Laura Varon Brown, Audience editor and columnist, who responded to readers' questions about the paper; Javan Kienzle, part-time copy editor; Christy Arboscello, a reporter who is Asian American, who resigned in May; Emilia Askari, an Asian American reporter who was part time; Dan Cortez, a part-time reporter who is Hispanic; part-time reporter Kim North Shine; part-time copy editor Amy Butters; Janice Monarrez and Julie Armstrong, part-time Web editors; Paul Barrett and Bernie Czarniecki, sports agate editors; and Rodney Curtis, assistant photo editor.

Prince also named three who resigned to save positions: Morgan Phillips, a full-time designer; Robin Payne, a part-time editorial research assistant who is black, and Robert Ellis, a full-time copy editor.

Askari, 49, told Journal-isms she has a scholarship to get a two-year master's program at the University of Michigan's School of Information, where she'll concentrate on social computing or human-computer interactions.

Christian told Prince she's trying T-shirt design and Web consulting.

Zachary Gorchow is leaving the Detroit Free Press to return to Gongwer News Service to edit the Michigan Report early next month, according to a July 2 Gongwer Report. There's more about the former State News managing editor at the college newspaper's alumni site.

Another hello to Lisa Allmendinger, who has freelanced for the closing Ann Arbor News and will now report for the weekly Ann Arbor Journal.

And one more column that came through the Muskegon Chronicle but is actually from the Los Angels Time: "Stone's story holds lessons for today's newspeople." D.D. Guttenplan asks and then answers:

How did a 44-year-old man, who was almost completely deaf, reinvent himself as what many contemporary observers call the "first blogger."

Is it time for journalism schools to fade away?

Over on the Online Journalism Review blog, there's a a plea to "don't dismiss journalism schools just because newspapers are in trouble."

Trouble is brewing at Michigan State University as its School of Journalism director's resignation is still sought and its students and advisory panel say they don't know why.

And people aski if journalism school is necessary when we've got the YouTube Reporter Center and the Reuter's style guide available for anyone with an interest.

How journalism schools are changing

Larry Atkins, who teaches journalism at Temple University and Arcadia University, quickly hits how journalism schools and departments are accommodating a growing interest in the schools and the changing realities of the journalism profession in the review blog.

Emerging trends include:

• getting students in the community (that's new?)
• social media
• global journalism
• interactivity

Consider the source says that nagging voice: Would someone teaching journalism at a college say anything but keep 'em?

How MSU is not changing

Over at Michigan State University, some journalism faculty members are saying plans to revamp the curriculum are on hold while the director issue is settled. The plan to revise was unanimously backed in the spring, so perhaps that reluctance to carry out the desperately needed changes is one reason why the new dean of the College of Communication Arts wants change from the top down.

Is the idea of eliminating the school, proposed in 2004, back on the table?

President (she was provost then) Lou Anna Simon's plan recommended forming a new college - CALM - the College of Communication, Arts, Languages and Media - that would combine all of the departments from the College of Communication Arts and Sciences and some from the College of Arts & Letters.

Perhaps CALM is a way of saving money for the university that needs to find some major ways to save as the Michigan economy dives deeper in the hole.

YouTube can teach you everything

So, with the idea that some folks learn by watching the YouTube Reporting Center can show you how to cover the news via video.

7 videos Covering Underreported Stories ... more info 3 videos Investigative Reporting ... more info 3 videos Ethics, Law, and Fact-checking ... more info

6 videos Presenting Your Story ... 9 hours ago more info 35 videos Expert Videos - ... more info 6 videos Interviews and Profiles ... more info 5 videos Citizen Reporting ... more info

Then, there's the Reuters Handbook of Journalism that includes sections on standards and values; a guide to operations; a sports style guide and a section of specialised guidance on such issues as personal investments by journalists, dealing with threats and complaints and reporting information found on the internet.

Putting the handbook, the guidance for Reuters journalists , says Dean Wright is Global Editor, Ethics, Innovation and News Standards, was for reasons of transparency, service and geography. He gives a detailed explanation.

Oh heck, maybe what we really do need is this sponsor a journalist idea.

Remember "for just pennies a day you can clothe, feed and shelter newspaper professionals" and that "once payment is made we'll send you the name, bio and snail mail address of the newspaper professional your donations are supporting."

Real journalists are featured in the video, just don't go looking for that Michigan person, OK.

And, before you send your contribution I just ask that you take a look at the issues raised in the Neiman Labs four-parter on how sports journalism is changing now that sports organizations also are the media organizations.

Advance news organization changing video to match market

No longer daily, no longer read and rip and now grabbing an audience so says Neiman Lab of Ledger Live, the video show that started out as a daily, noontime video show. (The first one is still up.)

To be honest, I figured it died when John Hassell moved out the Star-Ledger into Advance Internet. Neiman explains that the smaller staff that resulted from the 200 or so buyouts is partially to explain for the irregularity and focus change.

Head to the lab for details on lessons learned:

• Post when you have something to say
• Marketing does pay off - Twitter, and Facebook and Friendfeed were part of the plan from the start, according to John Hassel's pre-debut post.
  
• Post where the viewers are
• One topic, short

“People want to watch two, three, four minutes of video on the topic they’re interested in,” host Brian Donohue said. “They don’t watch it in the linear fashion they watch on TV.”

The production drew mixed reviews when it first came out last July. Andy Dickinson asked July 29, 2008, if Ledger Live could save "newspaper video." He didn't really answer the question, but he did link to many of the others talking about the show, including:

• MICHAEL ROSENBLUM's post on how video gives power to a newsroom. He helped with the training and wrote an earlier post on the almost-live effort. He followed the newscast, writing about the coverage of sentencing of former Newark mayorin "This just in."

Even as the effort was beginning, Rosenblum said change would be necessary:

"We’re gonna find out because newspapers like the Star Ledger and others are going to try and try and try again as they fine tune it and really invent it on the fly."

• RYAN SHOLIN, who waited 21 days before calling it the best webcast he'd seen, especially liking the "You're da the boss" part:
  

"At about 2:40 into this one, which is good and fun, and has personality and life to it, even if there’s some desk-sitting involved in the process, Brian Donohue takes a typical crackpot reader comment about immigration and does the fricking reporting."

• DOUG FISHER on Commonsense Journalism called the snarking a shootout. and giving what I still think is good advice for video on the web:
  

• Aim at a mobile audience
• Be tight but newsy and have some attitude (translate: make me smile, make me growl, give me something to think and talk about while you're also bringing me up to date)
• Stay fresh - update two or three times a day (the "we're airing this at noon and we'll update it tomorrow" is not going to cut it)
• Have good visuals but remember your audience likely is to be mutitasking and so can't necessarily stay focused on your little screen.

• TERRY HEATON on The embarrassing fuss on a video in New Jersey who also reminded us that some day TV video and newpaper video and web video would become more similar with no one media claiming to be the only author or expert.
  

• JEFF JARVIS on "I've seen the future"
• DON DAY at Lost Remote on "boring webcast" but that post was lost when LostRemote converted formats.
  

John wrote 10 times about the show, including:

• 10.8.08 The Star-Ledger lives to fight another day - interview with editor Jim Willse on future of NJ.com
• 9.12.08 Gary Vaynerchuk on Ledger Live
• 8.26.08 A podcaster, via Twitter, improves a newspaper vodcast
• 7.28.08 The debut of Ledger Live
• 7.26.08 Following Ledger Live on Facebook and 10.31.08 Now THAT’S scary! ,which includes praise for Hassan Hodges, now tech guru at AnnArbor.com
  
• 6.16.08 Newspapers and video: A short interview with Michael Rosenblum on why New Jersey's lack of strong TV and the falling price of equipment and technology made now the time for newspapers to jump into video and expand its role.

Video is becoming a growing part of the New Jersey experience. Neiman reminds us that some Star-Ledger video content will be making that transition soon: the newspaper recently announced a partnership with Verizon FIOS in which it will provide high school sports video on a hyperlocal station for FIOS subscribers.

Too much media in Ann Arbor, Michigan? Videos capture panel's thoughts.

UPDATED: If you're looking for a scapegoat for the changing media scene of Ann Arbor, Michigan, blame the economy, say a group of people involved with the newest media efforts in that comunity.

A local economic club and a weekly business magazine brought together representatives of five news organizations to talk about "evolution of local media" in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The Ann Arbor News, which was not represented on the panel, covered the event. I'm borrowing most of its summary of the changing mediascape:

Advance Publications is closing the daily Ann Arbor News this month, its weekly Ann Arbor Business Review in August and launching a Web-centric news company called AnnArbor.com this month.

Last year, former News opinion editor Mary Morgan launched the Ann Arbor Chronicle, a news Web site, joining the longtime monthly Ann Arbor Observer, a news magazine also online. Heritage Newspapers plans to state the Ann Arbor Journal weekly.

Nathan Bomey, the associate editor for the Ann Arbor Business Review who will become a digital journalist for AnnArbor.com when his publication migrates, moderated the panel discussion that is now on Russell Video's YouTube channel. (Smart video company - they have a video ad there also.)

The Review hosted the event with the Washtenaw Economic Club Thursday morning.

Panelists included Paula Gardner, Business Review editor who also is moving to AnnArbor.com in August; Ann Arbor Chronicle's Mary Morgan; radio show host Lucy Ann Lance and Ann Arbor Observer's John Hilton.

AnnArbor.com's chief content director Tony Dearing shares quite a few details about the thinking behind how his news organization is shaping up.

Part 1 - Introduction to Ann Arbor's News: A computer crash delayed this video but it is now up (and skippable). Paula talked briefly about why such a panel and shared the news about the Ann Arbor Business Review's demise before Nathan introduced the panelists. He's surprised that many in the audience say they read newspapers before sharing that he sought a newspaper subscription for his 16th birthday but dropped it five years later when he left the market for an internship.

Part 2 - A Community Resource Will the lack of a daily newspaper mean that some segments of the community will lose their voices? This segment includes Dearing saying that "Newspapers not going away because people don't like them. It's the collapse of the economic model."

You'll also hear one competitor praising another for its effort as part of a discussion of how the community media efforts are finding their places.

Plus is citizen journalism really like "talk radio?"

Dearing said there will be 75 people who will be contributing information to the site, people with expertise in topics such as parenting, wine and books.

Part 3 - A Business Questions include: Is there room for all the media in Ann Arbor to survive? What's the business model? How important is branding?

Part 4 - A Catalyst for Conversation and Comments. A lively discussion about comment included an obersvation that The Ann Arbor Chronicle (not Observer as I said earlier) almost went without comments based on the founder's experience with comments on Mlive.com.

Part 5 - Questions and Answers, includes comments on aggregation and how a reporter reading blogs for two-and-a-half hours can boil the best down for a reader to consume in five minutes. Besides talking about the role of blogs as a news source, Dearing spends time on what what they can do in an online news media.

Part 6 - Questions and Answers, includes Dearing talking about a need for editing content before posted it goes online

(Morgan, by the way, was to also speak to the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce Thursday about how her news site fits into the overall scheme of things. I'm not sure if it was held.)

Another Michigan publication shifting to AnnArbor.com

The Ann Arbor Business Review announced Thursday that it will cease publishing Aug. 13, but the name, content and two staff members will shift to AnnArbor.com.

Paula Gardner will direct the new effort that will include a weekly e-newsletter and space in the AnnArbor.com Sunday print edition starting Aug. 16.

She's been on the Review awhile, not so long online. She joined the Review when it started as Business Direct Weekly in January 2003. She was promoted to editor in spring 2007 and also became editor of Oakland Business Review. She recently had her one year anniversary on Twitter.

"I'm not the queen of connectivity. LinkenIn leaves me cold. I've even passive-aggressively resisted joining Facebook for the same year that I've enjoyed Twitter. (Yes, I know. I'm the last person in Ann Arbor to start a page. I'm almost there. Really.)"

Nathan Bomey, now associate editor, will become a digital journalist for the effort.


By the way, Bomey started his day by moderating a panel on Ann Arbor's shifting media market, a joint event between Business Review the Washtenaw Economic Club. That panel included Paula, AnnArbor.com's Tony Dearing, Ann Arbor Chronicle's Mary Morgan, radio show host Lucy Ann Lance and Ann Arbor Observer's John Hilton.

He solicited some of the questions via Twitter.

Nathan joined the "Ann Arbor Business Review in September 2006, covering technology, alternative energy, life sciences, venture capital, manufacturing and the Michigan economy." He created the "Michigan Business Innovation" blog on Mlive.com wife,

No word on the rest of the staff or the fate of the other Business Reviews in Michigan.

Business Review West Michigan prints weekly on Thursday. The Tri-Cities Business Review aimed at Saginaw, Bay City and Midland is already online-only and the Oakland Business Review switched to pure online publication in September.

---

More about the AnnArbor.com including:

• Two ex-Boothies hired

Michigan city says yes to AnnArbor.com

The Ypsilanti (MI) City Council appointed AnnArbor.com as its newspaper of record, as the Ann Arbor News, its current paper of record, is set to shut down this month.

The News has been Ypsilanti’s official newspaper of record since 2005 when it replaced the Ypsilanti Courier. It was reaffirmed in February after a formal request for proposals was sought when the The Ypsilanti Courier noted that no formal bids were offered.

The Ypsilanti Citizen also covers the area. AnnArbor.com, which will offer two print editions each week while concentrating on delivering news via the web, and the Ann Arbor News, now publishing daily print editions and some news online, are owned by Advance Publications.

At least four of the the new staff have ties to Ypsilanti, including Amalie Nash, who worked as a reporter under Tony Dearing in the Ann Arbor New's Ypsilanti bureau, Steve Pepple, who was city editor in the bureau and Paula Gardner, who worked at the Ypsilanti Press.

---

More about the AnnArbor.com including:

• Two ex-Boothies hired

More twittering Girl Scouts

A few more Girl Scout councils have started Twittering, including:

Girl Scouts of California's Central Coast - GirlScoutsCCC

Girl Scouts of Central Texas - GSCTXcouncil

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta - GSGATL

Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails

Girl Scouts of Northern California - GirlScoutsNorCalGGT

Girl Scouts of Rhode Island - gsri

Girl Scouts of Utah -gsutahceo

The whole list is on the original post.

Citizen journalism series looks at developing Michigan virtual newsroom project

Getting the right tools for the job can be one of the challenges of getting a community's help in reporting what's happening. The diversity of skills and comfort levels with technology can vary widely.

For instance, I'm working with 66 volunteers on a project that screams wiki to me. Yet, when a question about the type of computer someone is using is answered "laptop" I want to scream something that few want to hear.

Fortunately, there are folks working to pull together simple to use tools for community networks.

Michigan State University jumps in

Ironically, the deadline given Jane Briggs-Bunting for her resignation from the Michigan State University School of Journalism is the same day that Detroit Make It Here featured a project associated with her and MSU's School of Journalism.

Jonathan Morgan and his involvement with the Tandem Project is the focus of Developing virtual newsrooms: Platform to help community supplement dwindling coverage. The article is the second part of a series on citizen journalism in Michigan. (The first part of the citizen journalism series focused on "new media mix.")

Mignon-Media hired

Morgan is working with Mignon-Media to develop the virtual newsroom platform, a computer application expected in September. The article says the application will let groups set up pages with blogs, wikis and forums. Information can be made public or private, and participants will have unique roles, such as reporter, copy editor and managing editor.

(See It's My News, a website linked from Jeff Mignon's profile for an example of Mignon's work.)

Detroit Make It Here writes:

“Our hope is that a lot of communities will begin using the software and covering communities online,” said Briggs-Bunting. “I could see this working well in a small town that no longer has a paper.”

Public's help needed

Morgan, the multiplatform editor at the Detroit News, believes that journalists need the public's help in improving journalism.

"We need to include citizens in every step of the process so they understand the work behind and value of what we do, so they will be more willing to not just pay for news, but help us rethink how we fund news in the future."

That's from his answer to the question of how to do journalism with its core value, make money and attract news consumers/viewers/readers that was asked of all the participants at the Rethink the News symposium at MSU.

Morgan, who has a background in computer programming blogs, and teaches. Read why he blogs (with Michael Happy) on one Detroit neighborhood to gain insight into his take on what journalists need to do.

Jonathan Morgan at
ReThink News
Originally uploaded by msujrn

Get out of newsroom

He also thinks journalists need to be jugglers:

"Journalists can become involved with community -- find balance of involvement using principles of good journalism."

The more I heard him speak at the Rethink the News event the more I was glad he is involved with the Tandem Project.

Tandem grew out of a $230,000 Knight News Challenge grant to use college students to flesh out ideas on how to improve journalism using the Internet. Michigan State students and six other universities worked on the projects, which were presented at the 2007 Online News Association conference in Toronto.

Now, all we have to do is wait.

---

Read more about Jane Briggs-Bunting

AnnArbor.com picks up two ex-Boothies

Two journalists who worked for Booth Newspapers will move into new roles at AnnArbor.com

Bob Wheaton, who worked for The Flint Journal and the Jackson Citizen Patriot, will be a producer-copy editor for the news team. (His wife Rene has been writing some home decorating stories for Posh, a new section delivered in The Flint Journal, Bay Cities Times and Saginaw News.)

Ryan Stanton, most recently at the Bay City Times, will cover government for AnnArbor.com

More details on AnnArbor.com

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I've written about the AnnArbor.com site before and I've pulled together some other links if you'd like to catch up on that story.

Widsom of ages would fit in a Tweet

Steve Buttry pulls together Tweeting wisdom of the ages to to "dispute the myth that short equals shallow."

Like Gloria Steinem: A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle and

Helen Keller: It is a terrible thing to see and have no vision.

Go enjoy his work. Tweet. Tweet.

State News celebration reminds me how long a year can be

The place I really got my journalism education at- the State News - is about to celebrate its 100 years of existing with a dinner and a book.

The news organization, now offering a print edition and web site, actually is an independent organization, separating from the Michigan State University in 1971. It moved off campus and into its own building in 2005.

The State News Alumni Association will host a celebration the weekend of Sept. 12, 2009, in East Lansing, Michigan. A dinner is the main event, although football tickets may be available.

I'm promised no bagels or tacos will be served so perhaps some of the 50 or so people I worked with daily will show up. We won't have to make any food runs across the street, though perhaps some of us on buyouts, retirements or layoffs will be looking for change to purchase our tickets.

There were times when I thought my last year at at Michigan State University was 100 years long. That was the "year" I was editor-in-chief of the broadsheet published Mondays through Fridays. I put year in quotes because my appointment started early and ended late.

The final word

I was reminded of my longest year recently when a Facebook post asked if the newspaper's board of directors and editorial staff ever disagreed on the choice for editor.

It seems that the editorial department still gets to interview the editor applicants and recommend its top choice to the board of directors. But the board makes the final choice after it also interviews the candidates. Usually, the staff and board agree. Usually.

In January 2009, the board went with its own choice. Same thing happened in April 1976, when I was selected over the staff's unanimous selection.

Just say no

I was at Disney World for the first time when I got the call telling me the job was mine.

The next calls came from staff members lobbying me to not accept the position in the hopes that would force the board to appoint their choice. Others suggested I cut that vacation short and return to the newspaper right away instead of waiting to take the helm.

Later, though, I had the support of the staff. That helped when I faced an angry university president several times and had a few heated discussions with the board of directors. Oh, and I can't forget the lawyers.

MSU J school conflicts

Although many of the newsroom employees were enrolled in journalism school, there often were conflicts as employees chose newspaper experience over class assignments.

We worked at the separation of the school and the newspaper. Perhaps that is because the newspaper was still feeling its way to independence from the university.

I was surprised to learn that Jane Briggs-Bunting, who is the director of MSU's School of Journalism, is on the State News Board of Directors. That seems ripe for conflicts as the news organization frequently is at odds with the university. I'm hoping that's not why she's on the outs with the new dean of the College of Communication Arts.

1976 election night crew

Recently, I found a November 1976 election edition of The State News. That brought back memories of working late and pizzas.

I found bylines for Donna Bakun, Byron Baker, Jeanne Baron, Marti Benedetti, Kat Brown, Roxanne Brown, Alan Burlingham, Cathy Chown, Joni Cipriano, Anne Crowley, Jim DuFresne, Geoff Etynre, Phil Frame, Charlene Gray, Georgia Hanshew, Daniel Herman, Sean Hickey, Carole Leigh Hutton, Nancy Jarvis, Pat LaCroix, Joyce Laskowski, Ed Lion, Mike Macksood, Micki Maynard, Paula Mohr, Marna Moore, Janet R. Olsen, Bob Ourlian, Paul Novoselick, Judy Putnam, Tracy Reed, Marice Richter, Nancy Roger, Suzie Rollins, Edward Ronders, Mike Rouse, Michael Savel, Joe Scales, Laurie Scatterday, Ed Schreiber, Tom Shanahan, Don Spickler, Sue Steward, Anne Stuart, Michael Tanimura, Karla Vallance and Debbie Wolf.

There were photo credits for Dale Atkins, Laura Lynn Fistler and Linda Bray.

I worked with Ed Ronders at The Flint Journal and with others through Booth Newspapers. With the help of LinkedIn and Facebook, I even stay in touch with some of the crew.

Ironically, the 1976 newspaper also had a story about newspapers closing and facing dire times.

Tickets available

You can now order tickets to the Centennial celebration at the East Lansing Marriott at University Place, 300 M.A.C. Ave in downtown East Lansing. The reception begins at 6 p.m. with dinner at 7 p.m. $75 for alumni members and $100 for others.

The alumni reunion event will include induction of the newest members of our State News Hall of Fame, as well as a walk through the history of The State News and a look at what the newspaper is like today.

Can't wait? Take a look at multimedia presentation showing the history.

Journalist finds fun way to follow federal law enforcement?

A former Detroit News journalist took what he knew and created a specialty site that caught the attention of the (Detroit) Metro Times.

The magazine writes about ticklethewire, a web site that tracks federal law enforcement. It was started by Allan Lengel, who also worked for the Washington Post before turnng to this post-newspaper career.

Andrew Arena (pictured) , head of the Detroit FBI, talks about corruption and mortgage fraud in a showpiece now online.

TickleTheWire.com is named after a law enforcement term, which means to create a situation that will encourage targets of a probe to talk on a wiretapped phone.

Looks like it was 2008 when Flint was mentioned on the site.

Holding back: Why newspaper folks don't blog well?

It can be hard to find a print journalist who has made the transition to online blogging successfully. But I'd never considered equipment and the ability to choose your own software as barriers until reading "Developing ownership for better blogging."

Adam Tinsworth argues that the structure of the news business - top-down management and corporate-owned computer equipment and chosen software - makes it tougher for news bloggers to make their blogs their own.

"For the blogger the laptop is their portable office, a communication device that is an extension of themselves (witness the huge degree to which many bloggers customize their laptops with stickers). For journalists, it's another reminder of the fact that everything they do is someone else's."

Does the same hold true for corporate bloggers? They, too, often thrive in similar companies. Or are the best bloggers outside corporate walls?

Robert Niles also posted recently on Why newspaper columnists don't make good bloggers. He starts with the premise that they ought to be perfect for the role:

"the best write in a lively voice and forge a strong connection with their readers. Their work build an ongoing conversation with the communities they cover. Frankly, they've been blogging (in print) since long before anyone other than academics and soldiers went online."

The blog post followed a presentation at the National Society of Newspaper Columnists conference on Tips on Branding Yourself. Niles and his cospeaker told the group that it comes down to the public's perception of its relationship with the writer.

"That what matters most in determining your online success is how your work is understood and acted upon by its audience - more than what your intention with the work was or the process that you used to create it. You can do work you believe to be great, but if no one reads it or no one who does cares, what was the point?"

Niles also suggested that the columnists ask folks to share experiences, not opinions, to keep conversations going.

He also reminded folks about one thing I think print folks find it hard to do: leave the silo and go where the community is. That's right, participate on other blogs, other forums, other sites.

Power of passion, frustrations of print: Student journalists pursue rumor that j-school's director asked to resign

The news that the new head of Michigan State University's College of Communication asked the director of the journalism school to resign frustrated a lot of journalism students this week.

First, the State News, the independent news organization at MSU, was on a production break. Its posted story on July 2 invited readers to come back July 6 for an update (though commenters did their best to offer pieces of theory and news.)

Equally frustrating was the lack of a formal answer or even a Tweet from the new dean or the official press department.

Then, there was the question of when was the decision known. A tweet on June 24th led to the message that #jbb was "C'est fini !"

At one point students in the School of Journalism were asking if that director, Jane Briggs-Bunting, would be proud of their use of social media for spreading the word of her ouster. Two hash tags #jbb and #briggs-bunting spread quickly on Twitter. Then a Facebook group to save journalism at the school was created. (That's where the image comes from, uploaded and created by Jayne Salk.)

1. 
   egim anyone know anything on jbb being forced to resign b/c the j-school wants to move in a new direction????? 02 Jul 2009 from web
2. 
   jwswrites A lesson in how Twitter can take control of your msg before you do. #CASfail Good teaching moment 4 academia, except academia is the prob 02 Jul 2009 from TweetDeck
3. 
   jwswrites I think #JBB would be proud of the tenacity of students to report #CASfail. JRN stu's doing what they're supposed to, ?-ing & informing 02 Jul 2009 from TweetDeck
4. 
   aribadler C'mon State News, dig in! RT @thesnews: Jane Briggs-Bunting, Director of (MSU) School of Journalism, asked to resign http://bit.ly/1891pf 02 Jul 2009 from TweetDeck

-- this quote was brought to you by quoteurl

Even the student newspaper, The State News, seemed frustrated in its article on the resignation. An article Friday in the Lansing State Journal quoted Briggs-Bunting as saying she had a contract through next summer but confirmed she had been asked to step down.

The Journal quoted Briggs-Bunting saying:

""I'm very concerned. We are one of the schools at the cutting edge of redefining journalism. I really would hate to see that momentum slowed."

Briggs-Bunting and the rest of the staff had created a plan to revise the curriculm for the 2010 school year. The faculty and staff had been learning themselves at Faculty Bytes and events like a three-day video journalism workshop they took with instructor, Robb Montgomery.(See video)

The Lansing State Journal said that the dean refused comment and quoted this statement from Terry Denbow, vice president of university relations.

"Dean (Pamela) Whitten has requested that Jane Briggs-Bunting step down as director of the School of Journalism. Dean Whitten looks forward to working with Briggs-Bunting and the journalism school faculty to optimize an efficient and effective leadership transition."

The Journal quoted Denbow, saying decision was about Briggs-Bunting's administrative role.

There was speculation as only the School of Journalism's director's name was missing from the college's Who We Are page. (though she was still listed on the school's opening page and its people page as late as Friday night.) Briggs-Bunting, whose tenure means she remains a professor regardless, told the Journal she wasn't sure what her decision would be.

Pamela Whitten was appointed June 19, with her first day July 1 She came to MSU in 1998, most recently serving as professor in the college’s Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media and associate dean for research and graduate studies.

Briggs-Bunting hasn't been sleeping since coming to lead at Michigan State University in 2003. (She replaced Steve Lacy, who returned to teaching after five years at the position.)

The school was reacredited by the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. The school hosted events with American Press Institute and its ReThink the News, a daylong symposium on the future in May.

The Ph.D. students from Robb Montgomery on Vimeo.

A new ReThink the News was planned for Sept. 11, a prelude to the State News, the independent student newspaper's 100th anniversary celebration. (Briggs-Bunting also is president of the Board of Directors for the State News.)

Briggs-Bunting often used contacts from her years in the business to get opportunities for students.

(update: see comment from Bonnie about this) In 2007, MSU journalism students participated in a live blog hosted at www.detnews.com/debateblog

during the CNN/YouTube Republican Presidential Primary Debate

Also in 2007 was the launch of the Innovation Incubator, funded by the Knight Foundation to foster creative thinking about solutions to digital news problems at seven universities.

Criticism at the State News article pointed to a change in focus away from research under her tenure and a changing faculty, including the hiring of three white males.
Research and attracting money for research was one of the strategic highlights in a recent College of Communications Arts publication, The Story. (And though the newspaper allows commenters to connect to a Facebook profile, it is not required and most of the comments critical of Briggs-Bunting are not linked.

Among the faculty leaving was journalism Associate Professor Kim Piper-Aiken's who left after she learned she would not be awarded tenure status due to not completing research or creative scholarship. , accordnig to an April 2007 State News article.

In 2005, an ex-employee was charged with and then pled guilty to embezzlement at the School of Journalism.

In 2003, Briggs-Bunting was inducted into the MSU Journalism Hall of Fame.

Who knows what will happen. The developing events certainly are one lesson many MSU students won't need a final to study for to remember the effect of being left out of the story.

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Note: I am a 1977 graduate of the School of Journalism at Michigan State University. I've spoken at several classes since and volunteered on a few projects and events.

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Related post

• I've written about the journalism school and Briggs-Bunting before, including these posts:
• What would you tell a college student today?
• Why May for Advance pension decisions
• Spring ritural: Visit MSU for burst of journalism inspiration

The week without newspapers?

The plan was for a week without newspapers - from Saturday July 4 to Friday July 10, 2009, - to draw "attention to the threat posed to democracy by the loss of professionally staffed and ethically bound American newspapers. "

TJ Sullivan explained why on Feb. 6 he decided to seek he support to ask "the owners and operators of each and every daily American newspaper and The Associated Press asked to shut down their Web sites to non-paying subscribers for a period of one week.

There's a list of 51 other places that talked about the effort.

One virtual petiton gathered 431 signatures and TJ Sullivan explained in another blog post why journalists were not backing the effort.

But even those who understood the signifiance of showing the effect of newspapers on democracy were not sure withholding the news from non-paying customers on the web would work. Listen to Kevin Ulrich on the Pasadena Weekly site:

"What I don’t know is if this is the right time to make a potentially self-wounding statement by shutting down Web sites — no matter how true, important and necessary that statement may be."

In the end, even "Know Newspapers - Official site of the petition to unplug" is empty. The YouTube video is gone, the Know Newspaper blog is black, blank.The Twitter account empty. A short message awaits some.

So, please, go fire your firecracks, light your sparklers, enjoy your Fourth. Perhaps, later there will be time to think about ways to ensure every community will get news with more meaning then which star died this week.

Updated: month brings new price for Oregonian, hellos and goodbyes for Grand Rapids Press

Twitter reaction was swift and sour to a July 1 price increase for the Oregonian bought at the box or in the store. The price went up a 25 cents, now requiring a $1 weekdays.

Oregon Media Central compared similar sized newspapers and prices charged.

At least this Advance Publications community gets to keep a daily newspaper.

Meanwhile, back in Michigan, a Grand Rapids Press sports writer plead guilty in a case involving him growing marijuana at home. Dave Mayo will get his job back as a sports writer. At least one Grand Rapids radio station reported that publisher Dan Gaydou will write about the handling of the case on Sunday. (Update: The reporter is writing the column).

Gaydou is quoted in a story by the Grand Rapids Press, saying:

"Dave Mayo will return to work at The Press next week after answering to the court regarding the legal complaints made against him."

There also was a sendoff Tuesday for 11 reporters and columnists at that Grand Rapids paper.

Free From Editors also posted a short piece on the sendoff and sports writer.

The hello would be for Paul Keep, who left his publisher/editor role at the nearby Muskegon Chronicle for the editor's job at the Press. That move and the retirement of the longtime editor Mike Lloyd were blogged earlier.

On a personal note, my daughter's opinion on insurance and cancer is back on the Obama site after being missing for five days. Just one more surprise in a string of surprises.

Have a great day. I'm back on the road for much of today.

(Updated at 7:30 a.m. with links and a few details)

Digital Journalism Camp Now Free at The Oregonian | Oregon Media Central

The Oregonian will expand the pool of journalists with desired skills with a free digital skills camp.

I noticed the event on Upcoming and Twitter. Then I spotted more info on a new Oregon media site - Oregon Media Central

First reaction: Nice to see the Advance Publication offering instruction at a great price.

Correction (July 27): Nice to see the Advance Publication news organiation in Oregon providing the space to the organizers so that camp can be free.

Girl Scout cookie baker going very green

A Girl Scout quilt I fell in love with last fall will soon show up even more places.

A portion of the "Green is in My Nature"quilt is in a bag made from recycled plastic bottles for ABC Bakers, which makes Girl Scout cookies. The bag is a cookie incentive, distributed to Girl Scout staff who were at the recent product meeting in Reno, Nevada. The bags will work their way into the hands of girls who can earn them by selling Girl Scout cookies in the upcoming Girl Scout year.

Read more in Twisted Sister: Artwork by Jamie Fingal: Girl Scout Ecco-Bag - so cool!

The artist also wrote about the quilt in January 2008 and in September 2008, just before the quilt was to appear the 51st National Girl Scout convention. (Looks like I never finished the post about the quilt on the exhibit floor for ABC Bakery -- the company bought the quilt -- for Convention Talk. Sorry.)

Others have written about "Green is My Nature,",including And Sew It Goes. Read more about the show (and see more quilts from that) in Gerrie Condon's blog, Crazy for Fiber.

Girl Scouts of Orange County is extremely fortunate that Jamie Fingal willing raised funds for them. She has created other Girl Scout-themed quilts, including one created for the 40th anniversary of Camp Scherman , a great miniquilt of Juliette Low, and the Courageous, Confident, Character quilt.

Her December 2005 Girl Scout quilt is memorizing. Read the recipes names - Sister of Gold Martguerita, Friendship Squeeze Martini, Girl Scout Cookie Shot, and Thanks Badge 3 - to better understand the Girl Scout Cocktail Suitcase quilt

But it is her Mother of Girl Scouting quilt that will explain her generosity.

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I am a Girl Scout and list some of my Girl Scout posts in another entry. The most recent post was about Girl Scout councils twittering.

Laws can't force people to read or pay for the news

A Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist says we need better copyright laws to save newspapers. That reminded me about the lawyer who blogs we should ban linking to save the mass medium.

(Over the weekend, I loved this exchange:

1. 
   jayrosen_nyu Judge Richard Posner--a blogger!--thinks a way out of the newspaper crisis is to make linking illegal http://tr.im/q132 28 Jun 2009 from web
2. 
   erickschonfeld @jayrosen_nyu And that will save the newspaper industry how? By making it harder for people to find their stories? 28 Jun 2009 from TweetDeck in reply to jayrosen_nyu
3. 
   jayrosen_nyu Beats me, @erickschonfeld Or we could ask Judge Posner how does he think people found his blog and he found his readership? Through links. 28 Jun 2009 from web

-- this quote was brought to you by quoteurl
I will note thatPosner rarely links in his posts.

Jeff Jarvis comes back with Newspapers vs Aggregators: Understanding the Economics of the Internet. taking a look at both posts. (On his buzzmachine, the headline is "First, kill the lawyers - before they kill the news." that's where you'll also find the Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Connie Schultz responding to Jarvis, especially for his attack on her husband. (The columnist is married to a senator.)

And now Twitter is swamped with Tweets on linking.

I stick by my opinion - you can't legislate successful business, much less force anyone to read a newspaper.