Why Pay For The Cow?

There's been plenty of debate of late about the wisdom of newspapers giving too much of their product away for free. A forceful May 7 Wall Street Journal commentary by Arkansas Democrat-Gazette publisher Walter E. Hussman Jr. sparked the latest round of soul-searching. Hussman's call for newspapers to reconsider the costs and consequences of free news comes at a time when online ad sales growth is slowing and news aggregators like Yahoo and Google continue to capitalize on content created by the mainstream media. (Read Hussman's full editorial here)

Certainly, many newspapers are satisfied with the progress of their websites and remain committed to a strategy of offering frequently updated news at no cost to readers . But that strategy likely will be tweaked if print advertising revenues continue to nosedive and online sales fail to reach projections.

Whatever the trend, it's time for universal agreement on how and why budget-driven reductions in newsrooms produce a rippling negative impact on all things connected to journalism.

Your thoughts?

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Defining Community Media

While "mainstream" news organizations continue to struggle in the technology-fueled media environment, many nimble niche players have emerged as big winners in the communications revolution. Success stories can be found in the community media category, which has achieved some promising results by combining the passion of citizen journalism with the dedication of grass roots community activism.

The best of the breed in the community media sector seem to parlay innovative thinking, focused strategy and sensitivity to audience appeal. But harnessing more knowledge and research is essential for the community media movement to blossom.

Two MTF grantees are participating in a June 15 Community Media Summit at Columbia College in Chicago that will attempt to better define the role and power of the sector as it attempts to impact debate on such vital issues as immigration reform and community development. MTF grantee Community Media Workshop is joining with the Chicago Community Trust and the Benton Foundation to sponsor the summit. Ethnic media guru Sandy Close of New America Media is among the panelists.

Another interesting wrinkle to the summit is the June 14 stage-setter featuring a joint meeting of the community advisory boards of WTTW and Chicago Public Radio. This will be the first-ever joint meeting between the boards representing public television and radio in the Chicago area. For more information, call 312-344-6400.

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Shield Law Shenanigans

The never-ending drive to protect confidential sources who provide information to reporters hit a suspicious snag in Texas. The Free Flow of Information Act was sent to the scrapheap in late May after a Texas State Senator raised a technical objection to its description in a bill analysis. It seems one passage of the description used a comma when a semicolon was called for. If passed, the Free Flow Act would have protected journalists from being compelled to testify about, disclose or produce confidential information in criminal cases, with certain exemptions.

Suggested reading:

Houston Chronicle, May 22, 2007

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Free Speech vs. Press Responsibility: The Venezuela Situation

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been making worldwide headlines this week with his closure of Radio Caracas Television network (RCTV), the country's oldest television channel, founded in 1953. The move comes as part of a larger effort to "socialize" the country's media with government-backed channels such as TVes, which broadcasts cultural programs. Chavez had earlier accused CNN of comparing him to Osama bin Laden by juxtaposing images of the two during a broadcast. CNN acknowleged the mix-up, but denied comparing Chavez with the al-Qaida leader.

Most international coverage of the station closings is overwhelmingly negative, with several media rights groups calling it a serious blow to free speech. Chavez and his supporters counter that the privately-owned independent stations do not represent the interests of Venezuela's people, and that many of these stations were supporting overthrow attempts and some had even encouraged assassination attempts. Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) points out that in 2002, RCTV participated in a short-lived coup that temporarily removed Chavez' democratically-elected government and that once Chavez returned to power, RCTV refused to report on it, forcing the question of a media outlet's responsibility to report relevant news events, and the consequences of abdicating that responsibility.

Student protests against the closings continue, and police have responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. Several students have been injured and one police officer has suffered a broken leg.

Other reading:

Yahoo! News

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting

CNN

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Newspapers--A View From The Past

Finley Peter Dunne, a Chicago writer who wrote for the Chicago Times and Chicago Tribune in the late 19th century, gave the world some insightful musings on the purpose of newspapers in his nationally syndicated "Mr. Dooley in Peace and War." Here's a particularly good one, in the character and dialect of its Irish immigrant protagonist:

"Th newspaper does ivrything f'r us. It runs th' polis foorce an' th' banks, commands th' milishy, controls th' ligislachure, baptizes th' young, marries th' foolish, comforts th' afflicted, afflicts th' comfortable, buries th' dead an' roasts thim aftherward"

Interesting words, especially in these days when the role of journalism is questioned so closely.

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You Wrote What about Your Principal?

Oregon is on track to becoming the seventh state to authorize expanded free speech protection for student journalists, provided the state Senate joins its House in passing a new bill, according to the scholastic journalism group J-IDEAS. The Oregon House approved the landmark student press bill earlier this week and it's headed to the state Senate by the end of the month.

The bill protects both high school and college students from administrative (i.e. principal, superintendent, deans etc.) censorship and is the first of its kind that offers protection to both age groups, according to J-IDEAS.

The proposed protections come at a particularly contentious time for student speech - a number of teachers and students nationwide have recently reported a crackdown on student media. In addition, in April the Washington state Senate killed a student press bill as well.

For more information, visit http://www.jideas.org/

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Sunshine Week '07 Exposes the Shadows

A nationwide survey of more than 1,000 adults, commissioned by the American Society of Newspaper Editors for Sunshine Week, found that people overwhelmingly believe that their federal leaders have become sneaky by listening to telephone conversations or opening private mail without court permission. Twenty-five percent believe the federal government is either “very open” or “somewhat open,” while 69 percent said it’s either “somewhat secretive” or “very secretive.” See the poll findings at http://www.sunshineweek.org/sunshineweek/scrippspoll07 and a list of open government websites at http://www.sunshineweek.org/sunshineweek/orgs.

More than 800 organizations (nonprofit groups, news organizations, press associations, public libraries, elected officials, etc) participated in this year’s Sunshine Week (see a full list at http://www.sunshineweek.org/sunshineweek/participants07). In Illinois, more than 30 groups participated, including the State Journal Register of Springfield. The SJR website features a six-part series on FOIA - “Request Denied” - including a video on the topic (at http://www.sj-r.com/extras/specialprojects/foia).

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So How Good Are Federal Agencies at Responding to FOIA Requests?

The organization CJOG (Coalition of Journalists for Open Government) recently released an in-depth analysis of Freedom of Information Act responses by 26 Cabinet-level departments and agencies. The reviewed requests were filed from 1998 to 2006. Unsurprisingly, the findings of “FOIA: Still A Waiting Game” essentially show that most federal agencies have made little progress on improving their FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) performance, despite a year-old executive order to become more requester-friendly. CJOG’s report shows that: a) backlogs are getting worse; b) people are waiting longer for information; c) agencies continue to say ‘no’ about as often as they did prior to the executive order; d) those denied information initially get relief on appeal less often; e) FOIA costs continue to rise; and f) FOIA staffing levels have recovered after hitting a low point in 2005, yet efficiency is falling. For more detail, see CJOG’s website at http://www.cjog.net/.

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New Meaning for Foreign Correspondent or Cost-Cutting Reaches New Levels

In a potential first for American community journalism, the two-year-old website Pasadenanow.com has hired two Indian reporters to cover local government and politics, according to the Associated Press. But the reporters won't be languishing in the Pasadena city council chambers - they'll be based at computers and phones in Mumbai. The website's editor and publisher, James Mcpherson, said that the reporters can watch city government meetings over the Internet and can email sources via phone or interview, according to AP. The two full-time reporters should cost the website about $20,800 annually, AP noted.

This should create a whole new debate on the role of outsourcing in the media industry. To learn more, visit: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/05/10/ap3708279.html

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Calling All Chicago High School Journalism Teachers....

Want to learn how to start a broadcast program or improve what you're already doing? Then Camp STN is for you. MTF is funding a four-day summer training (August 6-9, 2007) at Columbia College for high school journalism or broadcast teachers who want to learn the ins and outs of how to create a compelling scholastic broadcast program while still managing the classroom, dealing with the administration and community, and maintaining your sanity. The best part is that tuition is free and participants will receive a $100/day stipend and continuing education credits.

For more information or to apply, visit: http://www.hsbj.org/

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McCormick Tribune Scholars: Future Leaders Coming Up!

Faculty from the Media Management Center and Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University have announced the two newest McCormick Tribune Scholars: Jillian Crawford and Suneel Gupta. Crawford and Gupta, media management majors at Kellogg, will receive full tuition for three academic quarters. The Scholars Program was created by the Foundation in 2005 in recognition of our 50th year anniversary and we'll be granting 20 merit scholarships to Kellogg media management students and 60 merit scholarships to graduate students at the Medill School of Journalism during a 10-year period.

Both of the 2007 recipients are off to a busy start this summer: Crawford will be working at the Disney Internet Group as an intern for international strategy and business development, while Gupta is giong to research made-for-mobile television and films at Sony Pictures in Los Angeles.

For more information on the program: http://www.mediamanagementcenter.org/blogs/mike/2007/05/crawford-and-gupta-named-mccormick_07.html

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Committee to Protect Journalists: 10 countries where press freedom is backsliding

CPJ recently released "Backsliders: The 10 Countries where Press Freedom has most deteriorated" in honor of World Press Freedom Day on May 3. The report identifies the top locales where press freedom has deteriorated the most during the past five years. The Sub-Saharan African countries of Ethiopia, Gambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo lead the pack, notes CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. Offenses include jailing journalists, shuttering the private press and increasing criminal defamation prosecutions.

“Democracy’s foothold in Africa is shallow when it comes to press freedom,” Simon said. “These three African nations, as diverse as they are, have won praise at times for their transition to democracy—but they are actually moving in reverse on press issues. Journalists in Ethiopia, Gambia, and DRC are being jailed, attacked, and censored, a picture far worse than what we saw only a few years ago.”

The top 10 are:

1. Ethiopia
2. Gambia
3. Russia
4. Democratic Republic of Congo
5. Cuba
6. Pakistan
7. Egypt
8. Azerbaijan
9. Morocco
10. Thailand

To learn more about these countries and view the report, visit: http://www.cpj.org/backsliders/index.html

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ICFJ Workshop Helps Deepen Coverage of Immigration

The D.C.-based International Center for Journalists held a conference April 16-23 for journalists from the U.S. and Latin America who cover immigration. The goal of the conference (supported with grants from the McCormick Tribune Foundation and the Scripps Howard Foundation) was to encourage deeper coverage of immigration by enabling participants to engage with immigration experts in the D.C. area and reporters seasoned in covering immigration-related topics, as well as to share best practices and network amongst one another. Attendees traveled to sites such as the Reston Interfaith Workers Center and heard presentations by a variety of speakers - from the Federation for American Immigration Reform to the Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform and Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-IL 4th). ICFJ created a group blog for participants at http://icfj.typepad.com.

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What Do Young People REALLY Think?

New America Media released a poll April 25 of 600 Californians aged 16 to 22, conducted entirely by cell phone. The survey, “California Dreamers: A public opinion portrait of the most diverse generation the nation has known,” explores how young people view a variety of topics - marriage, parenthood, religion, race, identity and immigrant status. NAM’s report is posted online at http://news.newamericamedia.org/polls.

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MTFellows Go Live

The McCormick Tribune Fellows have just launched a redesigned Fellows website at www.mtfellows.org. The Fellowship, in its 9th year and with a community that has now grown to more than 80 Fellows, has produced numerous reports on diversity and other issues facing news organizations today. Read about the Fellowship, a unique collaboration involving numerous leaders in the news industry, and see Fellows weigh blog on today’s issues.

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"Now would be a good time to get out of the newspaper business"

True, there's a lot of doom and gloom about the newspaper industry. But that doesn't mean you can't have a good chuckle every now and then. Check out David Letterman's "Top Ten Signs Your Newspaper is in Trouble" that he featured on his April 30 show. We particularly enjoyed #7: All horoscopes: Now would be a good time to get out of the newspaper business.

You can check out the written list here http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/top_ten/index/php/20070430.phtml and watch the clip here: http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/video_player/index/php/918163.phtml

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University Presidents See Bright Future for Journalism

Top university administrators are pleasantly surprised by the steady enrollment growth in their Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) programs. Most of the 11 college presidents and provosts speaking at a recent conference of the future of JMC programs are adding classroom space, investing in technology and upgrading the journalism faculty roster.

The Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication-sponsored event brought together some 25 college presidents, provosts, chancellors, deans and professors to discuss the role of JMC programs within the university. The conference was held in Wheaton, Ill., at the McCormick Tribune Foundation's Cantigny Park, former estate of Chicago Tribune publisher and editor Robert R. McCormick.

ASJMC president Loren Ghiglione of Northwestern University organized the conference. Northwestern president Henry Bienen and University of Illinois chancellor Richard Herman served as co-hosts.

ASJMC members are juggling a variety of challenges and opportunities as they rejuvenate journalism curriculum to keep pace with new technology, shifting audience preferences and major transformation of the news media business model. Despite the all-too frequent reports of layoffs, budget slashing, mediocre starting salaries and uncertain job prospects, enrollments remain robust at many JMC schools.

The academic dignitaries at the Cantigny conference represented a broad cross-section of journalism education. The comments from the top brass of Northwestern, Illinois, University of Missouri, Kent State University, University of Montana, Ball State University, Elon University,
Morgan State University, University of Texas at Arlington, Howard University and Shaw University will be packaged into a report. Watch for release of the report at the Aug. 9-12 AEJMC/ASJMC conference in Washington.

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Welcome to McCormick Media Matters

McCormick Media Matters enters the crowded and sometimes chaotic world of blogging with the simple intent of providing pertinent information and useful links to a community dedicated to quality journalism.

While our postings will confront the daunting threats and economic woes facing journalism, we also will highlight the good work and creative innovation sometimes overlooked in these troubled times of doom and gloom.

The McCormick Tribune Foundation remains a big believer in the virtues of a free press and a news media independent of government control. Since its inception in 1993, the Foundation’s Journalism Program has invested $73 million in journalism education, leadership, diversity efforts and free speech initiatives. This year, we are investing millions more, including a significant commitment to youth journalism.

This steady, unyielding support reflects Robert R. McCormick’s unwavering faith in the news media’s role in building a strong, vital democracy. For major metropolitan newspapers and others in the mainstream media, that faith has been shaken in recent years by a steady stream of business setbacks. At the same time, more nimble and tightly-focused competitors have done a better job of harnessing technology.

And yet some of the best journalism ever produced is of recent vintage. Exposés on the BALCO steroids scandal, heavy-handed government spying programs, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and executive compensation abuses are just a few of the recent gems.

This blog is intended to provide insight, analysis and updates about the work of our grantees and others at the forefront of continuous quality improvement in journalism. We invite you to join us as we pursue our joint interests. In reality, the success of this virtual community will depend on the strength of your ideas, input, opinions and recommendations. Welcome to the world of McCormick Media Matters.

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