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Paying for the News: Five Seeds for the Future of Journalism
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7:03 PM Nov. 21, 2008
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Your daily fix of media industry news, commentary, and memos.
Pentagon tells AP it will avoid distributing altered images
Associated Press
After getting that pledge, the AP lifted its suspension on the use of photos provided by the US military. Also, AP says it has strengthened its internal procedures for ensuring the integrity of photos from outside sources.
> AP names Eastern regional editors for news, sports
Posted at 4:37 PM
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Updated at
4:26 p.m. ET


Journalist bailout program
A gimmick?
(PBS MediaShift)

Anniston Star cuts staff
By 10%.
(BizJournals.com)

Covering WH turkey event
How Rosalyn Carter saved the day.
(Commercial-News)

Buffalo sportswriter Borrelli dies
From injuries suffered in fall.
(Buffalo News)

NYT science reporter Chang
Speaks at Yale.
(New Haven Ind.)

New contract for Fox News' Ailes
Five more years.
(NYTimes.com)

RIP Dick Dougherty
Ex-columnist, editor was 88.
(Rochester D&C)

POSTED WEDNESDAY
Suggestions for Time's POY
If it isn't Obama.
(Granta.com)

Reflective vests required
For reporters working near highways.
(Virginian-Pilot)

Esquire's greatest stories
Seven of them.
(Esquire)

RIP Clive Barnes
Critic was 81.
(New York Times)

Rather's lawsuit pooh-poohed
By Dealey.
(US News)

Hillary story twist and turns
NBC's Mitchell started it all.
(NY Observer)

POSTED TUESDAY
Sicha on Gawker boss Denton
"Made too much work for himself."
(LATimes.com)

HuffPost to fund investigative journalism
No details yet.
(Reuters)

Boston Globe, GateHouse battle
Dan Kennedy's take.
(Media Nation)

"On the Media"
Latest audio and transcripts.
("OTM")

D Mag layoffs, pay cuts
Staff trimmed by 19%.
(D Magazine)

Forbes layoffs
Forty-three since Friday.
(WWD)

LEFT RAIL ARCHIVE

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POPULAR TOPICS


Nov. 21, 2008

Huffington Post raises another $15 million
paidContent.org
Rafat Ali writes: "While we haven't confirmed a valuation, our educated guess is that [Huffington Post] is in the $100 million ballpark, post money."
Posted at 3:11 PM
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Additional items for November 21, 2008
> School wrong to boot Newsday reporter from meeting
> Smaller papers are embracing watchdog reporting
> Salon.com cuts nine staffers, now has 57 employees
> Baquet names New York Times' WH reporting team
> Martz scolds news orgs for making a buck off Obama
> Rieder: McCain earned the negative publicity he got
> New York lays off veteran restaurant critic Greene
> Philly Inquirer's new bimonthly mag targets the rich
> College newspapers report declining ad revenue
> SILatino is the latest Time Inc. title to be put on ice
> Crime scene photog finds himself on cops' bad side
> Send links, letters, etc. to jromenesko@poynter.org
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> Visit Romenesko's Obscure Reading Room and Starbucks Gossip
Posted at 3:05 PM
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PBS ombud: Wrong time to air "Oswald's Ghost"
PBS.org
Michael Getler sides with a viewer who says PBS shouldn't have aired "Oswald's Ghost." The viewer writes: "Why bring up that dreadful episode in our history at a time when we are all celebrating and are so proud to have elected an extraordinary man? His safety has been at the back of our minds all through the campaign. And now you run a film that shows just how to harm him. What sorry judgment."
Posted at 2:09 PM
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AP cash flow expected to decline from $95M this year to $66M in '09
Associated Press
That's largely due to a $30 million reduction in fees paid by newspapers. Revenue for 2009 is forecast to fall 5.5% to $705 million from an estimated $746 million this year.
Posted at 12:49 PM
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Newsmen recall the day JFK was assassinated
Reporters' Notebook
"The St. Petersburg Times newsroom was in controlled pandemonium," writes Martin Dyckman. "I was standing at the teletype when the first flash came in that a suspected Marxist, Lee Harvey Oswald, was being held in connection with the shooting. Times Publisher Nelson Poynter was standing nearby when I announced that. His face fell. 'Oh, no,' he said. 'I was hoping it would be a right-winger.'" || PLUS: Recollections from 11 other journalists.
Posted at 12:19 PM
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Update: McCallum confirms he's leaving SI
ESPN
"It was just the right time for me," says Jack McCallum. "I've been at SI since Larry and Magic were considered svelte. I've enjoyed every minute of it. All right, not every minute. But most minutes."
Posted at 12:02 PM
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Is it time for Sulzbergers to think hard about taking NYT private?
Portfolio.com
That's what Jeff Bercovici asks. He recalls an ex-Times exec telling New York mag last month that once the Times dividend is cut -- that happened yesterday -- "then all hell will break loose. Because that's what the family lives on. Then it's over. It's going to unravel."
Posted at 11:54 AM
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Sports columnist Downey leaves Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
"The Tribune was generous enough to make me one of the best-paid sportswriters in the history of this business, so I certainly can't fault the paper for doing this now that times are hard," says Mike Downey. (Last column item.)
> Sources: McCallum has accepted Sport Illustrated's buyout
Posted at 11:32 AM
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WSJ: We're raising ad rates because we're investing in our product
Bloomberg News
The Journal says higher ad rates are justified because of expanded coverage and an increase in subscriptions. The New York Times will "moderate" ad rate increases for next year and is discussing discounts with advertisers, says chief advertising officer Denise Warren.
Posted at 11:04 AM
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"The Infinite Mind" host failed to disclose payments from drug makers
New York Times
Goodwin
Dr. Frederick K. Goodwin (left), host of public radio's "The Infinite Mind," earned at least $1.3 million between 2000 and 2007 giving marketing lectures for drug makers -- income not mentioned on the program. He claims producer Bill Lichtenstein knew of his consulting activities. However, the producer insists he was unaware of his host's financial ties to drug makers and earlier this year "asked him point-blank if he was receiving funding from pharmaceutical companies, directly or indirectly, and the answer was, 'No.'"
> Questions were raised earlier about the radio show's ethics
> Lichtenstein in May: Our guests aren't hiding financial links to drug makers
Posted at 9:58 AM
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Lamb: I have no idea where TV news is headed
TV Week
"I knew where it was going 30 years ago" when C-SPAN was launched, said Brian Lamb. At a USC lecture, he was asked if he had suggestions for improving network news. "No. That's not my business. Frankly, if you look at what's happening to their ratings, you just don't want to be them. Young people just aren’t going there."
Posted at 9:04 AM
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"The pendulum is swinging back in our direction," says Newspaper Guild chief
Forbes.com
Newly elected Guild president Bernard Lunzer says journalists realize they need a voice as newspapers continue to make cuts. "Right now the biggest thing you're fighting is the overall sense of impending doom." Lunzer says the Guild has lost 2,000 members so far this year.
Posted at 8:20 AM
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Conde Nast limits Town Car use, makes other cuts
New York Post
Keith J. Kelly reports in his second column item that Conde Nast will no longer pay for assistants' lunches at their desks. Also, the publisher won't be as generous with magazine and newspaper subscriptions for employees.
Posted at 8:02 AM
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Portfolio writers favor auto industry bailout
Women's Wear Daily
Jesse Eisinger favors it to avoid massive job loss. "We should pour a lot of money down that rat hole," he said grimly at a panel discussion. Matt Cooper added: "We're in a Xanax economy. If you don't give everyone some kind of sedative..." John Cassidy reminded the audience that GM is one of the nation's top advertisers.
> Detroit papers editorialize heavily in favor of aid
Posted at 7:44 AM
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Nov. 20, 2008

NYT cuts dividend from 23 cents to 6 cents per share
New York Observer
"This was a difficult but necessary decision that will provide us with greater financial flexibility in these uncertain economic times," says Times Co. chairman Arthur Sulzberger, Jr. || Read the Times' story on the dividend cut.
Posted at 7:32 PM
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Religion-related stories accounted for 4% of the campaign's newshole
Pew Forum
That's what the Project for Excellence in Journalism found in its examination of religion-focused campaign stories. PEJ says reporters made little attempt to comprehensively examine the role of faith in the political values and policies of the candidates, except for those of Sarah Palin. The top religion storyline of the election was the Obama's-a-Muslim rumor.
Posted at 4:09 PM
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AP could lose 10% of staff through attrition in 2009
The E&P Pub
That's what Associated Press CEO Tom Curley told his employees at a town hall meeting on Thursday. (First reported by Gawker.)
Posted at 2:53 PM
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"Newspapers should become the leading local Internet ad agency"
PBS MediaShift
That idea "goes against ancient newspaper instinct of not ever helping anyone who is your competitor," says Newspaper Next managing editor Stephen Gray. "But the fact is that audiences have split in a million directions, so here we are in a local market and our job is to help businesses in our local market succeed. If that means we are placing ads on Google and Facebook for local businesses, so what? That's what it takes to succeed and ad agencies have been making a living off doing that for some time."
Posted at 2:40 PM
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Woodward: Visit with Felt "was like a family reunion"
Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Bob Woodward said after visiting Mark (Deep Throat) Felt: "He's 95. He's full of dignity and grace. He doesn't have a memory, really. But there was a connection we made." Carl Bernstein adds: "He recognized some things. It was a private visit -- a closing of the circle. We are both very glad we did it. It was evident he was glad."
Posted at 2:03 PM
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LAT has sold $686,000 worth of Obama merchandise
LATimes.com
latobama
James Rainey reports the items for sale include LAT's Nov. 5 front page on an aluminum printing plate ($20), a mini-poster, T-shirts and coffee mugs. He writes: "Newspaper folks feel like it's about time they figured out a way to make money, what with millions of dollars in ad revenue lost to Internet competitors."
Posted at 1:14 PM
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Ex-Inky editorial page editor Satullo joins WHYY
Philadelphia Inquirer
Chris Satullo will oversee the public broadcaster's radio, TV and Internet news operations. Satullo, who was the Inquirer's editorial page editor from 2000 to 2007, says WHYY-FM's "Radio Times" and "Fresh Air" programs are "really well done by really talented people, but if, in a couple of years, they are the only two news programs associated with WHYY, I won't have done my job very well."
> Earlier: Satullo steps down as Inky editorial page editor
Posted at 12:08 PM
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Additional items for November 20, 2008
> Political press scolded for ignoring third-party candidates
> Newsweek defends holding info until after the election
> Fromson: "Too bad Sam Zell never met Otis Chandler"
> CSM's Yemma explains decision to move away from print
> TPM blogger Marshall says advertisers still favor print
> Garfield, Johnston debate web-based investigative journalism
> If Krugman deserves a Pulitzer, what should Glass get?
> ASU gets $5.3M to strengthen biz journalism offerings
> Conrad Black hopes Bush will spring him from prison
Posted at 12:01 PM
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"There's been some great innovation in college media"
PBS MediaShift
Just three years ago, most college media websites were little more than shovelware, with print editors and their advisers reluctant to invest time and energy in developing a robust web presence, says Bryan Murley. "Many college newspapers have moved forward with innovative online offerings." He gives examples.
Posted at 10:51 AM
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Arthur Gregg Sulzberger to leave Oregonian for NYT
Willamette Week | NYMag.com | Providence Phoenix
The 28-year-old son of the Times publisher has been an Oregonian reporter for two and a half years. Before that, he was at the Providence Journal. || Joe Hagan: Sulzberger III is sometimes viewed as a likely successor to his father.
> Earlier: AGS could one day have the top job at NYT
Posted at 10:24 AM
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Daily Bruin journalists do investigative pieces from Thailand and China
LAObserved.com | Daily Bruin
The funding comes from the Bridget O'Brien Scholarship Foundation, named for a photojournalist alum of the UCLA Daily Bruin who died last year in a car crash. Her parents created the foundation to fund student-produced journalism. || Daily Bruin: In China, UCLA clothing is all about the style.
Posted at 10:10 AM
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Presidential race fails to boost evening newscast ratings
Los Angeles Times
The overall number of people watching the network evening newscasts shrank slightly in the last months of the presidential campaign, reports Matea Gold. "NBC Nightly News" was the only one to register an uptick in audience, growing 1% to 8.37 million viewers. ABC's "World News" fell 2% to 8.2 million viewers, while "CBS Evening News" dropped 3% to 6.1 million viewers.
Posted at 9:07 AM
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"60 Minutes" boss: "We operate on the assumption that Americans want substance"
Baltimore Sun
60M
"They want us to be covering big stories," says Jeff Fager. "And that has been paying off in the number of viewers. And I hope it's been paying off for the viewing experience as well." What's next for "60 Minutes"? "We've got a terrific story coming about oil -- actually two. So, it's not just what's happening in the White House. We really want to be on many different fronts."
> "60M" has been the most-watched show the last two weeks
Posted at 8:21 AM
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Cambridge officials scramble to find a news dealer for Harvard Square
Boston Globe
"It could be that we're chasing moonbeams," Cambridge's city manager says of the search for a news vendor to replace Hudson News, which currently runs Out of Town News. The space may become a cafe or a bike-sharing depot. One longtime customer says of the possible closing: "That's the first bad news I've heard since the election. I don't even like magazines, and I love coming here."
Posted at 7:41 AM
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CEO of WP Co.'s Kaplan subsidiary resigns
Washington Post | MarketWatch
Jonathan Grayer, 43, was not asked to leave, says Washington Post Co. chairman Donald Graham. "He is resigning after 17 years, during which there have been tremendously long days, very long weeks and very long years. After 17 years of hellacious effort, he is going to go off and do different things." Kaplan provides about 53% of WP Co.'s revenue. || Related post.
Posted at 7:18 AM
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Nov. 19, 2008

NYT, Media General shares fall to lowest point in decades
Associated Press
Times shares closed Wednesday at $6.35, and Media General fell to $2.96 after Harbinger Capital Partners, which holds seats on both companies' boards, limited its interest in the newspaper publishers.
Posted at 4:47 PM
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"Journalism is becoming a more egalitarian profession -- and that's a good thing"
Columbia Journalism Review
"With a new media ethos that encourages public participation and empowerment, it is my hope that the newest generation of reporters will succeed in rekindling the idea of journalism as public service," writes Erin Rosa, who has been a reporter for five years. "That’s what I want to do."
Posted at 3:01 PM
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Newspaper staffers invited to work as valets at publisher's party
Westword
valet2
Longmont (CO) Times-Call employees who do valet work at the party will earn the same rate of pay they receive at their day job. The holiday event honors Ed Lehman, who's currently in his 51st year as the Times-Call's publisher.
Posted at 1:24 PM
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Additional items for November 19, 2008
> AP, KC Star, Post-Dispatch team up for e-mail story
> Lyons kills blog after Newsweek makes him pull post
> ESPN's the latest media org to cancel its holiday party
> Whyte: Black's history classes are a hit with inmates
> Arizona Republic parent sells Diamondbacks stake
> "Palin made this election," says MSNBC chief Griffin
> Lehrer wins Gaylord Prize for Excellence in Journalism
> Lee-owned North County Times newsroom shrinks by 25%
> Harvard Square's Out of Town News expected to close
Posted at 1:15 PM
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PC Magazine drops its print edition
AdAge.com | The Paper PC
The January issue will be the last print edition. The Ziff Davis Media title's move to a purely digital operation eliminates jobs for seven people, reports Nat Ives. || An ex-staffer writes: "It's indeed the end of an era."
Posted at 12:26 PM
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TV news intern doesn't take well to being fired
St. Paul Pioneer Press
University of Minnesota student Jennifer Nicole Anato-Mensah, 21, threw a fit last month after Twin Cities station KSTP let her go. She began hurling threats at an executive producer, according to a criminal complaint, and kicked out the glass of a conference room door in an attempt to get at her. "You don't know where I'm from. I'll mess you up, b----," the student allegedly told the female producer.
Posted at 11:41 AM
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Two Star-Ledger staffers go from the newsroom to the mailroom
Editor & Publisher
Joe Strupp reports Star-Ledger reporter Jason Jett and assistant deputy photo editor Mitchell Seidel have been reassigned to the mailroom and have been filing, sorting, and delivering mail for more than a week. Editor Jim Willse declines to comment.
Posted at 11:25 AM
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DMN's Grant: I was wrong to leave Pedroia off MVP ballot
Dallasnews.com
Dallas Morning News baseball writer Evan Grant admits it was a mistake to leave Dustin Pedroia off the American League MVP ballot. "My opinion on this one was obviously wrong. What I'm happiest about is that if my analysis was so wrong, at least it did not cost Pedroia the MVP award."
> An out-of-left-field opinion? Try deep, deep in the alley.
Posted at 11:02 AM
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Mutter: A bailout for newspapers will never happen
Reflections of a Newsosaur
Because the shutdown of the entire newspaper industry would have a nearly imperceptible impact on the nation's economy, there's no reasonable commercial case for bailing it out, says Alan Mutter.
Posted at 10:12 AM
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Sun-Times puts high-gloss Nov. 5 front pages on eBay
Chicago Sun-Times | Chicago Tribune
Bidding for the 44 prints starts at $350, and the auctions last for five days. || Phil Rosenthal: Sun-Times pinches pennies, slices board.
> Mariotti "saddened" by what's happened at Sun-Times
Posted at 10:03 AM
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Raines: Will Pulitzer judges finally honor Krugman?
Portfolio.com
Howell Raines says Paul Krugman wrote the single most important newspaper column of this fall's meltdown. He writes that Krugman, when offered the Times column in 1999, "was afraid that dirtying his hands in daily journalism would ruin his chances of winning the Nobel Prize." Raines told Krugman: "If you don't take it, you’ll always second-guess yourself about what might have been."
Posted at 8:57 AM
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Time Inc. shutters Cottage Living magazine
New York Post
Of the 47 staffers at the four-year-old shelter magazine, 38 are expected to be axed, reports Keith J. Kelly. The remaining nine will land elsewhere inside Time Inc. Kelly says the magazine giant will be a publisher of pink slips today as it's expected to cut more than 250 from the payroll.
Posted at 8:44 AM
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NBC legal correspondent Abrams forms consulting firm
New York Times
Abrams
Dan Abrams' firm, Abrams Research, will connect media experts with businesses that need strategic advice, reports Brian Stelter. Journalists and bloggers retained and paid by the firm will consult with corporations, conduct media training sessions, or conduct investigative reporting for corporate clients.
Posted at 7:49 AM
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"At times, it seems like CNN's guiding philosophy is, why the hell not?"
New York Observer
CNN has racked up double-digit profit growth for the fifth straight year, and it's reinvesting its bounty back into its news coverage and whatever else seems appealing, writes Felix Gillette. Recent splurges have included building a new international hub in Abu Dhabi, launching a wire service that will eventually compete with the AP; and kicking off a weekend comedy-news show hosted by comedian D. L. Hughley.
Posted at 7:34 AM
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Tuesday, November 18, 2008 Headlines
– Satterfield resigns as Mercury News managing editor to join PR firm
– Departing WPer Segal loves NYC, misses the newsroom atmosphere
– Kristol: NYT job is low drama with zero problems
– NYT's Play was losing six-digit sums every year
– "News orgs need to raise the value of information they present, rather than diminish it"
– Additional items for November 18, 2008
– Principal apologizes for "Ode to Obama" column in Murfreesboro paper
– Gonyea: I've never seen a politician quite like Obama
– Sorry, Bloomberg, but Seth Mnookin isn't interested in your terminals
– Crosscut.com founder explains shift to nonprofit status
– "Comics Kingdom is a solution to some of the challenges that newspapers face today"
– Claim: There was more insight at Monaco Media Forum than at API's summit
– Bernstein: "We were kids" during the Watergate era
– Star Tribune memo warns of more "painful" cuts in 2009
– VoiceofSanDiego.org is putting local politicians and businesses on the hot seat
Monday, November 17, 2008 Headlines
– WP Style writer Segal jumps to NYT business section
– Knoxville paper launches quick-read Monday edition
– Axed Ventura County Star cartoonist: "I thought I was the safest guy in the industry"
– Additional items for November 17, 2008
–