Inside Out: Exploration of Media, Community, Change

Buyout offers popping up at Newhouse newspapers in Alabama

mcwflint@gmail.com (Mary Ann Chick Whiteside) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:01:02 PST

Media of Birmingham and Lagnaippe both report that more employees at the Newhouse news organizations in Alabama are weighing buyout offers. The offers to non-union employees are capped at six months for those at the Mobile Press-Registrer, Huntsville Times and Birmingham News.

Lagnaippe has details about the Mobile Press-Registrer; Media of Birmingham has more details about the Birmingham News and a mention about the Huntsville Times.

And yes, Victor Hanson III retired as publisher of the Birmingham News. He had announced his leaving in late September. An al.com article and a Tom Scarritt column marked his leaving Dec. 1. His retirement means that for the first time in nearly a century a Hanson does not lead the newspaper.

Hanson, who plans to head back to college, told The Birmingham News he is proud of having led the Birmingham News Co.'s expansion into direct mail, specialty publishing and advertising services to broaden its revenue stream.

"We intentionally developed the talent and focused on the need our clients had to reach the market in ways beyond the printed product," Hanson told the News.

No update on what's happening with the lawsuit by the ex-publisher of The Press-Registrar.. But Lagnaippe questions the accuracy in the reporting of Howard Bronson's exit from the news organization.

"... did the paper intentionally print a lie when it told readers Bronson had retired?"In

In the lawsuit, Bronson claims he was forced out after 18 years and despite what he believed was a lifetime job guarantee.

Although the Lagnaippe writer admits that he does not know what the reporters, and perhaps even the editors, were told about Bronson's departure, he suggests that the news organization needs to tell the truth about its affairs to maintain the public's trust.

.".. it seems if Bronson was fired, someone in the corporate chain determined that a lie should be printed, which destroys the paper’s credibility.

"Either that or Bronson did retire and then forgot and decided to sue, which would make him insane or crazy, or both. (From the Department of Redundancy Department.)

"If a newspaper lies in print about its internal business, to my way of thinking that’s no different than lying about any other story. The credibility’s in the crapper, and that’s really what matters in the news biz.
Mistakes are one thing, but fabrication is another. I hope if it did happen, someone at the P-R will have the cajones to own up to it."

Wow. No mincing of the words in that column. By the way, as long as you're cruising that site check out the words on the P-R's circulation report.

Advance rearranging top jobs; Arwady moving on

mcwflint@gmail.com (Mary Ann Chick Whiteside) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:53:48 PST

Two publishers with long-time ties to Michigan, face major changes this month in Advance Pubications.

Larry McDermott, publisher of The Republican in Springfield, Mass., since 1999, announced Tuesday that he will retire at the end of the year. George Arwady, publisher of The Star-Ledger of Newark, will assume the duties of publisher at The Republican. Penn Jersey Advance President Richard Vezza will also take on the role of publisher at the Star-Ledger.

The Republican, Star-Ledger and Penn Jersey Advance are part of the Advance Publications.

McDermott and Arwady have the Michigan ties. McDermott, 61, was publisher of The Bay City Times when he was named executive editor of the Springfield newspaper in 1991. Arwady worked with the Kalamazoo Gazete, Muskegon Chronicle and Saginaw News in Michigan.

Arwady, 62, was publisher of the Kalamazoo Gazette before going to the Newark newspaper in 2005. The Brooklyn native grew up in New Jersey and spent 34 years of his newspaper career in Michigan. The Republican is the fifth news organization he will run for the Newhouse's Advance Publications.

Arwady was editor and publisher of the Muskegon Chronicle from 1980-88, where he helped start "New Muskegon," an organization designed to give the comunity a boost. Another big project was trying to convince Muskegon to publicly fund a cross-lake ferry project in 1987. The public turned down the proposal.

Arwady also was editor of The Saginaw News, where in June 1977 he started a weekly "Tell it to the Editor" soundoff column for readers.

Verzza, 61, joined Penn Jersey, which is three daily newspapers and a chain of weekly newspapers in New Jersey, and The Express-Times in Pennsylvania in 2000. The long-time New Jersey journalist will continue in that Penn Jersey position, according to an article on nj.com

A number of journalists recall working with McDermott in a story over on masslive.com Plus, find details about the careers of McDermott and Arwady. Arkansas State University also posted a good bio when McDermott closed out the Journalism Alumni Speaker Series in November 2008.

Read some of McDermott's recent columns on masslive.com, including one on a subject dear to his heart: Open meetings.

(Thanks for all who alerted me to this news as I spent the day offline, chatting face-to-face with a friend and struggling to find some perfect presents.)

An intro to Facebook and Twitter for nonprofits

mcwflint@gmail.com (Mary Ann Chick Whiteside) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:07:11 PST

An overview

An intro to Facebook and Twitter for nonprofits

View more presentations from Nathan Wright.

More buyouts offered at Advance newspaper in Alabama

mcwflint@gmail.com (Mary Ann Chick Whiteside) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:14:38 PST

The word spread via Twitter, email and chat but Media of Birmingham tracked down the details: All employees at the Birmingham News in Alabama were offered buyouts today. It is the third round of buyouts at the newspaper still seeking a replacement for its retiring publisher.

Several foks have said that full-time employees were offered two weeks of pay for every year of service, while part-time employees would receive one week of pay for every year of service. Both are capped at 6 months.

And while we're talking about a Newhouse - Advance operation in Alabama .... I missed the Dec. 2 Twitter announcement but Media of Birmingham did not. The editor of al.com, the Advance site for the Alabama news organizations, ended his 10-year stint with the company. Ken Booth is off seeking new ventures, directions, .... though a Tweet today indicates the web is still a big focus.

"Some familiar old concerns of SEO, site updates and user feedback plus new concerns of fulfillment, e-commerce and inventory. I love it."

Media of Birmingham has a few details on Booth's plans.

Close by, a new vice president of advertising for the Mobile Press-Register was named. Vicki Barrett also oversee advertising for the Mississippi Press in Pascagoula. VBarrett had the same post at Sun Herald in Biloxi, Miss.

From a story once posted on al.com:

"Vicki is a consummate sales executive with tremendous energy, as well as a natural-born leader," said Press-Register Publisher Ricky Mathews, formerly publisher at the Sun Herald. "She will be an asset to the Press-Register as we strengthen our newspaper and our multimedia capabilities."

".... She was an instrumental part of helping our newspaper recover from Hurricane Katrina. Her approaches will help us serve our advertisers with innovative products and services like never before. This has never been more important than in these tough economic times."

She replaced former advertising director Larry Wooley, who retired.

Still looking for updates on buyouts and closings at other Advance organizations. Feel free to send me a link or an email. We're just about done with another round of checkups for my daughter, who hopefully will get from Detroit to Knoxville sometime today. But that's another post - need some sleep first.

New editor at Advance's Oregonian

mcwflint@gmail.com (Mary Ann Chick Whiteside) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 20:54:37 PST

Editor Sandy Rowe told the today that she's stepping down after 16 years, 5 Pulitzer prizes and, as one reporter said "a pretty damn good run journalistically." She told staff members she made the decision over Thanksgiving weekend, while wrestling with the 2010 budget.

"Doing this preserves other jobs," she told staff. (The Oregonian had warned that at least 70 buyouts were necessary to prevent layoffs. One published list shows not enough signed up.)

Executive editor Peter Bhatia will replace her, effective Jan. 1.

You can read the memo announcing her resignation and Bhatia's promotion on the OregonLive.com, the online home for the Advance Publications newspaper.

Here's what some others are saying:

Oregonian editor quits; replaced by #2 , with a reminder of Bhatia's recent talk about the future of journalism.
Sandy Rowe retiring

Another Booth editor leaving

mcwflint@gmail.com (Mary Ann Chick Whiteside) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:55:47 PST

The pressure is on as one more newspaper editor in Michigan's Advance Publications family ends her career.

Eileen Lehnert, edtior of the Jackson Citizen Patriot,announced she's leaving at the end the end of December.. That's led to a reshuffling of assignments with:

Publisher Sandy Petykiewicz also becoming editor and directing the newsroom’s strategic efforts.She was editor before becoming publisher (1987-1999).
Sara Scott, now day editor, moving into associate editor for content and responsible for the day-to-day news gathering and content generation
Jerry Sova, now web/news editor, becoming an associate editor for online and print production.

That leaves Rebecca Pierce, editor of the Kalamazo Gazette, as the only Booth Newspaper editor in the same job throughout 2009. Back in May in a post on Mike Lloyd ending his career at the Grand Rapids Press, I counted three of eight editors unchanged. But Paul Keep took Mike/s spot, leaving the Muskegon Chronicle. A new editor was named.
Ann Arbor News editor Ed Petykiewicz, 57, announced his retirement in late March, just before we learned the Ann Arbor News would close in July.

John Foren, who became Flint Journal editor on Jan. 13, 2009, and Paul Chaffee,, publisher/editor of The Saginaw News, left this summer when Advance changed the structure and publishing schedule of those two newspapers and The Bay City Times. The Bay City Times editor, John Hiner, 48, stepped into an executive editor role, overseeing the Journal, News and Times.

How many jobs to replace 1 newsroom post?

mcwflint@gmail.com (Mary Ann Chick Whiteside) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:23:43 PST

That headline sounds like the start of a joke, doesn't it? Instead, it's what I took away from a column about a former Saginaw News news editor who is an internship director, news writing instructor, student newspaper advisor, free-lance writer and free-lance editor. Brian Hlavaty explains his shift from one job to many in part of the continuing series on Poynter Online - Ask the Recruiter

Despite that, he remains upbeat and "sleeps better:

"Having your life ripped apart and rearranged is not necessarily a bad thing. I feel an enthusiasm and a freshness each day that I had not expected."

A little video to go with 'Copy Editor's Lament"

mcwflint@gmail.com (Mary Ann Chick Whiteside) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:38:37 PST

An all volunteer crew of journalists put action to Christopher Ave's Copy Editor's Lament's - also known as the Layoff Song. The journalist/musician first posted the song in March 2009, posted revised lyrics in October. You can get more insight into why in a Poynter Institute posting. And though Christopher is still working as a political editor in St. Louis - never was a copy editor - he's also combining his love for stories and music in Music for Media business.

Yes, I wrote about the song before but now there's a video :) Enjoy

Taking time to say yes to me

mcwflint@gmail.com (Mary Ann Chick Whiteside) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 21:20:12 PST

I keep finding word arrangements about being busy that remind me we all have 24 hours a day to fill, that each of us can choose what to do with that time and when we say we are too busy to do something what we really mean is we choose not to do that something right now.

I have been rushing, gathering information for a research committee, gathering still more information for the required government forms that guarantee help for a trapped Alzheimer patient, gathering more words for so many projects that overwhelm me at year's end. Each is the right thing to do.

I have been teaching, uncomfortable with requirements imposed by others but bolstered by evaluations that illustrate the majority leave the workshops, the lessons, the classrooms with at least one actionable plan likely to impact the lives of at least three more.

Yet, surely even what is right can sometimes be too much. There is a need to step back, to reflect, to move on.

Perhaps it is watching the Yes Man movie with family, watching what happens when someone believes he can only say yes, watching how a constant stream of yeses becomes unbelievable.

Or perhaps it was listening to someone explain what this blog is to a class of eager journalists who wanted to learn a complex subject in 60 minutes or less.

Or perphas it was listening to me, explaining what I am doing, to one more person.

I listen to "Ghost Riders in the Sky," but substitute ghost writer each time the phrase comes around in the Mary McCaslin version that fills the room where I am sorting through commitments, deciphering the thoughts of others for their blog posts.

There is much to tell about changes in Oregon, Alabama, New Orleans, New York, New Jersey, Michigan. There is much to say about the journalism experiments unfolding in Michigan and elsewhere. There is much to say about things I sometimes share here - the health insurance proposals, the debate over when to start/stop/do mammograms, and journalists without jobs finding alternatives.

Just not now - or at least just not now by me. The "gone fishing/gone farming" sign is hung on the virtual office door.

Detroit Daily Press launching inch by site

mcwflint@gmail.com (Mary Ann Chick Whiteside) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:53:12 PST

Detroit's newest daily newspaper, the Detroit Daily Press, launched a Facebook page and is showing signs of launch.

The Detroit, Michigan, newspaper has set up its headquarters in a building that once housed the Royal Oak DailyTribune.and hired staff who once worked for the Detroit Free Press, Detroit News, Oakland Press and other Michigan newspapers.

A posted photo says the sports team includes Dave Holzman, Daved Cintron, James Briggs, Hawke Fracassa, Jason Pinter, Peg McNichol, and Wendy Clem. But on LinkedIn, Wendy Clem says she will cover Wayne County. LinkedIn also says Allan Gilles is senior graphic designer. Another poster at a Detroit site says the just-released commemorative issue also has Rob Parker's byline there.

Meanwhile, Bruce McLauglan, a former Detroit News editor, who took up motorcycle racing at age 39, is the managing editor who is taking resumes (and reminds a Faceback poster that competition is tough.)

Brothers Gary and Mark Stern had announced back in June that they would launch the daily newspaper, just a few months after the Detroit newspapers and 10 days after three other Michigan newspapers went to three days a week. As Ken Doctor wrote then, even the title is a rebuke.

Those who subscribe by Dec. 27 can get the daily newspaper for $3 a week. Regular price is $3.75. The goal: 150,000 subscribers.

Hat tip to Bill Shea who posts an update and says watch for more on Friday on Crain's Detroit site as there's a press conference scheduled.

Click on Detroit has some more details on Friday's press conference and background on the brothers who are behind the new publication.

The Detroit Daily Press was published July 22-Nov. 22 1964, and again in 1978 when the former Detroit newspapers went on strike.

Ca$hing out: Blogging for bucks not easy

mcwflint@gmail.com (Mary Ann Chick Whiteside) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:09:35 PST

This money stuff is so frustrating, so hard to understand, to decipher. I'm starting to think it might be part of the way I'm wired, a trait shared by others who once made journalism a big part of their lives.

I started the day reading a post "Tacky or not, here come the ads." I thought it was an unnecessary post, but the writer wanted to warn his audience he'll be promoting his books in his blog. I think there's no better place to post, to promote what you write then your own blog. Still it was interesting to read Joel Thurtell's struggles with other forms of advertising, a donation button and self censorship. The feelings center around what do you owe the person who is paying.

Then up pops up Jim MacMillan, a pretty smart guy/journalist/teacher, who shares what many are learning the hard way about blogging for bucks: It's not enough to blog, you need a plan.

MacMillan shares the insights he picked up at PhIJI, the Philadelphia Initiative for Journalism Innovation at Temple University in a a post Independent journalism – meet practical business practices

First, a confession from MacMillan:

"Until now, I had been both following and preaching the blogger’s if-you-build-it philosophy, which led me to only marginal monetization. I thought that if I had a sharp platform with worthwhile content, I needed only to develop and audience and the revenue would follow. I gathered followers, generated publicity and even some accolades, but I haven’t made a lot of money; barely a fraction of my previous newsroom paychecks."

Then, a quick summary of the presentations with these conclusions:

Business planning is like story planning: We must identify goals and stakeholders, consider scalability, and constantly evaluate and adapt. Next, journalism entrepreneurs need to learn to articulate and pitch a sustainable value proposition that makes sense.

Identify unmet needs, and find an audience that will pay someone or something to meet that need.

To stay up with the Temple University series, add to your bookmarks: http://www.temple.edu/sct/journalism/phiji/ I'd also suggest reading MacMillan as he struggles to figure out how to become an independent journalist with a paycheck big enough to cover what's necessary. His blog is Future of News.

I could send you off to some other blog posts about money or share some links of local journalism efforts, some grant funded and some hope funded. I could send you off to more posts on conferences or Tweets about reports about finding ways to pay for journalism, for journalists, for news.

Would it matter?

Pulled quote: Words transform nothingness

mcwflint@gmail.com (Mary Ann Chick Whiteside) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:23:00 PST

The right word makes such a difference. It helps us acknowledge something vague as something concrete.

'Words do not label things already there. Words are like the knife of the carver. They free the idea, the thing, from the general formlessness of the outside. As a man speaks, not only is his language in a state of birth, so is the very thing he is talking about.'
--Eskimo saying
From Working with Words

Words are not always enough. I sometimes find that I need a doctor to agree that I'm sick. A listen to the congestion, a peek at the inner ear, a swab of the throat - those gestures grant permission to collapse under covers.

At first, I want to explain away fatigue and other symptoms by attributing all to multiple sclerosis. Doesn't every treatment for a flareup end up with a few days of weakness? Of tiredness? Who needs a doctor for that!

Fortunately, the the sign that I'm on the road to recovery is easier to read. When I yearn for the shampoo bottle, I know wellness is near.

Deadly bullet points? Mid-Michigan Battle Decks ‘09

mcwflint@gmail.com (Mary Ann Chick Whiteside) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:50:26 PST

How quick are you on your feet in a presentation before people you don't know well? Or is it harder to be quick when you're presenting to people you know? Can you react quickly when the wrong slide comes up on the screen? Does your speech echo the bullet points or are people reading something different?

If you're good, consider a national contest called PowerPoint Karaoke or Battle Decks that is coming to East Lansing on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. The idea behind Battle Decks is that you get up in front of a group to do a PowerPoint presentation that lasts about 5 minutes — with the kicker being that you have no idea what is in the deck you are presenting. Some of the slides may be serious quotes, another could be an Excel spreadsheet graph, some could be silly pictures. Get the details, including the prizes, in Mid-Michigan Battle Decks ‘09

I won't be there, although I am feeling very good about surviving a presentation I did last week. I tried to find a substitute since I wasn't feeling good and am trying to follow my doctor's advice to avoid people. I knew something was wrong when I arrived to a nearly full parking lot. What a joy to learn I was told the wrong time for the class - it started in 15, not 45, minutes. Fortunately, there was an experienced expert to help set up the projector and computer. I started on time, finished on time and left with mostly satisfactory evaluations. Oh yeah, I should have listened to the doctor.

Building a better journalist disappoints

mcwflint@gmail.com (Mary Ann Chick Whiteside) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:05:30 PST

The goal was to become a better journalist by attending a daylong session. But Matt Davis left unimpressed. or maybe it was left disappointed.

Part of the disappointment came from learning what happened after a three part investigative story on how there was a documented evidence of a cover-up in a case where a police officer sexually assaulted a woman while on duty.

Yes, despite the investigation, the published report the two key figures are still working in their departments.

There's more on some other breakout sessions in a column you'll enjoy. Byron Beck misses having an editor, Jack Hart shared some writing stories and the comments help.

Conde Nast hires crisis intervention expert

mcwflint@gmail.com (Mary Ann Chick Whiteside) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:22:30 PST

Things are getting serious. The New York Post reported that Conde Nast is hiring a crisis intervention expert. bUT I must admit that the Gawker report and comments on the hiring of the man who calls himself a "confrontational debate specialist" and "one of the most utilized consultants" are just a bit more fun to read. That piece identifies a picture of Scrooge as chairman S. I. Newhouse.

The Post article says CEO Charles Townsend and Chairman S.I. Newhouse, Jr. hired Washington, DC-based crisis manager and media coach Michael Sheehan to help with PR.

Sheehan has coached Democratic presidential candidates, including Barack Obama and "handled AIG during its near-death experience and JP Morgan in its acquisition of Chase." The magazine branch of Advance Publications has folded six magazines, including Gourmet and Cookie, and fired at least 460 employees.

The Post article also points out the rising influence of the Lucky publisher in the Newhouse family of publications.

AnnArbor.com staff meeting leads to stat reveal

mcwflint@gmail.com (Mary Ann Chick Whiteside) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:37:13 PST

There was this Tweet:

AnnArbor.com just held a full staff meeting after three months in operation. We're a hit. Literally: 1.5 million unique visitors to our site

which led to this:

AnnArbor.com is averaging 170,000-180,000 average weekly unique visitors; 30,000-40,000 average daily unique visitors.

which led to this:

AnnArbor.com has more than 22,000 readers and growing subscribed to its daily e-mail newsletter.: "

which led to this:

Summary: AnnArbor.com has created a sustainable business model that is working.

Meanwhile, Michigan media again goes under the microscope, this time at Convergence and Society: The Changing Media Landscape (#cconf09) Doug Fisher writes more about this panel and others.

Class party: Words expensive to buy

mcwflint@gmail.com (Mary Ann Chick Whiteside) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:18:52 PST

Amazing. A Michigan writer is learning that his words may be too costly to buy. The New York Times would charge Joel Thurtell more for reprint rights then it paid him to write a story. Details in Class party

Columnist: Mive.com moving into top lists

mcwflint@gmail.com (Mary Ann Chick Whiteside) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:08:51 PST

The progress of Mlive.com, the central home for Michigan newspapers affiliated with Advance Publications, climbing the charts is part of a column on The changing face of news media

Candace Beeke, editor of the Business Review West Michigan, shares that mlive.com reaches "1.77 million unique users per month — making it the largest news site in the state."

She also writes that "the Web site is now in the top 30 for newspaper sites in the country, according to Neislen's Internet ratings."

Oh, and she's looking for feedback on mlive.com's new look, how people use online news and how your news preference is changing.

Oregonian editor: Not enough taking buyout; 70 must go

mcwflint@gmail.com (Mary Ann Chick Whiteside) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:00:17 PST

A memo from Sandy Rowe, editor of the Oregonian, warns that not enough employees have signed up for a buyout from the Advance Publications newspaper.

Williamette Week published the memo under the headline Layoffs Are "Inevitable"

Rowe says 70 positions need to be eliminated but "only 25 full-time staffers and 6 part-time have either accepted the buyout offer or have indicated to us they are going to sign the paperwork" by the Nov. 9 deadline. Among those going is the person behind the Portland Arts Watch, who posted "The first words of a long good-bye" online.

The Oregonian newsroom is rearranging its structure to cope with new staffing levels and news requirements.

Other Advance Publications employees weighing buyout offers include those at the Star-Ledger (50 must go), Staten Island Advance (40 must go) and Times-Picayune.

Another Newhouse newspaper says 40 must go

mcwflint@gmail.com (Mary Ann Chick Whiteside) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:53:33 PST

The 'Staten Island Advance' offers a buyout and warns layoffs coming if 40 employees at the New York newspaper don't accept the offer by Dec. 21.

The offer includes two weeks' pay for every year of service up to six months of salary, along with medical coverage.

The Staten Island Advance is part of Advance Publications.

New blog (to me) leads to inspiring story, inspiring site

mcwflint@gmail.com (Mary Ann Chick Whiteside) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:18:55 PST

Gosh, Google Reader figured out I might be interested in blogs about multiple sclerosis. Not sure if it is because I've already subscribed to so many or the words in my blog. So over on MS News Updates: I learn about a new web site using storytelling and also a story about using adaptive devices.

Serono, makers of Rebif and Cladribine and behind MSLifelines, an online support group/website with nifty journals, symptom trackers and information, now is using storytelling by 5 people diagnosed with MS in the 2000 to distribute information and tips. The best part - the company is paying the five bloggers - to be a part of How I Fight MS.

MSLifelines has featured stories before, so what's different here is that there is ongoing storytelling by the individuals.

Also shared on the site was an article about a woman with MS who leads city tours for government officials via wheelchairs. The Star Ledger’s Oct 15th Middlesex County Newswrites about Jackie Jackson and her learn by doing tours.

Save journalism? Or save democracy?

mcwflint@gmail.com (Mary Ann Chick Whiteside) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:17:48 PST

Bill Mitchell of Poynter shares some of the conversation from last month's Community Conversation in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in Four things people miss about newspapers and what can be done about it

You've heard some of the people and conversations before. Mitchell sums it up:

"Much of the discussion involved the role a newspaper plays in facilitating in-person discussion -- in homes as well as broader communities -- in ways that online news might not. Other gaps mentioned by the group included newspaper-as-common-document for the community, the story-telling form of a newspaper article and a popular re-use of newspaper delivery bags."

Interesting conversation about what happens when newspapers stop "creating the space journalism occupies" and its effect on narrative commitments. Will it jar as black-and-white movies do for some teens?

I've been wrestling with journalism and democracy, so the comeback to AnnArbor.com's We're here to save journalism added another round. Do we need journalism to save democracy?

You can read an earlier update on the forum or look at the post to get an idea of what was to happen.

Another Michigan publication switching publication plan

mcwflint@gmail.com (Mary Ann Chick Whiteside) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:29:44 PST

Editor & Publisher says another Michigan newspaper will drop its Monday edition in 2010. The 'Huron Daily Tribune' will publish a Saturday newspaper to meet the customer's demand "for more timely coverage in print of important events, like local sports and breaking news from Friday evening." That quote is from Mark Aldam, senior vice president and group publisher for Hearst Newspapers.

The Huron Daily Tribune also will move printing to its Midland production facility, which also prints the Midland Daily News.

Moving on, moving up

mcwflint@gmail.com (Mary Ann Chick Whiteside) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:45:03 PST

A former Flint Journal employee, Carol D. Rugg, will become vice president-communications at the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation in January. She left the newspaper's lifestyle section in 1985.

One year later: Journalist to lobbyist

mcwflint@gmail.com (Mary Ann Chick Whiteside) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:05:32 PST

For 12 years, David Reinhard was an editorial columnist for The Oregonian. He's spent the last year getting surprised in his new job as a lobbyist. The former journalist talks about what he misses and what is different in his new role in The education of a Salem lobbyist

If you believe the photo bylines and ignore the text byline, you can still read what Reinhard thought he was moving from and to in "And one more thing: David Reinhard says thankyou and goodbye."

"I want to be part of a team that shares a common goal and commitment. I want to work with folks who share my basic values. I no longer want to be the odd man out."

Or maybe the last one out of the newsroom?