A note from Geigers in Florida

Dear family and friends,

Thought you might enjoy seeing this photo of Sandy and Fletcher, the greeter cat at Green Cove Presbyterian Church. Even though it was raining a bit, Fletcher faithfully remained at his post, both before and after service. We are told that he lives nearby and know personally that he seldom, if ever, misses a service.

First Presbyterian Church of Green Cove Springs is a small, beautiful century-old church where we have just become members. (Although we were intrigued by the greeter cat, we joined after visiting a number of churches in the area, most of which were mega-churches. The one we chose is Reformed, friendly and small.) We also attend the church here on campus upon occasion, especially when special events are held there. However, it is nice to belong to a church that has people who are young and old

Florida is great. So far the weather has been just fine but we know the really hot weather will be coming. We had thought we’d just spend the spring and summer at Penney Retirement Center as we have heard a lot of people from here do go away, some for as long as four months. That leaves the volunteer work schedule hard to fill. However, our son Patrick’s health continues to decline so we have agreed that we should go north while he can still enjoy our visit with him. His infection of the brain is making it harder to communicate when we have telephone visits. A priority during the time we are with him will be to talk with his doctor. Last May Patrick said that doctors gave him six months to a year to live. His condition remains untreatable, although he is being given experimental drugs

Yes, we made travel arrangements with an airline that went bankrupt and closed down. Thankfully, we were able to make new arrangements for the same time period and will be leaving the sunny South on April 29th to spend a few days visiting Patrick. Renting a car, we will visit friends in Lorain County where our oldest son, Bill, and his Mongolian wife, Jill, will be able to join us for two days. After visiting with Patrick again, we will return to Florida . Please keep Patrick and our travels in your prayers

Then it is back to our volunteer work, which we are thoroughly enjoying. Both of us serve supper once a week at an assisted living facility. It is a hectic two hours of hard work, but the residents really love Pete telling jokes and making up crazy flavors of soups and ice-creams that he claims are on the menus. Most days Pete can be found at the computer and electrical shop unless he is busy editing “Penney for Your Thoughts”, the monthly newsletter. Sandy spends her time at Hagan Care Center , a memory care center, at the resale shop (working and shopping) and helping at the estate sales. She is also on the food committee and will soon be taking training to do hospice care. We both love the library on the grounds and there are more programs and meetings daily than we can possibly attend. Sandy has been named co-wedding planner for our new church. So far that has not been time-consuming. She has assisted with just one wedding. The music for the service was done entirely by acoustical guitar and, to our surprise, the recessional was a Beach Boys song, “Wouldn’t it Be Nice”. We are still laughing about it

Some folks have come to visit but we are hoping for more. Check your schedule and come on down. We’d love it.

Missing Mongolia and Ohio but loving it here in Florida ,

Sandy and Pete

The new emal address for the Geigers is psgeiger@bellsouth.net

Gary Pruitt named NAA president

Washington – Gary Pruitt, chairman, president and chief executive officer of The McClatchy Co. in Sacramento, Calif., has been elected to serve as the Newspaper Association of America’s next chairman. The gavel was passed to Pruitt from last year’s chairwoman Susan Clark-Johnson, president of the Newspaper Division of Gannett Co. in McLean, Va., during the Association’s Capital Conference held April 12-16 in Washington, D.C. Clark-Johnson will continue to serve on the NAA Board of Directors as immediate past chairperson.

Gary Pruitt assumed the role of McClatchy Co. chairman in 2001. He has been chief executive officer since 1996 and president since 1995, the year he also became a director. He served as chief operating officer from 1995 to 1996 and as vice president, operations and technology from 1994 to 1995. Before that, Mr. Pruitt was publisher of The Fresno Bee from 1991 to 1994, served as corporate secretary and general counsel from 1987 to 1991 and was counsel from 1984 to 1987. He currently serves as a director of The Associated Press and The James Irvine Foundation.

Other officers elected were: Michael E. Reed, president and CEO of GateHouse Media Inc. in Fairport, N.Y., as treasurer; George B. Irish, president, Hearst Newspapers, a subsidiary of The Hearst Corp. in New York City, as vice chairman; and Mark G. Contreras, senior vice president/newspapers for The E.W. Scripps Co. in Cincinnati, as secretary.

Elected to two-year terms on the NAA Board of Directors were: Stephen Hills, president and general manager, The Washington Post; Carol Hudler, president and publisher, The News-Gazette, Fort Myers, Fla., and group president of Gannett Co.’s Sun Coast Newspaper Group; and Michael R. Romaner, president of Morris DigitalWorks, a subsidiary of Morris Communications Co. in Augusta, Ga.

Modesto Bee offers buyouts to 100-plus

The Modesto Bee offered voluntary buyouts Monday to more than 100 employees.

About one-quarter of The Bee's 455 employees were offered buyout packages. Not all who apply will be approved, President and Publisher Margaret Randazzo said. She said only a limited number of buyouts will be accepted from each division.

Randazzo said the buyouts were offered to employees in every division, except for ad sales representatives and reporters. The buyout packages include up to 26 weeks of pay depending on tenure, and medical coverage.

The Bee, owned by Sacramento-based McClatchy Co., does not have a set number of buyouts it will accept, she said. But, she added, "We anticipate that the percentage of our work force approved will be in the low single digits."

Mark Vasché, editor and senior vice president of The Bee, said the buyouts will affect a "very small" number of the newsroom's 90-plus employees and thus should have a minimal impact on readers.

Click on the headline to read the full story by Christina Salerno in the Bee

BJ's Dyer wins top columnist award

Akron Beacon Journal columnist Bob Dyer on Monday was named the nation's top general columnist in 2007 by the National Society of Professional Journalists.

Dyer has worked at the Beacon Journal since 1984. On Oc\tober 5, 2006 Dyer became the Beacon’s ''columnist with attitude,'' seeking to provoke and entertain with reporting and perspective on local topics.

The awards were announced Monday in Indianapolis. This year’s winners were chosen from more than 1,000 entries in 48 categories including print, radio, television and online.

The Sigma Delta Chi Awards date back to 1932, when the Society first honored six individuals for contributions to journalism. The current program began in 1939, when the organization awarded the first Distinguished Service Awards. These awards later became the Sigma Delta Chi Awards.

The awards, which recognize work published in 2007, will be presented July 11 during the annual Sigma Delta Chi Awards banquet at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

“Year after year, the winners of the Sigma Delta Chi awards represent the very best journalism has to offer,” said SPJ President Clint Brewer. “These awards and the journalism they recognize represent the incredibly positive contributions our profession makes to the national dialogue and to our communities. We thank the winners and all the entrants for their service and congratulate them on a job well done.”

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press.

Dyer won the award for a collection of columns. You can read the full columns online at Ohio.com The Beacon Journal announced the award in a story on page B1, the Local section front, which summarizes the four columns Click on the headline to see the complete list of awards.

Dyer also is the author of three books, Cleveland Sports Legends: The 20 Most Glorious and Gutwrenching Moments of All Time; Omar! My Life on and off the Field, with Omar Vizquel, and The Top 20 Moments in Cleveland Sports.

Newseum is apparently a hit

The Washington Post has a ton of information on the Newseum. Click on the headline.

The museum's best day was 5,000 visitors when it was located in Rosslyn. The new facility reached capacity sometime after 2 p.m. Friday, the opening day, and that more than 1,000 free tickets were handed out to people who couldn't get in.

A Q,& A. with Gary Pruitt

Here’a a Q&A wth Gariy Pruitt from a site called Examiner.com with various city locations. There is no informatrion on the site to explain exactly what it is or where it comes from. The piece sounds a bit like a PR release, but here’s the post by Patty Reinart

Gary Pruitt, chairman, president and CEO of The McClatchy Co., made headlines in 2006 when his company acquired Knight Ridder to become the nation’s second-largest newspaper chain. McClatchy’s stock price has plunged, but Pruitt says he has no regrets about the deal and believes newspapers have a strong future as they reinvent themselves as news information companies. As newspaper editors and executives meet in Washington this week, Pruitt will take over as chairman of the Newspaper Association of America.

Q The newspaper industry is experiencing the worst drop in advertising revenue in 50 years. Circulation numbers continue to fall as more people get their news from the Internet. Are newspapers dying?

A It is indeed a painful transition, but newspapers are not taking it lying down. While circulation is declining over time, the newspaper still has the biggest reach of any single medium in the local market. Most newspapers operate the most popular local Internet site. They also publish specialty and niche and direct mail products. While print circulation slowly declines, total audience is growing, and that remains the best predictor of future success.

Q Should newspapers continue to serve a broad audience or should they focus on niche publications and Web sites to target specific readers and advertisers?

A I think it’s important for newspapers to remain a mass medium. We are still reaching more people in the market than other media outlets. That’s important for the business model and it’s important in terms of public service. Very few institutions can bring a common base of knowledge to an audience the way a newspaper can. We also have to be a leading Internet company. We have to target content and advertising in online products and print products so advertisers can choose to reach a mass audience or a targeted audience.

Q Can newspapers move to the Internet and still make money?

A Yes, I think so. Right now Internet operations only represent 10 percent of newspapers’ advertising revenue, but they are growing. They operate at a higher profit margin because delivery is cheaper; there’s no paper. So revenues needn’t equalize, but we will need to grow Internet revenue strongly and quickly.

Q Do you expect newsrooms to downsize even further? How has McClatchy avoided newsroom layoffs?

A I expect there will be more cost-cutting industrywide. At McClatchy, we often think about trying to allocate resources in those areas that drive quality and performance most. As a result, we try to maintain ad sales capabilities and our ability to produce quality journalism. That doesn’t mean we don’t have cuts in the newsroom or other areas. But we do our best to make sure we keep those areas resourced in a way to continue to produce quality news.

Q What changes do you see coming in the next 10 years in the way newspapers operate?

A I think you will see newspapers focus on their core capabilities most — gathering and reporting of news, especially local news, and selling of advertising. Some of the other areas of their operations may be contracted for or outsourced over time. There will be a much greater focus on growing online and digital products — not just the Internet, but also digital delivery to cell phones and mobile devices.

Survey: shows biggest staff drop in 30 years,

The American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE) conducted a survey this year that found that newsrooms have encountered the biggest loss of jobs in 30 years and that the percentage of minorities working in newsrooms is still disproportionate to the larger workforce.

The survey found:

• U.S. daily newsrooms shrank by 2,400 journalists in the past year, a "4.4% workforce decrease that's the biggest year-over-year cut in ranks since ASNE began conducting its annual census 30 years ago.
• 52,600 people work full-time in daily newspaper newsrooms. 1984 was the last time that number has been so low at 50,400, of whom 5.75% were journalists of racial or ethnic minorities.
• Nearly 300 fewer journalists of color are working in newsrooms than this time last year.
• But due to the layoffs and hiring freezes, the percentage of journalists of color in daily newsrooms actually grew by a tiny margin, to 13.52% from 13.43% of all journalists.
• The largest number and percentage of journalists of color are black, with 2,790 or 5.3% of the workforce."
• There are 2,346 Hispanic journalists, 4.5% of newsrooms.
• Asian Americans are 3.2% of newsrooms at 1,692 journalists.
• Native Americans are the smallest minority group: 284 journalists or 0.5% of newsroom employees.
• Men still outnumber women in the daily newsroom by a 63% to 37% margin.
• Minority journalists are more likely to be reporters. Only 11.4% of supervisors are journalists of color.

Click on the headline to read the full story.

Mary Beth wins furnishing award

Beacon Journal home writer Mary Beth Beckenridge has won the top award in the newspaper category from the American Home Furnishings Alliance in High Point, NC, for her coverage of home furnishings products and trends. Breckenridge joined the Beacon Jurnal in 1987 and has been the Home and Garden writer since 1996.

The award was announced on the cover of the Home section (page E1) in today's Beacon Journal

Akron to become digital superstar

Akron is about to become a digital superstar.

Here’s the lead on the play story in the Akron Beacon Journal by staff writer Jim Carney:

The city will become the national headquarters of a multi-million dollar think tank that will help communities bring the online world to more people.

And at the same time, Akron will be a model of universal, free access to the World Wide Web with the creation of a wireless Internet access corridor covering about 10 square miles in the central part of the city.

Those plans were shared today by officials from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the city of Akron, and the nonprofit group OneCommunity during a press conference at Akron's Knight Center in downtown Akron.

The foundation announced it will spend $15 million during the next five years — including $4.5 million this year — to establish the Knight Center for Digital Excellence in Akron, likely somewhere in the downtown area. The center will employ 16 people, officials said.

The center is part of a $25 million initiative by the Knight Foundation during the next five years to accelerate digital access projects in 26 Knight Foundation communities, including Akron.

In addition, the Knight Foundation said it would provide $625,000 of the $2.2 million needed to create the wireless corridor in Akron.

When the Akron corridor is up and running by the end of this year, people with wireless-ready computers will be able to tap into the Internet for free within the district.

The district includes downtown, the University of Akron, museums, all three downtown hospitals and neighborhoods in North Hill, East Akron and Highland Square, along with Goodyear and Lockheed Martin, the Helen Arnold School and the Urban League, Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic said.

Plusquellic said he has signed a ''memorandum of understanding'' with OneCommunity and will recommend that Akron City Council approve a five-year commitment of about $800,000 toward the design, deployment and operation of the wireless corridor in Akron.

The University of Akron has pledged another $350,000 to the corridor because the University Park area is part of the district, Plusquellic said.

The city's six-term mayor said the free wireless corridor will cover about 80,000 to 90,000 residents and about 31,000 workers.

Click on the headline to read the full story by Carney.

Ron Kirksey retires after 10 years at Kent State

Click on this image to read about Ron Kirksey's retirement

Tom Batiuk is Pulitzer finalist

Tom Batiuk of King Features was a finalist for the Pulitzer prize for editorial cartooning.
for a sequence in his cartoon strip “Funky Winkerbean” that portrays a woman’s poignant battle with breast cancer.

The strips covering Lisa Moore's final battle with breast cancer are now in a new book, Lisa's Story: The Other Shoe from The Kent State University Press, with proceeds going to Lisa's Legacy Fund

Batiuk spent several years as a middle school art teacher before creating the comic strip Funky Winkerbean in 1972. Originally a “gag-a-day” comic strip that portrayed life in high school, Funky has evolved into a mature series of real-life stories examining such social issues as teen dating abuse, teen pregnancy, teen suicide, violence in schools, the war in the Middle East, alcoholism, divorce, and cancer.

In 1999, Lisa Moore, one of Funky’s friends and a main character, discovered she had breast cancer. Batiuk, unsure about dealing with such a serious subject on the funny pages, decided to go ahead with the story line. He approached the topic with the idea that mixing humor with serious and real themes heightens the reader’s interest. Lisa and husband Les faced the same physical, psychological, and social issues as anyone else dealing with the disease.

After a mastectomy and chemotherapy, Lisa was cancer free. She finished her law degree, opened a practice, and had a baby daughter, Summer. Then, in the spring of 2006, the cancer returned and metastasized. Lisa’s Story: The Other Shoe is a collection of both the 1999 comic strips on Lisa’s initial battle with cancer and the current series examining her struggle with the disease and its outcome. Additionally, it contains resource material on breast cancer, including early detection, information sources, support systems, and health care.

Tom Batiuk is a graduate of Kent State University. His Funky Winkerbean and Crankshaft comic strips are carried in over 700 newspapers throughout the U.S. In 2006, he was honored by the American Cancer Society and presented its Cancer Care Hall of Fame Award for his sympathetic work in highlighting the experiences of those with cancer.

Blogger Note: Thanks to Rich Heldenfels for an item in his HeldenFiles column today which called our attention to Batuik's honor which was almost overlooked.

[Info from Kent State University Press]

Retired printer Warren Watson dies at 86

Warren Watson, of Naples, Fla., and Akron, Ohio, passed away on April 3, 2008.

Warren was born on Dec. 10, 1921 in Akron, Ohio to the late Elmer and Nettie Watson. He was a proud U.S. Naval pilot Lieutenant (jg) during World War II. He attended Iowa State University where he received his pre-flight training. He was also a graduate of North High School. Following his time in the service, Warren joined the staff at the Akron Beacon Journal as a printer. He retired in 1983 after 35 years of employment. Warren was an avid golfer, participating in several golf leagues, including golf with his longtime Winnipeg friends. Warren was a Little League coach in the Firestone Park area and later enjoyed watching the accomplishments of his grandchildren as they played sports.

Warren is survived by Isabel, his wife of 61 years. He is also survived by his children and their spouses, Dennis and Regina Watson of Akron, Ohio, James and Jean Glase of Naples, Fla., David and Robin Watson of Akron, Ohio and Robert and Ashley Watson of West Chapel, Fla.; nine grandchildren, Christopher, Amie, Nathan, Laura, Jeanine, James Jr., Jeffrey, Taylor and Rachel; three great-grandchildren, Jacob, Amelia and Amber.

Warren was preceded in death by his brothers, John, Robert, Paul and Leland.

Visiting hours will be at the HENNESSY-BAGNOLI FUNERAL HOME, 936 N. MAIN ST., AKRON, on Thursday, April 10, 2008 from 5 to 8 p.m. Services will be Friday, April 11 at 10:30 a.m. at the same location, followed by interment with military honors at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery.

There is a word of grief the sounding token

It is known on land, sea and ocean

It is the saddest word ever spoken

'Tis called good-bye.
[Beacon Journal, Akron, OH,Wednesday, April 9, 2008, page B7, col. 5 ]

About those anonymous comments

Some 70 percent of editors surveyed said requiring commenters to disclose their identities would support good journalism, while only 45 percent of the public did. Similarly, 58 percent of editors said letting journalists join online conversations and give personal views would harm journalism, but only 36 percent of the public agreed.

Most editors and the public agree that local news online should follow longstanding journalism standards, such as verifying information. But views of the two groups diverged on whether users of local news Web sites should post comments without giving their real names, according to a new survey.

You may remember that this blog posted a question by Bill O’Connor last December 20 about unsigned comments on the blog. There were a half dozen comments. So we thought viewers might be interested in this study.

The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI), in partnership with the Associated Press Managing Editors (APME), conducted the comprehensive study of credibility of online local journalism between August and October 2007. The purpose of the study was to examine opinions of the general public as well as newsroom editors regarding the credibility of online local news content, interaction between newsroom and readers, and the attributes that comprise good journalism practice online.

Five hundred interviews were randomly completed with adults 18 years of age or older throughout the United States, as well as 1,251 interviews with newsroom editors of U.S. daily newspapers. The surveys were conducted by RJI's Center for Advanced Social Research (CASR) at the Missouri's School of Journalism.

Click on the headline to read the article on the suvery or read the full report on the Associated Press Managing Editors website. The complete report is 49 pages in a PDF file

Regina Brett is Pulitzer finalist

Plain Dealer metro columnist Regina Brett was one of three finalists for the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in Commentary, Columbia University announced Monday.

Steven Pearlstein of the Washington Post won the Pulitzer Prize in commentary for his columns that explored the nation's complex economic ills. The other finalist was John Kass of the Chicago Tribune.

"We are all very proud of Regina - today and every day," said Plain Dealer Editor Susan Goldberg. "She is passionate about her work and about our community, and it comes through in every column she writes."

Judges recognized Brett for her "compassionate columns on alienated teenagers in a dangerous city neighborhood."

"I feel really blessed," Brett said. "There are so many great writers out there. To think that I ended up in the final three, it makes you feel giddy inside."

Brett wrote a series of columns that explored inner-city violence, poverty and hopelessness among black teenagers and young men.

She said journalists must never fear going to inner-city neighborhoods to give the people there a voice and to tell their stories.

"Last year took me to the heart of [the inner city], and I realized that these kids need our voice more than anybody," Brett said.

"While journalists cannot right every wrong, champion every cause or fix every problem, they can - through the written word - lift someone's burden for a day, make some elderly woman on a bus smile or let them know they are noticed by someone.

"As much as the Pulitzer is the hallmark of journalism, I think what I love the most is when somebody says they took my column and it's in their wallet," Brett said. "I have had people open their wallet and show me a corner of a column."

Future columns will build on last year's themes, Brett said, urging a united front to step forward to address urban violence and poverty that no one person or organization can solve.

Brett, who has been writing professionally since 1986, joined The Plain Dealer in 2000 and her columns appear Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. She also hosts a weekly radio show each Friday on WCPN FM/90.3, Cleveland's Natonal Public Radio affiliate.

In the mid-1980s, she covered City Hall for the Lorain Journal, before moving on to the Beacon Journal in Akron, where she covered business and breaking news. She began writing columns in 1994.

Plain Dealer columnist Connie Schultz won the Pulitzer Prize in commentary in 2005.

Click on the headline to read the Plain Dealer article.

Click here to read some of Regina's work.

Wash Post wins 6 Pulitzers, NYT takes 2

Click here to read Joe Strupp's story in Editor & Publisher or click on the headline to go to the Pulitzer site.

The Washington took home six of the 14 journalism categories -- including the coveted Public Service award -- the most ever for the newspaper. The Times won two Pulitzers this year, for investigative reporting and for Explanatory Reporting. There was a tie in the investigative category, with the Chicago Tribune also getting the nod

Winners were announced at 3 p.m. at Columbia University.

The Post's six-prize sweep is second only in history to The New York Times, which won seven Pulitzers in 2002, many for its Sept. 11 coverage. The board offered no winner in editorial writing, the first time that has occurred in that category since 1993.

The Post's winners this year are:

• Public Service - Dana Priest and Anne Hull, for their Walter Reed Army Hospital expose.
• National Reporting - Barton Gellman and Jo Becker, for their series, "Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency."
• International Reporting - Steve Fainru, for his coverage of Iraq-related security and Blackwaer..
• Breaking News - Coverage of the Virginia Tech massacre.
• Commentary - Business columnist Steven Pearlstein..
• Feature Reporting - Gene Weingarten, for "Pearls Before Breakfast," his story on violinist Joshua Bell playing in the subway

The New York Times two awards are for:

• Investigative Reporting (co-winner), for its "Toxic Pipeline" series on dangerous foreign imports by Walt Bogranich and Jake Hooker.
• Explanatory Reporting, to Amy Harmon for "The DNA Age."
  

This marks the third win for Bogranich, who previously won in 1988 and 2005.

The five remaining categories:

• Feature Photography: Concord (NH) Monitor, Preston Gannawy.
• Breaking News Photography: Reuters, Andrees Latif.
• Editorial Cartooning: Investor's Business Daily, Michael Ramirez
• Local Reporting: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, David Umhofer, stories on tax laws and pension misuse.
• Criticism: Boston Globe, Mark Feeney
• Investigative Reporting (co-winner) : Chicago Tribune staff, for stories on faulty government regulation of toys, cribs, car seats
  

Footnote: Bob Dylan was awarded a special "citation" for music.

Charts from McClatchy Co. annual report

Here are circulation and revenue charts from the annual report to shareholders of the McClatchy Company which aquired Knight Ridder newspapers. Click on the top chart to enlarge for reading.

Total Revenues by Newspaper (dollars in thousands)

Newspaper..............................................................2007...............2006
The Miami Herald *.............................................$297,417..... $350,993
(Fort Worth) Star-Telegram * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229,133....... 245,755
The Kansas City (Missouri) Star * .......................220,320 ......235,692
The Sacramento Bee ..........................................211,035 .......254,741
Charlotte Observer * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169,292.........176,246
The (Raleigh) News & Observer. . . . . . . . . . . . . 144,254..... .146,799
The Fresno Bee ..................................................107,673........ 117,522
The (Columbia, SC) State.................................... 83,933.......... 87,825
The (Tacoma) News Tribune . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83,011...........84,652
Lexington Herald-Leader * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77,912...........80,218
The Wichita Eagle * ..............................................62,979............66,393
The Modesto Bee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57,663............65,943
Anchorage Daily News .........................................55,301...........60,622
Idaho Statesman (Boise)* .....................................53,663..........58,099 ..
The (Myrtle Beach, SC) Sun News * . . . . . . . . . . 45,315..........45,203
(Biloxi) Sun Herald * ............................................ 35,659...........36,320
The (Macon, GA) Telegraph * ..............................35,148..........36,731
Belleville (Illinois) News-Democrat * . . . . . . . . . . 34,361.........35,542
(Columbus, GA) Ledger-Enquirer * . . . . . . . . . . . 33,317.........34,330
The Bradenton (Florida) Herald * ..........................32,322.........38,051
The Olympian (Washington) * ...............................27,491..........27,046
The (San Luis Obispo, CA) Tribune * ....................26,366....... 30,893
Tri-City (Washington) Herald. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25,867 ..... ...26,235
The Bellingham (Washington) Herald * . . . . . . . . . 19,778.......19,975
(Pennsylvania) Centre Daily Times * ......................18,300.......18,612
The Island Packet (Hilton Head, SC) ......................17,824.......19,307
The (Rock Hill, SC) Herald ......................................16,092........16,281
Merced (California) Sun-Star ............................... 12,775..........15,059
The Beaufort (South Carolina) Gazette. . . . . . . . . 6,892.......... 7,084
El Nuevo Herald * (included in Miami totals). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
* Acquired on June 27, 2006

Attendance is mandatory, Ted Gup says

“Attendance is mandatoriy,” former BJ staffer Ted Gup tells his students.

A commentary by Gup in the April 11, 2008 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education Gup notes that today’s college students have turned out the world and it’s party our fault.

“Families and schools must instill in students the habit of following what is happening in the world,” Gup writes. “A global economy will have little use for a country whose people are so self-absorbed that they know nothing of their own nation's present or past, much less the world's. There is a fundamental difference between shouldering the rights and responsibilities that come with citizenship — engagement, participation, debate — and merely inhabiting the land.”

Gup is a professor of journalism at Case Western Reserve University and author of National of Secrets: The Threat of Democracxy and the American Way of Life. His commentary is well worth reading.

The last two paragraphs givel us Gup’s conclusion:

The noted American scholar Robert M. Hutchins said, decades ago: "The object of the educational system, taken as a whole, is not to produce hands for industry or to teach the young how to make a living. It is to produce responsible citizens." He warned that "the death of a democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment." I fear he was right.

I tell the students in my secrecy class that they are required to attend. After all, we count on one another; without student participation, it just doesn't work. The same might be said of democracy. Attendance is mandatory.

Commentary: Iraq War coverage plunges

Coverage of the Iraq war has decreased dramatically since President Bush announced the troop surge in January 2007. For the first three months of 2007, coverage of the war accounted for 23% of the overall newshole. One year later—from Jan. 1 through March 20 of 2008—the conflict generated only about one-sixth as much media attention.

[Source: Project for Excellence in Journalism: See News Index on our website]

Ray Redmond given credit for Pulitzer role

Ray Redmond, 90, war veteran, journalist
Reporter played key role in earning Beacon Journal 1971 Pulitzer Prize

By Bill Lilley
Beacon Journal staff writer
Ray Redmond proved more than once he had a reporter's greatest gift — the knack for being on the scene for the big stories.

As an information officer in Gen. George Patton's U.S. 3rd Army, the quiet and unassuming Mr. Redmond was in France on June 6, 1944 — D-Day.

As a reporter for the Beacon Journal during the final chapter of his 34-year career in journalism, Mr. Redmond was at Kent State University on May 4, 1970 — the Kent State massacre.

Mr. Redmond, who died Thursday at 90, played a key role in the Beacon Journal earning the 1971 Pulitzer Prize for its Kent State coverage.

His widow, Nea Redmond, said the Portage County prosecutor had an FBI report that basically said the National Guard was not threatened enough to merit shooting. And because Ray had such a good relationship with him, the prosecutor told Ray the paper would be on his desk and he'd be out of his office.

''The swift reporter got to the paper and got the big story and that helped clinch the Pulitzer,'' she said. ''Ray wouldn't talk about it because he was too humble, but I'm thrilled to tell people what a great reporter and husband he was. We truly had a great life — 57 years — together.''

Mr. Redmond was born July 4, 1917, in Warren.

''He was a July 4th baby and it stayed with him his entire life,'' said Tessie Lazos, a family friend for six decades. ''Patriotism was a big theme in his life.

''No matter where he was, he always celebrated D-Day with a drink,'' she said.

Redmond began his career in journalism at the Akron Times Press near the end of the Great Depression.

He enlisted in the Army in 1942 and spent 31/2 years overseas chronicling the stories of Patton, first in the North Africa campaign against the Germans and Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and later in the liberation of France and the rest of Europe.

Return to journalism

Mr. Redmond returned to Akron after World War II and resumed his career at the Beacon Journal, which had bought the Times Press in 1938.

''He WAS the Portage County Bureau forever it seemed,'' said retired Beacon Journal assistant state desk editor John Olesky. ''He handled everything out there and did a great job. He also was a great guy.''

Mr. Redmond also was a mentor to young reporters.

''I loved him because he was the sweetest, kindest man you could ever work with,'' said Pam McCarthy, now a journalism teacher at North Canton Hoover High School. ''And he was the master of the understatement. He had a great sense of humor.''

Mr. Redmond retired from the Beacon Journal on March 29, 1975.

Besides traveling extensively, he and his wife were involved in the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church.

''He and Nea were big-time volunteers at the church, especially for the Gyro Luncheon we put on every Thursday,'' the Rev. Jerry Hall said. ''He was just a peach of a guy, a very gentle and kind-hearted man.''

Services will be 11 a.m. today at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church at 129 S. Union St., with burial at Rose Hill Burial Park.
[Beacon Journal, Akron, OH,Saturday, April 5, 2008, page B6, col. 1 ]

A familiar name in LA Times list

Thanks to LA Observed, there's an updated list of buyouts at tjhe LA Times which includes the once familiar name of a former BJ staffer who is now a former LA staffer:

Click on the headline to go to the blog or read this list:

Departed Times staffers:
Kevin Crust, film writer in Calendar
Jennifer Delson, Orange County staff writer
Glenn Doggrell, design editor
Joan Fantazia, assistant copy chief
Robin Fields, Washington bureau reporter
Tom Furlong, deputy National editor
Laura Gutierrez, editorial hiring staff assistant
Greg Griggs, Ventura staff writer
Liz Hale, magazine deputy art director
Don Hunt, City desk weekend editor
Connie Kang, Metro staff writer
Greg Krikorian, federal court reporter
Myron Levin, Metro staff writer
Ela Lindsay, research assistant
Joe Mathews, Washington bureau staff writer
Alan Miller, Washington bureau staff writer
Sonia Nazario, Metro staff writer
Robyn Norwood, Sports writer
Charles Perry, food writer
Jonathan Peterson, Washington bureau staff writer
Gina Piccalo, film writer in Calendar
Jeff Rabin, Metro staff writer
Cecilia Rasmussen, Then and Now columnist
James Ricci, Metro staff writer
Ruth Ryon, Hot Property writer
Joel Sappell, special projects editor
John Spano, Metro courts staff writer
Lewis Segal, dance critic
Molly Selvin, Business staff writer
John Stewart, National news editor
Mike Terry, Sports writer
Tomas Alex Tizon, Seattle bureau chief
Cicely Wedgeworth, features copy editor
Henry Weinstein, legal affairs writer in Metro
Robert Welkos, film writer in Calendar
Nona Yates, politics desk researcher

And a Ricci comment:

James Ricci:

Subject: My turn to say...

…farewell. The greatest honor of my 37 years as a newspaper guy has been to be counted among you for the last twelve. That loud voice from the sidelines cheering you and the Times on will be mine.