New Year’s Day–Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.
~ Mark Twain
Monday, December 31, 2007
Any BJ types among top political reporters?
Chris Cillizza of the WashingtponPost.com Politics Blog lists the top poltical reporters nominated in answer to his request.
Thirty-three states are covered. Columnists at the PD, Cincy Enquirer and Columbus Dispatch and two from the Sacramento Bee, the McClatchy flagship, made the list.
From California were Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Weintraub, Los Angeles Times columnist George Skelton, San Francisco Chronicle reporters Phil Matier and Andrew Ross, and Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters.
From Ohio were Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Tom Suddes, Columbus Dispatch senior editor Joe Hallett, Cincinnati Enquirer columnist Howard Wilkinson
Click the headline to see if you notice any BJ types in the list.
Incidentally, Maria Ravera of the Sacramento Bee has been recognized by Presstime magazine as among "the best and brightest young professionals in the newspaper business." Each year since 1993, the glossy monthly magazine of the Newspaper Association of America has profiled 20 up and coming young newspaper professionals in its December issue. She is the Bee’s home delivery sales manager and regional circulation manager.
Thirty-three states are covered. Columnists at the PD, Cincy Enquirer and Columbus Dispatch and two from the Sacramento Bee, the McClatchy flagship, made the list.
From California were Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Weintraub, Los Angeles Times columnist George Skelton, San Francisco Chronicle reporters Phil Matier and Andrew Ross, and Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters.
From Ohio were Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Tom Suddes, Columbus Dispatch senior editor Joe Hallett, Cincinnati Enquirer columnist Howard Wilkinson
Click the headline to see if you notice any BJ types in the list.
Incidentally, Maria Ravera of the Sacramento Bee has been recognized by Presstime magazine as among "the best and brightest young professionals in the newspaper business." Each year since 1993, the glossy monthly magazine of the Newspaper Association of America has profiled 20 up and coming young newspaper professionals in its December issue. She is the Bee’s home delivery sales manager and regional circulation manager.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
To read or not? Real cause for concern
Why are newspapers in trouble? Ever since the demise of Knight Ridder there has been great concern about the future of newspapers–the printed word.
Larry Froelich, former BJ copy desk chief who is still working part time in Lexington, KY, called our attention to a Los Angeles Times column which quoted a young high school journalist:
“My grandparents subscribe to a lot of newspapers. If I want to read a newspaper, I go online, but I wouldn't pay for it. Our generation doesn't pay for things on the Internet."
The question everyone asks is how are you going to survive if you put your content online and let everyone read it for free.
The problem, though, is not money. The problem is that nobody reads anymore. A report published in November by the National Endowment for the Arts is titled “To Read or Not To Read: A Question of National Consequence.”
Perhaps you will read our commentary about all this on our website. Click on the headline.
Larry Froelich, former BJ copy desk chief who is still working part time in Lexington, KY, called our attention to a Los Angeles Times column which quoted a young high school journalist:
“My grandparents subscribe to a lot of newspapers. If I want to read a newspaper, I go online, but I wouldn't pay for it. Our generation doesn't pay for things on the Internet."
The question everyone asks is how are you going to survive if you put your content online and let everyone read it for free.
The problem, though, is not money. The problem is that nobody reads anymore. A report published in November by the National Endowment for the Arts is titled “To Read or Not To Read: A Question of National Consequence.”
Perhaps you will read our commentary about all this on our website. Click on the headline.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Our Katie is still a winner, it seems
This sketch by nine-year-old Katie Downing was a first place winner in ages 9-10 in a drawing and coloring contest called Visions sponsored by Sidebar, the Beacon Journal employee publication. Children of employees were asked to submit a drawing and statement of what they thought their parents did at the Beacon Journal.
Winners were announced in the July/August 1981 issue of Sidebar and Katie’s was on the cover with her statement:
“My dad rights stories for the Beacon Journal. When he’s told to do something he does it. My dad’s a good reporter”
She probably was correct because Bob is a good reporter who not only “writes” stories but also makes sure they are “right.”
Caitlin M. Downing is now 26 years old. .She attended St. Vincent/St. Mary for three years and graduated as a valedictorian from Firestone High School. She played soccer at both schools.. Caitlin graduated from New York University in 2004.and from Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law in 2007. She is just starting a job with a big law firm in New York City.
Her older brother, Andy, is a freelance rock music writer in Chicago. He writes regularly for the Chicago Tribune where he has a weekly column on local bands. He also writes for Absolute Sound magazine. He really wants to get into this business. Andy went to Ohio U and graduated from the University of Akron. He did a stint at Spin magazine in New York where he hung out frequently with former BJ staffer Chuck Klosterman.
Katie's older sister, Maureen, graduated from Kent State University with a bachelor's degree in biology. She went to Berkeley to study marine biology and ended up with a master's in forensics at the University of Illinois-Chicago. She Is doing DNA research at the University of Chicago while trying to figure out what she wants to do with her degrees.
Miami Herald will outsource to India
The Miami Herald is outsourcing some of its advertising production work to India, the newspaper's editor said Thursday.
Starting in January, copyediting and design in a weekly section of Broward County community news and other special advertising sections will be outsourced to Mindworks, based in New Delhi.
The project is still in the testing phase, so it was not clear if or how employment in South Florida will be affected, Executive Editor Anders Gyllenhaal said.
Mindworks will also monitor reader comments posted to online stories, he said.
Earlier this month, The Sacramento Bee, also owned by the McClatchy Co., announced it would outsource some of its advertising production work to India.
In May, news Web site, pasadenanow.com, was widely criticized after editors hired two reporters in India to cover the Los Angeles suburb.
Information from: The Miami Herald, http://www.herald.com
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Gary Pruitt makes front page of Wall St. Journal
McClatchy Newspapers CEO Gary Pruitt rated more than 50 graphs beginning on page A1 today in the Wall Street Journal. Included is the traditional WSJ-style mug shot. The headlines on the story by Steve Stecklow say:
Despite Woes, McClatchy Banks on Newspapers
Family-Controlled Chain Faces Internet Challenge;
Mr. Pruitt Keeps Faith
Here’s Stecklow’s lead:
SACRAMENTO -- In the beleaguered newspaper industry, one chief executive has long stood out as the golden boy: Gary Pruitt. He skillfully managed the McClatchy Co. chain and last year engineered the $4.6 billion takeover of Knight Ridder Inc., one of the largest in the history of the business.
But since the beginning of 2006, Mr. Pruitt's company has lost $1.46 billion and seen its stock price plunge 78%, exceeding the carnage at most newspaper companies. Still, when members of the board and the controlling family privately discussed Mr. Pruitt's future last month, they unanimously supported the man who brought McClatchy to this juncture.
"We have the best person in place to get us through some of these turbulent times," says Kevin McClatchy, a descendant of the company's founder. Board member Larry Jinks says the entire board expects Mr. Pruitt "to be the CEO into the future."
[Gary Pruitt]
"I plan on sticking around," says the 50-year-old Mr. Pruitt, a one-time First Amendment lawyer who has led McClatchy for nearly a dozen years. "I hope to and expect to."
Mr. Pruitt is one of the last true believers in the financial power of the press. He says he expects McClatchy to recover from its slump, with the help of a new deal with Yahoo Inc. aimed at driving visitors and ads to his newspapers' Web sites. He plans to sell off some nonnewspaper operations and to continue a cost-control strategy that has so far spared reporters' jobs, a McClatchy hallmark.
With McClatchy now the nation's third-largest newspaper publisher -- and one of the last of the large, family-controlled chains -- his success or failure at making the transition into the Internet age will be a crucial indicator of the future of local print journalism in the U.S.
Click on the headline to read the full story in the Wall Street Journal.
Despite Woes, McClatchy Banks on Newspapers
Family-Controlled Chain Faces Internet Challenge;
Mr. Pruitt Keeps Faith
Here’s Stecklow’s lead:
SACRAMENTO -- In the beleaguered newspaper industry, one chief executive has long stood out as the golden boy: Gary Pruitt. He skillfully managed the McClatchy Co. chain and last year engineered the $4.6 billion takeover of Knight Ridder Inc., one of the largest in the history of the business.
But since the beginning of 2006, Mr. Pruitt's company has lost $1.46 billion and seen its stock price plunge 78%, exceeding the carnage at most newspaper companies. Still, when members of the board and the controlling family privately discussed Mr. Pruitt's future last month, they unanimously supported the man who brought McClatchy to this juncture.
"We have the best person in place to get us through some of these turbulent times," says Kevin McClatchy, a descendant of the company's founder. Board member Larry Jinks says the entire board expects Mr. Pruitt "to be the CEO into the future."
[Gary Pruitt]
"I plan on sticking around," says the 50-year-old Mr. Pruitt, a one-time First Amendment lawyer who has led McClatchy for nearly a dozen years. "I hope to and expect to."
Mr. Pruitt is one of the last true believers in the financial power of the press. He says he expects McClatchy to recover from its slump, with the help of a new deal with Yahoo Inc. aimed at driving visitors and ads to his newspapers' Web sites. He plans to sell off some nonnewspaper operations and to continue a cost-control strategy that has so far spared reporters' jobs, a McClatchy hallmark.
With McClatchy now the nation's third-largest newspaper publisher -- and one of the last of the large, family-controlled chains -- his success or failure at making the transition into the Internet age will be a crucial indicator of the future of local print journalism in the U.S.
Click on the headline to read the full story in the Wall Street Journal.
Monday, December 24, 2007
News Corp to sell 8 TV stations
From Bloomberg News
News Corp., the media company controlled by Rupert Murdoch, will sell eight of its Fox network-affiliated television stations in the U.S. to Oak Hill Capital Partners for about $1.1 billion in cash.
Oak Hill will get WJW in Cleveland; KDVR in Denver; KTVI in St. Louis; WDAF in Kansas City, Missouri; WITI in Milwaukee; KSTU in Salt Lake City, Utah; WBRC in Birmingham, Alabama; and WGHP in Greensboro, North Carolina, according to the News Corp. statement confirmed by Teri Everett, a spokeswoman.
The sale in small markets will leave News Corp. with 27 stations in major markets including New York, Boston and Los Angeles.
The media conglomerate, which owns the New York Post, a controlling stake in BSkyB satellite TV service, and 20th Century Fox movie studio, recently closed a $5.6 billion deal to buy the Wall Street Journal publisher, Dow Jones.
The sale will probably be completed in the third quarter, News Corp. said in a statement Saturday. The purchase will help Oak Hill, the buyout firm founded two years ago by Robert Bass, a Texas oil billionaire, create a broader U.S. network. In May it paid $575 million to acquire stations in Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Arkansas from The New York Times Co.
"It is part of News Corp.'s strategic decision to shed low-growth, noncore assets," said Richard Dorfman, managing director of the investment firm Richard Alan.
For Oak Hill, the purchase is "a classic private equity play," Dorfman said. "Ad dollars are migrating to the Web, but it's a government-licensed franchise that can throw off good cash flow and reliably service debt."
Oak Hill has expanded into leveraged buyouts, high-yield debt and hedge funds, raising more than $4.6 billion from investors, including Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft.
News Corp. hired the New York investment banking firm Allen & Co. to advise it on the sale of the TV stations in June. Two months later, it agreed to buy Dow Jones, publisher of Dow Jones Newswires, Barron's and The Wall Street Journal, after months of negotiations with the controlling Bancroft family.
Murdoch plans to use the Wall Street Journal brand to attract viewers to its television networks and Internet users to Web sites.
"News Corp.'s focus today is much more on Internet properties, such as MySpace, and cable," said Dorfman. The sale of the stations "will help News Corp. raise capital. News Corp. is not walking away from the healthy broadcast world."
News Corp., the media company controlled by Rupert Murdoch, will sell eight of its Fox network-affiliated television stations in the U.S. to Oak Hill Capital Partners for about $1.1 billion in cash.
Oak Hill will get WJW in Cleveland; KDVR in Denver; KTVI in St. Louis; WDAF in Kansas City, Missouri; WITI in Milwaukee; KSTU in Salt Lake City, Utah; WBRC in Birmingham, Alabama; and WGHP in Greensboro, North Carolina, according to the News Corp. statement confirmed by Teri Everett, a spokeswoman.
The sale in small markets will leave News Corp. with 27 stations in major markets including New York, Boston and Los Angeles.
The media conglomerate, which owns the New York Post, a controlling stake in BSkyB satellite TV service, and 20th Century Fox movie studio, recently closed a $5.6 billion deal to buy the Wall Street Journal publisher, Dow Jones.
The sale will probably be completed in the third quarter, News Corp. said in a statement Saturday. The purchase will help Oak Hill, the buyout firm founded two years ago by Robert Bass, a Texas oil billionaire, create a broader U.S. network. In May it paid $575 million to acquire stations in Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Arkansas from The New York Times Co.
"It is part of News Corp.'s strategic decision to shed low-growth, noncore assets," said Richard Dorfman, managing director of the investment firm Richard Alan.
For Oak Hill, the purchase is "a classic private equity play," Dorfman said. "Ad dollars are migrating to the Web, but it's a government-licensed franchise that can throw off good cash flow and reliably service debt."
Oak Hill has expanded into leveraged buyouts, high-yield debt and hedge funds, raising more than $4.6 billion from investors, including Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft.
News Corp. hired the New York investment banking firm Allen & Co. to advise it on the sale of the TV stations in June. Two months later, it agreed to buy Dow Jones, publisher of Dow Jones Newswires, Barron's and The Wall Street Journal, after months of negotiations with the controlling Bancroft family.
Murdoch plans to use the Wall Street Journal brand to attract viewers to its television networks and Internet users to Web sites.
"News Corp.'s focus today is much more on Internet properties, such as MySpace, and cable," said Dorfman. The sale of the stations "will help News Corp. raise capital. News Corp. is not walking away from the healthy broadcast world."
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Copy editor Joe Kiefer goes to Dispatch
BJ copy editor Joe Kiefer will begin work on the Columbus Dispatch copy desk on December 31. His last day 
at the BJ was Thursday. Copy Desk chief Kathy Fraze said in her note that the Dispatch copy desk "is being improved expotentially." One staffer said Kiefer was "one of the best copy editors in the history of the Beacon Journal and his unexpected leaving is a tremendous loss."
Kiefer and his wife, Debby (Stock), are moving to Columbus so she can be nearer her ailing parents. The main reason Debby volunteered to leave during the infamous layoffs of 2006 was to care for her parents. It has been difficult while living 110 miles away
Kiefer came to the BJ 12 years ago from the Canton Repository along with others including Mark Price, Mary Kay Quinn and Rich Desrosiers.
Kiefer is not being replaced immediately. Word is it would be at the beginning of a new budget year in April or more likely at the beginning of vacation time in June.
Debby wrote her final godobye column on October 18, 2006 after 28 years of service
at the BJ was Thursday. Copy Desk chief Kathy Fraze said in her note that the Dispatch copy desk "is being improved expotentially." One staffer said Kiefer was "one of the best copy editors in the history of the Beacon Journal and his unexpected leaving is a tremendous loss."Kiefer and his wife, Debby (Stock), are moving to Columbus so she can be nearer her ailing parents. The main reason Debby volunteered to leave during the infamous layoffs of 2006 was to care for her parents. It has been difficult while living 110 miles away
Kiefer came to the BJ 12 years ago from the Canton Repository along with others including Mark Price, Mary Kay Quinn and Rich Desrosiers.
Kiefer is not being replaced immediately. Word is it would be at the beginning of a new budget year in April or more likely at the beginning of vacation time in June.
Debby wrote her final godobye column on October 18, 2006 after 28 years of service
An answer for Virginia O'Hanlon
Outside the Nativity story, there is no better sentiment on Christmas than the answer Francis Pharcellus Church wrote in the New York Sun on September 21, 1897 in answer to the question from 8-year old reader Virginia O’Hanlon.
Click on the headline above to see Church’s answer on our web site:
Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus.
A copy of the Sun nameplate, the original letter from Virginia and a photo of Church are included.
Click on the headline above to see Church’s answer on our web site:
Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus.
A copy of the Sun nameplate, the original letter from Virginia and a photo of Church are included.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Random observations: Opinion and fluff
Probably less than 1 per cent of our viewers check the section called "Random Observations" on our web site. I just counted and there have been only a dozen items posted for the entire year. The posts are usually brief, but it's a place to put things which have opinions expressed or are just fluff.. Arbitrary decisions are made about what is factual and what is just opinion or fluff. An item added today is about coverage of the trial of former Canton police officer Bobby Cutts Jr. who is charged in the death of his pregnant girlfriend.
Click on the headline to see Random Observations
Click on the headline to see Random Observations
Friday, December 21, 2007
Top 10 newspaper industry stories of 2007
Click on the headline to read Ronald Strupp’s top 10 newspaper industry stories on the Editor& Publisher website.
Letterman company to meet with writers
NEW YORK (AP) — Leaders of striking television writers plan to meet Friday with David Letterman's production company in an attempt to reach a separate deal that could make the Late Show the only late-night TV program on the air with a writing staff.
The union's announcement last week that it would negotiate separately with production companies was seen as an indication that writers would work out something with Worldwide Pants, the Letterman-owned company that produces his show and Craig Ferguson's CBS talker.
It hasn't worked out that way, a sign that some in the Writer's Guild may be having second thoughts. Meanwhile, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel have all said they would resume their programs on Jan. 2 without their writing staffs.
Letterman is also aiming for a Jan. 2 return.
"With the WGA now embracing a strategy of offering interim agreements to individual companies, it is inconceivable to us that there is any producing entity more deserving than Worldwide Pants, which has been and continues to be a staunch supporter of the Writer's Guild and its positions," said Rob Burnett, the company's president, in a statement announcing Friday's meeting.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Black Keys to play sold-out Civic
The Black Keys, who will play to a sold-out house at Akron Civic Theatre on Saturday, rated an Enjoy double truck spread in Enjoy in Thursday’s Beacon with this neat graphic by BJ artist Kathy Hagedorn.
Malcolm X Abram’s review used this quote:
''I was kind of worried, I didn't know how big that place really was,'' Dan Auerbach, guitarist/singer of the West Akron duo the Black Keys, said of the Akron Civic Theatre. The theater seats 2,585 people.
His drumming partner, Patrick Carney, added: ''I haven't been in there in a long time. My dad used to take me to see Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons, but I haven't been in the Civic in at least 10 years.''
Carney is the son of Akron Beacon Journal reporter Jim Carney.
For the first time, Akron's most famous blues/rock duo will perform at the Civic on Saturday night for a sold-out show in front of friends, family and fans not afraid of a little snow, wind and freezing rain.
Both Carney, 27, and Auerbach, 28, got married in 2007. Auerbach and his wife, Stephanie, also welcomed their first child, Sadie, into the world in October.
Click on the headline to read the full review by Abram.
Malcolm X Abram’s review used this quote:
''I was kind of worried, I didn't know how big that place really was,'' Dan Auerbach, guitarist/singer of the West Akron duo the Black Keys, said of the Akron Civic Theatre. The theater seats 2,585 people.
His drumming partner, Patrick Carney, added: ''I haven't been in there in a long time. My dad used to take me to see Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons, but I haven't been in the Civic in at least 10 years.''
Carney is the son of Akron Beacon Journal reporter Jim Carney.
For the first time, Akron's most famous blues/rock duo will perform at the Civic on Saturday night for a sold-out show in front of friends, family and fans not afraid of a little snow, wind and freezing rain.
Both Carney, 27, and Auerbach, 28, got married in 2007. Auerbach and his wife, Stephanie, also welcomed their first child, Sadie, into the world in October.
Click on the headline to read the full review by Abram.
About anonymouos comments
We received the following from Bill O'Connor, retired Beacon Journal reporter. This blog, since it was opened in July, 2004, has allowed anonymous comments. O'Connor questions whether they should be allowed. As administrator I have no opinion at present, but.Blogspot does allow us to moderate comments. Should we eliminate them? Please read this post thoughtlfully and then add your comments. ~~Harry Liggett
I don't mean this as a criticism, for I really enjoy the blog. I am offering a suggestion. I read some comments after stories you posted, and I was disappointed. This is a blog by and for journalists, so I don't think there should be either anonymous comments posted or those by people using pseudonyms, which, I guess, is the same thing. We byline our stories when we can. If a journalist offers an opinion, he or she stands behind it. The other thing is that I often see comments after stories on the net, news stories. (AOL does this all the time.) The comments, again anonymous, are nasty, just plain mean spirited. That serves no purpose. If we want to enter into dialogue with each other, even heated dialogue, let's do it in an honorable and respectful way. The public discourse is becoming more and more acrimonious, and I would like to see us avoid that. On that level, the debate is just shrill and combative, a kind of "my opinion is better than yours," rather than a listening to each other and responding.
I don't mean this as a criticism, for I really enjoy the blog. I am offering a suggestion. I read some comments after stories you posted, and I was disappointed. This is a blog by and for journalists, so I don't think there should be either anonymous comments posted or those by people using pseudonyms, which, I guess, is the same thing. We byline our stories when we can. If a journalist offers an opinion, he or she stands behind it. The other thing is that I often see comments after stories on the net, news stories. (AOL does this all the time.) The comments, again anonymous, are nasty, just plain mean spirited. That serves no purpose. If we want to enter into dialogue with each other, even heated dialogue, let's do it in an honorable and respectful way. The public discourse is becoming more and more acrimonious, and I would like to see us avoid that. On that level, the debate is just shrill and combative, a kind of "my opinion is better than yours," rather than a listening to each other and responding.
Mary Christmas - no, really
This story is from the Provo (Utah) Daily Herald:
By Barbara Christiansen - NORTH COUNTY STAFF
She seems to get attention wherever she goes, especially during the holidays. There are songs repeating her name, and her name (correctly spelled) was the title of a 2002 movie starring and directed by John Schneider.
Nine months ago, American Fork resident Mary Young married Brian Christmas. "I kind of felt like with his last name, it was meant to be," she said. "God has a sense of humor. What are the chances that it would ever happen?"
Since her name change, no one has come right out and asked her if she is kidding when she tells them her name. There have been other circumstances, however, in which she has felt the need to explain.
"I changed my name in my work (computer) system," she said. "The head guy changed it back because he thought it was a joke.
"When I make an appointment somewhere, it is kind of awkward," she said. "I just tell them this isn't a prank call."
Christmas has been working at Ancestry.com for three years. Through her work in that company, she has found that there are between 20 and 100 other Mary Christmases in the United States.
The last name of Christmas has its origins in Wales, she said.
"It was given to people that were born on Christmas Day," she said. "Somewhere back there someone of my husband's ancestors was born on Christmas. It is not a super common name."
Yet she is not the first in the family to have an interesting combination of first and last names.
She said her husband's grandmother was named Joy Christmas, and one time when she was shopping at JCPenney in Provo, she was held at the counter because the store clerk thought her name was phony.
Christmas has a positive attitude about the reaction to her name.
"I think it is an opportunity for me to have a better sense of humor," she said. "More than anything it has been fun. It has been a lot of other things, too. For many people, it seems to make them happy. 'You are my favorite,' they tell me. 'I think of your name and it makes me happy.' "
Her husband, Brian, says the best part of her name is that he has Mary Christmas all year long, not just during the holidays.
And yes, when she greets others she still tells them "merry Christmas."
Blogger Note: Click on the headline for proof it is a legitimate story. It ciomes straight from the newsaper website which is called--get this--hark the herald.com. Oh, by the way, the place where she works, Ancestry.com, is an organization which is devoted to family history research.
By Barbara Christiansen - NORTH COUNTY STAFF
She seems to get attention wherever she goes, especially during the holidays. There are songs repeating her name, and her name (correctly spelled) was the title of a 2002 movie starring and directed by John Schneider.
Nine months ago, American Fork resident Mary Young married Brian Christmas. "I kind of felt like with his last name, it was meant to be," she said. "God has a sense of humor. What are the chances that it would ever happen?"
Since her name change, no one has come right out and asked her if she is kidding when she tells them her name. There have been other circumstances, however, in which she has felt the need to explain.
"I changed my name in my work (computer) system," she said. "The head guy changed it back because he thought it was a joke.
"When I make an appointment somewhere, it is kind of awkward," she said. "I just tell them this isn't a prank call."
Christmas has been working at Ancestry.com for three years. Through her work in that company, she has found that there are between 20 and 100 other Mary Christmases in the United States.
The last name of Christmas has its origins in Wales, she said.
"It was given to people that were born on Christmas Day," she said. "Somewhere back there someone of my husband's ancestors was born on Christmas. It is not a super common name."
Yet she is not the first in the family to have an interesting combination of first and last names.
She said her husband's grandmother was named Joy Christmas, and one time when she was shopping at JCPenney in Provo, she was held at the counter because the store clerk thought her name was phony.
Christmas has a positive attitude about the reaction to her name.
"I think it is an opportunity for me to have a better sense of humor," she said. "More than anything it has been fun. It has been a lot of other things, too. For many people, it seems to make them happy. 'You are my favorite,' they tell me. 'I think of your name and it makes me happy.' "
Her husband, Brian, says the best part of her name is that he has Mary Christmas all year long, not just during the holidays.
And yes, when she greets others she still tells them "merry Christmas."
Blogger Note: Click on the headline for proof it is a legitimate story. It ciomes straight from the newsaper website which is called--get this--hark the herald.com. Oh, by the way, the place where she works, Ancestry.com, is an organization which is devoted to family history research.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Phone call from Art Cullison
We received a phone call today from former BJ copy editor Art Cullison who left Akron some months ago and is now living in Erlanger, Kenton County, KY
Art, who is 89, said he has given up driving. His wife, Helen Louise, has Alzheimer's but is in the same building with Art and he spends a couple of hours a day at least with her. His son and a granddaughter are only 5 or 10 minutes away. Art says "hello" to all the gang.
Art's address is
Ardent L. Cullison
3000 Riggs Ave.
Erlanger, KY 41018
Tel: 859-342-4018
His email address (verified) is alcullison@insightbb.com
Art, who is 89, said he has given up driving. His wife, Helen Louise, has Alzheimer's but is in the same building with Art and he spends a couple of hours a day at least with her. His son and a granddaughter are only 5 or 10 minutes away. Art says "hello" to all the gang.
Art's address is
Ardent L. Cullison
3000 Riggs Ave.
Erlanger, KY 41018
Tel: 859-342-4018
His email address (verified) is alcullison@insightbb.com
How press has covered Iraq on the ground
Wednesday, Dec. 19—Americans received a grim picture of the war in Iraq in the first 10 months of 2007. Daily violence accounted for 47% of the stories studied. And of the stories that offered an assessment of the direction of the war, most were pessimistic, according to a new study of press coverage from Iraq from January to October.
In what Defense Department statistics show to be the deadliest year so far for U.S. forces in Iraq , journalists responded to the challenge of covering the ongoing violence in Iraq by limiting their interpretation of these violent events and keeping their reports short.
However, as time passed, narrative accounts of events on the ground seemed to brighten. Late summer and fall saw a decline of reports about daily attacks, as well as a decrease in the amount of coverage from the war-torn country overall. That shift in coverage also coincided with a general sense by the American public that the military efforts in Iraq were going “very” or “fairly” well.
This study suggests that a bigger issue is not how the media interprets events, but what kinds of events actually get covered. This question is especially important when examined in relation to extreme dangers and restrictions facing the war correspondents in Iraq . These reporters believe that they adequately covered the military’s actions, but that they could have improved coverage on the lives of Iraqis. The results of the content analysis add validity to their assessments.
These are some of the findings of a study of more than 1,100 stories from January through October from 40 different news outlets conducted by the Project for Excellence in Journalism, a research institute that examines the press.
Read the full report.
Among the report’s major findings:
* Any suggestion that the coverage is anti-Bush or anti-military is not supported by the findings. The coverage of U.S. policy was decidedly balanced. It was coverage of the Iraqi government and the country’s future stability that were more pessimistic.
* Daily accounts of violence made up 47% of all stories studied, but because many of these stories were short, that represented a 27% of the time and space—or newshole—of the coverage studied.
* The coverage overall was U.S. centric in subject matter. About half of all the coverage from Iraq was about American military and U.S. officials. Roughly another 10% was about private contractors, mostly Blackwater.
* Coverage of Iraqi civilians, by contrast, made up far less, 3% of stories and 5% of overall newshole.
* Despite enormous difficulty in getting access to sources, Americans did get a wide range of perspectives. Fully 40% of stories (representing 61% of the newshole) carried the views of multiple of types of stakeholders.
In what Defense Department statistics show to be the deadliest year so far for U.S. forces in Iraq , journalists responded to the challenge of covering the ongoing violence in Iraq by limiting their interpretation of these violent events and keeping their reports short.
However, as time passed, narrative accounts of events on the ground seemed to brighten. Late summer and fall saw a decline of reports about daily attacks, as well as a decrease in the amount of coverage from the war-torn country overall. That shift in coverage also coincided with a general sense by the American public that the military efforts in Iraq were going “very” or “fairly” well.
This study suggests that a bigger issue is not how the media interprets events, but what kinds of events actually get covered. This question is especially important when examined in relation to extreme dangers and restrictions facing the war correspondents in Iraq . These reporters believe that they adequately covered the military’s actions, but that they could have improved coverage on the lives of Iraqis. The results of the content analysis add validity to their assessments.
These are some of the findings of a study of more than 1,100 stories from January through October from 40 different news outlets conducted by the Project for Excellence in Journalism, a research institute that examines the press.
Read the full report.
Among the report’s major findings:
* Any suggestion that the coverage is anti-Bush or anti-military is not supported by the findings. The coverage of U.S. policy was decidedly balanced. It was coverage of the Iraqi government and the country’s future stability that were more pessimistic.
* Daily accounts of violence made up 47% of all stories studied, but because many of these stories were short, that represented a 27% of the time and space—or newshole—of the coverage studied.
* The coverage overall was U.S. centric in subject matter. About half of all the coverage from Iraq was about American military and U.S. officials. Roughly another 10% was about private contractors, mostly Blackwater.
* Coverage of Iraqi civilians, by contrast, made up far less, 3% of stories and 5% of overall newshole.
* Despite enormous difficulty in getting access to sources, Americans did get a wide range of perspectives. Fully 40% of stories (representing 61% of the newshole) carried the views of multiple of types of stakeholders.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Followup to post below
Wow: Things happen fast in cyberspace. Here’s the executive edtitor’s note on the promotion of his staffer who wrote the post just below this one:
To the staff:
Please join me in congratulating Veronica Van Dress and Scott Brown on their promotions to assistant managing editor. Their promotions put the newsroom’s senior leadership team in place.
Veronica is AME/content. She will work with reporters and their editors in the collection and creation of content for print and online. She has the skills and the professional background to help us realize our “œnews now” goals at CantonRep.com. She has shown an ability to innovate and to lead. Veronica will continue to spend most of her time working in news ” about 80 percent” but also will work with Living Editor Gary Brown and our sports editor to fulfill our Project Cyber Fiber goals and to develop strong enterprise for Page A1.
Scott is AME/content delivery. Scott brings extraordinary design talent to his new role. He has a unique ability to craft designs that convey real information and meaning, a gift he will use in helping us strengthen our Page A1 presentation. He also brings an intimate knowledge of our desk operations to this new job, knowledge he’ll use in implementing our Project Cyber Fiber goals of delivering “news now” to CantonRep.com while continuing to make a quality daily newspaper. Graphics Editor Michael Weiss and Chief Photographer Stan Myers will report to Scott.
Scott will work over the next month to develop a structure for the Universal Desk. Look soon for more information about where he’s headed with that, including postings for newly cast jobs.
Jeff
Jeff Gauger
Executive Editor
The Repository/cantonrep.com
500 Market Ave. S.
Canton, OH 44702-2193
330.580.8310
jeff.gauger@cantonrep.com
To the staff:
Please join me in congratulating Veronica Van Dress and Scott Brown on their promotions to assistant managing editor. Their promotions put the newsroom’s senior leadership team in place.
Veronica is AME/content. She will work with reporters and their editors in the collection and creation of content for print and online. She has the skills and the professional background to help us realize our “œnews now” goals at CantonRep.com. She has shown an ability to innovate and to lead. Veronica will continue to spend most of her time working in news ” about 80 percent” but also will work with Living Editor Gary Brown and our sports editor to fulfill our Project Cyber Fiber goals and to develop strong enterprise for Page A1.
Scott is AME/content delivery. Scott brings extraordinary design talent to his new role. He has a unique ability to craft designs that convey real information and meaning, a gift he will use in helping us strengthen our Page A1 presentation. He also brings an intimate knowledge of our desk operations to this new job, knowledge he’ll use in implementing our Project Cyber Fiber goals of delivering “news now” to CantonRep.com while continuing to make a quality daily newspaper. Graphics Editor Michael Weiss and Chief Photographer Stan Myers will report to Scott.
Scott will work over the next month to develop a structure for the Universal Desk. Look soon for more information about where he’s headed with that, including postings for newly cast jobs.
Jeff
Jeff Gauger
Executive Editor
The Repository/cantonrep.com
500 Market Ave. S.
Canton, OH 44702-2193
330.580.8310
jeff.gauger@cantonrep.com
Web-first publishing comes to Canton
This post is provided by the BG News Aliumni blog started recently by former BJ staffer Beth Hertz for alumni of Bowling Green State University,.. This article from a member of the class of 98 hits close to home–Canton. Click on the headline to see this post and then check out other stuff so far on the BG blog.
From Scott Brown, Class of '98
We have a new editor in Canton. Good guy, very sharp.
He also says "Internet" or "Web" once every 15 seconds. To most of us in the office -- at least, those of us who haven't had our heads in the sand for, oh, the last 10 years -- it's no surprise. Web-first publishing is hitting everywhere. My paper, The Repository will be Web-first with all content by Jan.1 -- despite the grumbles of some. (By Web-first, I mean all content will be available on the Web site up to several days before it appears in print.) What I can't understand is why some of my colleagues are so resistant to it all.
The Internet is an opportunity for newspapers to stay relevant in a digital age. And it can be a lot of fun. I hardly write any more, but a couple weeks ago when Stark County hosted the state football championships, I wrote a couple of stories. I wrote a preview story for one game that published in a special section on Thursday, but we posted the story online Wednesday morning. I think it was the first time we had ever published something that wasn't breaking news to the Web site first, and that was pretty neat.
Then, I covered a title game that started at 11 a.m. on Friday. In the past, I would watch the game, go to the office and write one 18-inch story. This time, I wrote a pregame story "State finals begin under sunny skies" that I posted straight to the Web site via wireless with a laptop. Then I posted updates after the first quarter, at halftime and after the third quarter. I filed a quick game summary just as the final seconds ticked off, then rewrote an 18-inch story with quotes to post about 90 minutes after. Thatstory also appeared in the paper the next day.
Each of my quarterly updates received between 50-100 hits on our Web site, which we deemed a modest success considering they were only posted about 30-40 minutes at a time featuring a game not involving a local team. Was it more work? Sure. And I don't think it's practical to post such updates constantly from every event we cover.
It was also fun. I just wish more people would embrace that, and stop wishing for that print-only past that is quickly becoming a distant memory.
From Scott Brown, Class of '98
We have a new editor in Canton. Good guy, very sharp.
He also says "Internet" or "Web" once every 15 seconds. To most of us in the office -- at least, those of us who haven't had our heads in the sand for, oh, the last 10 years -- it's no surprise. Web-first publishing is hitting everywhere. My paper, The Repository will be Web-first with all content by Jan.1 -- despite the grumbles of some. (By Web-first, I mean all content will be available on the Web site up to several days before it appears in print.) What I can't understand is why some of my colleagues are so resistant to it all.
The Internet is an opportunity for newspapers to stay relevant in a digital age. And it can be a lot of fun. I hardly write any more, but a couple weeks ago when Stark County hosted the state football championships, I wrote a couple of stories. I wrote a preview story for one game that published in a special section on Thursday, but we posted the story online Wednesday morning. I think it was the first time we had ever published something that wasn't breaking news to the Web site first, and that was pretty neat.
Then, I covered a title game that started at 11 a.m. on Friday. In the past, I would watch the game, go to the office and write one 18-inch story. This time, I wrote a pregame story "State finals begin under sunny skies" that I posted straight to the Web site via wireless with a laptop. Then I posted updates after the first quarter, at halftime and after the third quarter. I filed a quick game summary just as the final seconds ticked off, then rewrote an 18-inch story with quotes to post about 90 minutes after. Thatstory also appeared in the paper the next day.
Each of my quarterly updates received between 50-100 hits on our Web site, which we deemed a modest success considering they were only posted about 30-40 minutes at a time featuring a game not involving a local team. Was it more work? Sure. And I don't think it's practical to post such updates constantly from every event we cover.
It was also fun. I just wish more people would embrace that, and stop wishing for that print-only past that is quickly becoming a distant memory.
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