Tom Zuppa is managing editor/days for The Sun of Lowell and Nashoba Valley Voice. He leads Digital First Media’s Lowell cluster efforts on public records and First Amendment issues.
Private sessions are an excellent opportunity for newspaper professionals to ask specific questions related to their work and their newspaper.
On Friday, February 15th photojournalism expert Bob Holt will be available from 10:30am to 5:00pm. Bob will offer 30 minutes sessions focusing on page layouts regarding the story, story separation and story emphasis driven by layout. Bob will also work with each newspaper in matters concerning photo editing, cropping and page presentation of the images.
Bob is a five-time Pulitzer nominee in photojournalism and has received multiple awards from both the NFL and Major League Baseball.
On Saturday, February 16th leading design consultant Ed Henninger will be available from 10:30am to 5:00pm. Ed will offer 20 minute sessions reviewing the look of your paper. During the session, Ed will offer his opinion on key design elements and approaches such as the nameplate, teasers, headline fonts and usage, text fonts and usage, color, design elements, pullouts and more. Those who have spent time with Ed say that it’s the “best 20 minutes I spent during the entire weekend.” Or…“Ed’s advice was priceless. It had an immediate, positive and long-lasting impact on the design of my newspaper.”
Ed has been an independent newspaper consultant since 1989 and is the Director of Henninger Consulting in Rock Hill, SC. He is universally recognized as the world’s leading design consultant for community newspapers.
To schedule your private session with Bob or Ed contact Justina at j.lapham@nenpa.com(note advanced registration is required!).
Implementation at 27 publications already underway
Burnsville, MN — Tecnavia reached agreement with Digital First Media (DFM) to supply its NewsMemory eEdition services to DFM publications. Implementation of Tecnavia’s web browser eEdition and iOS and Android apps is already underway at 27 DFM publications. DFM is one of the largest publishers of locally-based print and online media in the United States.
“We are very excited DFM selected Tecnavia’s NewsMemory eEdition for group-wide implementation,” said Diane Amato, Tecnavia’s VP of Sales & Marketing. “DFM undertook a rigorous evaluation process, matching vendor products, customer service, development roadmap and business capabilities with DFM’s requirements. Selection is certainly gratifying and validation of all the hard work done by Tecnavia development and customer support teams.”
DFM will also use the new Tecnavia Advertising Network (TAN) to supply digital ads for added revenues. In addition, DFM implemented Tecnavia’s AdMemory to deliver electronic tearsheets to advertisers on day of publication.
Back in September, DFM’s Boston Herald went live with Tecnavia eEditions and apps. “We were fortunate to work with the Boston Herald prior to starting this project,” said Amato. “Experience with DFM systems and proceedures at the Herald helped us quickly develop an installation model and streamline setups at other DFM publications.”
About Tecnavia: Tecnavia has over 20 years’ experience in e-publishing and was a pioneer in the concept of digital print editions. Today, Tecnavia manages over 2,000 titles and processes over 8 million pages per year.
Services now include Total Media Apps for live news, eEditions, website meters, digital archives, eTearsheets and the new Tecnavia Ad Network. We aim to continue offering high-performance, innovative and cost-effective solutions relying on hard work, bright ideas, and continuous research and development.
Contact: Diane Amato, VP Sales
Tecnavia Press Inc.
13965 W. Preserve Blvd., Burnsville, MN 55337
330-646-1889 • damato@tecnavia.com
Bart Pfankuch is an investigative reporter for South Dakota News Watch, online at sdnewswatch.org. Write to him at bart.pfankuch@sdnewswatch.org
In an era of constant cutbacks, it can be difficult for newspaper reporters to get good editing.
Many experienced editors have fled or been forced out of a constricting industry. Some who remain are distracted by expanded job duties. Younger editors may not possess the experience and resulting confidence to aggressively edit or rework copy.
Meanwhile, copy editors – long the last line of defense against poor writing — are diminishing in number and may serve as page designers with numerous other duties. Opportunities for training have also been slashed or eliminated.
Yet, all is not lost. Whether or not one works with a top-notch editor, the truly devoted writer can use their skills, work ethic and commitment to quality to aggressively self-edit their copy and improve their writing. Becoming a great writer is a lifelong journey and invariably begins from within.
Here are some ways to eliminate errors, reduce wordiness and sharpen your copy on your own.
A common catchphrase from my coaching sessions applies here: “Your first draft is never your final draft.” Intense deadline or crisis writing aside, every writer should review their own work more than once (possibly several times) before turning it over to an editor. Printing off a hard copy and marking it up is a worthy technique. Reading the piece aloud and listening for clunky construction or confusing content works wonders. Underlining or highlighting each name, number and fact makes it easy to double-check for accuracy.
Examine your own copy for indicators – or what I refer to as “triggers” – that reveal the need for a rewrite or rework. You know more editing is needed if you see any of the following: heavy use of punctuation, overly long sentences, lack of parallelism among
subjects and verbs, subject-verb disagreement, lengthy separation between a subject and corresponding verb, confusing use of attribution, repetition of sentence structure or word usage, long introductory clauses, quirkiness or AP style errors.
Sincerely ask for input or advice, listen to feedback and take it to heart. Every writer has tendencies – some positive, some negative. Reread your material after the edit and look for elements repeatedly changed or cut. Ask your editor what patterns of weakness he or she notices in your copy and heed the advice. Learn from errors and never make the same mistake twice. If you work for a complacent or burned out editor who reads your story quickly and says, “OK, thanks a lot, have a good night,” do not hesitate to push back and force them to spend more time and give more focus to improving your copy. Be a bit of a pest if you have to. Reading a story and editing a story are not the same.
Challenge yourself to expand your range and writing techniques. Try to be funny when appropriate. Seek out subjects for an in-depth, definitive profile (increasingly a lost art in modern journalism.) Suggest a first-person piece once in a while. Bend all the rules once you master them, such as starting with a quote, trying a one- or two-word lead, moving back and forth in time, setting a scene or beginning with the end of the story. However, never hesitate to pull the plug on a new method or technique if it simply
does not work.
Learn some basic concepts of effective writing and implement them. These include sticking to the subject-verb-object sentence structure, avoiding jargon and high-brow or pompous words that are unfamiliar to most readers, rejecting passive voice, steering clear of adjectives and adverbs that weaken and dilute meaning, and always searching for clear, unique subjects and specific, active verbs.
Respect your readers’ intelligence and time. Most of us have heard the old saying, “I would have written you a shorter letter but I ran out of time.” That’s true in journalism, too. Cutting excess words, reducing redundancy, trimming back quotes and taglines are ways to speed up copy. Write in a conversational tone, but never get too cute or clever with copy to show off or appear boastful. Tell readers what is rather than what isn’t and write in the affirmative rather than negative voice. Just stick to the facts in most cases.
Be a student of the craft. Read major newspaper and magazines to see how the experienced professionals write. Emulate what you like from other publications or in the work of colleagues and be critical of your own work in comparison. Go online and read coaching articles like this one. Consistently ask to attend training conferences and eventually even the most frugal editor or publisher will oblige. Visit websites that feature writing and reporting tips and techniques (Poynter.org is a fine example.) Discuss writing with your colleagues and challenge one another to improve.
Writing effectively almost never happens by luck. Increasingly, it is up to writers to put in the time and effort on their own to improve their ability to communicate and write with clarity, concision and flair. In the end, readers will benefit and so will you.
John Foust has conducted training programs for thousands of newspaper advertising professionals. Many ad departments are using his training videos to save time and get quick results from in-house training. E-mail for information: john@johnfoust.com
Joseph was talking to me about something he feels is important to the ad staff he manages. “These days, there’s a lot of talk about multi-tasking,” he said. “But according to what I’ve read on the subject, there’s no such thing. We can shift back and forth between tasks, but doing two tasks at once would be like putting a stick-shift car in first gear and second gear at the same time. It can’t be done.
“Sadly, multi-tasking is seen as a desirable skill,” Joseph explained. “I know a lot of people who claim it’s one of their greatest strengths. Some job descriptions even list it as a requirement. They just don’t understand that multi-tasking is an unrealistic cliché.”
Psychologists agree that a human being is not capable of doing two tasks at the same time. Sure, we can do two things that don’t compete for our focus (like carrying on a conversation while walking), but we can’t concentrate on more than one thing at a time. When we think we are multi-tasking, we are actually task-switching – moving quickly from one thing to another. Think of it as a fast shift between first and second gear.
“I think of multi-tasking as multi-risking,” Joseph said. “We’ve all seen YouTube videos of
people walking into telephone poles and falling into fountains while they’re looking at their
phones. And of course, we know that texting and driving is a lethal combination. Talking on the phone while driving is distracting enough, but texting is stupid. It’s as dangerous as drunk driving.
“In the business world, trying to do two things at once might not put your life in danger, but it can cause mistakes. For example, if you try to write an email and talk on the phone at the same time, you’ll risk miscommunicating something to both parties. You can give one or the other your undivided attention, but not both. Even if you don’t make a mistake, it can be frustrating to the person on the other end to hear your keyboard clicking in the background.
“Trying to multi-task can also damage relationships,” he said. “I remember going to a luncheon which featured several presenters. The manager of one of the speakers was there to support her staff member, but spent the entire time looking down at her phone. Her seat was at the head table, right next to the lectern, so everyone in the audience could see that she wasn’t paying attention. A few days later, I ran into the speaker, and he told me that his manager’s actions showed that she obviously didn’t care about what he was saying, even though he was talking about the company where they both worked. Not surprisingly, a few months later he left to take another job.”
Joseph is right about multi-risking. When someone tries to concentrate on two important things at the same time, it creates a risk that is not worth taking.
Believe it or not 2019 is right around the corner … and so is the largest newspaper convention in New England.
The 2019 New England Newspaper Convention is shaping up to be one of the best convention’s yet. The convention is jam-packed with dozens of sessions and panels that address the latest developments, opportunities and obstacles in the newspaper industry. With over 600 attendees, the event is not only an opportunity to learn and gain some fresh ideas, but a chance to network with other newspaper professionals throughout New England.
The 2019 line up of speakers are passionate, engaging and ready to share their best ideas. Be sure to sign up early to ensure you get a seat in the sessions and panels that are most important to you.
Here are just a few of the 2019 session topics that you don’t want to miss …
Trauma Journalism: Self-Care For Journalists
50 Ideas in 50 Minutes
Alternative Story Formats: How To Shake Up Your Story
Public Trust & Misinformation
Podcasting 101
Investigative Journalism
The Real Future of Journalism
Covering Courts
Video: How To Monetize
What’s Next With Preprints?
This year the New England Newspaper Convention will be held on February 15th and 16th at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel in Boston, MA. Students pay just $29 (sessions only).
Gene Policinski is president and chief operating officer of the Freedom Forum Institute. He can be reached at gpolicinski@freedomforum.org, or follow him on Twitter at @genefac.
Unlike most of Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” designees since 1927, we can be certain none of those featured this year on that iconic, red-framed cover wanted to be there.
This year, Time has four cover images, all recognizing journalists who are imprisoned, facing charges or who died in the pursuit of news on behalf of the rest of us — collectively titled, “The Guardians and the War on Truth.”
The selectees: Jamal Khashoggi, The Washington Post contributor believed killed in Turkey by a Saudi Arabian “hit squad;” the staff of the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Md., which saw five staffers killed by a deranged gunman; Reuters news service reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who have been jailed in Myanmar for a year; and Philippine journalist Maria Ressa, whose news site Rappler, a frequent government critic, faces dubious tax-related charges.
Time said it selected the group “for taking great risks in pursuit of greater truths, for the imperfect but essential quest for facts that are central to civil discourse, for speaking up and speaking out.”
Those words, and that task, are as good a definition of journalism as we might want. The description also puts a lie to the core untruths of those critics who find any excuse to bray — mostly for political gain — about “fake news,” or who claim “alternative facts” when faced with a reality they find uncomfortable or incompatible with pre-conditioned views.
Yes, journalists — as all of us — can at times do an imperfect job. But the vast majority set out each day on that “essential quest for facts.” And in doing so, they act on our behalf, bringing us the information we need for both the decisions we make in our private lives and for the votes we cast as part of the greatest experiment ever seen in self-governance.
These “Guardians” also stand for thousands of men and women in nations around the world who put themselves in harm’s way each day to stand up to tyrants and tyranny. As the magazine noted, at least 52 journalists have been murdered this year for simply doing their jobs. Hundreds more are imprisoned and threatened. The Committee to Protect Journalists notes 262 are now being held and 60 are “missing.”
Journalists killed in the previous year, and more than 2,300 others since the early 1800s are recognized each June in a rededication of the Newseum’s Journalist Memorial, in Washington, D.C. For those who question the motives of all journalists under misleading and inaccurate references to “the Media,” — visit and learn the stories of the men and women noted on that memorial. If your view of journalism and those who practice it doesn’t shift as a result, you’re not really thinking.
The journalists’ stories were intertwined with the second part of Time’s recognition as the most “influential” in 2018 — the ongoing effort to manipulate what is true and “the many ways information is being used and abused across the globe.” In an essay, the magazine’s editor-in-chief said it was “the common thread in so many of this year’s major stories, from Russia to Riyadh to Silicon Valley.”
In the name of those who died, who are wrongly imprisoned or threatened, and in the name of “truth,” the rest of us have an obligation to step away from partisan bickering and disgraceful sloganeering — including that bogus claim by President Trump and repressive regimes worldwide that journalists are “enemies of the people.”
Call for better reporting, but also be willing to support better journalism. Continue to call for investigations and prosecutions whenever a journalist is attacked or killed; don’t settle for a politically expedient decision to excuse or ignore such criminal conduct. Defend journalism and commit to the pursuit of truth, even when it means extra effort to separate it out from misleading and false information.
In the name of those recently recognized for their courage and sacrifice, it’s Time we all did that.
Ed Henninger is an independent newspaper consultant and the Director of Henninger Consulting. www.henningerconsulting.com. Phone: 803-325-5252.
Sometimes a design just goes stale. Over the course of even just a few years, inconsistencies creep in, color use gets out of hand, odd typefaces appear. Stuff happens.
But you can turn that around. You can bring a crisp, clean, compelling look to the tired face of your newspaper.
Here are ten steps to guide you:
CLEAN UP the nameplate. Look for those elements that have crept in, like Facebook and Twitter logos, your web address, a UPC code. All of those items can go elsewhere.
GO TO flush left for your text type. Flush left body copy helps open up the look of the page and allows you to insert elements like head-and-shoulders photos without creating poor letter spacing and word spacing adjacent to those elements.
IMPROVE typography throughout. Make sure you’re using a quality text font. I continue to recommend Nimrod, but there may be others already on your system, like Utopia or Georgia. If you’re still using Times for your text, you can do much better. How about headlines? Are you using a display face that has impact? Is it comfortable? Does it give your newspaper a sense of tradition and credibility? If not, look for something new.
SEGMENT your stories. With very few exceptions, any long story can be broken into three or four shorter pieces to create a more attractive package. Readers prefer stories of no more than 15 inches. You can do that!
USE INFOBOXES and by-the-numbers boxes. These are guaranteed “hooks” to get readers into a package. They’re a quick list of facts and interesting information that will draw readers in. Once they go through an infobox, readers will be much more likely to give the entire package a full read.
CONTROL color use. Get rid of tint blocks behind stories. Throw out color boxes. There are better ways to bring visual interest to a package, like photos, head-and-shoulder shots, infoboxes, charts, maps… Rid your paper of weak colors like pure cyan and magenta.
MAKE DEADLINE. Deadlines aren’t a design issue? Wrong! If, for example, your writers and editors don’t get the content and visual items to a designer in time, then that designer has to scramble. Yes, I understand that at many newspapers the writer, editor and designer are the same person. Still, even that one person needs to make writing deadline as a writer, editing deadline as an editor — and design deadline as a designer. If you don’t give enough time to the design, you’ll have a page that’s filled…not designed.
TRAIN staff. Don’t have anyone on your staff who has a rudimentary understanding of the basics of news design? Then the odds are your design just won’t get any better. A writer isn’t a designer, just like a mechanic isn’t an electrician. They’re different skills and they require different ways of thinking. Look for training sessions from your state press association. Perhaps a webinar will help. Check newspaperacademy.com for one.
CREATE a long-term planning process. Once you’ve been part of long-term planning, you’ll never go back. And your design will improve exponentially. The long-term process allows you to plan months ahead for those events that are a normal part of readers’ lives, like Christmas. Mother’s Day. First day of school. Start thinking and planning for these three months ahead of time. This gives you the time you need to decide how you want to approach a package focused on that event — and enough time to give it a compelling look. Long-term planning is one of the major differences between a newspaper that is assembled…and a newspaper that’s designed.
CREATE a design style guide. Without a style guide, anyone on staff can feel free to do as he or she likes with the design. There are no rules, no guidelines to keep the design on track. There’s nothing keeping your design from slipping into confusion. Those clients of mine who have kept their design under control have done so because they created — and they stick to — a design style guide.
If your design has gone stale, if it’s not where you’d like it to be, these ten steps are the road to a turnaround.
Every now and then inspiration strikes a writer like lightning and a nearly perfect news story is the result.
They’ll craft a piece with an engaging lead, a meaningful nut graph, intelligent exposition, on-point factual evidence, colorful imagery, telling details, unforgettable quotes and a kicker that lingers.
For some, it all comes together only once a year or even once a career. And yet, a few writers find such success almost every time they put pen to paper or align 10 fingers on a keyboard.
Often, those top-notch writers don’t wait to think about writing until after the reporting is complete. Instead, they plan ahead, think almost constantly how to approach an assignment, create a structure for a piece and – most importantly – use the reporting process to drive their writing. One method of planning can lead to improved writing, especially on breaking news stories or events covered by multiple reporters. I call it “Reporting to Write,” a fairly simple concept in which journalists think and focus almost constantly on the story and its structure before, during and after the reporting process.
I put this to good use in 2000 when I was the statewide general assignment reporter for a big Florida daily and drew an assignment to do a “scene piece” about tornados that had killed more than a dozen people.
As I drove to the scene (with the radio off and my thoughts fully on the job ahead) I wondered how to approach the reporting. The fact the funnels blew in at night on Valentine’s Day were both sure to be touched on by the two other breaking news reporters on our team.
I began to see debris scattered about fields and people picking through the wreckage and suddenly it hit me: One terrifying element of every tornado is how it exposes the possessions and lives of is victims for all to see.
I settled on a plan to tell the stories of some of the victims by focusing solely on their scattered possessions and by confirming those assumptions by talking to surviving family members or neighbors. I found and recorded the titles of children’s books owned by a toddler who died; I examined trophies scattered about a home where a teenaged athlete had been injure; and I found record albums and took note of the artists beloved by a middle-aged musician who was killed. I didn’t dilute my effort by attending press conferences or talking to cops or firefighters or interviewing numerous survivors who all told much the same story.
Once I had an opening sentence, the story nearly wrote itself. In fact, after my computer crashed on the way to use the modem in the public library where I wrote, I was able to rewrite the entire piece in 15 minutes. My editors loved the piece and I was home by 5 p.m. that day.
Here are some basics about Reporting to Write that can help you become a better storyteller and get you home in time to make dinner.
Consider an “angle” or “approach” to the organization of the story early in the reporting process. Talking to editors, colleagues, sources or even yourself can help reveal whether you’re on the right track.
Before settling on an angle, run the premise past a number of knowledgeable people or primary sources with different viewpoints to see if you’ve got it right. Once confident, pursue the angle or approach with vigor.
Maintain a constant focus on the critical elements of the story while in the field or on the phone. You should always be on the hunt for the lead, great quotes, colorful characters, transitions, telling details and a kicker. Always think story, story, story – how does this work into my story structure and what do I need to pull this off?
Pursue your approach with passion, curiosity, energy and watchful eyes and ears.
Always write down concrete details and specific facts or descriptions that add color and spice to the copy in order to avoid errors. Key facts and news tidbits can be worked into the overall structure.
Don’t be afraid to write a passage or portion of the story while in the field or between interviews. The best time to craft compelling copy is when the reporting is fresh.
While reporting, sketch an outline or highlight elements of your notes that might serve as an anecdote, a lively detail, a transition or a kicker to make them easy to find later.
Once you know the premise is solid, free yourself to write with authority, command over language and with feeling and voice.
Remember to consider a “to be sure” or contrarian paragraph if necessary, a quick nod to the reader that the angle you’re taking isn’t the only possible angle, just the one you’re pursuing in this piece.
Important caveats: Do not bend the reporting to meet your premise or mistakenly pursue a false narrative. Don’t create a sentiment that doesn’t exist. Don’t write to please a source or your editor. Remember that this technique is not foolproof or perfect for every story, and understand that sometimes you have to blow up your premise or structure and go back to straight news to make deadline and be accurate and fair.
Tom Zuppa is managing editor/days for The Sun of Lowell and Nashoba Valley Voice. He leads Digital First Media’s Lowell cluster efforts on public records and First Amendment issues.
This year the New England Newspaper Convention program will include private one-on-one sessions with industry experts.
Implementation at 27 publications already underway
Believe it or not 2019 is right around the corner … and so is the largest newspaper convention in New England.
Time to Stand up for Journalists, for the Pursuit of Truth
Unlike most of Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” designees since 1927, we can be certain none of those featured this year on that iconic, red-framed cover wanted to be there.
This year, Time has four cover images, all recognizing journalists who are imprisoned, facing charges or who died in the pursuit of news on behalf of the rest of us — collectively titled, “The Guardians and the War on Truth.”
The selectees: Jamal Khashoggi, The Washington Post contributor believed killed in Turkey by a Saudi Arabian “hit squad;” the staff of the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Md., which saw five staffers killed by a deranged gunman; Reuters news service reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who have been jailed in Myanmar for a year; and Philippine journalist Maria Ressa, whose news site Rappler, a frequent government critic, faces dubious tax-related charges.
Time said it selected the group “for taking great risks in pursuit of greater truths, for the imperfect but essential quest for facts that are central to civil discourse, for speaking up and speaking out.”
Those words, and that task, are as good a definition of journalism as we might want. The description also puts a lie to the core untruths of those critics who find any excuse to bray — mostly for political gain — about “fake news,” or who claim “alternative facts” when faced with a reality they find uncomfortable or incompatible with pre-conditioned views.
Yes, journalists — as all of us — can at times do an imperfect job. But the vast majority set out each day on that “essential quest for facts.” And in doing so, they act on our behalf, bringing us the information we need for both the decisions we make in our private lives and for the votes we cast as part of the greatest experiment ever seen in self-governance.
These “Guardians” also stand for thousands of men and women in nations around the world who put themselves in harm’s way each day to stand up to tyrants and tyranny. As the magazine noted, at least 52 journalists have been murdered this year for simply doing their jobs. Hundreds more are imprisoned and threatened. The Committee to Protect Journalists notes 262 are now being held and 60 are “missing.”
Journalists killed in the previous year, and more than 2,300 others since the early 1800s are recognized each June in a rededication of the Newseum’s Journalist Memorial, in Washington, D.C. For those who question the motives of all journalists under misleading and inaccurate references to “the Media,” — visit and learn the stories of the men and women noted on that memorial. If your view of journalism and those who practice it doesn’t shift as a result, you’re not really thinking.
The journalists’ stories were intertwined with the second part of Time’s recognition as the most “influential” in 2018 — the ongoing effort to manipulate what is true and “the many ways information is being used and abused across the globe.” In an essay, the magazine’s editor-in-chief said it was “the common thread in so many of this year’s major stories, from Russia to Riyadh to Silicon Valley.”
In the name of those who died, who are wrongly imprisoned or threatened, and in the name of “truth,” the rest of us have an obligation to step away from partisan bickering and disgraceful sloganeering — including that bogus claim by President Trump and repressive regimes worldwide that journalists are “enemies of the people.”
Call for better reporting, but also be willing to support better journalism. Continue to call for investigations and prosecutions whenever a journalist is attacked or killed; don’t settle for a politically expedient decision to excuse or ignore such criminal conduct. Defend journalism and commit to the pursuit of truth, even when it means extra effort to separate it out from misleading and false information.
In the name of those recently recognized for their courage and sacrifice, it’s Time we all did that.