The third quarter in the most normal of times is a media lull, landing smack dab in the middle of languid summer months, used more as a preparation for the critical fourth quarter to end the year. This summer, advertisers have their plates full as they settle into the most unusual summer in memory.
Advertisers are scrapping their original plans for 2020 as they adapt to new consumer behaviors brought on by months of quarantine and continued social distancing guidelines.
Most (52%) are still working on those revisions, per a survey of 151 marketers and agency execs from Advertiser Perceptions. And just three in 10 (29%) of those surveyed said they already have a new strategy in place.
While this summer would seem ideal for companies to reboot, few can afford to go dark, coming off a written-off second quarter.
More than half of advertisers still plan to ramp up ad spending in the third quarter, while 28% are accelerating spending before the end of June, per Advertiser Perceptions. Read more
Two of our least-known freedoms, petition and assembly, are at the heart of our nation’s most profound changes.
Today, those two freedoms are powering a deep national conversation both in person and online involving millions of us about how we should deal with racism, bigotry and criminal justice in the wake of George Floyd’s death while in police custody in Minneapolis.
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.
Some of those conversations have been marred by the violence inflicted by a relative few. As the final words of the First Amendment’s 45 words provide, we have the constitutional right “peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Stores have been looted and buildings set afire. Journalists have been attacked, injured and arrested in multiple cities while reporting on the protests. And at last count, well over 1,000 demonstrators have been arrested and many more thousands have been teargassed, hit with pepper balls, beaten or taken into custody in police sweeps.
Serious situations, to be sure. But we would be wrong to permit those very visible and tragic moments to distract us from, first, grieving with Floyd’s family, and second, keeping sight of the larger point that, from police procedures and racial profiling to economic inequality and its impact across society, we have national problems to solve.
Nothing in those 45 words instructs how assembly and petition are supposed to work. But we’ve often taken to the streets when facing our nation’s most profound times to let our voices be heard. And #walkwithus shows signs of being a long-running rallying point, much like #blacklivesmatter and #metoo
Protest has served as both a release and a megaphone for views that range from “Occupy Wall Street” to the Tea Party movement to those protesting COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.
The 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom has a place in history firmly rooted as the setting for one of the nation’s most galvanizing public speeches: The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a Dream” speech.
Assembly has been the tool of choice for those supporting “March for Our Lives” in the wake of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., and for the annual anti-abortion marches across America.
From women marching in the 19th and early 20th centuries to demand the right to vote, to the modern civil rights movement’s demand in the 1950s and ’60s for an end to legalized racial discrimination, formal policy and laws have come about because people of like minds gathered and petitioned government for change – and in the process, touched the minds and conscience of the nation.
The nation’s newest tools for conversation, declaration and self-examination are flooded with each as a result of Floyd’s death.
The Facebook and Instagram accounts of many celebrities, magazines, even restaurant sites have turned from the usual plot discussions and topics to calls for solutions to racial discrimination, and prosecution of the police officers who were involved in Floyd’s death.
In Nashville, award-winning investigative journalist Phil Williams posted old photos and newspaper headlines from that city’s history of protests, as different as black men and women fighting racial discrimination during the civil rights era are to largely white conservatives angered decades ago by a proposed state income tax (and reported to have thrown rocks through Statehouse windows).
At #walkwithus, comments ranged widely – from one woman referring to some police action against protesters saying “Wow. White folks getting a small taste of what it’s like to be us” to “I feel your pain to the core of my being” to “the power of our ‘millennial’ generation is the ability to leverage our power of being instant authorities on the indelible ink of the Internet … the challenge now is to keep doing it with integrity.”
Facebook staff – in a rare public rebuke of the social media giant, staged a virtual walkout Monday in protest of the site’s continued posting of what the employee group called “inaction on inflammatory posts” around the Floyd protests by President Donald J. Trump.
Even police in multiple cities have – at times to the surprise of demonstrators – joined protesters in visible ways to make a larger statement than their role might suggest:
In Flint, Mich., Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson spoke and then marched with demonstrators who were met by police officers in riot gear, local affiliate WEYI reported.
In Portland, Ore., New York City, Coral Gables, Fla., Washington, D.C., and Des Moines, police officers knelt in solidarity with protesters.
Protest’s long history in America extends, as most school children learn, to before the nation was founded in the Boston Tea Party to the Liberty Tree movement in which colonists gathered around a tree to decry – and sometimes hang British administrators in effigy.
Such protests and assemblies have also provided searing images – intended or not – of moments when the nation’s views were shifting on a particular issue. An iconic photo of peaceful crowds along the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall during King’s “Dream” speech remains an indelible image of the hundreds of thousands who gathered that day. And the searing pain shown by 14-year-old Mary Ann Vecchio, kneeling over the body of Jeffrey Miller, who was fatally shot by the Ohio National Guard moments earlier, freezes in time the impact – and risks taken – by student-led protests against the Vietnam War.
The nation’s founders didn’t give a timetable for change as a result of peaceful assembly and petition for change. Rather, they had a belief in future generations – that discussion and debate, even if rough and tumble, without government interference would lead to decisions benefiting the greatest number of us.
Slowly and at times imperfectly, our public self-review process of assembly and petition generally has propelled us to toward the best solution for all.
We’re a better society for the open and sharp turmoil over issues concerning minority, LGBTQ and women’s rights, and the extent to which personal religious liberty can be guaranteed along with safeguards from discrimination and bias.
The meaning and impact of protests by many over George Floyd’s death at least seems likely to outlast the damage done by a few. The nation’s founders enacted protections for our core freedoms so that we could adapt, reform and improve – but it’s up to us to use those freedoms.
As coronavirus declines across New England, hopefully things are trending in a positive direction in our newsrooms and advertising departments. There are some great webinars and live events happening this week to assist both your editorial and business departments.
For publishers there are two events that will provide resources as you think about how your operations will move forward as business reopens. On Wednesday, Things to consider to help leaders and employees move forward in this ever-changing world and on Thursday, Self Care for Journalists, which will also discuss how to create a healthy work environment for employees.
For ad directors and revenue officers on Friday, veteran ad sales coach Ryan Dohrn will share 7 ways to re-ignite the marketing conversation with style, ideas, and realistic expectations.
For editors and journalists there are events focused on how to stay safe while covering demonstrations and protests. Tonight, SPJ New England chats with Lucy Westcott of the Committee to Protect Journalists and on Thursday, Stay Sharp and Safe While Covering Protests. Also on Thursday, Self Care for Journalists, which explores creating balance and maintaining your emotional and physical wellness as journalists.
For photo journalists, every Tuesday in June, the Society of Professional Journalists International Community presents their #ICTalks series. This week featuring a conversation with National Geographic photographer George Steinmetz.
Monday, June 8 at 6 pm EDT A chat with Lucy Westcott of the Committee to Protect Journalists. – Westcott’s area of focus is safety issues for women journalists in non-hostile environments, including online harassment. Presented by the Society of Professional Journalists New England Chapter.
Tuesday, June 9 at 7 pm EDT #ICTalks: A Conversation With George Steinmetz – The Society of Professional Journalists International Community continues its series of talks with American photographer George Steinmetz, best known for his exploration and science photography. A regular contributor to National Geographic magazine, Steinmetz has examined subjects ranging from global oil exploration, the latest advances in robotics and the innermost stretches of the Sahara.
Thursday, June 11, 2-2:30 pm EDT Stay Sharp and Safe While Covering Protests – As demonstrators take to the streets across the country, you may be asked to get the story. You’ll be heading into a volatile situation with the additional layer of safeguards against the coronavirus. You need to be prepared. This course is being offered tuition-free. If you have the means, please pay what you can to support the work of the nonprofit Poynter Institute.
Friday, June 12, 2 pm EDT Getting Advertisers Back: Strategies to Re-Ignite the Marketing Conversation – Veteran ad sales coach Ryan Dohrn will share 7 ways to re-ignite the marketing conversation with style, ideas, and realistic expectations. Sponsored by The Magazine Manager and The Newspaper Manager.
NENPA University Webinars – presented by Online Media Campus and free to NENPA members. Contact Christine Panek for registration information at c.panek@nenpa.com.
Thursday, June 11 at 2 pm EDT Self-Care for Journalists – Creating balance and maintaining your emotional and physical wellness is as important as ever for journalists. We’ll discuss some ideas on how to create that balance to best take care of yourself.
Incorporating data into journalistic projects is a popular and effective way to engage audiences and convey large sets of information. However, if journalists are not careful, it can also mean including inequity and hidden bias into your storytelling.
Media lawyers at Prince Lobel, in association with NENPA, are on call to provide emergency legal assistance for journalists covering rallies and protests in Boston or elsewhere in New England. If you are in need of assistance email hotline@princelobel.com.
Macy’s located in Boston’s Downtown Crossing boarded up their windows yesterday morning in anticipation of the looting and destruction that happened in the neighborhood Sunday night.
We are excited to announce that the Local Community News Fund of New England is now live!
This new initiative allows local newspapers to quickly and easily begin fundraising and accepting tax-deductible donations. Twenty-five New England publications joined in the first sign-up period. Those that have started promoting the program are already receiving donations and words of encouragement from their readers.
“Without local press, i.e., Stowe Reporter, it will be close to impossible for those in the future to know the happenings of today.”
“Thank you, Milton Times, for all that you do to keep our community updated on important news & events.”
“Your editorial and reporting staff are vital community leaders always and especially now during this public health catastrophe. Thank you!”
After signing up for the program, newspapers receive a custom fundraising page, step-by-step instructions, a marketing plan, customized ads and all of the support needed to get started – without any startup fees.
All donations to the fund go to the specific newspaper designated, and can help pay reporters’ salaries and other costs of covering the local community.
If you would like to schedule an informational webinar about the program and answer any questions you have, please contact Linda Conway at L.Conway@nenpa.com.
All donations to this fund are tax-deductible. Together, we can make it through this.
Local Community News Fund of New England is a service of, and administered by, New England Press Association Scholarship Fund, Inc., (aka Journalism Education Foundation of New England, tax ID #23‐7297724, a 501(c)(3) organization) affiliated with New England Newspaper and Press Association.
The Tennessee Press Association, working with research firm Coda Ventures, that specializes in newspapers, is launching a readership survey next week.
The survey includes national information on ad effectiveness in newspapers for 2020 that they have graciously shared with us and given us permission to share with our members.
With industry standards for digital ad ‘click thru’ at less than 1%, newspaper ad effectiveness norms are much higher. For all display ads the national data shows:
Ad Recall – 54% Reader Actions – 66% Ad Likability – 73%
These numbers are amazing. Check out the full report that breaks down ad effectiveness by category. Download Report
The basis for almost all great journalism is the interview, the act of obtaining information from a source. With less in-person meetings and more phone interviews, Zoom meetings or other online interviews happening during the COVID-19 pandemic, the same effective interview skills apply.
These skills can easily be implemented in this new environment to heighten the depth of information obtained from sources and to help reporters write more authoritative and complete articles.
Bart Pfankuch is the content director for South Dakota News Watch, a non-profit online journalism group. Contact him at bart.pfankuch@sdnewswatch.org.
It sounds simple enough, right? Find someone with knowledge, call or visit them virtually, ask them questions and record their responses. But like everything in journalism, conducting quality interviews is a craft that requires great commitment, effort and skill to pull off at the highest level. It demands a never-ending process of learning and improving.
Interviews serve several important purposes. They deepen a reporter’s understanding of a topic; they provide opportunities to gather detail, color and specifics that enhance storytelling opportunities; they add context, nuance and perspective that documents and data cannot provide; and, ultimately, they generate credibility with readers by strengthening the writer’s voice, authority and understanding of a topic.
Effective interviewing is an art form; there is no one way to do it well and the approach depends on the subject and the topic. Here are some tips to conducting memorable and effective interviews that will generate quality material to make your reporting and writing shine.
— Consider the Three Ps. Preparation, planning and persistence are critical. Great interviews only result from great preparation. Read up on sources and topics before the interview begins. Never go in cold.
— Be ready for anything; don’t let sources take control of the interview. Ask a tough question three different ways if that’s what it takes to get a real answer.
— Be patient to get more info. Asking good questions takes skill. Thought, anticipation and analysis are critical elements of asking the right question at the right time. Do not be in a hurry.
— Discomfort is encouraged on both sides of interviews that become intense and go deep; it’s OK if you both squirm a bit.
— Think about questions in advance and write them down. On breaking news, think on your feet and react to the situation to come up with high-impact questions. Maintain a tight focus on the work and don’t drift off.
— Ask open-ended questions and those that push the source to go beyond the obvious and make them think deeply and reveal things they may not have intended to. Force them to reveal their feelings in addition to their knowledge.
— Develop a connection with the subject and use a conversational style to lower their guard and make them feel more comfortable revealing the truth. Be open with the source to gain trust and credibility and build a rapport but not a friendship.
— Create a flow for the interview that makes sense and feels right. Easy questions early, hard questions in the middle, follow-up queries at the end. Plan a strategy in advance.
— Listen more than you talk. Avoid questions with long wind-ups. Give the source your full attention at all times.
— Try to meet sources on their own turf (when this is safe). Better yet, be with them when they undertake an activity or go about their daily duties.
— Use the “devil’s advocate” excuse to pose sensitive questions.
— Share a bit of yourself to warm up an uncomfortable, uneasy or inexperienced source.
— Feel free to acknowledge that you don’t know something or didn’t get it. Ask sources to explain complex topics in the simplest terms possible.
— Always seek opportunities for photos and video. In this new environment ask the subject if they can submit photos or video or is it ok to do screen shots during your video call. Do the full interview, then re-ask a good question while taking a photo or short video.
— On breaking news, interview both the blowhards and the quiet people who stand on the edge of a scene. Find the highest ranking officer on the scene and question them. Never stop asking questions of authorities until they walk away or tell you to stop. Have business cards handy to give to people and ask them to call you later. Act and think fast because opportunities are fleeting. Stay a little longer than you think necessary.
— In press conferences, never ask your best question amid the pack. Try to get private time with the source or call them later with the gangbuster inquiry. Always break away from the pack.
— Be kind and respectful at all times and don’t be afraid to use tasteful humor to break down barriers with an uncomfortable or new source.
— Record interviews for accuracy, even if transcription takes more time and is painful. For phone interviews, put your phone on speaker and tape the call on a micro-recorder. When a key fact or great quote comes along, write down the time on the recorder in your notes to expedite finding it later.
— Always keep open the opportunity for a follow-up interview. Arrange to speak again to clarify facts or run new findings by them. Get the cell phone number of all people you interview.
— Put the phone down and turn the radio off while driving after an interview (windshield time is thinking time.) Right after an interview, go back and tidy up the notes and write up the information in story form.
— Practice makes one proficient; becoming a student of the interview process and reviewing past results leads to constant improvement.
Floyd protests powered by freedoms of assembly, petition.
Two of our least-known freedoms, petition and assembly, are at the heart of our nation’s most profound changes.
Today, those two freedoms are powering a deep national conversation both in person and online involving millions of us about how we should deal with racism, bigotry and criminal justice in the wake of George Floyd’s death while in police custody in Minneapolis.
gpolicinski@freedomforum.org, or follow him on Twitter at @genefac.
Some of those conversations have been marred by the violence inflicted by a relative few. As the final words of the First Amendment’s 45 words provide, we have the constitutional right “peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Stores have been looted and buildings set afire. Journalists have been attacked, injured and arrested in multiple cities while reporting on the protests. And at last count, well over 1,000 demonstrators have been arrested and many more thousands have been teargassed, hit with pepper balls, beaten or taken into custody in police sweeps.
Serious situations, to be sure. But we would be wrong to permit those very visible and tragic moments to distract us from, first, grieving with Floyd’s family, and second, keeping sight of the larger point that, from police procedures and racial profiling to economic inequality and its impact across society, we have national problems to solve.
Nothing in those 45 words instructs how assembly and petition are supposed to work. But we’ve often taken to the streets when facing our nation’s most profound times to let our voices be heard. And #walkwithus shows signs of being a long-running rallying point, much like #blacklivesmatter and #metoo
Protest has served as both a release and a megaphone for views that range from “Occupy Wall Street” to the Tea Party movement to those protesting COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.
The 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom has a place in history firmly rooted as the setting for one of the nation’s most galvanizing public speeches: The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a Dream” speech.
Assembly has been the tool of choice for those supporting “March for Our Lives” in the wake of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., and for the annual anti-abortion marches across America.
From women marching in the 19th and early 20th centuries to demand the right to vote, to the modern civil rights movement’s demand in the 1950s and ’60s for an end to legalized racial discrimination, formal policy and laws have come about because people of like minds gathered and petitioned government for change – and in the process, touched the minds and conscience of the nation.
The nation’s newest tools for conversation, declaration and self-examination are flooded with each as a result of Floyd’s death.
Even police in multiple cities have – at times to the surprise of demonstrators – joined protesters in visible ways to make a larger statement than their role might suggest:
Protest’s long history in America extends, as most school children learn, to before the nation was founded in the Boston Tea Party to the Liberty Tree movement in which colonists gathered around a tree to decry – and sometimes hang British administrators in effigy.
Such protests and assemblies have also provided searing images – intended or not – of moments when the nation’s views were shifting on a particular issue. An iconic photo of peaceful crowds along the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall during King’s “Dream” speech remains an indelible image of the hundreds of thousands who gathered that day. And the searing pain shown by 14-year-old Mary Ann Vecchio, kneeling over the body of Jeffrey Miller, who was fatally shot by the Ohio National Guard moments earlier, freezes in time the impact – and risks taken – by student-led protests against the Vietnam War.
The nation’s founders didn’t give a timetable for change as a result of peaceful assembly and petition for change. Rather, they had a belief in future generations – that discussion and debate, even if rough and tumble, without government interference would lead to decisions benefiting the greatest number of us.
Slowly and at times imperfectly, our public self-review process of assembly and petition generally has propelled us to toward the best solution for all.
We’re a better society for the open and sharp turmoil over issues concerning minority, LGBTQ and women’s rights, and the extent to which personal religious liberty can be guaranteed along with safeguards from discrimination and bias.
The meaning and impact of protests by many over George Floyd’s death at least seems likely to outlast the damage done by a few. The nation’s founders enacted protections for our core freedoms so that we could adapt, reform and improve – but it’s up to us to use those freedoms.