Posts tagged newspapers

A trade group says that newspapers like the New York Times have seen large increases in circulation, but that’s partly because they are allowed to count their readers multiple times. The industry needs to do better.

Via paidContent:

The latest circulation gains for the NYT and others came courtesy of the Alliance for Audited Media (formerly known as the Audit Bureau of Circulations), an industry group composed of advertising agencies and publishers. The group noted that the numbers are not really comparable to the previous year’s results for a number of reasons, including the fact that some newspapers have launched new subscription formats, stopped printing every day and so on.

As Edmund Lee at Bloomberg points out, the AAM survey — which is somewhat ironically locked behind a paywall — also allows publishers to count their readers multiple times, according to rules adopted recently by the group. In other words, newspapers can count someone who reads the newspaper in print, on the web and on their Kindle as three separate readers. But doesn’t this inflate their readership numbers unreasonably? It sure does. The bottom line is that no one really knows what the “real” readership numbers are for newspapers.

Some argue this has always been the case with newspapers, which is true: publishers have routinely engaged in all kinds of shady tricks to boost their circulation — including special discounts for bulk purchases by hotels and airlines and other giveaways, and even dumping large quantities into ravines or pulping them after printing. On top of that, many papers have inflated their readership numbers for years by claiming that each copy gets read by as many as five people, an estimate that borders on the ridiculous.

First Love Came across this image via The Paris Review’s Notes from a Bookshop (by Kelly McMasters), which is quite literally about just that, and quite lovely so you should check it out. But I was reminded how much I love this poem by Sharon Olds so I had to find and share the entire thing.—Jihii First Love, by Sharon Olds via The American Poetry Review:  It was Sunday morning, I had the New York Times spread out on my dormitory floor, its black print coming off dark silver on the heels of my palms, it was Spring and I had the dormer window of my room open, to let it in, I even had the radio  on, I was letting it all in, the tiny silvery radio voices—I even let myself feel that it was EAster, the dark flower of his life opening again, his life being given back again, I was in love and could take it, the ink staining my hands, the news on the radio coming in my ears, there had been a wreck and they said your name, son of the well-known they said your name. Then they said where they’d taken the wounded and the dead, and I called the hospital, I remember kneeling by the phone on the third-floor landing of the dorm, the dark steep stairs down next to me, I spoke to a young man a young doctor there in the Emergency Room, my open ear pressed to the dark receiver, my open life pressed to the world, I said Which one of them died, and he said your name, he was standing there in the room with you saying your name. I remember I leaned my forehead against the varnished bars of the baluster rails and held on, pulling at the rails as if I wanted to pull them together, shut them like a dark door, close myself like a door as you had been shut, closed off, but I could not do it, the pain kept coursing through me like life, like the gift of life. Image & H/T: The Paris Review Tumblr

First Love

Came across this image via The Paris Review’s Notes from a Bookshop (by Kelly McMasters), which is quite literally about just that, and quite lovely so you should check it out. But I was reminded how much I love this poem by Sharon Olds so I had to find and share the entire thing.—Jihii

First Love, by Sharon Olds via The American Poetry Review: 

It was Sunday morning, I had the New York

Times spread out on my dormitory floor, its

black print coming off dark silver on the

heels of my palms, it was Spring and I had the

dormer window of my room open, to

let it in, I even had the radio 

on, I was letting it all in, the

tiny silvery radio voices—I

even let myself feel that it was EAster, the

dark flower of his life opening

again, his life being given back

again, I was in love and could take it, the ink

staining my hands, the news on the radio

coming in my ears, there had been a wreck

and they said your name, son of the well-known they

said your name. Then they said where they’d

taken the wounded and the dead, and I called the

hospital, I remember kneeling by the

phone on the third-floor landing of the dorm, the

dark steep stairs down

next to me, I spoke to a young

man a young doctor there in the

Emergency Room, my open ear

pressed to the dark receiver, my open

life pressed to the world, I said

Which one of them died, and he said your name,

he was standing there in the room with you

saying your name.

I remember I leaned my

forehead against the varnished bars of the

baluster rails and held on,

pulling at the rails as if I wanted to

pull them together, shut them like a dark

door, close myself like a door

as you had been shut, closed off, but I could not

do it, the pain kept coursing through me like

life, like the gift of life.

Image & H/T: The Paris Review Tumblr

The Stressful Careers of Photojournalists and Newspaper Reporters Using metrics such as career opportunity, compensation, deadlines, working in the public eye, and danger among others to generate an overall “stress score”, CareerCast has a top ten list of the most stressful jobs of 2013. Congratulations, photojournalists and newspaper reporters, you’ve cracked the list. Reiterating what we already know, CareerCast reports: Two careers in the media industry score highly on the stress scale: photojournalist and newspaper reporter. Professionals from each field can be thrown into the epicenter of dangerous situations, such as war, natural disasters and police chases. Both careers also have declining job opportunities as the 21st century media landscape evolves. Newspaper reporters in particular face a shrinking job market; the BLS estimates a 6% job decline in the industry by 2020. The growth of online media has transformed the newspaper reporter’s job immensely. The immediacy internet outlets provide can be a useful tool, but it can also be a huge trap. Striving for the fastest reports can lead to inaccuracy and heightened stress. Watchful public eyes are trained on reporters at all times, so an incorrect report can compromise a reporter’s reputation as quickly as they can send a tweet. The least stressful job for 2013? University professor. Image: Stressful Careers. Select to embiggen.

The Stressful Careers of Photojournalists and Newspaper Reporters

Using metrics such as career opportunity, compensation, deadlines, working in the public eye, and danger among others to generate an overall “stress score”, CareerCast has a top ten list of the most stressful jobs of 2013.

Congratulations, photojournalists and newspaper reporters, you’ve cracked the list.

Reiterating what we already know, CareerCast reports:

Two careers in the media industry score highly on the stress scale: photojournalist and newspaper reporter. Professionals from each field can be thrown into the epicenter of dangerous situations, such as war, natural disasters and police chases. Both careers also have declining job opportunities as the 21st century media landscape evolves. Newspaper reporters in particular face a shrinking job market; the BLS estimates a 6% job decline in the industry by 2020.

The growth of online media has transformed the newspaper reporter’s job immensely. The immediacy internet outlets provide can be a useful tool, but it can also be a huge trap. Striving for the fastest reports can lead to inaccuracy and heightened stress. Watchful public eyes are trained on reporters at all times, so an incorrect report can compromise a reporter’s reputation as quickly as they can send a tweet.

The least stressful job for 2013? University professor.

Image: Stressful Careers. Select to embiggen.

How We Read our Newspapers fotojournalismus: A man reads a newspaper inside a dilapidated baby’s crib along a street in downtown Manila, Philippines on April 10, 2013. [Credit : Aaron Favila/AP] FJP: I personally spread it out over the kitchen table but this works. — Michael

How We Read our Newspapers

fotojournalismus:

A man reads a newspaper inside a dilapidated baby’s crib along a street in downtown Manila, Philippines on April 10, 2013.

[Credit : Aaron Favila/AP]

FJP: I personally spread it out over the kitchen table but this works. — Michael

Newspaper Advertising bostonreview: Why the Washington Post and other newspapers need pay walls. (Via The Atlantic) FJP: Interesting to see since we we were just having a conversation about it.

Newspaper Advertising

bostonreview:

Why the Washington Post and other newspapers need pay walls. (Via The Atlantic)

FJP: Interesting to see since we we were just having a conversation about it.

As an entrepreneurial company with 60,000 employees around the world, we are constantly exploring profitable opportunities in many industries and sectors. So, it is natural that our name would come up in connection with this rumor. We respect the independence of the journalistic institutions referenced in today’s news stories, but it is our long-standing policy not to comment on deals or rumors of deals we may or may not be exploring.

Missy Cohlmia, spokeswoman for Koch Companies Public Sector, in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter on rumors that the Koch brothers are seeking to buy the Tribune Company’s newspapers. These include the Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun and the Los Angeles Times. Hollywood Reporter, Koch Brothers Mulling LA Times Bid.

The Kochs own Koch Industries, the second largest privately held company in America, founded Americans for Prosperity in 2010 and spent $40 million on a successful drive to help Republicans regain congress, and then spent millions more this last election cycle on supporting Tea Party and Republican candidates.

For better background, see LA Weekly, which calls the rumor “a doozy wrapped in a bombshell exploding inside a Drudge siren.”

Blah Blah Blah shortformblog: Have to admit, this is a really fresh take on the op-ed headline. Really honest about the contents of the piece. (ht Charles Apple)

Blah Blah Blah

shortformblog:

Have to admit, this is a really fresh take on the op-ed headline. Really honest about the contents of the piece. (ht Charles Apple)

Today’s Front Pages From the Americas

New York Post (bottom center) still keeping it classy.

Images: Via the Newseum. Select to embiggen.

Using the Newspaper as a Textbook Newspaper in Education Week is an annual celebration of the newspaper as a classroom resource. This year, the American Press Institute has partnered with the Newseum to create a free downloadable curriculum for middle school and high school students (there are extension activities for elementary school students) featuring six lessons aligned with Common Core State Standards.  Lessons are as follows: Newspapers in Your Life What’s News Where? The First Rough Draft of History In the Newsroom The Fairness Formula Planning for the Unpredictable Media Literacy Where News Comes From Evaluating the News Somewhat Related: I recently encountered TuvaLabs, a startup that creates math classroom content using news and current events. A fantastic concept.—Jihii Image: via emissourian.

Using the Newspaper as a Textbook

Newspaper in Education Week is an annual celebration of the newspaper as a classroom resource. This year, the American Press Institute has partnered with the Newseum to create a free downloadable curriculum for middle school and high school students (there are extension activities for elementary school students) featuring six lessons aligned with Common Core State Standards. 

Lessons are as follows:

Newspapers in Your Life

  • What’s News Where?
  • The First Rough Draft of History

In the Newsroom

  • The Fairness Formula
  • Planning for the Unpredictable

Media Literacy

  • Where News Comes From
  • Evaluating the News

Somewhat Related: I recently encountered TuvaLabs, a startup that creates math classroom content using news and current events. A fantastic concept.—Jihii

Image: via emissourian.

Read a Newspaper. Save the Puppies.

Via Time:

While digital publishing has helped put old-fashioned newspapers into a tailspin, it’s also prompted a crisis at another venerable establishment—San Francisco’s animal control agency.

For years, the agency has been relying on the once abundant supply of old newspapers to line the cages of shelter puppies. But with many subscriptions now moving to digital, that vital supply of puppy paper has been decimated, reports CBS San Francisco.

The San Francisco Public Library is saving the day so far by donating its used papers.  

I guarantee you that the routine beat reporting of that newspaper every day produces at least a half-dozen stories that would be less interesting to the community than a half-dozen or more stories they could have done about the community events that showed support for the Devlin family. The Devlins’ health struggles have been a community story, with Scouts and schools and workplaces rallying for support in a variety of ways that were as important as the meeting stories their newspaper was covering and more interesting.

Steve Buttry, What new beats would help newsrooms cover local news better?

Buttry is referring to the death of his 16-year-old nephew, Patrick Devlin, which was never covered by the newspaper covering his metro area, except for an obituary. Devlin had been working on an Eagle Scout project at the time of his death. His sister, also seriously ill, was sent on a trip by the Make-A-Wish foundation, all of which are stories that the community would have cared about. 

FJP: Worth reading to consider what stories do and don’t matter to a community and how meaningful and efficient coverage can be achieved.

digg: A Connecticut newspaper ran an ad for a gun show next to a story about Sandy Hook today. FJP: In December we noted a gun ad on the Miami Herald’s home page. At least in that case you could chalk it up to an unfortunate case of contextual advertising algorithms doing their thing. Here, not at all. Just plain mailing it in.

digg:

A Connecticut newspaper ran an ad for a gun show next to a story about Sandy Hook today.

FJP: In December we noted a gun ad on the Miami Herald’s home page. At least in that case you could chalk it up to an unfortunate case of contextual advertising algorithms doing their thing.

Here, not at all. Just plain mailing it in.

journojunction: Have a very merry paywall Christmas! FJP: When newspapers answer your question.

journojunction:

Have a very merry paywall Christmas!

FJP: When newspapers answer your question.

Twelve Egyptian newspapers Tuesday refused to publish and five TV stations have suspended their broadcasts in protest of the new Islamist-drawn constitution, as tens of thousands prepare for an anti-Mursi rally outside the presidential palace. The self-imposed media blackout comes one day after several Egyptian newspapers, including Al Watan and Al-Masry Al-Youm, carried a front page image showing the silhouette of a reporter in shackles behind bars under the headline: ‘A constitution that cancels rights and shackles freedoms. No to dictatorship.’

Egypt’s media on strike ahead of anti-Mursi rally | Al Akhbar English (via theamericanbear)

Background (via CNN):

Newspapers and television stations known for criticizing President Mohamed Morsy are falling silent Tuesday and Wednesday to protest the country’s new draft constitution and an edict the head of state issued nearly two weeks ago to expand his powers.

As Egyptians count down to a public referendum on the draft constitution to be held in less than two weeks, some newspapers disappeared from news stands Tuesday. Others printed the same protest picture of the press symbolically behind bars with the headline, “No to Dictatorship.”

Article 48 of the draft constitution ties media freedom to the framework of society and national security, which many Egyptian journalists see as vague terminology.

More: See here for a Q&A on what’s driving Egypt’s unrest.