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McGuire on Media

Transparency for newspapers is crucial in times of changeOctober 8

Front page letters to readers from editors are an age-old mechanism for sharing new features, innovations and improvements in your newspaper with readers. Randy Lovely, Editor, vice-president /news of the Arizona Republic, wrote one of those letters on Monday, Sept. 29, and then again the following Sunday, Oct. 6.

Lovely wrote: “For more than a year and with feedback from more than 10,000 of you, The Arizona Republic has worked to identify changes and additions to the newspaper that would make it easier to read and more helpful and informative. Through surveys, focus groups and reader advisory panels, we asked what you wanted. This week we begin to unveil the improvements.”

The letter then details several changes including, “new, larger typography on the weather page, on the market summary package in Business and for box scores, standings and other statistics on the Sports pages.” In an ad that explains the changes, the paper explains a new typeface is being used. They said it is called Retina and contend that it makes small type read much better. I have to say I think it is a huge improvement. For someone with fading eyes, box scores, sports agate and stock results struck me as far more readable. The agate type pops off the page. It is definitely worth bragging about. Readers need to appreciate that startling improvement.

One other t

East Valley Tribune making dramatic moveOctober 6

In one of the most dramatic announcements in the recent decline of newspapers, The East Valley Tribune in Mesa Az. announced Monday that in January the publication will transform from a daily publication into a four-day-a-week free print newspaper and a seven-day online newspaper. Publisher Julie Moreno made the announcement about 11:30 a.m. (PST).  Moreno said  the workforce will “be reduced by 142 associates. 46 of those will be in the newsroom. I am told that will account for about half of the current newsroom.

The nature of the reporting in the new four-day-a-week paper is unclear, bit the online announcement said, “The print edition will have two sections ‑ one for local news and a second for sports, entertainment and late-breaking news. Both sections will be the same long-tabloid format.”

Moreno told me about 1:30 (PST)the coverage will concentrate on the cities of Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler and Queen Creek.  That means the Scottsdale Bureau will be closed and the paper will no longer cover the city of Tempe.  Moreno said, “our editorial resources will focus on four zones and allow us to hone in on local community journalism in those areas.” She called the move a “continuation of our zoning strategy.” 

Moreno said the announcement was made far ahead of the January shift and staff reduction to:

• give ample time for “our associates to figure out their futures

Figuring out some boundaries for celebrity coverageSeptember 25

This summer I moderated a panel on Ethics and Business pressures at the AEJMC conference in Chicago.  Geneva Overholser the new Director of the School of Journalism at University of Southern California, Peter Bhatia the Executive Editor of the Portland Oregonian and Michael Bugeja, director of the Greenlee school of Journalism at Iowa State University were on the panel and the discussion was spirited.

The conversation hit a bump when I asked the panel to talk about the media’s obsession with celebrity news.  Peter Bhatia knew where I was going from our long-standing friendship, but it was not as clear to me that Geneva and Michael viewed the coverage of celebrity as a huge threat to newspapers and mainstream media. The audience seemed to side with Geneva and Michael.

I think celebrity coverage represents an incredible challenge for journalism because the public is so hostile toward mainstream media coverage of celebrity at the very same time significant portions of the audience demand more celebrity coverage.

I am so convinced journalistic credibility is threatened by celebrity coverage which mimics the print and video tabloid coverage that I added a whole week on the subject of celebrity in my two ethics classes this se

Covering values is not where business journalism excelsSeptember 23

Robert J. Samuelson on Newsweek.com says Wall Street is kaput.  He says it has been done in by greed.  Amen, Amen, Amen.

The obituaries on the American economic system can be found all over the web, but I thought Samuelson’s was especially smart and pointed out the sad history of such economic implosions. He writes that “we’re being reminded of some of the dumb ideas and reckless choices that helped deliver us to our current debacle.”

The Monday quarterbacking continued on Monday as the market dove another 370 points  when investors started to doubt whether the administration plan will actually solve the problem. Samuelson returned to Newsweek.com Monday to announce, “We are in a full-blown crisis because investors and financial managers—the people who run banks, investment banks, hedge funds, insurance companies—have lost that trust.”

Words like greed and trust are values words.  It is fascinating to me that journalists can talk about values after the crisis has exploded. If we’re going to avoid this kind of crisis in the future, vigilant journalists have to start focusing on values words and they need to start with courage and tenacity. 

There is ample evidence journalists lacked both courage and tenacity. I had an animated c

From Saturday Night Live to GalvestonSeptember 17

The Saturday Night Live Sketch satirizing Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton is apparently taking the web world by storm. It was fascinating that the first word from Gov. Palin was that she loved the skit, but now the McCain campaign tells us it was sexist. Apparently Gov. Palin can’t be allowed to decide that for herself. That strikes me as sexist on the part of the campaign.

All of which is worth mentioning because I think the most interesting part of the Tina Fey/ Amy Poehler skit was Poehler’s Clinton quote to “invite the media to get a pair, and if you can’t I will lend you mine.”

I’m not sure the press needs a new pair, but it does seems easily intimidated these days when information is our most important commodity. Jon Friedman notices the same problem with financial coverage. His call for respect with skepticism toward the financial moguls who are bringing economic pain to all of us is right on.  As Friedman says these people are not heroes and they need to be held accountable.

McCain’s campaign showed remarkable gall when it said reporters