friday

The Working PressE x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m c o n v e n t i o n | F o r t L a u d e r d a l e | 2 0 1 2
By Ryan Murphy
TheWorking Press
For Society of Professional Jour-
nalists’ members, the annual Excel-
lence in Journalism convention is
about change.
There’s a big change in how na-
tional board members are selected.
There also has been a change in ven-
ue, from downtown in a major city
to the near seclusion of a beachfront
property.
One thing remains, however, is
the continued focus on using tech-
nology and the Web in reporting.
A highlight of the conference was
the “super session” led Thursday by
Sree Sreenivasan, who taught digital
media at Columbia University and
is now its first chief digital officer.
He addressed EIJ12 attendees about
using digital technology in journal-
ism and improving their use of social
media.
Separately, 13 of 32 conference
seminars are dedicated to digital is-
sues.
Jeff South, a professor of mass
communications at Virginia Com-
monwealth University, will lead two
seminars on Computer-Assisted Re-
porting. He said learning how to use
these tools can help journalists find
information sources can’t or won’t
tell them.
“When journalists think of the
Web, their first thought is using the
Web as a place to publish, or maybe
to do superficial Googling before an
interview,” South said. “CAR is way
beyond that; it’s not skimming Wiki-
pedia.”
The Poynter Institute’s 2012 State
of the News Media survey found
major growth in online news in the
past year, coupled with a continued
decline in print readership.
The American Society of News
Editors has recorded shrinking
newsroom staffs for a decade, which
means it’s becoming more impor-
By Carlos Restrepo
The Working Press
Following the unauthorized
withdrawal of $40,000 from an
Oklahoma chapter account, the
Society of Professional Journalists
board of directors voted Thursday
to offer financial oversight assis-
tance to the organization’s 12 re-
gions.
The action does not affect the
local chapters, however. Their bud-
gets and financial records remain
autonomous.
In approving the measure, board
leaders – in Fort Lauderdale for at
their annual meeting - said they
hope it would help prevent the
situation that occurred this spring
when the former Oklahoma chapter
secretary-treasurer admitted to im-
properly using chapter money.
On May 19, Oklahoma’s SPJ Pro
Chapter President Scott Carter said
in a news release that an investigation
Relaxation stationFort Lauderdale provides a respite for convention attendees
Yasmeen Smalley / The Working Press
The Jungle Queen cruise boat waits at the dock to go out on the afternoon cruise tour.
Rebecca (left) and Hans-Joachim Grobosch enjoy sunrise
on the beach.
Big changes
in store
for 2012
convention
SPJ board offers
oversight help
after chapter’s
financial scandal
Inside
Sree Sreenivasan
reveals prescription for
social media success
page 16
Meet Sonny Albarado,
SPJ’s incoming
president
page 3
University of Georgia
newpaper staff walks
off job.
page 12
Cool breeze, steel drums
and reggae welcome
convention attendees
page 4
By Yasmeen Smalley
The Working Press
W
ith every Society of Professional
Journalists’ convention comes a
new location. This year’s event
provides journalists the opportu-
nity to network while also enjoy-
ing a sunny locale. Whether you plan on returning
home with souvenirs or sunburn, there are plenty
of attractions to guarantee a memorable stay in the
“Venice of America.”
Attractions near the hotel and beyond provide
SPJ and Radio Television Digital News Association
(RTDNA) members and guests a chance to soak up
the scenery and savor the culture of South Florida.
Enjoy the amenities at the luxurious Harbor Beach
Marriott Resort & Spa or peer over the private
backyard beach for a great view of the Atlantic.
Florida continues on page 7
Eight continues on page 6
Welcome continues on page 7

2
The
Working
Press
Copy editors
Rachel Stella
Lewis university
Carlos Restrepo
Webster University
Page Designers
Rachel Weatherford,
Southeast Missouri State University
Lorraine Frajkor,
University of Texas at Arlington
Kevin Golden,
Indiana University, Bloomington
Photographers
Yasmeen Smalley
Rochester Institute of Technology
Colin Frank
State University of New York at
Fredonia
Reporters
Pashtana Usufzy
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Holly Pablo
San Diego State University
Paige Cornwell
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Ryan Murphy
Virginia Commonwealth University
Mary Kenney
Indiana University, Bloomington
Professional Advisers
Reginald Stuart
McClatchy Co.
Richard Holden
Dow Jones News Fund
Patricia Andrews
The Miami Herald
Darlene Superville
The Associated Press
Jennifer Jenkins
The New York Times
Laura Garcia
S.A. Scene Magazine
Special Thanks to The Miami Herald
for printing The Working Press
S e e n a n d h e a r d
Who do you
think will win the
presidential election?
Alycin Bektesh at the
Excellence in Journalism
Convention on Thursday,
September 20th, 2012
in Ft. Lauderdale. "I
think President Obama
is going to win the 2012
presidential election
because he does a
better job of representing
everyone in the
community."
President of Sigma Delta
Chi Steve Geimann
said, "I don't know,
the race is too close
and there are too many
issues popping up that
will affect the outcome.
What's missing is
discussing issues; all we
are getting are hidden
camera videos."
Director-at-large candiate
Carl Corry said, "I try not
to get into politics. I can't
say one way or the other."
Ekaterina Bylkina at the
Excellence in Journalism
Convention on Thursday,
September 20th, 2012 in
Ft. Lauderdale. "I think
Obama has more physical
plans and details; he's
credible to listeners.
He took us out of the
recession- we even felt it
in Moscow."
Florida's fabulous palms
Colin Frank / The Working Press
(All photos) The sun begins to set on the horizon behind a pair of palm trees off the A1A near
the Harbor Beach Marriott Resort and Spa hotel.
F r i d a y , S e p t . 2 1 , 2 0 1 2 | T h e W o r k i n g P r e ss

3
By Pashtana Usufzy
The Working Press
The cogs and wheels that drive an
organization aren’t always front and
center. Sometimes, the forces that keep
the system moving lay low until they
feel ready to come forward.
In Sonny Albarado’s case, more
than 30 years passed before he decided
to take on the spotlight.
Albarado’s road to the Society of
Professional Journalists’ presidency be-
gan in 1979, when he tried to create a
chapter as a bureau reporter in Baton
Rouge, La.
“I felt that there was a need for
more cooperation among the reporters
that covered some of the government
that I covered,” he said.
The attempt to “get some network-
ing going” — at a time when the word
was barely spoken among reporters
there — fell flat.
“The chapter
never got off the
ground with great
fanfare,” Albarado
said.
But the experi-
ence linked him to
SPJ, and that con-
nection has lasted
through his presi-
dency of the Mid-
South professional chapter and two re-
elections to the Region 12 directorship.
Frank Gibson led Region 12 from
1982 to 1987, when Albarado was a
chapter board member. Gibson, now
treasurer of the Middle Tennessee Pro
Chapter, said he remembers Albarado
as “very energetic, a good thinker and
a good leader.”
“I remember him being very active
in Freedom of Information activities
and issues, knowledgeable and aggres-
sive,” he said.
Albarado said his desire to help SPJ
navigate the changing world of media
prompted him to run for president-
elect.
“I saw a need for SPJ to adapt to the
new media environment,” he said. “It’s
done so in some major ways, but I still
think there’s some room for improve-
ment.”
Now the projects editor at the Ar-
kansas Democrat-Gazette, Albarado
says he is committed to developing
SPJ’s focus on potential Freedom of In-
formation Act violations.
He’s already assigned the task of
exploring platform-neutral categories
to SPJ’s prize committee, and he’s con-
sulted with outgoing President John
Ensslin on the presidential transition
and how to keep SPJ strong.
“We live in a world where the
profession that we’ve dedicated our-
selves to is changing within the
last decade or so, and SPJ should
change along with it,” Ensslin said.
Ensslin said Albarado’s goal should
be to listen to critics and admir-
ers in order to create a broad-
er focus for the organization.
“The president is kind of the person who
triestosetdirectionforSPJ,”Ensslinsaid.
Albarado said one of his imme-
diate attempts to set that direc-
tion involves allaying concerns
that SPJ is not responding quickly
enough to journalistic controversies.
The organization was criticized for its
response to the recent dispute over edi-
torial control of the University of Geor-
gia’s Red and Black newspaper. Albarado
said situations like those illustrate a need
for SPJ to alter its methods.
“It’s important that SPJ be nimble
and prepared to respond quickly when
any journalist or journalism organiza-
tion is facing difficulty,” he said.
Kelly Kissel, current Region 12
director, has known Albarado for 30
years. He said Albarado is well-suited
to problem solving and providing con-
structive criticism.
“He’s an excellent leader,” Kissel
said. “He doesn’t pull punches. He will
tell you what he thinks.”
Albarado says his longer-term goals
for the presidency include ensuring
that SPJ “is the voice that’s heard when
reporters encounter difficulties with
public officials.”
He said he wants SPJ to be able to
serve all of its functions for all of its
members.
“I’d like to be one who all SPJ mem-
bers feel is approachable,” he said, “and
who is seen as pushing SPJ to become
even bigger and better than it already
is.”
Longtime SPJ member steps into presidential spotlight
President-elect
David Cuillier, the
current national
secretary-treasur-
er of the Society
of Professional
Journalists, is run-
ning unopposed
for the position of
president-elect.
Cuillier, the direc-
tor of the Univer-
sity of Arizona
School of Journal-
ism in Tucson,
Ariz., worked his way through SPJ’s
ranks, rising from Western Wash-
ington University student chapter
president to an SPJ adviser at the
University of Idaho before taking the
national stage as chairman of the
Freedom of Information Committee
in 2007.
A former city editor for the Daily Her-
ald in Everett, Wash., Cuillier won
the SPJ First Amendment Award
in 2010 and an
SPJ President’s
Award in 2008
and 2010. He
has emphasized
his dedication to
multimedia train-
ing through SPJ,
as well as the
First Amendment
and government-
record access.
Secretary-trea-
surer
Running unopposed for the
secretary-treasurer position, Dana
E. Neuts is a freelance journalist and
website owner/publisher in Wash-
ington.
Neuts is the current director of SPJ Re-
gion 10, a position she earned in 2009.
Prior to that, Neuts was president of
the Western Washington Pro Chapter.
Since then, she has risen to Free-
lance Committee chair and joined the
Membership Committee. Neuts helped
her chapter to be named Outstanding
Large Chapter of the Year, and she is a
member of the Kent Chamber of Com-
merce.
She told SPJ
that she hopes to
provide support to
members, expand
SPJ’s partner-
ships with other
organizations, and
emphasize a com-
mitment to ethics
and freedom of
information.
At-large director
Carl Corry, Eastern Chapter doctor,
is Newsday’s online editor for local
news and a candidate for at-large
director. Corry served as Region 1
director from 2004 to 2006 and was
president of the Press Club of Long
Island from 2002 to 2005. His SPJ
roots go back to 1993, when he
earned the title of founding student
chapter president at St. John’s
University. Corry won the Regional
Director of the
Year award in
2005.
Corry told SPJ
that he aims “to
address ongoing
concerns and to
pursue innovative
initiatives that
keep us an invalu-
able resource for
journalists.”
Andy Schotz, the
immediate past
president of the
Washington, D.C., Pro Chapter, is
also running for at-large director.
Schotz, a reporter at The Herald-
Mail in Hagerstown, Md., served as
SPJ Ethics Committee chair from
2008 to 2011 and joined the com-
mittee in 2004. He describes himself
as a “perennial SPJ contest judge”
and has earned awards from the
New York Press
Association and
other organiza-
tions. Schotz told
SPJ he is running
because of “the
strong resistance
I saw against
letting SPJ
members without
a chapter have
a say in SPJ’s
governance.”
Campus Adviser
At-Large
Incumbent Kym Fox is currently
unopposed for the campus adviser
at-large office. The journalism se-
quence coordinator at the Texas
State University School of Journal-
ism and Mass Communication held
the presidency of the San Antonio
Pro Chapter from 1986 to 1993. Fox
worked as a reporter and deputy
metro editor at
the San Antonio
Express-News
from 1985-2003.
She won the
Presidential
Award for Excel-
lence in Service
from Texas State
University in
2008.
Student Repre-
sentative (Two
will be chosen)
Mary S. Kenney
is a senior at Indiana University and
a candidate for student representa-
tive. Kenney is the web/social media
chair at the IU chapter, having acted
as president from 2011 to 2012. She
joined SPJ in December 2009, and
she is the copy desk chief for the
Indiana Daily Student. Kenney has
interned at the Tampa Bay Times
and the San Diego Union-Tribune.
She told SPJ that
her experience
at a student-built
chapter will help
her “represent
and aid all types
of student chap-
ters — from large
organizations at
small colleges
to tiny groups at
large campuses.”
Meg Wagner is
the president of
the University of
Florida SPJ chapter. She became
historian in 2009. Wagner has
interned at BreakingNews.com &
NBCNews.com, the Gainesville Sun
and the New York Times Regional
Media Group. She has been an ABC
News reporter & producer and wrote
for the Independent Florida Alligator
from 2009 to 2011.
Wagner told SPJ
she will ensure
the organiza-
tion “remains
a place where
students are
valued members,
while maintaining
all the principles
journalists, both
students and
professionals,
fight for.”
Mark Smith is a
writer for The Vista at the University
of Central Oklahoma. Smith attend-
ed the 2010 SPJ National Conven-
tion in Las Vegas and has reported
for The Working Press. He has been
an SPJ member since 2009. Smith
was editor-in-chief at the Pioneer at
Oklahoma City Community College.
He told SPJ that he hopes to
“increase student involvement, on
both the local
and national
levels, advocate
a revamped men-
tor program that
pairs students
with professional
journalists, and
share scholar-
ships, training and
trade secrets via a
blog.”
Meagan Mc-
Ginnes is the
president of
Ithaca College’s
chapter of SPJ. McGinnes, a junior,
has been an active member of the
national organization since 2010.
She has interned at Chronicle on
Channel 5 in Boston and the Finger
Lake Environmental Film Festival.
McGinnes has served as editor of
Buzzsaw Magazine and as a staff
writer for the Ithacan newspaper.
McGinnes told SPJ that her experi-
ence has included one-on-one con-
nections. “I would love to bring that
type of personal relationship to even
greater focus on this larger, national
scale,” she said.
Meet the SPJ board candidates
Andy Schotz,
candidate for
director-at-
large
Meagan
McGinnes,
student
representative
candidate
Kym Fox,
candidate for
campus ad-
viser at-large
Dana E.
Neuts, Region
10 director
Mark Smith,
student
representative
candidate
Carl Corry,
Eastern Chap-
ter doctor
Sonny
Albarado,
President-elect
Mary S.
Kenney,
student
representative
candidate
Meg Wagner,
student
representative
candidate
For more information on
the candidates, visit: http://
www.spj.org/elections-can-
didates.asp.
David
Cuillier
SPJ Secretary-
Treasurer

4
Colin Frank / The Working Press
SPJ convention participants mingle during the opening night reception held on the OceanView Terrace Thursday evening.
Colin frank / The Working Press
SDX President Steve Geimann chats
with convention participants during
the opening night reception held on
the Oceanview Terrace.
Dozens of journalists
gathered on the beach
Ryan Murphy
The Working Press
The breeze rustled the palms and the
sound of steel drums and reggae guitar
riffs filled the air as hundreds of journal-
ists gathered to mingle and take a load
off at the opening reception of the Ex-
cellence in Journalism convention.
Hawaiian shirts abounded and wine
flowed at the event, sponsored by CNN
Newsource and held on an outdoor ter-
race overlooking the ocean at the Har-
bor Beach Marriott.
It was a balmy Florida evening
when attendees took to the terrace to
unwind, some after stepping off a long
flight, others after a long day of educa-
tional sessions.
“You’ve got the beach, you’ve
got hundreds of journalists, you just
walked out of an inspiring talk on the
future of media. What’s not to like?”
said Alycin Dektesh, a news direc-
tor for WFHB Community Radio in
Bloomington, Ind. She noted that the
conference is great for networking, and
opening receptions are often the best
place to do that.
“Everyone’s just gotten here, you get
to socialize and make friends you’ll see
around for the rest of the conference,”
Dektesh said.
While some used the reception as
an active event to network, others used
it to cap off a day full of reflection about
the journalism industry.
“There’s 1,000 of us sitting around
rejoicing in a profession that we love,”
said Kevin Kinder, an entertainment re-
porter with Northwest Arkansas News-
papers and president of the Northwest
Arkansas Pro Chapter. “It’s a reminder
that my profession isn’t dying.”
Many treat the conference as a
working vacation.
Kinder was working on a front-
page story for his paper’s Sunday edi-
tion and was glad for the chance to
slow the pace.
“It’s after hours and I get to take a
breath and enjoy the waves,” he said,
gesturing toward the resort’s private
beach.
SPJ Executive Director Joe Skeel
was happy with the response to the re-
ception.
“I think it’s good to start any confer-
ence with a social event … it’ll lead to
a more interactive, open environment,”
he said. “And I didn’t hear anyone com-
plain about the view.”
SPJ conference participants mingle during opening night reception
“It’s after hours
and I get to take a
breath and enjoy
the waves."
Kevin Kinder, entertainment
reporter with Northwest Arkansas
Newspapers and president of the
Northwest Arkansas Pro Chapter

T h e W o r k i n g P r e s s 5

6
tion was launched. The chapter has
consulted with a local prosecutor over
whether charges will be filed.
In an email to his chapter, Scott Coo-
per, former Oklahoma chapter’s secre-
tary-treasurer, ad-
mitted withdrawing
$18,650 for personal
use – though a later
investigation shows
the amount was
more than double
that. Cooper, who
was also director of
Region 8, resigned
from both positions.
According to an ar-
ticle on The Poynter
Institute’s website, Cooper used the mon-
ey for gambling.
National SPJ funds were not in-
volved.
“I think it’s an important change to
make,” said Dana Neuts, who is run-
ning unopposed for national secretary-
treasurer. Neuts said she would work
with each region director on what type of
oversight would best work for their areas.
Thursday’s resolution affected only
those regions with a budget, said SPJ
Board President John Ensslin.
While local chapters will maintain
total control of their own money, each
chapter leader received a document with
best practices for chapter finances.
One of the safest ways to avoid un-
authorized withdrawals is to require two
people to sign all checks, he said.
“We cannot tell chapters, ‘here, you
have to follow these (guidelines),’” Ens-
slin said. “But we can tell you that if you
follow those, the chances that you will
run into something like in Oklahoma are
very minimal.”
Cooper lied in his expense reports
to the board, said Sonny Albarado, SPJ’s
President-elect, who was part of a fact-
finding committee that investigated what
exactly happened in Oklahoma.
“The officers didn’t look back and
check that his reports were accurate be-
cause he was someone they trusted,” Al-
barado said.
Cooper could not be reached for
comment. In a May 17 Tulsa World sto-
ry, Cooper’s attorney, Ed Blau, gave this
statement:
“My client deeply regrets his actions
as detailed in the Oklahoma SPJ state-
ment. Words cannot express the embar-
rassment and remorse my client feels as a
result of his mistakes.”
The chapter is doing its own inves-
tigation. Members have consulted with
authorities on what should be the next
step in their investigation.
The SPJ resolution hopes to ad-
dress is how many regions actually have
budgets, Albarado said. Half of the 12
regions have a budget, but no one at the
national SPJ headquarters really knows.
Scott Cooper,
Former region
8 director
Although theft is not a widespread problem within
SPJ’s chapters, it can be crippling if it happens to
you. By understanding and implementing some of
the following recommendations, you can greatly
decrease your exposure to misappropriation of
chapter funds.
The majority of theft happens one of two ways:
1. Individuals open a bank account with a fake ven-
dor’s name. Then, they write corporate (chapter)
checks to these fake vendors. This allows them
to deposit these “vendor” checks into an account
they have access to.
2. Individuals with account access simply write
checks to themselves. This is easy to spot as long
as someone is watching. This is why it’s critical for
more than one person to have account access.
How to Handle Expenses
One of the safest ways to have good oversight of
your checking account is to have two people sign
all checks. We understand that can be a tedious
task, but it’s something you can make a part of
your normal monthly meetings.
It may make more sense for your chapter to
require two signatures on any check that is over
an amount your board agrees on. For example, the
Fort Worth Pro Chapter requires two signatures on
anything over $25.
Someone without check-signing ability should
track, check and view all account activity (online or
in statements) to keep on top of things. This person
should be looking to make sure the vendors are
legitimate and expenses make sense.
For even more protection, this person should
review all bills and corresponding checks to make
sure they match. This should be done before they
are signed.
At the very least, there should be someone
monitoring the accounts and someone else sign-
ing checks. Don’t allow only one person to have
account access. We highly recommend chapters
do not use debit or credit cards. If it is a neces-
sity, require receipts to be turned in and checked
against the statement by a non-cardholder.
How to Handle Deposits
We recommend that each chapter purchase a
rubber stamp that says “for deposit only” to be
used on the back of checks. (This can also be
handwritten). No individual should be signing his or
her name for checks to be deposited. This practice
prevents people from signing a check over to
themselves.
One person should fill out a deposit ticket (and
stamp for deposit only on the checks). Someone
else should actually make the deposit at the bank.
The deposit ticket should then be returned to the
person who filled it out originally so they can match
it to the receipt from the bank to verify accuracy.
The person making the deposit ticket should
ensure “for deposit only” shows on the back of all
checks.
Ted Scripps Leadership Institute
Best Practices for Chapter Finances
Eight
continued from page 1

portant for journalists to be fluent in
the tools and platforms available as
the industry continues to evolve.
“To save journalism, we all must
become smarter and better journal-
ists,” South said. “We must be better
researchers, and CAR is part of that.”
On the organizational side, a
major change for SPJ members will
be how elections for national board
positions are conducted. In the
past, each chapter sent a delegate,
who carried a single vote on the
chapter’s behalf and would vote at
the conference.
At last year’s conference, del-
egates voted to amend the election
procedures. Now, every member can
vote, and voting will be conducted
entirely online.
“This is the first time that a
member sitting in Iowa is going to
have an opportunity to vote on who
they want to see represent them in
the organization,” said SPJ Executive
Director Joe Skeel.
The debate over whether to
change the election rules has been
going on for more than a decade,
Skeel said. He said the organiza-
tion’s leaders thought it was time for
a change.
“The leadership of the organi-
zation felt like everyone within the
organization should have a voice,”
Skeel said
The major duty for delegates
in past years was to vote in the na-
tional officer elections. Besides their
single vote as members, delegates
will now vote exclusively on reso-
lutions and bylaws changes. There
are no the bylaws up for debate this
year, however.
Online voting for the national
offices began Thursday afternoon
and ends Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The
results will be announced during
the business meeting Saturday af-
ternoon.
Every new system comes with
some concerns, especially those
with unfamiliar technical compo-
nents, and Skeel expressed some
skepticism about the change.
“I’m very nervous that the tech-
nology is going to come through,”
he said. “Once you put it in the
hands of the tech folks, you cross
your fingers and hope it works.”
But this year’s conference won’t
be just about rule changes and
board business. Plenty of events will
give attendees a chance to let loose
or reflect on the industry.
CNN sponsored Thursday’s
opening reception on the hotel’s
terrace, a setting with views of the
Atlantic Ocean, tropical landscap-
ing and the music of Caribbean
steel drums.
Saturday’s schedule features an-
other “super session,” a special edi-
tion of TV and radio’s “The Kalb
Report.” The discussion will focus
on the legendary broadcast jour-
nalist Edward R. Murrow and how
journalists can apply Murrow’s
teachings to their work.
The Legal Defense Fund auc-
tions return again this year.
Last year, the silent auction and
a separate live auction together
raised more than $7,500 for the SPJ
Legal Defense Fund.
Items offered at this year’s si-
lent auction include signed photos
of Indiana Pacers players Danny
Granger and Lance Stephenson.
The press plate for the Washington
Post’s commemorative Obama in-
auguration issue is up for bid dur-
ing Saturday’s live auction.
The venue is another major
change for this year’s conference,
said Chris Vachon, SPJ’s associate
executive director and the principal
organizer for this year’s convention.
Recent conferences were held in
major metropolitan areas like New
Orleans, Las Vegas and Indianapo-
lis. This year, everything is happen-
ing within the confines of the Har-
bor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa,
which boasts a private beach, pool
and tennis and basketball courts,
among other amenities.
“When you are walking through
the lobby and you look out the win-
dows of the hotel, you immediately
see the ocean,” Vachon said. “We
are used to being in an urban set-
ting so you really didn’t have win-
dows to look out and if you did all
you saw was more cement.”
She said this year’s hotel adds a
more relaxed feeling
“You’ve created just more of a
trip for yourself, not just going to a
conference,” Vachon said.
Skeel echoed that sentiment.
“We’ll own the hotel for the
most part because we’re such a
large group there won’t be room
for anyone else,” he said. “I think
this conference, more so than any
others we’ve had recently, had the
opportunity to really be just a gi-
gantic meeting of journalists with
no outsiders.”
“For me, the marquee event is
1,000 journalists getting together to
talk about journalism,” Skeel said.
Beaches
Thanks to the prime beachside location
for the Excellence in Journalism confer-
ence, there’s no need for long-distance
travel to take in the shores of Florida.
If you’re looking to step away from the
host resort, you can explore Florida’s
pristine beaches while walking along
the beachfront promenade. Stroll along
the brick-paved path with the beach on
one side, and shops, galleries and res-
taurants on the other. The promenade is
within minutes of the hotel, along Fort
Lauderdale Boulevard, and offers the
perfect stroll for a view of the sunrise.
Attractions
Take a ride on the self-proclaimed
“World Famous Riverboat,” the Jungle
Queen. Enjoy a leisurely three-hour
sightseeing or dining cruise, as you tour
the New River and the Tropical Isle.
Sightseeing tours are available everyday
at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and dining
cruises leave every evening at 6 p.m. For
more information and to book a cruise,
visit www.junglequeen.com.
For a closer view of the local wildlife,
hop aboard an airboat at Holiday Park
in the Everglades. Offered seven days a
week, these one-hour guided tours allow
you to get up close and personal with na-
ture and her famous residents, including
exotic birds, fish and alligators. If you’d
like a closer view of the fish, you can
rent fishing equipment and fish off the
dock. Call (945) 434-8111 to make an
appointment.
Discover the Riverwalk Arts and
Entertainment District, which is rife
7
Welcome
continued from page 1
Fort
Lauderdale
provides
sun, surf
Florida from page 1
L o o k b o o k
Photos by Yasmeen Smalley / The Work-
ing Press
Clockwise from top
The Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall, a 30-min-
ute drive from Fort Lauderdale, is the
largest outlet mall in Florida.
Flags fly in the wind at the Swap Shop flea
market.
Airboats at the Everglades Holiday Park
wait to be taken out on tours.
with restaurants, galleries and muse-
ums. Take a tour of Old Fort Lauderdale
with the Historical Society, or enjoy the
aquatic life from the dry side with the
SHARK Exhibition at the Museum of
Art. The Riverwalk District is a five-
minute drive from the hotel, and is lo-
cated at 1 E. Las Olas Blvd.
Head to the marina to test your fish-
ing prowess in the deep seas. The dock
Linda Hall (right) welcomes past SPJ
President Paul Davis to the Excellence in
Journalism Convention.

8 F r i d a y , S e p t . 2 1 , 2 0 1 2 | T h e W o r k i n g P r e ss | L o o k b o o k 9
Photos by Yasmeen Smalley / The
Working Press
Clockwise from top-left
YOLO restaurant’s Martini Flight is one of
its special drinks.
Karen Foley (left) feeds large fish waiting
below the dock.
The dock and beach at Fort Lauderdale
are places where visitors and residents
alike enjoy time on the water.
Vendors at the Swap Shop try to relax in
the heat.
Patrons of the Everglades Holiday Park
return from an airboat tour.
Sunrise on the Promenade creates the
perfect picture of a Florida vacation.
Yolo restaurant’s most popular appetizer
is the calamari plate.
is packed with deep-sea fishing boats all
vying for your attention. When you get
back from the five-hour fishing expedi-
tion, watch as the fishermen fillet your
catch and feed the scraps to the giant
Tarpin lurking below the dock. The fish-
ing boats can be found at 801 Seabreeze
Blvd., a five-minute walk from the hotel.
Shopping
Located only 10 miles away from
the conference hotel, the Swap Shop —
originally a 14-screen cinema — now
doubles as a drive-in theater and the
world’s largest flea market. Escape the
heat in the enclosed area with a movie
or try your luck finding deals.
If you’re looking for a more refined
shopping experience, Las Olas Bou-
levard may be right up your alley. The
commercial district is approximately a
mile long and is known as the River-
front District. Look for the “twinkling
lights” strung around trees and stroll
along the 22 blocks of galleries, bou-
tiques, restaurants and nightclubs.
Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall is an-
other home for bargain shopping. With
350 stores and 35 restaurants, this re-
tail heavyweight is the largest outlet
mall in Florida. It is located in Sunrise,
Fla., and is a 30-minute drive from
Fort Lauderdale.
Dining
Mangos Restaurant & Lounge
Enjoy fine dining in the heart of the
Riverfront District. Located at 904 E.
Las Olas Blvd., this restaurant hot spot
is popular among the business and
tourist crowd and offers live music and
outdoor dining.
Oasis Café
Smell the sea air and gaze at the At-
lantic while enjoying dinner at Oasis
Café, located at 600 Seabreeze Blvd. in
Historic Fort Lauderdale. Voted “The
Best Outdoor Café” by the city in 1998,
the café is family-owned and operated,
and features an outdoor patio with an
oceanside view.
YOLO
Live it up at YOLO, which stands
for “you only live once,” a chic new
restaurant and lounge. The combined
seating totals 300, with features includ-
ing an open kitchen, two bars and a
garden patio with a fire pit. YOLO also
features a separate “O Lounge” for late-
night dining. Find YOLO at 333 E. Las
Olas Blvd., and don’t be afraid to ven-
ture out late; the kitchen is open until
11 p.m. during the week and until mid-
night on the weekends.
Still not tired? The South Florida
SPJ chapter can point you in the right
direction. “Ask a local,” the group
says, by tweeting your questions to
@SPJSoFla using the hashtag #EIJ12.

By Paige Cornwell
The Working Press
The good news: the journalism job market is
showing signs of improvement, and a search on an
industry website produces a number of openings.
The bad news: the job market still is very weak,
compared to pre-recession numbers.
Total newsroom employment at daily newspa-
pers declined by 2.4 percent in 2011, according to an
American Society of News Editors census. Television
employment, however, soared in 2011, with 1,131
jobs being added to news staffs, according to the
RTDNA/Hofstra University annual staffing survey.
Overall, journalism graduates holding bach-
elor’s and master’s degrees are finding employment
at numbers significantly lower than a decade ago.
Recent graduates are finding that the job mar-
ket isn’t quite as bleak as it was even a few years ago,
according to the Annual Survey of Journalism and
Mass Communication Graduates conducted by the
Cox Center at the University of Georgia.
Still, many graduates are settling for less money
and taking jobs requiring them to move to another
part of the country.
According to the Cox Center survey, 72.5 per-
cent of 2011 graduates of journalism and mass
communication programs across the nation re-
ported a job offer or solid prospect upon gradua-
tion, up from 68.5 percent among the 2010 gradu-
ates. About 65 percent of master’s degree recipients,
competing in the same market, often with more
training and experience, reported having a job of-
fer before graduation. The numbers are a significant
decline from 2000, where 82.4 percent of grads with
a bachelor’s degree reported being in the same posi-
tion.
The recent gain is significant, Cox Center direc-
tor Lee Becker said.
“It suggests the bottom has been reached, and
there is some recovery,” Becker said.
Courtney Pitts, who graduated from the Uni-
versity of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2012, took an in-
ternship at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis after
graduation, and then accepted a copy editor posi-
tion at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette when the
internship ended. The job market wasn’t as dismal
as she expected, she said.
“I was under the impression that that job mar-
ket, especially for journalists, was a black hole of de-
spair,” Pitts said. “I’d heard so many horror stories of
graduates going months without a job, despite their
top-notch internships and academic record.”
The Cox Center survey also found that commu-
nications job descriptions now include Web-based
duties, Becker said. That doesn’t mean students are
finding jobs in environments “radically different
from the environments of the past, but the work of
the journalist has been transformed.”
“Most listings for copy editors were asking for
someone who also had design and Web skills,”
Pitts said. “Many positions required a wide range of
skills and seemed as though they wanted a candi-
date to do multiple jobs.”
It’s much easier to find employment if the appli-
cant possesses digital skills, because new positions
are continually being created, said Ryan Murphy,
RTDNA communications, marketing and digital
media manager. The television news industry was
hit hard by the economic downturn, but even as
revenue decreased and jobs were eliminated, news
stations kept their digital teams, he said.
“It’s not the best job market, but if you possess
digital skills, you will find a job,” Murphy said.
The opportunities may appear differently to
journalists, depending on what they want to do,
said Andrew Seaman, a medical journalist at
Thomson Reuters.
“If you want to be a reporter who just focuses
on one aspect of small town life, you may not be
able to do that, because that audience isn’t there,”
said Seaman, a Society of Professional Journalists
member.
Graduates must have experience and be ready
to move when they’re seeking that full time job,
said Chris Hong, a reporter at The Times-Leader
of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., SPJ member and recent grad-
uate of the University of Kansas.
“Journalism required working really hard,”
Hong said. “People may talk about how bad the job
market is, but I’ve seen opportunities out there for
those with experience.”
Overall, the numbers suggest the job market
will continue to improve, Becker said.
“We have to have some hope that there is no re-
lapse, and that it doesn’t turn back down, but there
is evidence that there is a slight recovery under
way,” Becker said.
1 0
Job market for journalists still bleak, but may be improving
Colin Frank / The working press
Resume critiques will be conducted from 9 a.m.
to 5 p.m. on Friday in 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Satur-
day in the Sarasota room on the 5th floor.
People can attend one of two sessions for
critiques.
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 21
Social Media
St. Pete, 5th Floor
Get professional Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn
and other social media improved.
Video
Tampa, 5th floor
News directors and professionals will offer
suggestions to improve clips.
Resume
Sarasota, 5th floor
Professionals will offer tips for landing a job.
Critiques

By Ryan Murphy
The Working Press
Money may not buy happiness, but
at the Excellence in Journalism conven-
tion, it may net you a little bit of history.
At two auctions, convention at-
tendees will have the chance to bid on
several pieces of history: a one-of-a-
kind press plate from the Washington
Post issue commemorating President
Barack Obama’s inauguration, a copy
of the final issue of The News of The
World and one of seven director’s
chairs signed by The Washington Post
staff members, including Bob Wood-
ward and Carl Bernstein, who revealed
the Watergate scandal, are all up for
auction, along with 66 other lots.
Proceeds from the auctions — one
silent and one live — benefit the So-
ciety of Professional Journalists Legal
Defense Fund, which helps journalists
“fighting the good fight,” according to
committee chairwoman Hagit Limor.
“What the society is all about is defend-
ing the freedom of speech, and the LDF
is here to help that,” she said.
The LDF distributes grants to jour-
nalists involved in First Amendment
litigation who otherwise wouldn’t
be able to fund their legal battles.
The LDF recently took up the cause of
Douglas Higginbotham from TV New
Zealand and other journalists who were
arrested while covering the Occupy Wall
Street movement. Higginbotham was
arrested for standing on top of a tele-
phone booth to get a better view of pro-
testers being cleared out of Zuccotti Park
by the New York Police Department.
The LDF awarded Higginbo-
tham $1,000. The NYPD even-
tually dropped the disorder-
ly conduct charge against him.
“What happened to him unfortunately
happens across the country,” Limor
said. “He was on public property, so
there was no reason to arrest him and
prevent him from filing his story.”
The auctions are the sole source of
revenue for the fund. Last year, they
raised more than $7,500. Another
signed Watergate chair sold for $3,300.
The silent auction will run through
4 p.m. Friday in the Exhibition Hall
while the live auction will be held at
the President’s Installation Banquet on
Saturday.
“The live auction is going to be
lively,” Limor said. “Even if you aren’t
going to be bidding, it’s worth going to
the LDF auction for the comedy of the
event.”
Two years ago, an audience mem-
ber’s tie caught someone’s fancy during
the proceedings and was auctioned off.
At the silent auction, attendees
can bid on lots ranging from signed
photos of NBA and NFL players to
registration to other journalism con-
ferences, such as the 2013 National
Association of Black Journalists’ con-
vention and the Investigative Report-
ers and Editors conference in June. A
number of the lots include front pages
from American newspapers high-
lighting milestones in U.S. history.
The historic headlines up for grabs in-
clude the Apollo 11 moon landing, the
resignation of President Richard Nix-
on and the assassinations of Martin
Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy.
Most of the papers were donated by
Paul Byers.
“I’ve worked as a journalist since I
graduated high school (in 1961), and
I collected them as I went,” Byers said.
The veteran journalist said he’d be retir-
ing soon from teaching, after 25 years
at Marymount University in Arlington,
Va., and that he and his wife were plan-
ning to move into a smaller home.
“One of the things we struggled
with was what to do with the newspa-
pers,” Byers said. “I couldn’t think of a
better cause than the LDF.”
1 1
Auctions give convention attendees a direct line to history
Yasmeen Smalley / the working press
Andy Schotz (left) and Nerissa Young discuss the variety of auction items.
Books are up for grabs at the Excel-
lence in Journalism Convention auction.
A teddy bear and bag from Sunshine Week at the Legal Defense Silent Auction.
Stationery cards are on display can be stocking stuffers for a good cause.
Gift baskets are offered at auction just in time for
the holidays.
Humorous books make great gifts.

By Mary Kenney
The Working Press
Adina Solomon, news editor at
the Red and Black student newspaper
at the University of Georgia, went to
work Aug. 15 as usual. She fired up her
computer, ran through stories coming
in that day and talked to her boss.
An hour later, she went on strike.
Solomon, a senior, had been at
the Red and Black since her freshman
year. When she walked into work that
day, her editor-in-chief, Polina Mari-
nova, said the students no longer had
editorial control of the newspaper.
The publishing company’s Board of
Directors decided to give that power
to Ed Morales, a nonstudent who
served as the paper’s editorial adviser.
An internal memo obtained by
Marinova outlined Morales’ promo-
tion and new responsibilities, which
included dictating content. Previous-
ly, Morales reviewed the paper only
after it was published, giving critiques
to the Red and Black’s staff.
“I told Polina if she left, I would
leave,” Solomon said.
Publishers of the Red and Black
did not respond to repeated requests
for comment about this memo and
later decisions.
Marinova called a meeting at 5
p.m. Fifteen editors waited for her
news.
“She told us she was leaving be-
cause it was no longer a student
newspaper,” Solomon said. “We said,
‘we are, too.’”
During the next five days, top edi-
tors and other members of the staff
went on strike and began publish-
ing to a website called the Red and
Dead, attracting attention from me-
dia watchdogs such as the Poynter
Institute.
Red and Black’s problems may
have started long before that inter-
nal memo was drafted, said Andrew
Beaujon, who reported on the story
for Poynter.
The newspaper stopped print-
ing daily during Solomon’s four-year
tenure, shrinking to a weekly publi-
cation, though it continued to pub-
lish online every day. Board mem-
bers may have had knowledge of the
newspaper’s finances that prompted a
staff shake-up.
“Something set off the sense of ur-
gency among the board members to
fix these problems,” Beaujon said.
Solomon said she and other stu-
dents holed up in a staff member’s
apartment to make their online news-
paper. The Red and Black kept pub-
lishing without them, but many eyes
turned to the Red and Dead, she said.
The students walked out on a
Wednesday. They kept in constant
contact with the Student Press Law
Center, an organization that promotes
First Amendment rights for student
publications. SPLC staff helped the
Red and Black students draft lists of
demands and statements for the me-
dia, Solomon said. They called for two
student members to be added to the
Board of Directors and for editorial
control to be taken from professional
staff and given back to the students.
The following Tuesday, the stu-
dents were back to work, their de-
mands met in full.
Morales’ title was changed from
editorial director to editorial adviser.
Ed Stamper, the board member who
drafted the memo that caused the
walkout, resigned.
“For the students, it was a re-
sounding victory,” Beaujon said.
“There’s really no other way to frame
it. They got what they wanted and got
it publicly and got it hard.”
Solomon spoke with clear pride
in her voice. “I’ve learned that we
have power,” she said. “It’s really nice
knowing we can effect change.”
She said the days of being on
strike showed her how important the
newspaper is to the campus commu-
nity. She said journalists often receive
much criticism and little praise. But
during the strike, students not affili-
ated with the Red and Black stopped
her as she walked down the street,
congratulating her and other staff
members.
“It was interesting, being in soli-
darity with people,” Solomon said.
The blowup at the Red and Black
could hold lessons for other private
papers that work with student jour-
nalists. Financial problems may have
led to hasty decisions, prompting a
walkout that may have been avoided
with more transparency, Beajuon
said.
Said Beaujon, “I have a hard time
believing this whole thing would have
happened if the board had commu-
nicated with the students in the first
place.”
Red and Black walkout a lesson for students, publishers
timeline
Polina
Marinova,
Editor-in-Chief
Editor-in-
Chief Polina
Marinova and
other top staff
members
resign after
the publisher
gives editorial
control to Ed
Morales, a
nonstudent.
The former staff cre-
ates Red and Dead, a
Wordpress that out-
lines reasons for the
strike and continues to
produce news stories.
redanddead.com
Several news organizations,
including Slate, the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution, Poynter
Online and the New York
Times report on the strike.
Board member Ed
Stamper resigns
and issues a for-
mal apology.
Former staff members meet again with the board,
who agrees to their editorial requests. Morales is
returned to his role as editorial adviser.
“In less than a month, The
Red & Black has hired
more than 10 permanent
staff with veto power over
students’ decisions.”
Marinova posts a statement explaining why the staff
went on strike:
Want to learn what other
student journalists are do-
ing? Stop by The Student
Union session.
When: 1-3 p.m. today
Where: Ocean II, first floor
• recognition from SPJ’s col-
legiate Mark of Excellence
Awards program
• recognition of the outstand-
ing SPJ campus chapter of
the year
Courtesy photo
The staff meets with Red and Black publisher Harry Montevideo
and the Board of Directors to outline their demands.
graphic by Lorraine Frajkor / The working press
1 2
Aug.
15
Aug.
16
Aug.
17
Aug.
19
Aug.
20
Marinova and
former manag-
ing editor
Julia Carpenter
announce they
will reapply for
their positions.
Former staff members ask for a copy of the Red
and Black Publishing Company bylaws and an-
nounce there will be two student seats added to
the board.
• Marinova and Carpenter are reinstated
as editor-in-chief and managing editor of
the Red and Black.
• Prior review and student control of con-
tent is finalized in writing.
• Students are added to the Board of
Directors and given voting rights.

By Paige Cornwell
The Working Press
Iraq, 2004: A suicide bomber deto-
nates in the middle of a street. Hundreds
of people lay on the ground. Blood and
body parts are everywhere.
Dr. Sudip Bose, then a battalion sur-
geon, knows he can’t save them all. The
man to his left, the one bleeding out, is
going to die. The man to his right, the
one with the head wound, might have
a chance. It doesn’t matter where either
man comes from.
Like a journalist, Bose will be objec-
tive. He treats them both.
“That really showed me the power
of education,” said Bose, a former Army
major who served in Iraq for 15 months.
“You can’t do it all on your own. And
with journalism, you can reach hundreds
of thousands of people.”
Florida, 2012: Bose sits in on a ses-
sion called “Unlock Your Potential” at
the annual Excellence in Journalism
convention. A presenter talks about dif-
ferent ways a story can be conveyed us-
ing different tunes. In a corner, there’s the
sound of an explosion, but this time it’s a
cellphone ringing.
Bose, 38, is a physician, military vet-
eran and public speaker, but he has taken
on another role: journalist. It’s a stark
contrast to the battlefield. He’s a medical
correspondent for CBS and the medical
director of Odessa, Texas, and through
those roles, he says he has found many
similarities between the military and
journalism.
He has worked on stories for CNN,
The Associated Press and Fox News, but
he’s been the subject of stories, too.
Bose treated Saddam Hussein shortly
after United States forces captured the
former Iraqi leader in December 2003.
Like a reporter jumping on breaking
news, Bose had no preparation before
treating the former dictator.
Army and medical privacy rules keep
him from describing Hussein’s condition
when he was being treated or revealing
the location more specifically than Iraq.
Bose, who is from Chicago, says he
learned about objectivity, a lesson that
stays with him.
“I tried not to have an opinion,” the
Bronze Star recipient said. “You do your
job, you do your mission. Journalists
have to be objective. We’re not the judge
or the jury.”
In Iraq, Bose and his Army col-
leagues had to learn how to adapt with
the limited supplies they had, just like
journalists in a newsroom. He had to pri-
oritize which patients to treat first. Jour-
nalists have to establish their own “jour-
nalism triage” with stories, Bose said.
Iraq, 2004: He pronounced a man
dead on the street and treated the man’s
shooter 10 minutes later. That taught him
about ethics, he said.
He’s had to speak with the family
members of troops who didn’t make it
back. That taught him about sensitivity
with sources.
Florida, 2012: His hero is the “invisi-
ble journalist,” the person writing behind
the scenes. Many journalists don’t real-
ize the impact they have, even if they are
rarely seen, he said.
“Journalists put themselves on the
line,” Bose said. “I was with journalists
who were right behind us on raids, usu-
ally with a lot less armor.”
Bose wants to educate the public
about health issues and the struggles
veterans face. Instead of reaching one
patient at a time, he hopes to reach thou-
sands of people through journalism.
“It would be a disservice to forget
about it,” he said. “So many are coming
back, and it’s important to know what
they’ve been through. We need to show
what we saw there.”
F r i d a y , S e p t . 2 1 , 2 0 1 2 | T h e W o r k i n g P r e ss 1 3
Iraq War doctor attends
convention as journalist
Yasmeen Smalley / The Working press
Sudip Rose listens Joanne Stevens, the news coach leading the Unlock your Potential work-
shop at the Excellence in Journalism Convention.
“You do your job, you do your mission.
Journalists have to be objective. We’re
not the judge or the jury.”
Dr. Sudip Bose, medical correspondent for CBS and the medical director of
Ector county and Odessa, Texas

1 4
BY Ryan Murphy
The Working Press
When billionaire Warren Buffett
shelled out $142 million earlier this
year for 63 newspapers, some observers
questioned why he would spend money
for a group of paper-and-ink publica-
tions in a world where online reader-
ship is the fastest
growing group.
His history
with newspapers
runs deep, dat-
ing to a boyhood
job delivering his
hometown daily,
the Omaha World-
Herald, and major
investments in the
1970s.
So, when Buf-
fett, chairman and
CEO of Berkshire
Hathaway Inc.,
bought the World-Herald last Decem-
ber, the Fitch ratings agency said the
purchase was done solely out of nostal-
gia. Adam Brown of Forbes opined that
perhaps “keeping newspapers afloat”
was one of the billionaire’s hobbies.
The Working Press couldn’t reach
Buffet for comment.
His purchase in June of 63 mostly
smaller newspapers owned by Media
General, made good business sense,
said Terry Kroeger, chief executive of-
ficer of BH Media Group, which over-
sees all Berkshire Hathaway-owned
newspapers.
In addition to the earlier purchase
of the Omaha World-Herald, some
of the more recognized papers now
owned by Buffett include the Rich-
mond Times-Dispatch in Virginia, the
Winston-Salem Journal in North Caro-
lina and the Morning News of Flor-
ence, S.C.
“I think that newspapers generally
are still very solid businesses,” Kroeger
said. “They’re capable of producing
good cash-flows in conjunction with
producing what we call remarkable
journalism.”
At an average of about $2.3 mil-
lion per publication, Kroeger says the
papers acquired in June were “very
reasonably priced.” The sale included
every Media General newspaper, ex-
cept for the Tampa Bay Times (it used
to be the St. Petersburg Times) and that
paper’s associated properties.
Kroeger emphasized that many of
the papers aren’t strictly print opera-
tions. They also have multimedia com-
ponents, like web-based video and tablet
apps, as well as a major Web presence.
That sense of optimism in the fu-
ture of newspapers was tempered by a
note from Buffett to editors and pub-
lishers of the newly purchased papers.
Buffett warned that they need to re-
think their approach to the Web.
“The original instinct was to offer
free in a digital form what they were
charging for in print,” Buffett said in
the statement. “This is an unsustainable
model and certain of our papers are
already making progress in moving to
something that makes more sense.”
In general, many newspapers are
suffering financially because of the
economy and steep declines in adver-
tising and circulation. Many readers are
canceling their paid subscriptions in fa-
vor of reading the news free of charge
on the Web.
In its ninth annual State of the
News Media report, The Poynter Insti-
tute recorded a 10-to-1 ratio in print
advertising losses versus ads gained by
digital media. The group also found a
4 percent decline in print newspaper
readership in 2011, following a 5 per-
cent drop the previous year.
News websites, however, saw the
greatest overall growth and some news-
papers, like The New York Times, have
had success erecting online pay walls
that keep readers from accessing con-
tent unless they pay for it. The Times
said in March that 455,000 users had
paid for access to its news site. Print
subscribers get free access to digital
content, but it costs between $15 and
$35 per month to access the online
content.
Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway are
not strangers to the newspaper busi-
ness. Besides the recent World-Herald
purchase, the group is a major investor
in The Washington Post Co. and The
Buffalo News.
Buffett’s note also made clear a de-
sire for BH to acquire even more pa-
pers in the future.
“Berkshire will probably purchase
new papers in a few years. We will favor
towns and cities with a strong sense of
community … If a citizenry cares little
about its community, it will eventu-
ally care little about its newspaper,” he
wrote.
The emphasis on smaller, commu-
nity-oriented papers is a strategic busi-
ness decision, said Paul Gillin, a veteran
journalist who in 2007 took to the Web
to chronicle “the decline of newspa-
pers and the rebirth of journalism” on
a blog called Newspaper Death Watch.
He says major metro papers aren’t as at-
tractive to investors like Buffett.
“The smaller papers are declining
more slowly (than large city dailies);
their readers are more loyal and they
have a better opportunity because they
have the ability to connect with local
advertisers,” Gillin said.
He also noted that the long-term
nature typical of Buffett’s investments
is encouraging for the newly acquired
newspapers, and pointed to The Buffalo
News, the New York paper Berkshire
Hathaway has owned since 1977.
“Warren Buffett is a value investor
and he sees value in newspapers,” Gillin
said. “He has found value in properties
that other people seem to find useless.”
Joe Mathewson, a professor in the
Medill business reporting program at
Northwestern University in Chicago,
thinks Buffett must have been happy
with the progress of his other newspa-
per investments to make such a wide-
ranging purchase, given the state of the
newspaper industry.
Buffett’s reputation as a deliberate,
conservative and successful investor
may put him in a position to succeed
where others have failed: making mon-
ey off of the Web, Mathewson said.
“Nobody’s done it very well or very
successfully,” he said. “I assume Buffet
has figured out how to turn that invest-
ment into a profit.”
The billionaire has a reputation for
buying properties and not interfer-
ing with the ground-level production,
something he and his company have
been very vocal about since the Media
General deal was made public. Howev-
er, his note to the publishers made clear
he has some ideas about the papers’
direction.
Mathewson said Buffett may have
to step in at some point to ensure his
investment pays off.
“I can’t help but wonder whether
he’s not going to bear down on these
papers to make money,” he said. “I can’t
imagine he’s going to carry this many
newspapers just because he likes news-
papers.”
Warren Buffett optimistic about the newspaper business
Courtesy of journalnow.com
Terry Kroeger, chief executive officer of BH Media Group, spoke in the Journal newsroom on Thursday along with the company's chief financial officer, Duane Polodna (left), Journal
Publisher Jeffrey Green and Journal Managing Editor Carol Hanner.
Warren
Buffett,
chairman and
CEO of Berk-
shire Hathaway
Inc.

By Holly Pablo
The Working Press
Journalists once worked in clearly
defined roles. Reporters wrote copy,
photographers captured photos and an-
chors read from a teleprompter.
With today’s newsrooms trans-
forming to the digital realm, reporters
are being asked to write the story, shoot
and edit photos, audio and video, and
to produce content for an online audi-
ence that expects to have the news de-
livered before the smoke clears.
As reporters adapt to these changes,
a primary concern is whether the push
to tell stories in more than one format
produces good journalism, or whether
it produces volume at the expense of
good journalism.
There is no clear answer. Yet.
Al Tompkins, a senior faculty
member at the Poynter Institute, said
so-called “multiplatform” storytelling
makes journalism better and enhances
the service to the public, but it must
be in-depth and well-reported. A stel-
lar example is the Las Vegas Sun’s “Do
No Harm” investigation into substan-
dard hospital care in Sin City, Tomp-
kins said. The reporters used videos,
interactive maps, graphics and charts to
deepen the story beyond just print.
The staff uncovered thousands of
deaths, injuries and
deadly infections
associated with
stays in Las Vegas
hospitals. Inter-
actives were cre-
ated for readers to
search the data.
“I think that
if you don’t know
how to do multi-
media, you’re really
not very employ-
able,” Tompkins
said. “If you say
‘I’m a multimedia
journalist,’ it’s al-
most like saying,
‘I’m a journalist
that knows how to
use the telephone.’
I expect you to be
able to do that.”
Jeff Brogan,
senior director of
news strategy and
operations at the
E.W. Scripps Company, said that while
knowing how to do everything and
producing more content is becoming
ingrained in newsroom culture, there
can be dangers to multimedia, too.
He said journalists shouldn’t pro-
duce multimedia content for the sake
of doing so. As reporters refine a story
for print, it’s just as crucial to identify
which ones translate well in other for-
mats, he said.
“It’s an easy thing for people who
don’t want to learn it to say that multi-
media is hurting journalism, but I don’t
think that’s the case,” Brogan said. “It’s
part of who we are.”
Jason Molinet, a regional editor for
Patch.com on New York’s Long Island,
said multimedia storytelling is especially
important for the hyperlocal news web-
site.
In fact, it is so important that Moli-
net, who also is a hiring manager, said
he would not hire anyone who can’t
shoot and edit photos and video.
Patch.com is a non-traditional
newsroom that relies on local contribu-
tors and citizen journalists to submit
photos and video they collect.
Cheryl Jackson, senior director of
employer engagement at the Medill
School of Journalism at Northwestern
University in Chicago, said the challenge
of balancing a heavier workload under
the same deadlines is here to stay.
“I think that we have no choice
but to cater to the needs of our audi-
ence,” Jackson said. “The tendency to
be a multimedia journalist is to feel
like you’re spread too thin, but the best
journalists still get the best stories.”
At Medill, learning how to shoot
or edit is a necessity, not an option, for
students preparing to enter the com-
petitive industry, Jackson said.
Victoria Lim, a multiplatform re-
porter and member of the Mid-Florida
Pro Chapter of the Society of Profes-
sional Journalists, said she doesn’t fore-
see newsrooms being staffed entirely
with general assignment reporters who
can do everything.
“I think that was the big fear, but
there’s still a need for talented, spe-
cialty skills,” she said. “The skill sets like
how to edit audio, edit video are good
to know and very helpful but they can
also be learned or picked up to a point
where it’s tolerated or acceptable.”
Lim said the push for multimedia
journalism and doing more while hav-
ing less time to do it also presents the
risk of missing critical questions and
losing the opportunity to dig deeper
to find closer angles, depending on the
story and the newsroom.
Perhaps a larger challenge for jour-
nalists is how to learn these essential
skills at a time of shrinking newsroom
and training budgets.
“In order to sell ice cream at a Dis-
ney property, you have to go through
10 days of training. I don’t know of any
newsroom that routinely offers 10 days
of training, and that’s my concern,”
Tompkins said. “We are constantly ask-
ing journalists to do different things,
but we don’t provide them with the
skills to do it well.”
Most reporters, when they do seek
training, must do it on their own dime,
which Tompkins said is asking a lot of
people who don’t make much money to
begin with.
While many reporters are learn-
ing how to do it all, others are focusing
on multimedia, which may signify the
need for such skills in this job market.
Donyelle Davis, a backpack journal-
ist at the Democrat and Chronicle in
Rochester, N.Y., was hired full time in
August after completing a summer in-
ternship there.
Davis said that because “backpack
journalist” was a new position at the
paper, she was free to focus on multi-
media for daily breaking news or inves-
tigative work.
“I’m not working on writing an in-
depth story every day, but on the other
hand, since I don’t really have a beat per
se, there’s time to work on long-term
projects,” Davis said. “A lot of what I
learn is on the job.”
Tompkins said “journalist” is the
most important part of being a multi-
media journalist.
“A journalist that can tell stories on
every platform,” he said.
S e p t . 2 1 , 2 0 1 2 | T h e W o r k i n g P r e ss 1 5
In Web-dominated world, multimedia skills are crucial to journalists’ survival
Jason Molinet,
Patch.com
Cheryl Jackson,
Medill School
of Journalism
at Northwest-
ern University

1 6
By Mary Kenney
The Working Press
Sree Sreenivasan — better
known as @sree to more than
36,000 followers on Twitter — re-
vealed his prescription social media
success to a room of students, pro-
fessors and professionals.
He just waited an hour to do so.
“I’m going to share with you my
social media success formula today,
but I’m not going to do it until the
end of the session, because I know
you won’t stay,” he said.
Sreenivasan, Columbia Universi-
ty’s first chief digital officer, teaches
in the digital media program and has
written for major news sources, in-
cluding The New York Times, Roll-
ing Stone and BusinessWeek.
At a “super session” Thursday,
Sreenivasan outlined the uses of so-
cial media and ways to maximize its
use.
He outlined four things social
media can do for journalists: iden-
tify ideas and sources, connect with
audiences, bring traffic to work and
build professional brands.
He spent a bulk of the session
talking about how social media has
changed the way journalists and oth-
er communicators reach out to their
audiences. The U.S. Department of
Defense uses Facebook posts and
tweets as well as traditional speech-
es and news conferences.
After explaining the many ways
in which social media is growing, he
talked about its “dirty secret.”
“Almost everyone will miss al-
most everything you do on social
media,” he said as the same message
flashed on two screens behind him.
This is true for every form of media,
he said.
He spent time explaining how to
deal with this challenge by optimiz-
ing the use of Twitter, Facebook and
other social media sources.
Sreenivasan said he uses hash-
tracking.com, a small startup in
California, to track the use of
hashtags on Twitter.
He displayed the statistics for
#EIJ12, used for Excellence in Jour-
nalism 2012. At the beginning of his
talk, 166 tweets from 83 Twitter ac-
counts using that hashtag had been
posted since 1:30 p.m. Multiplying
followers per account, these tweets
had reached 125,000 people, accord-
ing to hashtracking.com.
By the end of his talk, there were
829 tweets from 232 Twitter ac-
counts who had used the hashtag,
reaching about 286,000 people.
Sreenivasan referenced an Octo-
ber 2010 article Malcolm Gladwell
wrote for The New Yorker that said
social media cannot be used for real
activism. He disagrees with that.
“What he was saying was that
social media can’t really impact the
world,” said Sreenivasan, displaying
a tweet from Egypt during last year’s
Arab Spring.
“I think that what happened last
spring is an example of what social
media can do.”
With social media growing in
reach and influence, Sreenivasan
cautioned the audience against be-
ing too free with tweets and posts.
“Anything you share can and
will be used against you,” Sreeniva-
san said. Journalists can be accused
of bias for posts made long before
they worked on a story or topic, he
added.
Social media, he said, is the only
thing he does every day that could
get him fired or divorced, and it’s
the only thing he publishes daily
that is recorded in the Library of
Congress. Because of this, he spends
three to six minutes on every tweet,
when the average is less than a min-
ute.
“And you say, ‘boy, you don’t
have a life, do you?’ And no, I don’t
have a life,” Sreenivasan said. The
crowd chuckled. “Every time I send
a tweet, I’m setting myself up for
trouble.”
Walter Middlebrook, assistant
managing editor at The Detroit
News, said he attended the super
session to “soak up” information
about social media and spread it
to his staff. Many staffers use so-
cial media, and he uses Facebook,
LinkedIn and occasionally Twitter,
he said.
“Are we doing it as best we
can?” Middlebrook asked. “I don’t
know. That’s why we come to these
things.”
Dennis Kellogg, news director
for NET News in Nebraska, said he
wants to present Sreenivasan’s lec-
ture to his staff so they can evaluate
their social media presence. He said
NET News uses social media often,
and his news source was the first in
Nebraska to have a Tumblr.
Still, he said, his staff could do
better. “There just aren’t enough
hours in the day.”
Kym Fox, senior lecturer and co-
ordinator at Texas State University-
San Marcos and campus adviser at-
large for SPJ, attended because she’s
seen Sreenivasan speak several times
and always learns something new
from him, she said.
Branko Veselinovic, a doctoral
student at Arizona State University
and the youngest prime-time news
anchor at Radio Television of Serbia,
says his news station is in the “Mid-
dle Ages” in social media use.
Veselinovic, who also produces
and anchors a popular weekend
morning show, hopes to learn to
use social media for himself and his
company to drive up traffic
At 5:06 p.m., Sreenivasan finally
revealed his formula for social media
success:
He asked the crowd to read a list
of words on the screens behind him,
loud enough to reach a higher pow-
er. He told them to imagine they
were in church and inserted “hallelu-
jah” and “sing it, sister” as they read.
At the end, Sreenivasan intoned
in a low voice, “Amen.”
Tweet all about it
Sree Sreenivsan extols the uses of social media, telling the audience to have themselves be heard if they want to be successful .
An audience member takes notes on an iPad at the Super Session.
Andrew Humphrey takes video of Sree Sreenivasan at the Super
Session.

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