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Your connection to industry & member news | April 6, 2023
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SCPA honors collegiate journalists at Clemson on March 31Seventy students attended SCPA's Collegiate Meeting & Awards Presentation at Clemson University last Friday.
Students shared ideas, learned about social media best practices and attended a session on getting a job or internship.
Special thanks to The Tiger at Clemson University for hosting and planning the meeting.
Thanks to our panelists and presenters: Ryan Gilchrest, The Post and Courier Greenville; Dr. Vareva Harris, The Woodruff Times; Riley Morningstar, The (Seneca) Journal; Andrew Wigger, The Newberry Observer; and David Ferrara, Blake Mauro, Caroline Bridges, Justin Robertson and Sydney Westphal of The Tiger.
SCPA presented awards from the 2022 Collegiate Contest, including General Excellence winners: The Patriot of Francis Marion University (Under 5,000 division) and The Tiger of Clemson University (Over 5,000 division).
SCPA also awarded Journalist of the Year awards to David Ferrara of The Tiger at Clemson University (Over 5,000 division) and Mitchell Mercer of The Bluestocking at Presbyterian College (Under 5,000 division).
Check out the winners presentation to see some outstanding collegiate journalism!
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SCPA to host virtual FOI/libel training on May 18Join SCPA Attorney Taylor Smith on Thursday, May 18, from 2-3:15 p.m. for a refresher on the S.C. Freedom of Information Act and libel. If you are new to the Palmetto State or just need a refresher, sign up for this helpful session. This session is only open to SCPA members and is free to attend. If you have specific questions or topics that you’d like Taylor to address, you are welcome to email us in advance.
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|  | SCPA staff and Andy Shain of The Post and Courier attended the USC College of Information and Communications Spring Journalism Career & Internship Symposium Wednesday.
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Small letterpress needed for playA local theater group is looking for a small letterpress as a prop for a play they are doing this fall. If you can help (or know someone who could), please reach out to SCPA.
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| Thank you, Annual Meeting sponsors!
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"Mr. Kelley needs to either explain how his accuser got his comments wrong or else apologize for them. He also needs to join the long line of public officials who owe the public an apology for misusing the Freedom of Information Act as an excuse to dodge uncomfortable questions."
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"Representative" by Robert Ariail
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|  If you can't get enough of award-winning Camden cartoonist Robert Ariail, enjoy his new strip featured every week in the Charleston City Paper, which has granted us ongoing permission to republish it. Called "Lowcountry," the weekly feature, which is available for syndication in South Carolina newspapers, focuses on politics, human nature, the environment and public policy. More: Contact publisher Andy Brack.
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Portrait frames, soundproofing: SC disabilities board splashed cash, dodged FOIA laws
As families of people with disabilities struggled to find help during the pandemic and waitlists lengthened, the commission running the state Department of Disabilities and Special Needs lavished taxpayer money on themselves, a scathing audit given to Statehouse lawmakers found.
They bought leather chairs, fancy tablecloths, name badges and frames for portraits of themselves hung in the department’s lobby.
Meanwhile, the commissioners were running roughshod over the state’s transparency laws, routinely discussing matters that should have been addressed in open meetings by email and in closed executive sessions.
The breach in protocol came even after they received comprehensive Freedom of Information Act training and warnings from their own lawyer, the Legislative Audit Council report given to the S.C. Senate on March 29 found. ...
“The FOI violations are extraordinarily clear,” said Democratic Sen. Dick Harpootlian, a high-profile Columbia lawyer who has handled public records cases.
“Not only are they clear. We have emails where they talk about how we can avoid the FOI by structuring things,” he added. “I mean, I’ve never seen anything like this.”
By Alexander Thompson, The Post and Courier | Read more
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Personal info on SC police and judges would be off limits, with exceptions, under Senate bill
A South Carolina Senate proposal that would shield personal identifying information of current and former law enforcement personnel from public databases was expanded Tuesday to add judges as lawmakers look to beef up the state’s privacy laws. But transparency advocates are calling the effort unnecessary and duplicative, warning the legislation would likely create confusion throughout local governments, which could handle requests for information differently depending on their interpretation of the bill should it become law.
On [March 28], the Senate unanimously voted to send S. 252 to the House, avoiding the Legislature’s April 10 “crossover” deadline.
By Javon L. Harris, The State | Read more
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SCSU won’t release shooting reports; press attorney says police violating law
South Carolina State University’s campus police refuse to provide incident reports in connection with two recent shooting incidents.
Meanwhile, a person has been charged with having a weapon on campus. The university hasn’t released a report detailing that incident, either.
The Times and Democrat has requested a report from Saturday [March 26] night’s shooting incident on campus, but S.C. State attorney Pete Balthazor says the university doesn’t think it has to release the report.
“I have consulted with Chief (Tim) Taylor, and while an incident report has been prepared, the university asserts that it is exempt from disclosure at this time on the grounds that its disclosure would compromise the integrity of an ongoing investigation and interfere with a law enforcement proceeding,” Balthazor said. ...
Jay Bender, an attorney for the S.C. Press Association, said the university is breaking the law by not providing the reports.
The S.C. Freedom of Information Act allows agencies to withhold certain portions of a report due to specific reasons outlined in the law, but simply refusing to provide the report is not protected by law, he said.
“This is another example of police making up their own exemptions to serve their own purposes,” Bender said.
“Every time a law enforcement agency violates the law like this, it diminishes its credibility,” he added, noting that to willfully do that is foolish.
By Martha Rose Brown, The Times and Democrat | Read more
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SC once obtained execution drugs overseas. How would shield law impact accountability?
Supporters of South Carolina’s effort to pass a law to hide the identities of companies or pharmacies willing to sell drugs for lethal injection executions are adamant complete secrecy is the only option.
The current shield law legislation making its way through the Statehouse gives no opportunity to disclose any information about manufacturers, pharmacists or compounding pharmacies that may provide lethal injection drugs to the state, even through legal discovery or under seal in litigation.
However, the department obtained drugs for lethal injection in illegitimate ways in the past.
Over a decade ago, when domestic supply of a sedative used in U.S. executions was dwindling, the state was one of several that obtained drugs from an unregulated overseas pharmacy operating out of a driving school in London against federal regulation.
Still, state Sen. Greg Hembree (R-Horry), a sponsor for the bill, has told legislators that the South Carolina Department of Corrections will have “ultimate responsibility” for accountability in the event of a botched execution.
By Kathryn Casteel, Greenville News | Read more
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Editorial: Government transparency is vital to local communities
South Carolina is the Sunshine State, but things aren’t always sunny when it comes to government transparency and openness – two vital components of democracy.
Many public officials and public bodies say that transparency is a top priority. Some even include that as part of their platform. Unfortunately, they don’t always live up to their promises. It’s one thing to talk the talk, but it’s more important to walk the walk.
We can cite more than a few examples from recent years of public officials and public bodies trying to withhold or hide public information. Just last week, the Barnwell Police Department attempted to keep the public in the dark after The People-Sentinel requested documents related to an assault involving juveniles at Lemon Park.
The chief said no information or documents would be released at the time since this was an “active and ongoing case.”
Not true.
From The People-Sentinel | Read more
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Member's vote on buying Clarendon school property may be conflict of interest
Clarendon county residents are upset about a recent purchase made by Clarendon County School District they say was unethical.
Clarendon County School District board members approved a land purchase in March that seems to have violated at least four ethics laws, The Sumter Item found in documents obtained by Freedom of Information Act requests.
By Ashley Miller, The Sumter Item | Read more
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Feds want to toss SC plant from ‘threatened’ list. FOIA docs show politics at play.
Dwarf-flowered heartleafs like to hide near creeks; their velveteen flowers lay low, practically kissing the moist forest floor of the Carolina foothills.
Few people have ever seen them. The U.S. government says only 119 patches of forest, most no bigger than a soccer field, provide refuge for these tiny plants.
Despite their reported rarity, the federal government wants to take them off the Threatened and Endangered Species list. State scientists are dumbfounded. Professors are pleading. And the issue here is bigger than any one plant.
By Clare Fieseler, The Post and Courier | Read more
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Utility that sued customer after she complained about drinking water loses in court
A South Carolina utility that sued one of its customers for complaining about the quality of the drinking water she receives has lost in court after three years of legal disputes.
Circuit Judge Brian Gibbons dismissed the defamation case by the Jenkinsville Water Co. against Bertha Goins, a Fairfield County Council member who receives water from the utility. Gibbons did not provide an explanation for his decision, but is expected to do so with a formal written order. This week’s ruling is a win for the public’s right to criticize government, said Goins’ attorney and a leading free press lawyer in South Carolina. ...
Jay Bender, an attorney for the S.C. Press Association and other media outlets, including The State, said the public’s rights have been protected.
“The utility is a special purpose district, an arm of government,’’ Bender said. “Since at least 1776, citizens have had every right to criticize the performance of government.’’
By Sammy Fretwell, The State | Read more
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Gabe Whisnant named executive editor of Greenville News, Gannett SC publications
Gabe Whisnant has been named executive editor of the Greenville News, Spartanburg Herald-Journal and Anderson Independent Mail.
Mark Russell, executive editor of The Commercial Appeal in Memphis and South regional deputy editor for News parent company Gannett, announced the hire Wednesday, March 29.
As executive editor, Whisnant will also direct three Gannett weekly publications in SC’s Lowcountry - Bluffton Today, the Hampton County Guardian and the Jasper County Sun Times. Gannett's SC publications comprise 23 journalists who serve the Palmetto State for Gannett, which owns more than 250 daily newspapers across the United States.
"The Greenville News is in great hands with Gabe, who is a passionate, talented journalist who loves telling compelling stories in the Upstate communities," Russell said. "He has a deep love for local journalism, knows the region well and is a fierce advocate for the team of journalists covering Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson."
Whisnant is the lead editor for the News' ongoing coverage of the Murdaugh crime saga.
He has served as news director for Gannett's SC publications since Sept. 2022 and has been the interim executive editor since Dec. 2022. Prior to that, he was the news director for the Herald-Journal.
"I'm honored to have the opportunity to lead this dedicated team of South Carolina journalists. As a kid who grew up reading and learning about journalism through USA Today's pages, I am truly humbled." Whisnant said.
From Greenville News | Read more
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Steve Steiner named editor of The Press & Standard
In a career that has taken him from New Jersey to Houston, then onto North Carolina to Florida, with brief stops in Mississippi and Laramie, Wyoming, Steve Steiner officially became the managing editor for the Press and Standard, in Walterboro on March 20; officially, because in an unexpected turn of event, he did cover the final day of the Alec Murdaugh trial.
Except for one year, from 1970-1971, when he was a copyboy (remember those?) with the Paterson (N.J.) News — which put out a daily morning and evening edition seven days per week — it wouldn’t be until 1985 when he returned to journalism, beginning with McGraw-Hill publications Oil Buyers Guide/Oil Buyers Guide International, in which he covered the New York Commodities Exchange. From there he relocated to Houston and switched over to reporting upon petrochemicals.
After brief forays in running a radio station and then going on to work at several advertising agencies, he returned to journalism in the late 1990s, with the Statesville (N.C.) Record & Landmark, where he was the reporter/editor covering agriculture; business; religion, faith and values; community; and “Anything else that was thrown my way,” he said.
In 2005 he took on his first stint as a managing editor, with the Lincoln Times-News (in Lincolnton, N.C.).
Outside of journalism, his passion is for the fine arts, and up until his late 30s, was extensively involved with theater as both an actor and director; he was even a semi-professional actor in a then-booming dinner theater circuit in New Jersey. He gave up acting due to the rigors of being a managing editor.
Since then, his long-held desire to learn how to ballroom dance has led him to winning several dance competitions, and he has a fond memory of the very first one, in which he and his partner placed second place in their age bracket, dancing a foxtrot. “We came in second place. However, there was only one other couple competing, and no, they didn’t come in third place.”
However, ballroom dancing holds another spot in his heart. It’s where he met the woman who is now his wife. They met at a group ballroom dance lesson series. “She waltzed into my life and has danced away with my heart,” he said.
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Johnson joins Gulf Coast Media ownership group
Vince Johnson, group publisher of Gulf Coast Media since October 2021, has joined the ownership group, the company announced recently.
Johnson joins Kyle Osteen and Jack Osteen as partners in Gulf Coast Media, which operates newspapers, magazines and digital operations, including GulfCoastMedia.com. Johnson also joins both Osteens in the ownership group of The Lexington County Chronicle in South Carolina as part of a separate agreement.
Johnson will continue in his role as publisher of Gulf Coast Media, The Sumter Item, also in South Carolina, and The Lexington County Chronicle.
From Gulf Coast Media | Read more
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 | Garrick retired Friday after 50 years at The T&D. (Photo by Larry Hardy)
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| 50 years at T&D began after ’72 fire; Mona Garrick retires
On Sunday morning, Oct. 8, 1972, fire destroyed The Times and Democrat’s physical plant in downtown Orangeburg. From tragedy was born the newspaper career of Ramona “Mona” Garrick of Orangeburg.
On Nov. 8, 1972, exactly a month after the fire, Garrick began service at The T&D that would see her work in roles from advertising production to graphic artist. On March 31, 2023, more than 50 years later, Garrick retired.
She leaves the newspaper with memories dating back to that time in 1972 when the newspaper scrambled to produce every day’s edition (which Garrick and others did) in the wake of the fire. She recalls the beginning.
“After The T&D building fire in October 1972, T&D Publisher Dean B. Livingston had a meeting and said he needed two more employees in the ad design part of advertising. Momma (Lillian 'Teen' Bookhart, who spent 38 years at The T&D) had been working here for a year and she asked if he would consider hiring her daughter.”
With Livingston saying he needed good people more than ever amid post-fire demands, he met with Garrick.
“He hired me and I started on Nov. 8, 1972. He didn’t tell me exactly what I would be doing, just that I would have to know how to type. Thank goodness, I did! I’ve been in the same department since then.”
The advertising department is no different from all of the newspaper in having seen changes over a half-century.
“The changes since 1972 have been amazing. What used to take hours to do can now be done in less than 30 minutes,” Garrick said, citing an example.
By Martha Rose Brown, The Times and Democrat | Read more
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Bowers named president of Morning News
Michelle Bowers has been named President of South Carolina SBU for Lee Enterprises, which publishes the Morning News in Florence, Marion Star & Mullins Enterprise, The Hartsville Messenger and The Times and Democrat.
She most recently served as publisher of The Citizen in Auburn, New York, and previously worked as advertising director for Downtown Digital Group, a division of Johnson Newspaper Corporation in Watertown, NY. She was vice president of sales for All Times Publishing from 2013 to 2015. Bowers began her career in the industry in 1995 with The Post-Standard in Syracuse, New York, as an assistant to the national advertising manager and joined the sales team as an account executive in 1999.
She served as president of the New York Newspapers Advertising and Marketing Executives and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from State University of New York at Oswego.
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The Link welcomes the other Jane
The Link is pleased to welcome Chesterfield County native Olivia Jane Crawford as its new assistant editor.
After living across the South Carolina region for the past 11 years, Crawford has recently returned to her home roots in Cheraw. Despite her years away, the 30-year-old is no stranger to the county she recalls fondly as her “adolescent playground.”
Crawford grew up in Cheraw where she attended school until enrolling in Chesterfield public schools, where she participated in cross country, track, cheerleading and bookkeeping for the Chesterfield High baseball team. Through sports and other activities, the then high-schooler fostered lifelong friendships with her peers across the county.
After graduating from high school in 2011, Crawford moved to Columbia, where she began college at the University of South Carolina studying public health and experimental psychology.
During her time at USC, she joined Chi Omega Fraternity.
Wishing to narrow her area of study, Crawford transferred to Columbia College two years later to study speech-language pathology, learning her Bachelor of Arts degree in 2015.
By Joan Yates, The Link | Read more
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Charleston City Paper shifts to Friday publication
You can pick up the new weekly print issue of the Charleston City Paper on Fridays at 800 locations around the [Charleston] area. ...
“We know you might feel a little lost on Wednesdays not being able to find our latest news or the crossword puzzle or the craziness identified by our cartoonists,” editor and publisher Andy Brack said. “We find it a little disorienting too — not having weekend and early week deadlines.
“But this new change is going to be great for everyone — you’ll learn more about what happens on weekends on Fridays, and we’ll get our weekends back for the first time in years!”
From Charleston City Paper | Read more
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The Baptist Courier names Jeff Robinson editor and president
The Baptist Courier’s board of trustees unanimously elected Jeff Robinson as the next editor and president of The Courier at a called meeting Feb. 17.
Robinson began work March 1 and succeeds Rudy Gray, who retired after a decade of leadership at The Courier. ...
Robinson is a graduate of the University of Georgia with an undergraduate degree in journalism from the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism, and a graduate of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Philosophy in historical theology with a specialty in Baptist history.
From The Courier | Read more
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 | Koppel and Voice publisher Barbara Ball.
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| CBS’s Ted Koppel visits The Voice & Blythewood
Ted Koppel and a television crew of five were in Blythewood last April filming at The Voice’s office and around town as part of an upcoming CBS Sunday Morning show.
The two days of filming began at 7:30 Thursday morning when Koppel, two film crews and the show’s producer arrived at The Voice’s office on Main Street in downtown Blythewood after spending the night at the new Hilton Home 2 Suites on Creech Road.
Later that morning, the crew followed The Voice’s publisher, Barbara Ball, as she distributed the fresh-off-the-press March 23 newspapers to stores around town. First stop was IGA.
By Barbara Ball, The Voice of Blythewood & Fairfield County | Read more
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Priddy receives NPPA Innovation Award
Longtime SCPA member Tom Priddy was honored last month by the National Press Photographers Association with the 2022 NPPA Innovation Award. This award recognizes individuals who discover, develop or pioneer new and emerging technologies, techniques or strategies to help visual journalism reach new heights.
In 2017, Priddy retired as Assistant Managing Editor, Digital, for the Herald-Journal in Spartanburg. He previously worked for Knight Ridder/Tribune, Presslink and The State.
Priddy and his colleagues were instrumental in accelerating the move from film to digital, and worked on pioneering technology that allowed for the distribution of graphics to newsrooms through dial-up and digital means. He also helped develop tools to view, sort and caption digital photos, as well as compress JPGs.
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AJC names Leroy Chapman Jr. editor
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has named Leroy Chapman Jr. editor-in-chief to replace Kevin Riley, who announced his retirement [last month].
Chapman, 52, a managing editor, has been with the AJC since 2011. ...
Chapman will be the first Black top editor in the newspaper’s 155-year history.
In a city where there is such a dynamic and influential Black community, it means a lot to have a leader like Leroy,” Morse said.
Chapman, a Navy vet, has been a journalist for 28 years. He came to the AJC from The State in South Carolina and lives in Gwinnett County with his wife Dawn. They have three adult children.
[He previously worked at The State from 2007-2010 as State Government and Politics Editor and as Associate Editorial Page Editor at The Greenville News from 1999-2005. Chapman is a USC grad.]
By Michael E. Kanell, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution | Read more
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Fog of war: Isabelle Khurshudyan reports from Ukraine
The day war broke out, USC graduate Isabelle Khurshudyan watched it on TV. She also heard it outside her window.
In anticipation of the Russian attack on Ukraine Feb. 24, 2022, the Washington Post correspondent had recently transferred to Kharkiv from Moscow, where she had spent the previous two years covering Russia and the former Soviet states.
Now, she was in a Kharkiv hotel room, watching a friend from CNN report on the outbreak of war from the Russian city of Belgorod, just 80 kilometers away. She would watch a Russian missile launch on TV then hear it explode on a nearby street. Suddenly, the hypotheticals she and her editors had discussed were playing out in real time.
By Craig Brandhorst, USC | Read more
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Finalists announced for USC J-School director position
The search committee has completed virtual interviews and recommended four finalists for the director’s position in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications. The candidates will visit campus for in-person interviews and presentations to faculty, staff and students April 3–6. The director’s position has been open since last June when Andrea Hickerson left to take the dean’s position at the University of Mississippi. Visual Communications professor Van Kornegay is currently serving as interim director. Read more
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 | At right: Vince Johnson, publisher of The Sumter Item, speaks at the Mather Media Revenue Symposium in March.
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| Small publishers share growing, diversified revenue streams
Reader revenue and sponsored content — accelerated by mission-minded brands during the COVID-19 pandemic — are becoming steady and growing pieces of the revenue pie chart for local publishers.
At the Mather Media Revenue Symposium in Atlanta in March, Vince Johnson, publisher of The Sumter Item, and Dana Peck, director of digital solutions at The AFRO, shared that both reader revenue and sponsored content have been growing sources of revenue for their respective media companies. Furthermore, they said they expect that growth to continue in the next five years.
At The Item, Johnson said the team was determined to grow reader revenue by focusing on two key areas: improving the checkout flow for digital subscriptions and explaining the value of the newsroom’s work to readers.
“‘We tell the stories that would otherwise go untold’ is what we’re constantly telling and pitching to our community,” he said.
Last year, roughly 25 percent of The Item’s total revenue came from print and digital subscriptions. Digital subscriptions have been growing for The Item since 2020.
By Penny Riordan, Local Media Association | Read more
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 | P&C Columbia Reporter T. Michael Boddie and Deputy Managing Editor Frank Taylor discuss story assignments. (Photo by Stephen Massar)
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| Post and Courier named to E&P’s 2023 class of 10 news publishers that do it right
The Post and Courier has been named to Editor & Publisher's 2023 class of 10 News Publishers That Do It Right. The list represents our industry with small-town publishers to large properties; monthly, weekly and daily publications; legacy print, digital publications, business and alternative publications — representing the breadth and depth of our industry. Each has faced challenges and innovated to overcome them, and each has a story to tell — revenue, content, community service, engagement, business model or platform.
By Robin Blinder, Editor & Publisher | Read more
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AP continues focus on topic guidance in news stylebook updates
An expanded entry on climate change and a new philanthropy terms entry are among the AP Stylebook updates and additions announced [last month] at the ACES: The Society for Editing annual conference.
AP Stylebook editor Paula Froke and stylebook product manager Colleen Newvine went over the 2023 changes at the “What’s New in AP Style” session.
Other updates include a new entry on the term “woke” and a change to using LGBTQ+.
Many of the updates announced focused on topic guidance over single-entry usage or punctuation issues.
By Gerri Berendzen, ACES | Read more
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Applications open for Cohort 4 of LMA Lab for Journalism Funding
All local media companies are invited to apply to join the fourth cohort of the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding to learn how to develop reporting projects that can be funded through philanthropy. Applications are open and will be accepted until April 23. Up to 20 media companies will be invited to participate in the six-month program that will run from May through October 2023.
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| Compelling Writing with Jerry Bellune
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By Jerry Bellune,
Writing Coach
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| Yes, we need white space
In a black and white movie, you want shadow and light.
In a color movie, you want vibrant colors.
Without these, they would be unwatchable movies.
The same is true of your own writing – and reading.
You want short words, short sentences, short paragraphs.
This builds white space into your prose.
This may not be cancer surgery but in some ways it is. Surgeons aim to remove diseased – not healthy – tissue.
We aim to rewrite and cut unneeded words and sentences.
We want to eliminate the clutter.
Give our readers muscular prose.
It's true of advertising, letters, business proposals.
Even letters to Mom.
Short words, sentences and paragraphs.
You would not write 50-word sentences to Mom.
Mom would have trouble reading your letter.
In a letter to Mom, you want to tell her what happened.
You may write to ask for money or to send her some.
You may tell her about her grandkids’ mischievous ways.
You may joke by asking if she’s picked up any men lately.
Ernest Hemingway won a bet to write a short story in six words.
He won by writing: Baby shoes for sale, never worn.
In this somewhat stilted example you’ll see what I mean:
Man bites dog. Man arrested. Dog rushed to veterinarian.
You get the idea.
Your other readers want to know what’s in it for them.
Don’t make them wade through a dark forest.
Lead your readers into a sunny meadow smelling of clover.
Next: The stories within the stories
If our reporters wrote well it would make editing their work easier. It would make our news and feature articles sing. But we lack the time to coach them. Here’s a secret. Help them with a copy of writing coach Jerry Bellune’s The Art of Compelling Writing. Only $9.99 at Amazon.com.
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By Jim Pumarlo,
Newspaper consultant
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Are your news, ad departments on same page?
Editors often raise red flags – or at least hesitate – at requests for business news, and often for good reason.
A store seeks a story for its grand opening – three months after the doors have opened.
A request for a restaurant review, though maybe a good idea, would be a “first” for the newspaper and might set an uncomfortable precedent.
A request for an anniversary story is accompanied by a reminder that the florist is one of the newspaper’s largest advertisers.
Advertising departments are quick to promote business content for the promised dividends in increased revenue. And that may well be the case. Be aware, however, that haphazard coverage can be worse than no coverage at all. Read more
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By Chris Trainor, Index-Journal
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| A TV show about a local newspaper in 2023? We’ll take it
We all like to see a piece of ourselves on the screen, even if it’s not always completely believable.
In recent months I’ve enjoyed watching the show “Alaska Daily” on Thursday nights on ABC. I’m sure a few of you might also have been watching, but for those who haven’t, here’s the basic gist: A journalist (played by Oscar winner Hillary Swank) who fell from grace at a publication in New York ends up working for a newspaper in Alaska. It’s a small daily with a tiny staff located in a shopping strip, but the reporters work hard to churn out stories that matter — most notably on indigenous women who have gone missing in Alaska.
Basically, it’s a primetime TV show on a major network about a small, daily, local newspaper. In the year 2023.
Now, this is pretty rare for those of us on the newspaper side, at least in the modern era. We just aren’t a profession you see as the centerpiece in dramatic TV shows all that often these days. Read more
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